Every month, Club Solutions sits down with an industry expert to share in their knowledge. This issue, we sat down with Kris Mulkey, the chief marketing officer of In-Shape Family Fitness.
1. How did you get your start in the fitness industry?
Most of my career has been in advertising and marketing for retailers. When I learned about an opportunity to run corporate partnerships at In-Shape, I was excited to work in a new industry where I could apply my retail and marketing knowledge. It’s this shared passion for understanding and meeting the needs of consumers that has fueled my journey in the fitness industry.
2. What’s been a key to your organization’s success? What are you most proud of?
We have an amazing culture and one team mentality which is a huge contributing factor to our success. We’ve been through a lot of change in recent years, and we’ve persevered because we all love what we do, we love our clubs and we love who we work with.
We pride ourselves on being ahead of the curve with developing our own fitness programming and using advanced technology for membership sales and member engagement. We are constantly thinking “what’s next” and working hard to make processes faster, more intuitive and increasingly self-serve for our members.
3. What has been one of the biggest accomplishments of your career?
I’m most proud of keeping my team motivated and engaged while surviving COVID-19’s negative impact on our industry and navigating bankruptcy. They stuck it out with me because of the trust we’ve built. None of us do what we do alone. In addition to building a talented and loyal team, I’m incredibly proud of the Fight Cancer campaign we host every year.
4. What has been one of the biggest challenges you’ve faced in your career? How did you overcome it?
Balancing work and personal life has always presented a significant challenge for me. To tackle this, I’m delegating differently and setting clear priorities with the team. I’ve been encouraging our leaders to drive their channels. This also keeps the team engaged and empowered.
5. What is one lesson you have learned that other fitness professionals can learn from?
My biggest fitness lesson is it’s important to listen and learn from teammates and members. If you’re part of a chain, spend time in the clubs. Visit and learn from your team and members. Take a class together. Try everything. Connect with the team and members who make it all possible. I’ve found it incredibly insightful to roll up my sleeves and participate, whether it’s taking a class, stocking the cooler or answering member questions on a busy Monday evening. My simple advice is to be present and involved. You’ll never regret spending time in the clubs, and this is a good reminder to schedule a team workout.
6. Tell us a fact about yourself others may not know.
I love traveling and experiencing new things. When I was in my early 20s, I won a trip to Egypt in a radio contest. My boyfriend/now husband and I went to Cairo. We crawled through the pyramids, saw all the sites, cruised on the Nile and went SCUBA diving in the Red Sea. It was a trip I’ll never forget. Our next adventure is going to Thailand in January 2024 to celebrate our daughter’s college graduation.
