
Advertise on podcast: Future of Fitness
Rating
5from
This podcast has
583 episodes
Language
EnglishPublisher
Eric MalzoneExplicit
No
Date created
2017/10/19
Latest episode
2026/10/22
Average duration
47 min.
Release period
6 days
Description
We are putting a shoulder into the fitness industry and pushing it forward into the modern digital age. Eric Malzone, a 14-year industry veteran, entrepreneur, advisor, and coach, interviews the brightest movers and shakers in the fitness and health industries. Interviewing some of the industry's top executives, entrepreneurs, investors, and thought leaders, topics will vary covering cutting edge technology, entrepreneurship, hot industry trends, and so much more. If you're in or around the industry, this is how you keep your edge sharp.
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Check latest episodes from Future of Fitness podcast
Spencer Tatum of TCU on Markerless Biomechanics, Wearables, and Athlete Engineering
2026/10/22
Every check-in at your gym is a research data point, and most operators are sitting on it. Spencer Tatum of TCU’s Roach Institute of Athlete Engineering explains how gyms, health clubs and performance centers can turn the data they already collect into grant funding and better member outcomes.
Get Eric’s free Q2 State of Fitness Report: → https://q2-report.future-of-fitness.info/
Eric Malzone welcomes back Spencer Tatum, Chief Athlete Liaison at TCU’s Roach Institute of Athlete Engineering, for his third appearance on the show. Spencer explains how a shipyard’s workers’ comp problem turned out to be a heat problem, which they solved with a sensor built into earbuds workers already wore. He also covers how markerless biomechanics took a pitcher from 89 to 93 mph just by speeding up his pelvis, and why some athletes now stop wearing their wearables during competition. Spencer also lays out how off-the-shelf cameras are bringing research-grade biomechanics to any facility, and where digital twins are headed for performance and healthcare.
Spencer Tatum is Chief Athlete Liaison at TCU’s Roach Institute of Athlete Engineering, with a career that includes training NFL, MMA, pro tennis and pro golf athletes and running 80,000-square-foot health clubs.
Thanks to Our Sponsors
EGYM: Connecting smart strength equipment across the fitness floor with personalized, AI-powered training experiences:
https://engage.egym.com/6GTrUv7?utm_source=futureoffitness&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=egym&utm_content=show_notes
Perfect Gym: A leading fitness club management platform, part of Sport Alliance, now expanding across the U.S. market:
https://www.perfectgym.com/en?utm_source=futureoffitness&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=perfectgym&utm_content=show_notes
► Get the State of Fitness quarterly report: https://q2-report.future-of-fitness.info/
► Partner with Future of Fitness: https://futureoffitness.co/contact
► Follow Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-malzone-8b452a3/
Connect with Spencer Tatum
Website: https://www.thp.fit/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/spencertatum/
Why HYROX Is the Best Business Opportunity in Fitness Right Now
2026/10/20
Is HYROX just a fad? Centr CEO Andrew Sugerman says the data says no: across 100+ HYROX race cities, not one has shrunk. Here's why gym owners can't afford to wait.
Bring the official HYROX competition equipment to your gym with Centr: https://commercial.centr.com/?utm_source=futureoffitness&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=hyrox_authority_series&utm_content=ep01_andrew_sugerman_top
Eric Malzone sits down with Andrew Sugerman, CEO of Centr, the official equipment partner of HYROX, to make the business case for HYROX. HYROX has 1.5 million athletes and more than 100 races across 300+ race days in 2026, and HYROX New York alone grew from about 10,000 athletes to 25,000 to 50,000 in three years. Andrew expects it to be bigger than the New York City Marathon in 2027. He explains why Centr chose to become the infrastructure of the sport instead of just a sponsor, what early-mover gyms are seeing now (from retention flywheels to class waitlists), and what HYROX athletes actually want from a gym. They also get into why waiting on the sidelines is the real risk, how gyms are bringing HYROX in without betting the farm, and the pitch Andrew would give any gym owner on the fence.
0:00 Trend, yes. Fad, no.
1:17 Welcome Andrew Sugerman
2:47 From Disney to Centr
3:39 Why Centr bet on HYROX as infrastructure
6:28 Inside HYROX New York City
8:41 Bigger than the NYC Marathon by 2027?
9:53 Racing HYROX with his son
10:50 What early-mover gyms are seeing now
13:27 The HYROX retention flywheel
14:31 HYROX doubling its US cities
15:41 How Centr helps gyms bring HYROX in
17:31 Layout and build-out planning
18:49 Is HYROX a fad?
22:04 Why waiting on the sidelines is risky
22:27 Lessons from CrossFit's early days
23:43 How gyms have transformed with HYROX
25:38 Elite athletes and HYROX careers
28:05 Why race equipment creates an emotional connection
28:37 You can still be you within HYROX
29:35 The pitch to a gym owner on the fence
31:40 Wrap up
Questions answered in this episode:
Is HYROX a fad? Andrew says it's a trend, not a fad. Of the more than 100 cities that host HYROX races, zero have shrunk.How fast is HYROX growing? HYROX New York grew from about 10,000 athletes to 50,000 in three years, and Andrew expects HYROX to double its US race cities from 10 to 20.What do HYROX athletes want from a gym? A like-minded community, a space built for HYROX training, equipment that replicates race day, and programming from coaches who know the sport.Do you have to convert your whole gym? No. Centr helps gyms design anything from a single HYROX corner to a full HYROX Training Zone, including layouts and class flow.What happens to gyms that get in early? Andrew has seen early movers grow membership steadily over 15 to 18 months, to the point of waitlists for classes.
Andrew Sugerman is the CEO of Centr, the health and fitness company founded by Chris Hemsworth and the official equipment partner of HYROX. Before Centr, he spent 12 years at The Walt Disney Company running global publishing and digital media. He races HYROX himself, completing three events in four months, including one with his son.
This is episode 1 of the HYROX Authority Series, presented by Centr.
Connect with Andrew
Follow Andrew Sugerman, CEO of Centr, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-sugerman/
Equip your facility with Centr commercial equipment and the HYROX Training Zone: https://commercial.centr.com/?utm_source=futureoffitness&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=hyrox_authority_series&utm_content=ep01_andrew_sugerman_connect
Shop the Centr x HYROX Official Competition Equipment: https://shop.centr.com/collections/hyrox?utm_source=futureoffitness&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=hyrox_authority_series&utm_content=ep01_andrew_sugerman_shop
Learn more about Centr: https://centr.com/?utm_source=futureoffitness&utm_medium=youtube&utm_campaign=hyrox_authority_series&utm_content=ep01_andrew_sugerman_home
► Get the State of Fitness quarterly report: https://q2-report.future-of-fitness.info/
► Partner with Future of Fitness: https://futureoffitness.co/contact
► Follow Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-malzone-8b452a3/
This Future of Fitness interview with Centr CEO Andrew Sugerman covers HYROX growth, early-mover advantage for gyms, Centr's role as the official HYROX equipment partner, and how operators can bring HYROX into their facilities, with practical takeaways for gym owners on the fence.
Inside the $7.5B Merger Behind Mindbody, ClassPass and EGYM with Fritz Lanman & Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer
2026/10/17
The Mindbody, ClassPass and EGYM merger created a $7.5B fitness giant. Its two co-founders explain why GLP-1s will hit gyms before AI does, and who really wins.
FREE REPORT: Get the Future of Fitness quarterly industry report → https://quarterly-report.future-of-fitness.info
Recorded live at Playlist Summit in Boulder, Eric Malzone sits down with Fritz Lanman (Playlist, parent of Mindbody, ClassPass and Booker) and Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer (EGYM), the co-founders of the combined company, a few months after the deal cleared regulators. Inside: why they're refusing to "integrate for integration's sake," why scale is what finally makes fitness investable, and the $8M clinical study EGYM is funding to prove strength training can help people on GLP-1s keep their muscle.
WHAT YOU'LL LEARN
- Why employers are about to become the biggest new source of money for gyms and studios
- The GLP-1 problem companies are paying for, and how fitness can solve it
- How Mindbody, ClassPass, Wellpass and EGYM fit together from the buyer's point of view
- Why AI makes scale matter more, not less
- How to get your staff to actually adopt AI
"Rule number one is don't f*** up the other person's business."
(Fritz Lanman)
"When an employer decides to work with us, we want 100% of the workforce to do at least five minutes of strength training per week."
(Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer)
CHAPTERS
0:00 Rule #1 of a $7.5B merger
0:27 What happened between the announcement and approval
2:34 "Two alphas won't last a year"
5:07 ClassPass's first big wins in Europe
6:33 Why they're refusing to integrate
10:10 Why every operator should care about this deal
14:21 What $785M in new capital means for the industry
17:27 Fitness as preventative health by 2035
18:26 Why most people still don't work out (and the $8M GLP-1 study)
26:34 Sponsor: EGYM
27:54 Why employers will pay for your members' workouts
29:38 How Mindbody, ClassPass, Wellpass and EGYM fit together
32:04 The benefits manager is the real customer
36:11 Do GLP-1 users actually join gyms?
39:47 Why strength, Pilates and HYROX are booming
40:57 "Most people will be on a GLP-1 one day"
43:11 Why data is the real AI advantage
46:49 Why vibe-coded software is a security trap
51:21 How to get your team to actually use AI
56:59 How two strong-willed founders fight fair
1:02:47 What they need from operators
1:06:12 GLP-1s vs. AI: the final verdict
GUESTS
Fritz Lanman, CEO of Playlist (parent company of Mindbody, ClassPass and Booker)
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fritzlanman/
Philipp Roesch-Schlanderer, co-founder and CEO of EGYM
https://www.linkedin.com/in/philipp-roesch-schlanderer-bb33137/
Thanks to Our Sponsors
EGYM: Connecting smart strength equipment across the fitness floor with personalized, AI-powered training experiences: https://engage.egym.com/6GTrUv7?utm_source=futureoffitness&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=egym&utm_content=show_notes
Perfect Gym: A leading fitness club management platform, part of Sport Alliance, now expanding across the U.S. market: https://www.perfectgym.com/en?utm_source=futureoffitness&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=perfectgym&utm_content=show_notes
► Get the State of Fitness quarterly report: https://q2-report.future-of-fitness.info/
► Partner with Future of Fitness: https://futureoffitness.co/contact
► Follow Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-malzone-8b452a3/
ABOUT FUTURE OF FITNESS
Future of Fitness is the business podcast for gym owners, franchise operators, health-tech executives and wellness entrepreneurs, hosted by Eric Malzone. Subscribe for conversations with the people building the business of fitness.
#FutureOfFitness #FitnessBusiness #GLP1
Dr. Nicole Moyen (Eight Sleep) on Temperature, Women's Sleep, and Menopause
2026/10/12
Eight Sleep's Dr. Nicole Moyen has data from millions of nights of sleep, and it shows menopausal and pregnant women want the coldest beds of anyone. So why has almost no research looked at temperature and sleep in women?
Get Eric's free Q2 State of Fitness Report: → https://q2-report.future-of-fitness.info/
Dr. Nicole Moyen, Senior Director of Science and Clinical Research at Eight Sleep, joins Eric to break down what close to 200,000 members and millions of nights of data say about temperature and sleep. In a study of nearly 100 peri- and postmenopausal women, the Pod cut hot flashes by 56% on average, whether or not they were on hormone replacement therapy. Her team has also followed more than 100 pregnancies from three months before conception to six months postpartum, and biometrics still hadn't returned to baseline at the six month mark. She also explains why sleep regularity is now a better predictor of all-cause mortality than total sleep time, and how trainers can start bringing sleep into client conversations.
Dr. Nicole Moyen holds a PhD from Stanford, played Division 1 soccer, and worked in research at Fitbit and WHOOP before joining Eight Sleep, where she has spent four and a half years studying how to improve sleep through temperature.
Thanks to Our Sponsor:
Perfect Gym: A leading fitness club management platform, part of Sport Alliance, now expanding across the U.S. market:
https://www.perfectgym.com/en?utm_source=futureoffitness&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=perfectgym&utm_content=show_notes
► Get the State of Fitness quarterly report: https://q2-report.future-of-fitness.info/
► Partner with Future of Fitness: https://futureoffitness.co/contact
► Follow Eric on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eric-malzone-8b452a3/
Connect with Dr. Nicole Moyen
Website: https://www.eightsleep.com
LinkedIN: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicolemoyen/?isSelfProfile=false
Adam Shane (Yoga Joint New York) on Why a Suburban Fitness Brand Is Betting on Manhattan
2026/10/02
Adam Shane spent 13 years helping scale Barry's. Now he's putting his own money behind Yoga Joint, a Florida infrared fitness brand that fills suburban classes with 55-plus people, and he's taking it straight into Manhattan.
Adam Shane, Franchise Owner and Managing Director of Yoga Joint New York, joins Eric Malzone to explain why he's flipping the usual boutique playbook and proving a suburban model in the city. He breaks down Yoga Joint's split between 60-minute Flow and 45-minute FIIT classes in 95-degree infrared rooms. He also explains why he's hunting for 3,500 to 5,000 square foot spaces when most of the industry is building 1,500 to 2,500. Adam shares his read on a boutique market that feels frothy, and he describes how details like elevators and stairwells quietly shape the member experience before anyone steps into class.
Adam Shane is the Franchise Owner and Managing Director of Yoga Joint New York and the former Chief Development Officer and EVP of Operations at Barry's, where he spent more than 13 years scaling the brand after starting as its last domestic franchisee. Website: https://yogajoint.com | Instagram: @adamjshane
Get Eric's weekly industry newsletter: https://futureoffitness.co
Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@futureofofitnesspod
OUR SPONSORS:
🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en
🔗 EGYM: https://egym.com/
Dr. Heather McKee, PhD Behavioral Scientist, on Habit Formation and Fitness Motivation
2026/09/27
Dr. Heather McKee, PhD behavioral scientist and motivation science advisor at MyZone, joins Eric Malzone to explain why motivation is the wrong thing to chase first and what actually gets members to stick around past January.
Dr. McKee argues that action creates motivation, not the other way around, and that operators should design for a member's ordinary Tuesday rather than their idealized best day. She breaks down why six week challenges quietly fail most members, citing Eric's own experience retaining just 4 percent of a 50 person challenge cohort six months later, and introduces the concept of competence matching, or stage matching people to exercise based on their actual confidence level rather than their ambition. The conversation also covers how AI can extend a trainer's reach from a few hours a week into dozens of touchpoints without replacing the human relationship.
Dr. Heather McKee is a PhD behavioral scientist, motivation science advisor at MyZone, and Europe-based habit formation specialist who has consulted for lululemon, Starbucks, Unilever, and HSBC. Website: https://www.drheathermckee.co.uk | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/drheathermckee
Get Eric's weekly industry newsletter: https://futureoffitness.co
Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@futureofofitnesspod
OUR SPONSORS:
🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en
🔗 EGYM: https://egym.com/
The New Science of Aging: Why Your Organs Age at Different Rates with Paul Coletta
2026/09/22
What if the next major shift in fitness and health isn't another wearable or blood panel, but knowing which of your organs is aging fastest, and whether the things you're doing to improve your health are actually working?
Paul Coletta is Co-Founder and CEO of Vero Bioscience, a predictive health company commercializing Stanford research in proteomic organ aging.
Before Vero, Paul spent decades building consumer businesses and brands across Disney, MTV, Hewlett-Packard, Jamba Juice and Urban Remedy. He isn't an MD or a PhD. Three years ago, he says he didn't even know what proteomics was.
Then he became one of the first people to take what would become Vero's assay.
The result showed that his kidney was aging significantly faster than his chronological age, even though the traditional markers he had been tracking, including creatinine and GFR, looked normal. Paul didn't believe the result, so he took it to his cardiologist. An ultrasound found a large renal cyst. It was benign, but the experience changed how he thought about what health data could tell us before traditional diagnostics flag a problem.
That story became part of a much bigger question: Can we move from measuring health after something has gone wrong to seeing where the body may be heading, then intervene early enough to change the trajectory?
Eric Malzone and Paul unpack the emerging science behind proteomics, the study of proteins and what they can reveal about the real-time function of the body. Paul explains why he thinks proteins offer a different layer of information than genetics, conventional bloodwork and whole-body biological age scores.
Vero's Proteomic OrganAge™ analyzes roughly 11,000 proteins from a blood sample and maps those signals across 11 organ systems. The underlying research has been validated across more than 45,000 people, with longitudinal data extending over 17 years. Rather than reducing someone to a single biological-age number, the goal is to identify which parts of the body may be aging differently from the rest.
As Paul puts it: "You're only as healthy as your oldest organ."
But the measurement itself is only part of the conversation.
Eric has talked for years about the industry's "now what" problem: consumers have more data than ever from wearables, bloodwork, sleep trackers and other diagnostics, but getting another score doesn't necessarily tell someone what to do next.
Paul argues that the real opportunity is creating a closed-loop health system: measure what is happening, connect that insight to a targeted intervention, retest, and measure how the biology responds.
This leads to a broader conversation about the longevity industry itself.
As those categories continue to converge, the opportunity may be bigger than collecting more health data. It may be building systems that can turn that data into direction and give both consumers and clinicians a clearer picture of where to act next.
CONNECT WITH PAUL + VERO
Learn more about Vero Bioscience / join the waitlist →
https://www.verobioscience.com/?utm_source=future_of_fitness&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=podcast_collective&utm_content=paul_coletta
Paul Coletta on LinkedIn →
https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulcoletta/
Vero Bioscience on LinkedIn →
https://www.linkedin.com/company/vero-bioscience-inc/home/
The Assembly Founder Jon Ward on GLP-1s, Deal Flow and Fitness's Future
2026/09/17
Jon Ward left the influencer playbook behind at Plunge to build something with no media, no selling, and an NDA at the door — and he's already turned away over a hundred applicants to protect it.
Jon Ward, Founder and CEO of The Assembly, joins Eric to unpack why he's betting on trust over reach in an industry drowning in pitches. Jon breaks down how GLP-1s are splitting the gym-going population in half, why brands like Evolve went from zero to over $100 million in under a year, and why he thinks "health" needs to stop being treated as an industry and start being treated as culture. He also gets into how The Assembly vets its members, what its Chatham House rules actually protect, and why he sees fitness as the best-positioned industry to own the next decade of health.
Jon Ward is the Founder and CEO of The Assembly, an invite-only network connecting founders, executives, and investors across health, wellness, and longevity, and previously worked in brand growth at cold-plunge company Plunge. Website: https://theassembly.health | LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonward007
Get Eric's weekly industry newsletter: https://futureoffitness.co
Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@futureofofitnesspod
James Hurlock (Fitura Brands Founder & CEO) on Scaling Padel and Pilates Franchises
2026/09/12
James Hurlock went from professional rugby to founding Fitura Brands, the multi-concept franchise platform behind Padel SWT, Core Precinct, and ContrasTheory. He explains why he's betting on three categories at once — and why he's deliberately taking the slow, expensive route to franchising.
James Hurlock is the Founder and CEO of Fitura Brands, a Utah-based wellness holding company that launched in 2026 at a $20 million pre-money valuation. Before founding Fitura, Hurlock served as founding CEO of FS8, Chief Partnerships Officer at F45 Training, and Chief Brand Officer at The Picklr, where he helped grow the indoor pickleball franchise to roughly 70 locations across the US and abroad. In this conversation, he breaks down Fitura's three concepts — Padel SWT (big-box indoor padel), Core Precinct (hybrid reformer Pilates), and ContrasTheory (guided contrast recovery) — and shares why Fitura spent 12 months building infrastructure before selling a single franchise.
James Hurlock, Founder and CEO of Fitura Brands, previously held leadership roles at F45 Training, FS8, and The Picklr, and played professional rugby for Northampton Saints Academy and London Saracens before captaining England Schoolboys.
Get Eric's weekly industry newsletter: https://futureoffitness.co
Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@futureofofitnesspod
Jon Canarick, North Castle Partners, on Curves, Equinox, and GLP-1s in Fitness
2026/09/07
Jon Canarick has spent 25 years investing in gyms, and he's still trying to explain why doctors won't write a prescription for exercise. As Managing Partner at North Castle Partners, he helped build Equinox, turned around Curves, and backed Barry's long before boutique fitness was a category.
Canarick walks through what actually changed in fitness private equity since he joined North Castle in 2001, from the corporate franchise wave that built 24 Hour Fitness and LA Fitness to Planet Fitness's pricing model, which he credits with pulling more Americans into gym memberships than anything else in the last quarter century. He details the failed attempt to combine Curves with Jenny Craig and a Cleveland Clinic nutrition program, a bet he calls a real failure despite the medical credibility behind it. Canarick also breaks down why GLP-1 drugs are reshaping the industry at the premium end through brands like Monarch and Miora, and why an LEK study showing 30% of big box gym members also pay for boutique fitness complicates the usual story about a shrinking middle class of gyms.
Jon Canarick is Managing Partner at North Castle Partners, a private equity firm focused exclusively on healthy, active, and sustainable living businesses, where he has sat on the boards of Equinox, Curves, Barry's, Therabody, and SLT. Website: https://northcastlepartners.com | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/jon-canarick-4340362
Get Eric's weekly industry newsletter: https://futureoffitness.co
Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@futureofofitnesspod
OUR SPONSORS:
🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en
🔗 EGYM: https://egym.com/
Quarterly Report: Q2 Big Five with Andy Beckman of Garmin, Life Time Sheds Members on Purpose, Peloton's First Profit Ever, Xponential's 5x Problem
2026/09/02
Garmin Health's Andy Beckman joins hosts Eric Malzone, Juliet Starrett, and Alex Alimanestianu for the quarterly roundtable, talking wearables and the Training Peaks acquisition before the group digs into a full quarter of fitness industry earnings.
Andy Beckman explains what Garmin Health actually does, from employee wellness and insurance underwriting to military fatigue tracking and the pilot study that flagged COVID cases 48 hours before symptoms appeared. Juliet Starrett and Alex Alimanestianu then break down the numbers: Garmin posted a record quarter with revenue up 11% to $2 billion and its fitness segment growing 25% to $757 million, Lifetime grew revenue 13.7% to $866 million while deliberately shrinking its membership base toward higher-paying clients, and Peloton logged its first full year of net profitability even as subscriptions fell 9%. Xponential Fitness comes up as the quarter's cautionary tale, with a new leadership team and a debt-to-EBITDA ratio the hosts call unsustainable. The episode closes on Procter & Gamble's acquisition of supplement brand Thorn, New York City's new click-to-cancel law, and a widely shared article questioning the accuracy of Blue Zones longevity data.
Andy Beckman leads Garmin Health, the division that connects Garmin's wearables to partners in corporate wellness, insurance, clinical research, and remote patient monitoring, after joining the company in 2008. Website: https://www.garmin.com/en-US/health/ | LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/beckmanandy
Get Eric's weekly industry newsletter: https://futureoffitness.co
Watch full episodes on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@futureofofitnesspod
OUR SPONSORS:
🔗 Perfect Gym: https://www.perfectgym.com/en
🔗 EGYM: https://egym.com/
Why Your Gut Renews Every 5 Days — and What That Means for Aging, with Christian Drapeau
2026/08/28
Your gut lining rebuilds itself every five days — faster than any other tissue in your body — and that turnover rate is either your best defense or your biggest vulnerability, depending on what you're doing to it. In the final episode of this series with stem cell scientist and STEMREGEN founder Christian Drapeau, Eric Malzone digs into why the intestinal lining is "the most fragile and vulnerable part of your body," how estrogen withdrawal at menopause quietly wrecks gut repair, and why Christian believes the real story of aging isn't inflammation or free radicals — it's a failure of the body's own repair system. They also get into a jaw-dropping 1940s case study on gut bacteria and psychosis, the specific bacteria linked to autoimmune disease and diabetes, and why Christian thinks "stem cells bring cure" is the hardest sentence in modern medicine.
Key Takeaways
🔄 Your gut lining fully renews every 5 days — versus 30 days for skin 📏 Unfolded, your intestinal lining covers roughly the surface area of a tennis court, packed into ~10-13 feet of tube 🧫 That lining is one cell thick — the only barrier between your bloodstream and everything in your gut 🌸 Estrogen withdrawal at menopause reduces stem cell proliferation and strips away its anti-inflammatory protection, weakening gut repair 🦠 The "estrobolome" — a distinct, estrogen-linked gut microbiome that shifts dramatically after menopause 🧠 A 1940s-50s study fed institutionalized psychosis/seizure patients ~700 billion microorganisms/day via fermented yogurt — many normalized within two weeks 💊 Christian's core thesis: failure of endogenous repair, not inflammation or free radicals alone, is the fundamental cause of aging and disease 🩺 25 years of research shows that simply increasing circulating stem cells can produce results Christian calls "phenomenal" — including an ongoing Parkinson's study CONNECT WITH CHRISTIAN DRAPEAU
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stemcellchristian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stemcellchristian/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMREGENOfficial/
WellnessSpace Brands' Paul Lunter on Cold Plunges, Red Light Saunas, and the Business of Recovery
2026/08/23
Paul Lunter didn't start out trying to build a wellness empire — he was in construction, watched someone in pain step in and out of the shower for relief, and built a machine instead. Thirty-seven years later, that machine (HydroMassage) has grown into WellnessSpace Brands: five product lines, 400 million sessions delivered, and installations in 50+ countries at Planet Fitness, Life Time, Gold's Gym, and beyond. Lunter walks Eric Malzone through the company's medical-market origins, the R&D behind machines like the PolarWave Dry Plunge and the company's newest RedZone sauna which uses no wood, and why he thinks recovery is a permanent industry shift rather than another fitness fad.
Key Takeaways
🛠️ Paul Lunter built the first HydroMassage machine in 1989 after watching someone step in and out of the shower for pain relief multiple times a day — before recovery was even a category
🏥 The brand started as "Aquamed" selling into chiropractors, physical therapy, and pain management clinics — Mayo Clinic and Cleveland Clinic are both longtime customers
📊 WellnessSpace Brands has delivered over 400 million sessions across 50+ countries and sold roughly 30,000 machines in the last eight years
❄️ Lunter built the first dry cold plunge prototype in 1992 — decades before cold plunging became mainstream
💰 When a Snap Fitness location raised membership dues by $10 after adding Wellness Space products, it lost only 2 members while 210 signed up for the add-on — a case study in pricing power
🏋️ Some Life Time locations run their equipment roughly 5,000 hours a year, out of a possible 8,000 — near-constant usage
🧖 The company's newest sauna uses no wood (to avoid bacteria and odor), circulates air for even heat, and layers in red light therapy at 630 and 850 nanometer wavelengths
💼 WellnessSpace Brands was self-funded until 2006, brought in private equity (Ilarion Partners), and has partnered with North Castle Partners since 2016 — now hiring aggressively after growing headcount by 60 this year
Jeff Byers on Scaling Momentous: 1,000% Growth, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Cutting a $500K Product
2026/08/16
Jeff Byers, CEO of Momentous, returns to Future of Fitness for his third appearance to unpack how the brand grew revenue over 1,000% in three years while landing partnerships with all 32 NFL teams and 10+ Department of Defense contracts. Byers breaks down why Momentous walked away from a $500,000-profit product line over a science and brand-integrity call — literally scrapping $400,000 in inventory rather than sell it through — how the company is approaching its first-ever retail launch with Vitamin Shop, and why a $500,000 commitment to women's health research with Dr. Stacey Sims fits into a bigger 20-year brand strategy. From Arnold Schwarzenegger's endorsement to what AI search optimization means for consumer trust, this conversation is a masterclass in building a supplement brand built to outlast any single quarter.
Key Takeaways
📈 Momentous has grown revenue over 1,000% in the past three years and just landed its third consecutive Inc. 5000 appearance
🏈 The brand works with all 32 NFL teams and holds 10+ active Department of Defense contracts
💰 In 2024, Momentous discontinued FedOja — a $500,000 profit (not revenue) product — after deciding the science no longer supported it, scrapping $400,000 of existing inventory rather than sell through it
🏋️ The company began in 2018 as a DOD-funded biotech venture (Amp Human) before pivoting into consumer supplements when COVID hit
🎯 Momentous's roster of authoritative partners includes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Andrew Huberman, Tim Ferriss, Rich Roll, and Dr. Stacey Sims
🛒 Momentous launched its first-ever retail partnership this year with Vitamin Shop, using a "velocity over doors" strategy instead of chasing broad distribution
🧬 Momentous has committed $500,000 to women's health research alongside Dr. Stacey Sims
🤖 Byers explains why Momentous is intentionally avoiding a branded consumer AI chatbot — betting instead on showing up authentically inside tools like Claude and ChatGPT
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Christian Drapeau: The Stem Cell Science Behind Bone Loss, Muscle Aging & Menopause
2026/08/11
Why do women lose bone density so fast after menopause — and what actually reverses it? Neurophysiologist and stem cell researcher Christian Drapeau (founder of STEMREGEN®) breaks down the biology behind bone and muscle aging, why strength training is the single most powerful lever for reversing the damage, and what most people get wrong about protein and collagen intake.
Key Takeaways:
🦴 Losing estrogen causes a "double hit" on bone: skeletal stem cells stop becoming bone-building osteoblasts while bone-degrading osteoclasts ramp up 🧈 Bone marrow can convert to fat tissue — some measurements put this as high as 15%, a major hidden driver of post-menopause bone loss 💪 Muscle growth is a stem cell process: satellite cells fuse into existing muscle fibers after training-induced micro-trauma to build new tissue 🏋️ Just 6–8 weeks of immobility measurably increases marrow fat in women — but resuming activity reverses it ✊ Grip strength is one of the single best predictors of long-term health and longevity 🧬 The body has "master" bone marrow stem cells (hematopoietic/mesenchymal) that migrate to different tissues and become bone, muscle, liver, or skin cells 🥩 Collagen peptides supply amino acids most diets are missing — critical for repairing connective tissue, not just "beauty" 🎯 Protein target discussed: roughly 1 gram per pound of body weight to support repair CONNECT WITH CHRISTIAN DRAPEAU
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@stemcellchristian
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stemcellchristian/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/STEMREGENOfficial/
Podcast reviews
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BiohackerBabes 2025/10/13
Excellent podcast!
Eric is such a powerful podcast host and he always brings incredible guests on the show!
CMA8494 2024/08/22
My fave fitness podcast!
One of the best I’ve found — informative, accessible, and super interesting. Highly rec!
WhenTHevaMpsoutisde 2024/08/18
Great content
Erics show is a must listen for anyone interested in fitness and fitness technology!
Bigabe2002 2024/04/16
Great podcast!!!
As an independent gym owner, I often encounter the challenges of navigating the business solo. Discovering "The Future of Fitness" podcast has been a ...
Orange Shoe Personal Fitness 2023/11/26
Best Podcast I’ve found in years!
Hands down, the most consistent high value content you will find on a podcast! Eric ensures the episodes give the listener the most return on their ti...
ScottLavelle 2022/10/12
Great insight
Great insights from a long time industry practitioner. I always learn something from every show!
Health_ Coach 2022/03/24
I like the variety of topics this podcast hits.
I like the variety of topics this podcast hits, from fitness to entrepreneurship and how it's motivating to start living a healthy life!
KimCDiamond 2022/01/02
Outstanding Podcast - Thank You!
Thank you for offering such interesting and informative discussions to the fitness community! I am an avid fan and appreciate you- keep up these incre...
cmarzarella 2020/04/08
Great hosts and informative
Love this podcast. It’s fast becoming one of my go-to podcasts s soon as it is released. Good, insightful content.
Dave S. / GFM&D 2019/12/29
The Gym of 2025
Great resource for insight on the future of fitness! Eric’s interviewing style and range of guests makes this a must subscribe for any fitness facilit...
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