Fitness Forward is a podcast exploring the trends, technologies, and ideas shaping the future of fitness, wellness, and health.
Hosted by Jeff VanDixhorn, each episode features conversations with industry leaders, innovators, and operators on topics ranging from club operations and member engagement to AI, medical fitness, and business growth.
Join us as we explore what's next for the fitness industry and the people moving it forward.
Inside HFA: The Fight to Protect, Promote & Grow the Fitness Industry | Fitness Forward Ep. 08
What does it really take to protect and grow the fitness industry? And how much of it is happening without operators even knowing?
In Episode 8 of Fitness Forward, Jeff VanDixhorn sits down with Greta Wagner — interim President & CEO of HFA — for a candid conversation about advocacy, industry leadership, and what the fitness sector needs to do to earn its seat at the table.
They cover:
• What HFA does every day for operators — advocacy, resources, research, education
• The difference between real advocacy and just hiring a lobbyist
• Price cap legislation in NY & CA — 30-year-old rules still limiting operators today
• What operators can do right now to build relationships with their local representatives
• Why the industry's next chapter is about credibility, evidence, and infrastructure
• What's coming at HFA's show — Vegas, March 10–12, Mandalay Bay
16 Oct 2026
From Prescription to Gym Floor: The GLP-1 Opportunity | Fitness Forward Ep. 07
GLP-1 medications are reshaping who walks through gym doors. Are fitness operators ready?
In Episode 7 of Fitness Forward — Jeff VanDixhorn's personal favourite episode of the series — he sits down with:
Dr. Lou Atkinson — Behavioral Scientist & Strategic Advisor, 30 years in fitness and obesity research
Dr. Catherine Isaac — Internal Medicine Physician, Thrive (Daxko's Elevate Wellness partner)
They cover:
• Why GLP-1 users are becoming the most loyal long-term gym members
• What the data actually says about muscle loss — and the fear messaging to stop using
• How to program for members on GLP-1s (mobility, consistency, meeting people where they are)
• Peptides: what operators and trainers need to know when members ask
• Walking the gym floor as someone with obesity — and what needs to change
• The retention insight that changes everything: it's human connection, not check-ins
1 Oct 2026
Small Club, Big Moves: How One Independent Operator is Winning with AI | Fitness Forward Ep. 06
What does it look like when an independent gym owner goes all-in on AI — no IT team, no big budget, just a two-location key card access club and a willingness to figure it out?
In Episode 6 of Fitness Forward, Jeff VanDixhorn sits down with Abraham Gerving — owner of Affinity Fitness and board chair of the FitLife Club Network — for one of the most practical AI conversations we've had on the show.
They cover:
• Customer experience vs. customer service — the Ritz-Carlton vs. Amazon model for fitness clubs
• How an AI front desk agent became Abraham's top prospecting and sales tool
• Uploading financials to ChatGPT — and the rate increase that had zero sales impact
• Why AI needs to be treated like an employee: supervised, monitored, corrected
• The rate increase strategy most independent operators keep avoiding
• The FitLife Club Network and why independent operators need peer support
11 Sept 2026
Dr. Gloria Winters on the Y's Role in Preventative Health and Wellbeing | Fitness Forward Ep. 05
What does it actually take to make fitness an essential part of the healthcare system, not just a referral, but a reimbursable, measurable business?
In Episode 5 of Fitness Forward, Jeff VanDixhorn sits down with Gloria Winters, Chief Health Officer and SVP Health Partnerships at YMCA of the USA, to talk about 26 years at the intersection of clinical care and community wellness and what she's building now.
They cover:
• Why 80% of health outcomes are shaped by factors outside the clinic
• How YMCAs built a centralized operating system to contract with health plans at scale
• What "upstream healthcare" means in practice for gyms, clubs, and wellness facilities
• The measurement and data infrastructure needed to prove health impact
• How technology like WELLD Health connects sick care data with wellness outcomes
• What a gym or club operator should do right now to start this journey
22 Jul 2026
The Rise of Adaptive Training with The Perfect Step | Fitness Forward Ep. 04
At 17, Hal Hargrave was a month out of high school when a car accident left him a cervical-level quadriplegic. Doctors said he'd likely never walk again. His community said otherwise.
In Episode 4 of Fitness Forward, Jeff VanDixhorn sits down with Hal Hargrave, CEO of the Perfect Step paralysis recovery center and founder of the Be Perfect Foundation to talk about the accident, the recovery, and what one club's decision to convert a racquetball court changed for the entire fitness industry.
They cover:
How the Perfect Step grew from 1 client to 70+ across 7,000 sq ft
Why integrating adaptive programming drove a 9% drop in membership attrition and nearly $1M in recovered revenue
The real scale of the disability market, 80 million Americans
10 steps any gym owner can take to start building adaptive programming today
How AI and automation can free clubs up to do more human-centered work
10 Jul 2026
A Doctor's Mission to Keep Kids Safe at Camp | Fitness Forward Ep. 03
What happens when a college student shadows a pediatrician at summer camp, watches kids get the wrong medications, and decides to fix it?
He builds software. Stays up until 4am through medical school. Becomes a pediatrician. And eventually builds a platform that protects hundreds of thousands of kids every year.
In Episode 3 of Fitness Forward, Jeff VanDixhorn, CEO of Daxko, sits down with Dr. Michael Ambrose, founder and CEO of Doc Network, to talk about the origin story of CampDoc, what youth serving organizations get wrong about health and safety, and how the right technology makes all the difference for YMCAs, JCCs, camps, and youth programs nationwide.
In this episode:
How a summer camp in Michigan sparked the idea for CampDoc
What Doc Network actually does for youth programs
The real cost of missing or mismanaged health data
How the Daxko + Doc Network integration works for operators
Real stories of CampDoc preventing serious incidents
Practical advice for programs preparing for summer
25 Jun 2026
Episode 2: From Risk to Growth: Modern Insurance for Fitness Operators
Most fitness operators are still carrying the same insurance policy they signed when they opened. In Episode 2 of Fitness Forward, Wendy White, Chief Marketing and Partner Officer at Daxko, sits down with Bobby Vo, Head of Growth at Authentic Insurance, to talk about why that's a problem and what a smarter approach looks like.
They cover:
Why premiums keep rising even when your business hasn't changed
How most operators are unknowingly underinsured
The difference between general liability and professional liability and why it matters
How bundling the right coverages saves money
Why click-to-buy insurance is finally here for fitness businesses
2 Jun 2026
Episode 1: Medical fitness that gets paid. Jeff VanDixhorn with Chris Craytor
What if fitness facilities became an essential part of the healthcare system?
In the debut episode of Fitness Forward, Jeff VanDixhorn sits down with Chris Craytor, CEO of ACAC Fitness & Wellness Centers and WELLD Health, to explore the growing intersection of fitness, healthcare, and technology.
From medical fitness and reimbursement models to AI-powered operations and the role of exercise in preventive health, Chris shares insights from both the fitness and healthcare worlds on where the industry is headed next.
Tune in for a forward-looking conversation on how fitness operators can drive better health outcomes while building stronger, more sustainable businesses.
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