Laura Munkholm:
Alright. Hello. Hello, everyone. Welcome to our Wallow webinar series. Thanks to all of you who are here on time. For those of you that are watching this on recording, you can hi. You can watch this piecemeal if you need to. And for those of you that are here, we're going to have this recording sent out to everyone after the event. So we understand you run businesses and things pop up from time to time. Um, but that said, please close your other million tabs, try to hone in, stay focused for the next forty five minutes or so, and, uh, we're really excited to have you. For those of you I haven't met, my name is Laura Moncomb, and I'm the president and one of the founders here at Walla. And I am so excited to have Barry Castabi here with us today. Uh, you guys may know him from, uh, the old name of his company, which was Fitness Career Mastery. They've gone through a recent amazing rebrand to Fit Karma. So if that name wasn't familiar, now you know why. And Barry has been on our Walla webinar series before, and I have to say, Barry, it was one of those that we got such tremendous feedback about, and people were just so excited and and wanting you back. So thank you for being here.

Barry Kostabi:
Well, thank you so much, Laura. Um, it's so good to be back. Um, thank you all for being here today. And if you're watching the replay, huge kudos. I know how hard it is to carve out the time. It's something I always struggle with. So the fact that you're here is a big deal, and I promise this will be fast, clear, and absolutely worth your trust and hopefully live up to the the hype of last time.

Laura Munkholm:
Um, I did I did wanna just quickly pop in, um, with some housekeeping. Uh, there is a chat on the side so everyone can kind of find that button. It's up on the top right of your screen. Um, would love for you guys to introduce yourselves here. It's always nice. We have people that come to us who have, you know, dozens of locations. We have people that come to us who have single locations. It's nice to know where you are and what type of studio you have. So if you wouldn't mind, please pop in the chat, introduce yourselves, say hello, and, uh, if you have questions throughout, I'll do my best to watch that. Um, but we may hold some of them for the end because Barry's got a relatively, um, structured presentation that is it'll make sense as we go. For sure. Alright. I'll turn it over to you.

Barry Kostabi:
Okay. Alright. Let's do this. So yeah. I'm I'm Barry, and we're gonna start with the deceptively simple question. Why do so many people come once and then never return? And you might already suspect the answer, but today, I'm gonna show you the part that almost no one talks about. And once you see it, you'll start to recognize it everywhere. And I want to bring this to life with a quick story, a scenario I know all of you have been in before. The other day, I was talking with my wife and business partner, Shay, and asked her if she wanted to book a class with me at a local Pilates studio. We'd just moved to a new area, signed up for ClassPass, and we're on the hunt for our new home studio. We'd tried this place once before. It was fine. Not bad, not great, just okay. So I said, do you want to book a class together? And she said, no, I don't feel like it. No reason. No complaint. No injury. No scheduling conflict. Just I don't feel like it. And like any good husband trying to convince his wife to do something, I gave her all the logical reasons. Right? Yeah. It's convenient. It's the only time that fits both of our schedules. Didn't matter. She still didn't feel like it. And that's when it hit me. That's the same moment your potential new members are having too. They try your class. They don't come back, not because something went wrong, but because they just don't feel like it. But what's even more interesting is imagining the opposite scenario where Shay loved that class. She felt amazing. She'd been thinking about it all week. She's excited. She wants to go. She's looking forward to it. In that case, there's no list of logical obstacles that could have stopped her. She's going. Yeah. And that's the light bulb moment I want to offer you. The decision to return isn't logical. It's emotional, which means you're not selling a workout. You're selling how you make people feel. And that means that's right. You're not selling the thing you spent thousands of dollars buying equipment for, paying instructors to teach, etcetera. If you want them to return, to rave about you, to choose you, you need to stop thinking of your class as the product and start thinking of it as the delivery system for a feeling, and that feeling is your brand. And, yes, your workout still matters, But it's not the destination. It's the bridge. It's how you move them from where they are to who they want to become. And this isn't just my opinion. One of the most iconic brands in the world learned why emotion beats logic the hard way. In the late nineteen seventies, Apple was a scrappy little startup. Their first computer, the Apple one, sold just enough units to fund their next big swing, the Apple two. And to drum up excitement, Steve Jobs launched a series of ads. You can see one right here. This ad went all in on the features. You can use it even if you've never used a computer before. The Apple two grows with you. It teaches you spelling, history, math, and how computers work. You can use it for budgets, filing, income tax, even controlling your lights. It has an expandable system with eight slots. And on paper, it sounded amazing. But in reality, these ads bombed because they didn't move people. Sales slumped, jobs eventually left the company, and went on to build something else you might have heard of, Pixar. At Pixar, he learned one of the most powerful lessons of his life, which was the emotional power of storytelling. Pixar was and still is the master of storytelling. They don't just entertain you, they make you feel something bigger. Wall e, Inside Out, Finding Nemo, Toy Story, The First Ten Minutes of Up wrecks us every time. Am I right? Their success Absolutely. Yeah. Their success wasn't just technical animation brilliance. It was story. And Jobs took that lesson with him when he returned to Apple. He scrapped the spec heavy ads, and he launched a new campaign built on a single idea boiled down to two words, think different. You probably remember it. The voice over said, the people who are crazy enough to think they can change the world are the ones who do. And these ads featured people like Einstein, Mandela, Gandhi, MLK, Picasso, and not a product in sight. If you remember these ads, I want you to type think different in the chat. This campaign exploded, not because it talked about the product, but because it spoke to the identity of the person buying it. What Steve Jobs realized was that people weren't buying a computer. They were buying into the belief that they could change the world. They believed owning an Apple meant they were one of those people, a visionary, a rebel, someone who thinks different. And that wasn't accidental. Jobs intentionally shifted Apple's brand strategy. He aligned his product with his customers' identity, and he gave them a role in a bigger story. That's what great brands do. He even said, you always have to be a little different to buy an Apple computer, and his customers felt that. I think we still feel that today. They didn't just want tech. They wanted to feel like someone who thinks different. They saw Apple as the bridge between who they were and who they wanted to become. Now you might be thinking, what does Apple have to do with fitness? But the truth is the same psychology that built brand loyalty for Apple builds loyalty for your studio. It's not about features. It's about how people feel when they associate with your brand. This Apple two ad is stuck in what I call the logic first approach. And as it turns out, most studios are stuck here too and wondering why people aren't coming back. Let's take a look at this Apple two ad again. We've got a ton of specs about what the computer is and logical reasons why it's so great, like you can plug it into your TV set and cassette recorder, and you're in business. There's never been a system so versatile and easy to use. Apple two is great for the whole family. You don't need to know anything about computers. You can write your own programs or just use the ones we give you. Now for fun, I've created a nearly identical ad about the hottest workout out there, Pilates.

Laura Munkholm:
Oh my gosh. I love it.

Barry Kostabi:
You could see, uh, AI helped me out with this one. Yep.

Laura Munkholm:
Totally.

Barry Kostabi:
But in this ad, it says, just show up in grippy socks, and we'll guide you through every move. No experience needed. No two classes are the same. Every move is low impact, high intensity, and endlessly modifiable. Our classes are suitable for all fitness levels, from first timers to seasoned athletes. You don't need to be flexible or in shape to start. Want to level up? We offer beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes. If this sounds familiar, this is just the same logic first approach applied to Pilates, and I don't have to go to each of your websites to know that most of them say the same things.

Laura Munkholm:
I was just gonna say, I bet a lot of our websites say very similar things to that ad right there. Yeah.

Barry Kostabi:
Yeah. And drop a fire emoji in the chat if you just got burned.

Laura Munkholm:
And don't be embarrassed because you're not alone.

Barry Kostabi:
Yeah. And we're gonna go through a whole transformation together.

Laura Munkholm:
I'm I'm thinking about this from Wallace perspective now. Like, oh, boy. We've got some work to do.

Barry Kostabi:
Yeah. That's so interesting that you said that. So here's the problem. None of these things answer the deeper question. What do you make your clients feel? What do they emotionally identify with when they come to your studio? Because just like Shay, your first timers aren't deciding to come back based on a logical argument around what the workout is or what it does. They're making that decision based on what I call an identity first approach. So do your classes make them feel like they were led through a series of hard exercises to fulfill your promise of delivering a workout? Exercises that are interchangeable with how they're offered at another studio down the street or online the same way Apple's computer specs can be replicated? Or are you inviting people into a bigger story about who they are because they made the choice to come to your studio. After all, and I want to become known for the person who started saying this, the reason people exercise has nothing to do with exercise. They want to feel more confident. They want to have more energy. They want to feel sexy again. They want to pick up their grandkids without pain. They want to feel like themselves again in their own body. They want to feel seen, have fun, experience feeling connected to others, live life feeling limitless. And if you don't believe me, let's try it out. Laura, what's your favorite type of workout?

Laura Munkholm:
Uh, currently, it is Pilates. It's been yoga for the vast majority of my life, but it is Pilates right now.

Barry Kostabi:
Got it. And why is it your favorite? How does it make you feel? What does it do for you?

Laura Munkholm:
So it allows me to play volleyball again, which I hadn't been able to do. So I feel injury free now.

Barry Kostabi:
And I imagine volleyball is, like, a huge part of your identity. Right?

Laura Munkholm:
Yeah. It's Yeah. Who I am. It's what I did. I played in college. Yeah. And I hadn't been able to play a lot as a middle. So

Barry Kostabi:
So you feel the most like yourself when you can play volleyball, and you can do that because you do Pilates. Yeah. Amazing. So it's not because of a teaser or a super lunge?

Laura Munkholm:
No. I mean, I won't complain about the labs that I get during Pilates, but it's not the primary reason.

Barry Kostabi:
It's a side effect for sure. Yeah. Yeah. So thank you, Laura.

Laura Munkholm:
Alright. Sure.

Barry Kostabi:
If you market Reformer Pilates or indoor cycling like it's a list of benefits, you're missing the moment to make people feel something. And if you think people are buying a workout, you'll only ever offer a workout. And that's not enough because a workout is largely interchangeable and replicable. People aren't buying a workout. They're buying who they hope to become on the other side of it. They're buying their future. Let me give you a quick fun example outside of fitness. Can you imagine if Hermes marketed a Birkin bag the way most fitness studios market their classes? Made from a 100% leather, holds your phone, wallet, and keys, available in eight colors, Grateful great for travel or everyday use. It would never work. Why? They're not selling a bag. They're selling a feeling. They're selling a story. They're selling a sense of identity. This is who you are if you carry this. That's what people are responding to, not the clasp, not the stitching, not the storage capacity. Meanwhile, most fitness businesses sound more like QVC. Burn 600 calories, low impact, forty five minutes, targets your core, grippy socks are required. And that's the difference between selling a product and inviting someone into a story. And just to be clear, I'm not saying your brand has to be luxury or high end like a Birkin bag. I'm saying your brand has to be intentional. It has to speak to how someone wants to feel and who they want to become, not just what's included in the purchase. So don't be the QVC bag. Be the brand that makes people say, that's me. That's what I've been looking for. I know you're not a person. But your job as the leader of your brand is the same, to help people see a version of themselves clearly through the way you make them feel. And here's the amazing news. You have the power to make magic. You have a unique perspective towards exercise that no one else has. I've worked with hundreds of brands and no two owners have the same vision or approach. All you have to do is claim your power and your stance and you nearly instantly move away from being logic first to identity first. This shift from selling features to selling identity completely changed Apple's trajectory, but this same shift is staring every fitness studio owner in the face right now, and it's being tested every single day on platforms like ClassPass. Mhmm. So let's talk about ClassPass for a moment because I know most of you already use it. You've seen the bookings come in. You've probably filled up a few off peak spots. Maybe you've had a few people convert, and the data backs it up. Let's check it out. According to a recent article in ATHLETEC News, this actually just came out on Tuesday, ClassPass has injected 1,600,000,000.0 into the global wellness economy since 2020, and the average mind body business sees a 29% increase in incremental revenue after just six months on the platform. And we're on Walla, so we can do way better than that. But that's powerful. That's real. But the part that nobody talks about is this. 94% of ClassPass users are brand new to the studio they visit, and this one really blew my mind. 56% are new to group fitness entirely. That means the moment someone walks into your studio from ClassPass, they're not just looking for a workout. They're asking, is this a place where I belong? Do I like the way I feel in here? Would I come back here on my own? In the other line from the article that really stopped me in my tracks was, ClassPass can't save a business with a weak clientele. Let that land because what they're really saying is ClassPass isn't a retention strategy. It's a stress test for your brand. It gets people in the door, but what happens next? That's a 100% on you. It's your experience that determines whether they come back. It's your messaging that tells them what they're really buying. It's your instructors who make them feel something they didn't even know they were missing. ClassPass can't make people care. Only your brand can do that. And here's also what the data shows. After an initial three month, they called it a shopping phase, 91% of ClassPass's users visits go to the same two to three studios. So, no, these people aren't flaky. They do commit, but they only commit to the brands that make them feel something real. They return to the studios that tap into who they want to become. So if you're not seeing retention, if you're not converting these drop ins into loyal members, it's not a platform problem, it's a brand problem. I want you to type feeling it in the chat if you're feeling that. So let's take a closer look at what this shift actually looks like, not in theory, but in real life. I'm gonna walk you through two common studio scenarios from the perspective of a first time visitor. Let's call her Emily. First, we'll explore what happens when a studio operates from a logic first approach focused entirely on workouts, features, and surface level selling. Then we'll look at what I call an experience first approach, where the studio starts thinking about aesthetics and feelings, but still isn't rooted in anything deeper. And finally, there's the third approach, the identity first approach that Steve Jobs eventually used to transform Apple from a product company into a cultural movement. We'll get there. But first, let's start with Emily at the Logic First studio. And if I'm honest, this is where most studios live, whether they realize it or not. I've broken down the experience into three phases. So let's walk through it from Emily's perspective. And, by the way, everything I'm about to describe, Shay and I have backed up with our own personal experience. So phase one, this is before she comes in. Emily finds the studio on Google or ClassPass. She taps onto their website or reads the ClassPass description, and it sounds like every other one that she's seen. This is a real example from ClassPass, where a twist, plank, and shake away from traditional Pilates. Similar, but completely different. We make it shake with forty five minutes of slow resistance training that will have you shaking by the end of class. Every class is a full body workout that is high intensity but low impact. Grip socks are required. She scrolls through a few others and then she sees this one. We're all about classical Pilates with a contemporary twist. Whether you're a first timer or a seasoned Pilates addict, you are guaranteed to get an amazing full body workout. Our unique approach creates classes with a nontraditional flow and blunt descriptive queuing with hands on adjustments to deliver a full body workout that is high intensity but low impact. You notice something here? It's the same format, same words, same promise, no emotion, no point of view, no reason to care. So how does Emily decide? What's closest? What's cheaper? Who has showers? What fits her schedule? Nothing's pulling her in emotionally. Nothing makes her think, oh, this place is for me. And that's a problem. Because even when nothing makes her feel something, because when nothing makes her feel something, everything becomes interchangeable, even a free YouTube workout. And what happens when a prettier studio opens down the street or when trends shift? By the way, neither of these class descriptions made Shay and I feel anything either when we read them. So let's go to phase two. This is the in studio experience. Emily walks in. No one says hi. No tour. No explanation. Just a waiver and a mat. She's new, but no one notices. At worst, she's called out by the front desk as a class passer, which makes her feel like an outsider, and the instructor doesn't look at her the entire class. She doesn't even get any form corrections. The class is taught as a series of exercises strung together to a playlist with no emotional thread. The instructor is very shouty because they're there to lead a workout and help people get as much of a burn as possible in the amount of time that they have. Their motivational queuing consists of saying things like, nice job, everyone. Push and keep going. She's trying to keep up, but no one's really coaching. No one's holding space. It's just effort. She walks out sweaty, overstimulated, and unsure how to feel. At best, she thinks, well, that was hard. At worst, she's thinking that was a lot. I need to go lie down. If she's lucky, and this moves us into phase three after class, Emily will receive a follow-up email or text message that at best takes her through the funnel of offering her a limit limited time deal on an intro package. And that's it. No emotion, no story, just a sale. And like I said, these very specific scenarios are based in reality. The experiences that Shay and I have had trying dozens of studios in Southern California. It hasn't been great, and most experiences are very interchangeable. But this isn't because the studio owner is doing something wrong. They're just focused on delivering a good workout. They think that's the product. But when the class is the product, the entire experience lives and dies on that one forty five minute transaction. It's the same mistake Steve Jobs made when Apple launched the Apple two. He talked about features, memory, ports, a keyboard, a printer. It was impressive, but it didn't mean anything, and that made it forgettable. That's what happens in logic first studios. They're not building identity. They're selling access. And when that's all they offer, they're forced to compete on price, trends, aesthetics, and schedule convenience. So they have to get louder. But attention without intention is just noise, and noise doesn't build loyalty. It doesn't keep your classes full. It doesn't create a movement. The goal isn't to be louder. It's to be clearer, to anchor your message in something real, a belief, a purpose, a promise people can feel. Because when your brand has intention behind it, You don't just get attention, you get devotion. The real problem with logic first thinking is that it assumes the journey ends when the class ends, that the goal is just to deliver the workout. And when that's your mindset, you've built something replaceable, forgettable, easy to abandon when the next thing comes along. So I want to move us forward to scenario two, away from the Logic First focused studio and towards the Experience First focused studio and this studio has moved beyond just selling workouts. They've started to realize that people want more than just a calorie burner toned muscles. They've begun designing experiences, ones that look and feel better, and that's why I call it the experience first approach. It's where a lot of beautiful boutique studios land. The sound systems are better. The lighting is moodier. The branding is thoughtful. It's a real step forward, but it's still not the destination. Let's walk through what it looks like for Emily, but I just wanna answer Yael's, uh, question. How do you differentiate differentiate between identity versus relationship and attention? Um, you are referring to I'm not exactly sure what you're referring to there.

Laura Munkholm:
Maybe pop pop in a little bit more description on what you're trying to get answered there, Yell. If you wouldn't mind. We can always come back if we need to. It might get answered in the next slide, actually.

Barry Kostabi:
I feel like we're probably gonna answer that a little bit more. I'm gonna I'm gonna keep going. So, again, we're starting to transition from talking about a logic first approach to an experience first approach. So again, Emily finds the studio on Instagram or Google and she taps through the website, but this time the fonts are modern, The colors are more on trend. There's a nice video of people flowing through the class with smiling faces. There's cute branded language like find your strong, move better, feel better, live better. She books easily. The welcome email feels curated. There's a vibe. It feels cool. But when she looks closer, the class pass description still says a full body workout that's high intensity but low impact. Great for all fitness levels. Strength and tone and sculpt. It sounds just like the Logic First Studio, only prettier. So even though the visuals feel elevated, Emily still doesn't know what the space actually means or what kind of story she's stepping into. She's still choosing based on proximity, price, or which Instagram reel felt more cinematic. So let's transition to the in studio experience. This time, someone smiles and greets her at the front desk. The space smells good. There is a vibe. The lighting is soft. The music is curated. She's offered a branded water bottle. It's clear this studio cares about how things feel. She's not ignored, but she's not deeply seen either. The instructor is friendly and welcoming, but their coaching still revolves around executing the class format. Their queuing and motivation sounds like last round, best round. Let's finish strong. Nice. Good job. And the playlist is great. Transitions are smooth. The class is well designed, but Emily never feels like she's part of something bigger than reps and rounds. She walks out thinking, 'that was a good class, the eucalyptus towel was a nice touch' but she's not thinking, 'that place gets me, that's where I feel most like myself, I need that space in my life. That moves us into the after class phase where she gets a follow-up text. And this one's got personality. It uses her name. It even has a cute GIF, But it's still about the package, the promo, the next class. It's still a conversion strategy, not a continuation of an emotional journey. And, again, this isn't failure. It's progress. Studios with an experience focused approach are doing beautiful work. They've elevated the environment. They've softened the edges. They've started thinking about feelings, not just features. But what we found is this, when the experience isn't anchored in identity, when there's no clear emotional shift being reinforced, retention is still unpredictable. People like it there, but they don't need to come back because a polished experience is still just that, an experience. It's not yet a relationship. And that's the line between being a place people try and a place people never want to leave. So now that you've seen what happens in a logic first studio and you've seen what happens in an experience first studio, what's missing? What takes a good experience and turns it into a brand that moves people? Let's see what happens when a studio finally makes the shift to an identity first approach. And I was thinking that instead of telling you how it works through Emily's point of view, I'm gonna show you. So if you want me to show you what your studio could look like through an identity first approach, type pick me in the comments now and also leave your website URL. And I'm gonna do it live with you on the call.

Laura Munkholm:
Yes. I love it. You guys, he he did something relevant similar different, but similar, a live, uh, demo on one of our other webinars, and I you transformed that business.

Barry Kostabi:
I'm gonna do it again.

Laura Munkholm:
This is gonna be hard.

Barry Kostabi:
At FitKarma, this is the work we do every single day. We help studios uncover what I call their North Star, the deeper reason they exist, and then design every touch point of the client journey to align with that. Because once you're clear on what you stand for and how you want to make people feel, you stop guessing, you stop defaulting to generic class descriptions or templated welcome emails, you start making every decision with intention, and that's what creates a brand no one else can copy. And the truth is most studio owners don't struggle because they're lazy or uncreative, they struggle because they're making decisions in a vacuum without a clear emotional center. We help you we help you make people feel something they can't get anywhere else. And when you actually make the shift, you get what studio owners like Ashley Awonicki of the Collective Studios experienced when she came to us for a glow up. She went from trying to grow with messaging that didn't reflect the depth of her brand to a crystal clear story that resonates emotionally and reflects exactly who they are. She said we still feel as if our brand is us but now it has more clarity, confidence and meaning. We're excited and prepared to leverage it in every aspect of our business. It's what Becca Burns of Elevate Training experienced when she went from leading a successful multi location business with over 50 employees but no unified voice to a powerful brand story that clearly communicates their heart, passion, and unique promise. She said Fit Karma was able to put our purpose into words in a way I never could have done myself. Self. I wish I'd done this work earlier. It's that valuable. And it's what Tate, the founder of Nest Pilates experienced. When we first started working together, her studio hadn't even opened yet. She had a strong feeling about her brand, but had no clear language to express it. We helped her articulate not just what her studio offered, but what it stood for and how to turn that into a client experience people could feel. She got so clear on her story, so rooted in her message that she sold out all of her memberships before her first class ever launched. And now people are thanking her consistently online for creating something that resonates so deeply. Tate said, I knew the vibe I wanted, but Fit Karma helped me name it, shape it, and deliver it. I couldn't help it. I couldn't do it without their help. So I'm gonna pick someone, and we're gonna bring you up on stage, and we're going to walk through what it looks like to go through this transformation to an identity first, studio in real time. Okay. We got a lot of submissions. Thank you, everyone. And

Laura Munkholm:
Pressure.

Barry Kostabi:
Yeah. If I don't talk to you today, I'm going to offer you the opportunity to talk to me at another point in time. Okay. Bear with me. I'm just taking a look at everyone here. Okay. I'm gonna call up Julie of La Barre Studios. Julie, are you in a good place where you can unmute and talk to me for a minute?

Laura Munkholm:
Alright. So let's see. People I have to invite her onto the stage if she can. Let's see. Yes. Just have to figure that out. Okay. I'll get you I can get you onto the stage, Julie. Hold on one second.

Barry Kostabi:
Thanks, Laura.

Laura Munkholm:
Yep. Absolutely. Let me find you in my list of people. Promote to presenter. And alright. You accepted the promotion.

Barry Kostabi:
We're on

Laura Munkholm:
a platform that gets to invite you onto stage. It's it's really neat. Yeah. Great.

Barry Kostabi:
So, Julie, are you there?

Laura Munkholm:
It says she's setting up her device. So give it just a second. Alright. Here you are, Julie. Hi, Julie. Hello.

Barry Kostabi:
So nice to meet you.

Speaker 2:
Nice to meet you as well. Thank you.

Laura Munkholm:
Thanks for joining us. Sure. I'm happy

Barry Kostabi:
to hear you. About LaBar.

Speaker 2:
So LaBar is a boutique fitness studio. We opened about eight years ago, and I just purchased it back in November. We just switched to Walla a couple of weeks ago, and we have a new website design also created by, um, Walla. So that's sort of where we're at. I inherited the brand, and I've kept it pretty consistent, but I realized that there's also room for change and improvement.

Barry Kostabi:
Yeah. I'm looking at your site. I see you have barre, hit classes, body pump, restorative strength, Vinyasa flow, yoga fusion, drumming, restorative yoga, um, and then b I I t. Bar is that like high intensity bar?

Speaker 2:
Exactly. Yeah. It's like an interval training bar bar class interval training.

Barry Kostabi:
Got it. So tell me what makes you so passionate about bar?

Speaker 2:
Um, I love barre because it I come from a dance background. And so when I first came to La Barre Studios, when they first opened, it sort of reconnected me with that feeling. I sort of resonated with what Laura said earlier about volleyball. Um, it made me feel like, yeah, myself again. Right? And and finding movement that felt joyful. Right?

Barry Kostabi:
Yes. I

Speaker 2:
love that. Joy and, um, yeah.

Barry Kostabi:
I'm gonna keep pulling that thread. Movement that felt joyful. Um, is there a reason in particular why you feel barre? Is joyful as a connection is it its connection with dance versus another modality like, um, indoor cycling or Exactly. Okay.

Speaker 2:
Yeah. It's the connection to dance and I think for me it has a lot to do with the music and we we are very intentional about, um, you know, our barre classes, um, matching to the beat of music and so it feels much, um, background but it's much more than that.

Barry Kostabi:
There's a ton of science that Shane and I are obsessed with around moving in synchronicity with other people to the beat of the music, um, creates something called collective joy. So that's that's something that you're saying that. Yeah. It's it's literally something that's measurable that other people can feel. So we've already got a pretty strong position here. Barre, there it is. Lauren knows what I'm talking about. Read that everybody, write down the Joy of Movement' by Kelly McGonigal. That's a book you've got to read. Um, okay, so you've got a strong position that barre, because of its similarities to dance, um, allows you to experience more joy. And do you believe that is how you're moving your body or the connection with the music? Like, talk to me more about that.

Speaker 2:
Um, I think it's both, but I I think that there's a lot to be said for moving, like you said, in synchronicity with other people. So we I do a lot of intentional queuing to try to get people sort of in sync with one another because, um, yeah, there's there's a camaraderie and a feeling of, like, accomplishment as a community, um, when you accomplish that in a class. Yeah.

Barry Kostabi:
Yeah. I'm gonna ask you a really ridiculous question, but, um, why is it so important for people to feel more joyful?

Speaker 2:
Why is it important for people to feel joyful? Well, if that if we don't have joy, then what what

Barry Kostabi:
is the point? I know. Right?

Speaker 2:
Um, and also, I think that creating a space that brings people joy, I mean, draws people in. I don't think that they're going to come to sweat and be like that was the worst part of my day. It has to be the best part of their day or at least feel like it brought them happiness, joy. They're leaving feeling better than they walked through the door. Um, Yeah. Because if it's just slugging through because you want exercise, well,

Laura Munkholm:
you can just go for a run.

Barry Kostabi:
Right, exactly. I'm going to try to help you out a little bit just for the sake of time and I hope I'm on the right track, but I would imagine that if you're walking out of one of your classes feeling more joy that means you're going to go into your day with more energy, more enthusiasm, you're going to look at life through a more positive lens which is going to shape the way that you behave and interact with your partner, your children, your friends, your family, your co workers. Right? You're going to, um, look at the experiences that you have differently. You're going to victimize yourself less. You're going to see opportunities more. You're going to claim the things that you want from life more. Right? Okay. So that's really powerful. Right? So already in just, what, three or four minutes, we found a strong way to position barre and dance and even, you know, I've taught barre, I've taught yoga. So I can see there's a little bit of overlap there. Yoga can feel dance like in how you move. Absolutely. So we've already structured your classes as the bridge to this identity of being this person who is more joyful, who has more energy, more positivity, more confidence, is taking more risks, is showing up as a better version of themselves, feels more vibrantly alive, and like you said isn't that the whole point of being alive to experience all of those things, right?

Speaker 2:
Right.

Barry Kostabi:
You're taking someone from not feeling that which is a lot of people, Right? And just by positioning yourself that way, you're gonna capture more people than just the people that are interested in barre and yoga. You're gonna capture people who are acknowledge they're experiencing a lack of joy, they're experiencing depression or anxiety or maybe not even something to that extreme, they just feel kind of stuck in life, right? They feel like they're just going through the motions every day, life feels like a grind, they're looking forward to the next vacation. And you're saying you can feel like you're on vacation every day. You can feel joyful all the time.

Speaker 2:
Right.

Barry Kostabi:
Right? So I hope this, um, already is giving everyone a sense of how easy and fast it can be to begin to shift, um, your brand's story from being logic focused. This is these are the reasons why you should take a barre class. These are the reasons why you should take it. It's good for your circulation, right, it'll tone your arms. To something that's identity focused. By coming to LaBar, you are someone who identifies themselves as someone who values living life full of joy, right, and you want to be someone who is a light to everyone else in their life and spreads joy to other people. That's and then you can start to say things like when you come to La Barre that's why we move with the with the beat of the music, it connects you to a deeper spirit, it connects you to joy, when you move your body in a dance like way that's the fastest path to joy rather than other class modalities out there. Moving in synchronicity with other people connects you with everyone and that elevates the feeling of joy that you have. And that's why you want to choose our studio because it's the perfect prescription to joy in the way that we've in the modalities that we've chosen and the way that we've structured them. Right?

Laura Munkholm:
Love it.

Barry Kostabi:
But, um, what I want to do is go even deeper than that. So, um, I want to thank you, Julie, for coming up. I I hope um, that, like, gives you a lot to think about as

Speaker 2:
it does

Barry Kostabi:
as you walk away. And like I said, I'm going to take it a few steps further from that for everyone in the last ten minutes we have here or so. So, um, everyone a little virtual round of applause for Julie. Thank you. Um, that story that I just created for Julie there about why her business exists and where it's taking people is what I call her North Star. It's the greatest, greater purpose for why her brand exists, the identity shift that she set out, sets out to create for people. So the question is how do you bring an identity first brand to life in every touch point of your business? How do you integrate a north star like Julie's into not just your messaging but in the actual moments people interact with your studio? We built a tool to help with that because identity first branding doesn't just change your copy, it changes how people feel. It reinforces that identity and this isn't a marketing technique, this is a lens and once you learn to see through it you start making every decision differently. The tool that we made is called the Identity First Brand Audit and it helps us answer one key question. Does your brand consistently reinforce the identity your client is stepping into? There are six six touch points that we look at and I want to walk you through just a few of them right now. And you can use these to start seeing your business differently and if you book an audit call we'll send you your own copy of this and go through it together after we establish your North Star just like I did with Julie. So the first thing that we look at is your ClassPass or your website copy. This is your first identity signal. When someone reads your class description, browses your Instagram, or lands on your website, they're not just asking what's the workout, they're asking is this for someone like me? Do I feel something just by reading this? Identity First Studios don't just list features or class types, they express a belief, a point of view, a promise that speaks directly to how someone wants to feel and who they want to become. Now just to give you an example, um, I'm going to share, if you don't mind, Julie, your the home page of your website here. And the first thing I noticed was in your header, you have shape, sculpt, and shine. Design yourself, barre inspired fitness for mind, body, and spirit. So right away, we see an opportunity here to make a shift to align more with your North Star. Right? Where this is the hardest part because we have to boil your brand down in just into just a few words, but having your header speak more to that feeling of joy and that I new identity that someone's going to have as a result of coming is the shift that we want to see there. On your ClassPass description or your class descriptions, instead of just talking about structure of the workout, what kind of exercises you do in there, how are we talking about how that barre class is specifically designed, how the experience is curated to facilitate joy when someone walks out so that they understand if I do this, I will feel like this person I want to feel more like. Right? So that already is something that's a really easy shift. So what that takes us to is step number two of this audit which is the in studio arrival experience. This is your first emotional anchor. This is when someone walks through your doors in the first few seconds sets the tone for everything that follows and an identity first brand doesn't leave this moment. Identity first brand doesn't leave this moment to chance. Are you training your front desk staff to greet each type of guest with clarity and care? Whether someone's coming in on a referral through ClassPass, a collaboration, or from your Instagram, does your front desk know how they're being welcomed? Do they know why they're there in terms of the identity that they're seeking? Is there a consistent protocol? Does the staff know what to say? Does every guest feel like they matter or do something, uh, as an afterthought? New clients can feel the difference between being welcomed and being processed and no one wants to be labeled as a class passer. It's alienating. It tells them you're temporary. You don't really belong here. Identity First Studios flip that script. They make every person feel, um, like they're part of the story they're telling. You're in the right place, we've been waiting for you. Even your lobby plays a role, does it reflect how you want them to feel? Does it invite a pause, a breath, or a sense of grounding? Or does it just say hurry up, sign in, let's get this over with? And Julie, for you, just out of five minutes from working together, I hope you have even more clarity. I don't know what your entry experience is like, but you can already walking away from today, talk to your front desk staff about how can they make people feel more joyful from the second they walk in, what music is playing in the lobby, what, um, elements can you add to that experience to immediately facilitate that feeling of joy, to bring a smile to someone's face, I think that should be a goal for the second someone walks into your studio, can we make them smile? Because that's the first crack of the shell to let joy be unleashed, right? So already, that takes us into class design and flow. And this is a big one. This is where your brand becomes embodied. In Logic First Studios, the class is the product. Right? You remember that? So its design is functional. It's a lineup of exercises strung together with the goal of a good sweat or it's like a, uh, industrial approach to training the body. We're gonna hit this body part and this body part and this body part. But in Identity First Studios, the class tells a story. It's not just movement for the sake of movement. It's a guided transformation. It's a journey, a bridge from who your client was when they walked in to who they want to be by the time they leave. So you have to ask yourself, is your programming just a series of exercises or does it follow an emotional arc? How does it shape the identity you promise to create? Can your clients feel the shift by the end of class? And most importantly, do you have clear guidelines and expectations that ensure every class delivers on that promise regardless of who's teaching. Because the truth is consistency builds trust and trust builds retention. When studios leave it up to each instructor to deliver a hard workout, the brand experience becomes a gamble. It might be intense, but is it intentional? Identity First Studios, bring up the next one, flip that script. They make every person feel like they've arrived, like they're part of the story they're telling. When you give your instructors a clear container they show up with more confidence, more artistry, and more consistency every time. No matter what day it is, no matter what class someone signs up for, even if it's through ClassPass, your brand promise holds true. And that's when trust is built and transformation begins. And here's why that's

Laura Munkholm:
very I wanna pop in and say, if you guys have not watched Barry's wife, Shay's presentation that we have, it's actually on our website in our webinars. She dives deep into that facet of the experience the overall experience, how you can make that identity first and consistent. So, anyways, just quick shout out. That is really good, um, kind of ancillary piece.

Barry Kostabi:
Shay is our experience designer. But, um, this is really important because there's an article from Forbes titled brand consistency could be your biggest asset that says that 46 percent of consumers are willing to pay more for brands they trust. Let that sink in. Nearly half your clients will pay more not because of your amenities or your discounts or how hard your workout is but because they trust you to deliver what you promised. That trust is earned by reinforcing their identity in every single class by making them feel seen, by doing what no one else did and that's how you get someone off ClassPass and into a long term relationship with your brand. So Julie, for your studios without having taken any of them, what Shay and I would want to see is that journey that's structured into the class that it's not just we're doing this exercise, this exercise, this exercise. We're thinking about okay this person is coming in likely feeling depleted in their joy tank, right? How do we meet them there? How do we allow themselves a moment to ground themselves in the experience and transition from the world outside? How do we slowly start to bring that joy back? Because if you could just slam them over the head with a we went to a cycling class at 9AM the other day and started with a Skrillex track and it was that level of energy through the entire class experience. Right? Let's be intentional about what that emotional arc feels like. How do we bring them up to this peak joyful moment and then slowly transition them back into their life so they can bring that feeling out with them? Right? These are just the first three key moments in the Identity First brand experience audit. The website copy, class description, the arrival experience, your class structure. There's three more that we evaluate in our full audit and those final three are where we really see the cracks and the magic start to emerge. And as a thank you for being here live and for watching the replay, I wanna offer you the chance to walk through this North Star experience one on one with me just like Julie did, but we'll have a full hour, not just five minutes. And we'll also walk through all six steps of the audit. Normally our experience audits are $250 but today I'm opening up 15 free audit sessions just for this group, first come first serve. When you book we'll send you a copy of the Identity First Brand Experience audit for you to complete before your call and then on the call we'll uncover your North Star the way we did for Julie today. We'll walk through your audit together, pinpoint exactly where you're losing resonance, and start realigning your brand around who you really want to serve and how you want to make them feel. If that sounds like what you've been waiting for, grab your spot now. Here it comes into the chat.

Laura Munkholm:
Yeah. Lots of people interested already, so good job.

Barry Kostabi:
Let's do it. Let's build a brand that moves people starting with you right now. And whether you grab a spot or not, my hope is that today helped you see your brand through a new lens. So real quick before we wrap, let's just zoom out and connect the dots. We started with a simple familiar feeling most people have after thinking about going back to a workout. I just don't feel like it. And we explored that when people and we explored what makes people feel something, um, when they sign up. We saw that when people don't come back, it's rarely because the workout wasn't good enough. It's because the experience didn't move them enough. There we go. It didn't meet them in a deeper place. It didn't make them feel something they couldn't get anywhere else. From there, we explored three different ways studios think about their brand. Logic first studios focus on the workout. They compete on price, features, and format, and struggle to stand out. Experience first studios focus on aesthetics, polish, and vibes, but often still stop short of emotional resonance. And identity first studios, they offer a feeling so powerful, so personal, so aligned with who their clients want to become that people don't just attend, they return, they feel like they belong, and they tell everyone they know. You learned that identity isn't something you tack on, it's something that you lead with because it shapes your copy, it shapes your coaching, your music, your lobby, the way you follow-up with people, everything. No more following up with an intro offer. You can follow-up with something that continues that story of facilitating joy in Julia's case. Because when your brand reflects your clients, when it helps them become more of who they truly are, you're no longer offering a workout, you're offering a place in their life. And that's what creates retention, loyalty, and word-of-mouth that no amount of ads or deals can buy and that's what we help you build. At Fit Karma we don't do branding for the sake of pretty, we do branding for the sake of truth. So your business isn't just louder, it's more you. So every decision you make aligns with your North Star and your clients feel it. So if today resonated with you, we would love to stay connected beyond this workshop today. You can follow us on, uh, Instagram at fitkarma h q. I'm gonna drop all these links in the chat right now. On our Instagram, we're always sharing tips and truth bombs and behind the scenes looks of what it takes to build a brand that moves people. You can check out our two podcasts now. We have the Fit Karma podcast. There's over 200 episodes, conversations about brand strategy, experience design, and what it takes to build a studio people stay loyal to. And then Shay just launched Off the Mic, and this is specifically for instructors, so you should share this with your team. This is where instructors get honest, empowered, and inspired to lead classes that actually move people. And then you could subscribe to my newsletter, The One. This is short, skimmable, and packed with one story, one insight, and one action to help you grow a brand that people feel. Whether you're a studio owner, um, or someone dreaming of something bigger, we're here to help you make every moment matter. And wherever you connect, we'd be honored to be part of your journey because you're not just running a business, you're building something people feel and we want to help you make it unforgettable.

Laura Munkholm:
Awesome. Uh, Barry, that was incredible. Everybody in the chat is raving. Way to go. Um, I want to quickly say that book that you referenced before, The Joy of Movement, is one of the books that made me really connect the dots in boutique fitness and figure out why this industry is so, so powerful. Um, and it really is all backed in neuroscience and in our genetics and our DNA. So for those of you that, um, um, heard him start talking about that, I I put the name of the book in the in the author in the chat, uh, Joy of Moment by Kelly McGonigal.

Barry Kostabi:
If you reach out to us on on Instagram, like, shoot us a DM. Shay and I actually have our own Fit Karma library on, um, on Amazon. So all the books that we recommend, books that support so much of what I talked about today because you're right, Laura. This is rooted in neuroscience, in who we are as human beings, and I I believe this is, uh, why we're all here. This is what, um, we're meant to do in this industry, and the world needs us more than ever now. Um, so we've got a big job to do, and it's bigger than offering a workout.

Laura Munkholm:
Yep. Well, thank you so much. And, Julie, appreciate you jumping on board and being open to all of that. Um, Megan just had a quick question. Oh, she just shouted out in during the call, pulled up her top 100 wider riders in the last twelve months and emailed them all, asked them to give me one word for how height cycle makes them all feel. Oh, great. Oh, and it it is very easy to do that in Walla. Yay. Thanks, Michael. Shout out to Harley. Um, alright. Awesome. Well, guys, we are last Thursday of every month, we host our webinar series. Next month, I am actually gonna be doing one solo focused on some best practices in almost exactly what Megan just said, how to segment clients into groups that are at meaningful moments in their client journey. So you can do what Barry is talking about, not just push promos, not just send offers, but actually connect with them in moments where, you know, they probably need you most. So we're gonna be really kind of doing workshopping through that webinar, and then we'll be back into regularly scheduled in July with our guests.

Barry Kostabi:
So Amazing.

Laura Munkholm:
Thank you so so much. Really appreciate your time. And guys, jump on board. He knows what he's doing.

Barry Kostabi:
Always love being here, Laura. Thank you so much. Love the Waller community. Hope to talk to you all very soon.

Laura Munkholm:
Alright. Thanks.

‍