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In this episode of What's Up, Wake, we dive into New Year's resolutions with a special focus on fitness goals. Join us as we talk to Adrien King and Meagan H. Jacobs, owners of AKtivate Fitness, the winners of Best Fitness Program in the 2025 Cary Magazine Maggy Awards. Located in Cary's Millpond Village, AKtivate Fitness is known for its welcoming community and innovative approach to helping people maintain their fitness resolutions long-term. Learn about their journey into the fitness world, the unique aspects that set their studio apart, and their commitment to mental and physical health. We also discuss their involvement in the Rock Steady Boxing program for individuals with Parkinson's disease and their new initiative, AKtivate Movement and Recovery. Whether you're a seasoned athlete or new to fitness, this episode offers valuable insights and inspiration to help you achieve your fitness goals in 2025 and beyond.
00:00 Welcome and New Year's Resolutions
01:15 Introducing AKtivate Fitness
02:01 Adrien and Meagan's Fitness Journeys
05:13 The Community at AKtivate Fitness
08:43 Challenges and Rewards of Running a Fitness Business
14:56 Rock Steady Boxing for Parkinson's Disease
19:41 Empowering Athletes in the Studio
20:31 The Importance of Strength Training
21:36 Kickboxing and Strength Training Integration
23:22 Accountability and Personalized Plans
25:48 New Year's Resolutions and Fitness Goals
28:53 Introducing AKtivate Movement and Recovery
32:09 The Vision for Holistic Health
33:33 Conclusion and Gratitude
Creators and Guests
Guest
What is What’s Up, Wake?
What’s Up, Wake covers the people, places, restaurants, and events of Wake County, North Carolina. Through conversations with local personalities from business owners to town staff and influencers to volunteers, we’ll take a closer look at what makes Wake County an outstanding place to live. Presented by Cherokee Media Group, the publishers of local lifestyle magazines Cary Magazine, Wake Living, and Main & Broad, What’s Up, Wake covers news and happenings in Raleigh, Cary, Morrisville, Apex, Holly Springs, Fuquay-Varina, and Wake Forest.
45 -What's Up Wake - Aktivate Fitness
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[00:00:57] Jessica: Welcome to What's Up, wake, and Happy New Year to everyone. This month we are talking about New Year's resolutions, and while my fitness journey has mostly been about fitness pizza in my mouth, I along with nearly everyone on the planet, have the goal of getting in shape as one of my New Year's resolutions.
Every January gym membership spike. Motivation is high and then, well, there's lots of excuses and reasons why we might start falling off our goals by February. But today on What's Up, wake, I'm joined by the owners of the winner of Best Fitness Program for our 2025 Maggie Awards, activate Fitness. They're located in, Carrie is technically Kerry, right?
Yep. Yes. Mill Pond Village. Right. I've got Adrian King here. I've got Megan Jacobs. They're here to talk about fitness consistency and how they help people turn New Year's resolutions into long-term routines. Welcome guys. Adrian. Thank you for having us. Thank you for coming. Absolutely. Um, I was telling you guys when you came in that your, your reputation precedes you because our.
Social media manager alum has been talking about you for a long time. Mm-hmm. And how you guys need to come on the podcast. So I'm excited to have you here first. Can you both tell us how you got started in the fitness world?
[00:02:19] Adrien King: Oh, um, well, I guess I've been athlete my whole life, so, um, fitness was nothing new to me, but really pouring into others.
That was a new skill I had to learn. So making sure I was there to be accountable and really, as they trust me to learn more about how I can. Not just work on my body, but work on others. And so I had to really dive deeper in that. And so. Um, and yeah. 'cause it's one thing to be an
[00:02:39] Jessica: athlete
[00:02:40] Adrien King: mm-hmm. And
[00:02:40] Jessica: to be in shape yourself.
Right. It's another, to have the coach mindset and be able to pour that into other people.
[00:02:48] Adrien King: Absolutely. So when I first got started, it was actually, um, a bottleneck. Like, 'cause I, I can get these goals. I know how to make the gain, but how can I help others? 'cause everyone is different. Everybody. Mm-hmm. Um, to eat differently.
They have different body types. So having to learn that and really understand their why, that gave me an opportunity to really speak to who they are and where we can get them.
[00:03:05] Jessica: How about you, Megan? Well,
[00:03:09] Meagan H. Jacobs: I was a athlete, um, basketball track and field, but always taking account of taking care of my body.
Um, as you have children and your body's change, I think every woman when they reach that kinda. Life event, you just kind of am like, okay, what now? Mm-hmm. Like how do I take care of my body? So I love to rally mothers, um, that have children and it's, we all get to that place of how do I take care of me?
And so in 2020, um, I kind of plateaued. I plateaued. I realized that I was not as confident as I used to be. I realized that life, it kinda made its way and kind of just. Life happened. Mm-hmm. And I looked in the mirror and I did not like who I saw. Um, and so I immediately said, I've gotta get back to one of my first love.
And I was working out, um, taking care of my body. And, um, that's actually how I met Adrian. Um, a lot of gyms were closed during COVID, um, and once they kind of gradually started opening up, I, um, was not comfortable with like getting to like a big gym yet. And so there was a small fitness boutique gym that I remember driving past and I said.
I'm gonna give him a shot. And so, um, I met Adrian. I went to boxing and kickboxing, which actually relieved a lot. It was like mental health as well,
[00:04:40] Jessica: definitely.
[00:04:41] Meagan H. Jacobs: Mm-hmm. Um, with the physical just being, it was just an outlet. Um, and that actually was kind of like speared from therapy, you know, I think, um, mental health is just as real and important as our physical.
Um, so that's kind of how I got started. And. From there, just grew into coaching, um, and just entered the industry that way.
[00:05:03] Jessica: Yeah, because to your point, it, it's intimidating walking into a big gym.
[00:05:08] Adrien King: Mm-hmm.
[00:05:08] Jessica: It, it, to go into one of these, you know, much bigger arenas, when you're first starting out, especially, so I think going into a smaller studio really is more welcoming and also not quite so daunting.
[00:05:25] Melissa: Mm-hmm.
[00:05:26] Jessica: So what, what are some other things that sets Activate Fitness apart other than being on the smaller side versus one of these giant. Conglomerates,
[00:05:37] Adrien King: I would say it's actually our community. Um, everyone that walks through the door, we, I know 'em by name. We all know 'em by name. I think every member, we give 'em a high five, a handshake, a hello when they come in a goodbye when they leave.
Um, I think that's something that sets us apart. And also we don't have any, any mirrors or any limitations for that regard. So we welcome all walks of life. Whether you box before or you're just fighting the couch, you know, we try to get you all in there and meet you where you are and learn your why.
Because your why's gonna keep you going. Your why's gonna keep you fighting, your why's gonna make sure you last that extra round or the extra five rounds. And so whether you have boxing experience or not, we meet you where your fight status is because everybody in, in life is fighting something. Whether you're fighting confidence, whether you're fighting for a better body type, whether you're fighting, just leaving a doctor's office, you know, I've heard a lot of things where people are fighting substance abuse.
And so wherever I can meet you and and really help your journey there, that's what Activate is about, to set us apart.
[00:06:26] Jessica: And you guys are, are primarily a kickboxing studio, is that correct?
[00:06:31] Adrien King: It's like boxing and strength boxing and stuff. Okay. We really try to comb both in because the boxing aspect cardio is going to help you get that, that urge and that sweat going and that stress reliever.
But the strength is really gonna help you build the muscle to where even when you're on the couch, you're still burning calories. Even while you're having an off day, you still have that muscle to make sure you're still fitting your clothes properly, things of that nature.
[00:06:50] Jessica: What do you say is the most rewarding part of being the, the leader of, of the classes that you guys do to being the, the instructors.
[00:07:01] Meagan H. Jacobs: Seeing the wins, um, everybody win is gonna look different from the next person. Um, I remember we would have some members come in and they would not be able to do a pushup, not one. Mm-hmm. And then within three, don't look at me like that, Megan,
but within like three to six months. We're not naming
[00:07:23] Jessica: names here. Okay. I know. I
[00:07:25] Meagan H. Jacobs: know. But within like three to six months, you know, they can do five and they can do 10, and then they next in a year, they're doing nonstop pushups for 60 seconds. Mm. Um, that's a huge win. Or, um, seeing a member come in and they're like, I can barely lift these 10 pound dumbbells, um, to do curls.
And then next thing you know. They're actually, you know, curling the barbell, which is 45 pounds. So just seeing, um, growth and strength and just the physical and mental changes, um, of our members and seeing their wins, um, it makes all the difference in the world. It makes our jobs easier, um, because we in the fitness industry, we still have to show up when you're all of our coaches, despite what we have going on in our lives, like.
We have to know that within that 50 minute or that hour time span, we are that ray of sunshine, um, for our members. And so their wins pour back into us to make our jobs a lot easier, , to make sure they continue to hit those wins.
[00:08:30] Jessica: And I would even think that it's a, a win seeing a person walk in for the second time.
Absolutely. The third time just having the people returning, consisting. Yes. Yes. Because it takes so much guts to come, come in for the first time. Mm-hmm. But you know, when you see them coming in for the second time, you're like, okay. They liked it. Yes. They felt welcomed here. Mm-hmm. So I would think that that's a huge win as well.
What. So you guys are not just fitness instructors, you're business owners. Yes. Yes. So what has been the biggest learning curve in starting a business? How long have you guys been open, by the way? Since
[00:09:07] Adrien King: 2020. 21.
[00:09:08] Jessica: Okay. One. So you're, yeah. You're going on five years. Yep. Congratulations. Thank you. Thank you, thank you.
And that's a, a big curve in itself to reach that five year point. Yeah. Um, so what has been your biggest learning curve? Would you, would you say.
[00:09:21] Meagan H. Jacobs: The biggest learning curve, I would say is just being open to continue to evolve and quickly adapt. Um, we entered the market. We took a risk in, entered the market right during COVID.
Um, we knew that it was a risk. However, we actually had the time with the world kind of. Like settling to just really be able to pour into the business. Um, but even with the economy, that's the biggest thing is so many like ups and downs. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Now, where you had, um, a lot of our members who were remote or working, you know, working from home or hybrid schedules, like within from 2021 to about 2024.
That's changed now. Yeah. A lot of people are required to go back into the office. They're back into the office. Mm-hmm. Um, and it changes the business model that we had originally, you know, built and set forth. And so you have to figure out how do, how are we able to be creative or be more strategic, um, so that we can continue to run a small business, um, within the economy that we are currently faced with today.
[00:10:30] Adrien King: I'll add to that. I'll say that we've done our market analysis and so even when we come up with our pricings or our business model, it's not to necessarily get rich. You know, we believe that, you know, what we pour in is gonna come back to us in some capacity and it's really always people over profit and just finding time to find different ways to pour in.
So whether it's our, our Park Rock Steady Parkinson's program, it's our other programs where we can tap into the community partnerships just being a source of relief and community for all walks to where. Everything is gonna come back to us in one way or another, not just in revenue, you know?
[00:11:01] Jessica: Well, speaking of all walks, this is, this is one thing that's in my mind, and so I'm gonna ask a a, a selfish question.
Um, I have done kickboxing before, it was long time ago, pre-kids, um, a totally different body, a totally different person. So I'm wondering, do you have levels to your class? Can I just come in as a, a brand newbie? Never having experienced it, let's say, and just start. From Fresh. Absolutely. Okay. Yeah,
[00:11:35] Adrien King: and I love that question because I think, again,
[00:11:37] Jessica: I think that's intimidating to be like, oh, it looks like so much fun, but you know, am I gonna get my butt kicked?
Right.
[00:11:44] Adrien King: And I think that's why we have the, the, the class set the way they are. Everyone has their own back. Mm-hmm. Because everyone has their own fight. So whether Megan is next to me going crazy, I might be going level one because I'm fighting my own fight. So just because she's going a hundred miles an hour doesn't mean I have to.
And so having the ability to slow it down, having the ability to modify, having the coaches to be in a space to where it's big enough to where you have your own as a boxer, but small enough to where the coach has autonomy, to see everyone in every corner to coach you up or to give you those modifications to where you do feel successful, because success looks different to every person.
[00:12:15] Jessica: Yeah, I'm the type that, um, just like I was in school, now that I'm saying this out loud, I would always sit in the back row. So if I go to a fitness class, I'm probably gonna be the one that's in the back corner mm-hmm. Trying to hide. So I'm, I'm not sure if I can hide. I guess I can hide behind it at the back.
We'll hype
[00:12:33] Adrien King: you up. No. We'll hype you up. Yeah. Or if I'm
[00:12:36] Jessica: like on the floor, you can just step over me. I do not mind. I'm not offended at
[00:12:40] Meagan H. Jacobs: all. Well, I will say that, that, um. The environment that we set, um, at Activate, um, we do have those members that come in and you can tell they want to hide, but because of the infectious, lively environment that we create, um, they forget.
And, um, it's an at atmosphere is very fun. It is very free. And then you're like, oh my gosh, I'm doing this, I'm doing this.
[00:13:10] Jessica: I will say that I am the first to laugh at myself. So I think if you come in with a, a sense of lightheartedness and humor and, and not taking things so seriously is probably very helpful.
Oh, yeah. Yeah.
[00:13:21] Adrien King: And it's actually like a personal goal of mine to get you out of like your shell. Like, yeah. So I'm thinking of like prethe, I'm thinking of Rashmi, like getting you outta your shell. Mm-hmm. To really like. Have fun. Forget it's a workout and just be a part of the vibe.
[00:13:33] Jessica: Yeah,
[00:13:33] Adrien King: that's the first thing we tell people.
Don't worry about being the best boxer. Just be a part of the vibe. We'll learn the boxing along the way.
So one thing that really drew me to you guys is something that you do called Rock Steady Boxing. You mentioned it briefly. How did you guys get involved with this? And can you explain what it is you're working with?
[00:14:46] Jessica: The, the Parkinson, um, people that with Parkinson's disease? Yes. Mm-hmm. It, when I first read about this, I thought, well, that's kind of random. Yes. But, but it's really not. So explain how this came to be.
[00:14:57] Meagan H. Jacobs: Yeah. So, believe it or not, um, as we were preparing for our opening, um. Myself, Adrian, one of our other business owners, um, thorough because she, in her absence today, um, we were just so happened to be in the studio, just like cleaning, painting, like, and um, in walked a few, um, individuals and they said hi.
They introduced themselves. They said, we have Parkinson's disease, and we were like. Okay. You know, um, and they said, um, we are a part of a group called Rock Steady Boxing. Um, the current gym that we were a part of has closed due to COVID. Oh, right. They are not reopening. And we're looking for a home and we see that you are opening a studio.
Mm-hmm. So, um, it caught us off guard initially, and, um, Adrian and myself, we know, knew nothing about this program, knew very little about Parkinson's, and, um, I remember I said, well, we'll get back with you. You know, and so we did.
[00:16:04] Jessica: Then you immediately get on your phone, start Googling, start Googling.
[00:16:08] Meagan H. Jacobs: Yeah.
And still, um, one of our coaches, coach Rich, he was actually one of their coaches at the gym that they were at. Oh. And so when I found out that they had, um, their own coach, I said, oh, well he can just come on over still myself, personally, thinking I could still be hands off. Like, we'll just provide the space and they do their own thing.
Well, I'm telling you, that's probably one of the best decisions that we've ever made. I know I can speak personally for myself. Um. You know, I'm a woman of faith and I believe that, um, we are all vessels to be used to build the kingdom. And, um, this is just one of the ways that we are being used to build a kingdom and, um.
We got certified. Adrian and I got certified, um, researched with Rock Steady, became a national affiliate. So Rock Steady Boxing is a national program. Mm-hmm. There's studies
[00:17:05] Jessica: specifically for partisans. Okay.
[00:17:07] Meagan H. Jacobs: Yes. Mm-hmm. I mean, all across the us um, there headquarters are in Indianapolis. Um, and. Studies have proven that this type of exercise will slow down the progression of Parkinson's disease.
Isn't that incredible? Right. Yeah. There's no cure for it, it's just mind
[00:17:26] Jessica: blowing. Yes. And is that because it's hitting every part of your body, the nervous system? Yes. And, and your mind, you has to use your brain to be able to Right. To, to u mm-hmm. Utilize all these parts of your body.
[00:17:38] Meagan H. Jacobs: That's right. So.
Parkinson's is a movement disorder disease. Um, so their mobility, how they move, um, they gate, they freeze when they walk. Um, so boxing it, um, kind of packs everything together where they're working on their balance, they're working on their focus, they're working on their range of motion. All the things accompanied, embodied in one, and then we've tacked on the functional strength part of it.
Mm-hmm. So not a lot of clubs do that. We've set ourselves apart because we understand that, um, strength is very, very important. So that is a component that we've added to our rock steady boxing portion that they pretty much receive each week.
[00:18:23] Jessica: And I can imagine that this part of your business that came so out of left field has probably become one of the more fulfilling parts of your day.
It's, yeah. It's, mm-hmm. It is
[00:18:36] Adrien King: even there. Um, tell Megan all this stuff all the time. Like they are the most consistent members we have, like, we have Oh, be, yeah. We have regular members. Yeah. But like, they're. The most consistent. And we tell 'em like, they're our members too. Like they do the exact same workouts that the normal activate fitness classes do.
Like, so they don't, they'll lift their weights, they'll do get on the treadmill, they'll get on the machines, they'll do the pushups. Um, they do it all. And like we, we like to say like, they're regular folks. Regular people, they're just fighting Parkinson's. So again, it's just a different type of fight.
[00:19:01] Meagan H. Jacobs: A different battle.
Mm-hmm. Yes. They don't want to like, feel like you're. Like
[00:19:07] Adrien King: baby and
[00:19:08] Meagan H. Jacobs: them babying them. Mm-hmm. They want to feel empowered. Mm-hmm. A lot of our rock steady members, they are retired doctors, attorneys. Yep. Um, they play golf. They were athletes themselves. Mm-hmm. So it empowers them to be able to come into a studio and we coach 'em the way that we do.
Um, it's, it's truly amazing. Um, we enjoy it. We started with probably about eight to 10 members. Eight to 12? Yeah. And we have about 70 now. What? I didn't know you were gonna say that much. Wow. Yes, yes.
[00:19:42] Jessica: It's really grown. That is incredible. Well, kudos to both of you for, for. Being welcoming to the idea of something that you didn't know anything about.
Mm-hmm. Had never heard of, you know, with this program and, and running with it. Yeah. And giving this outlet to people that obviously need it, to have that many people that come of, of course they do. That's amazing. Thank you. I love that. Yeah. Okay, so you guys have mentioned a couple times the strength training.
Mm-hmm. So here is one question. I, I definitely wrote this down because. One thing I keep hearing about lately in particular is. The importance of strength training for two groups of people. Um, well, I guess for everybody, but I keep hearing about this recently in the news. Mm-hmm. Um, and amongst my friends.
Okay. Ozempic and other weight loss medications. Mm-hmm. You hear about one of the side effects is muscle loss. Yes. Correct. So the importance of strength training. To counteract that. Mm-hmm. But also with perimenopause and menopausal women and how that is
[00:20:51] Melissa: Hey, amen
[00:20:52] Jessica: to that.
[00:20:53] Melissa: Welcome. Yes. Oh wow.
[00:20:55] Jessica: Welcome to the club.
Yes. But we, I do hear that that is such a big deal that we in particular need to be doing strength training.
[00:21:04] Melissa: Mm-hmm.
[00:21:05] Jessica: Running a couple miles a day is fantastic, but it's the strength training part that really is important. So. Do you guys offer like suggestions or, or training for people like this in these situations?
Um, or is kickboxing. An all-encompassing workout,
[00:21:25] Adrien King: right? So that's, that's how it's like structured. So half the class or a little bit less than half the class, we get the functional, um, well we get the boxing outta the way, get the cardio out the way, and then we really focus on lifting. Okay? So think of the boxing as a stress reliever.
You're ready to go, you're warmed up. Now let's really focus on lifting. And then when we lift, we're lifting those compound movements, the heavy weights, um, maybe it strength endurance. Some days really focusing on volume because again, a lot of times. I say we're better together because I want you guys to do the workout that you wouldn't do on your own.
So a lot of folks, they might say, oh, I might do this on my own, or I might do two times a week at Plan of Fitness or something like that. But. You notice that when you're in a team environment, where I come from, if we're all working towards a similar goal, we're gonna lift heavier, we're gonna move faster.
Whether the time is gonna make you, you know, more stressed, more tired, um, you're gonna get down and get, get the job done, pretty much. And so every workout is built and geared towards more muscle, reducing body fat and finding variable way, variable ways to incorporate that. Because again, everybody is different.
So when we create a workout, it has to fit everybody. While being specific to their goals at the same time.
[00:22:28] Jessica: Yeah, because everybody is different. Mm-hmm. But the strength training part. Is an important component for literally everybody. Everybody. Yeah. Yeah. It, every class has a strength. I, I guess I'm hearing it more lately because of the, is it GLP ones?
Mm-hmm. I can't think. Okay. I hear that in the news and how that's kind of a, quite a side effect. Mm-hmm. And we have
[00:22:48] Adrien King: members, we have members who are on that and we have those discussions. Mm-hmm. And um, we talk about the plan that needs to go and play with that. So whether that's continue nutrition as well, we talk to that, but also the strength training.
So we have those one-off conversations because it's not. Um, something that's new now, you would have to really incorporate that into our workouts.
[00:23:06] Meagan H. Jacobs: Gotcha. With that
[00:23:06] Adrien King: information. And we've
[00:23:07] Meagan H. Jacobs: talked about looking at putting together like a plan specifically. Mm-hmm. Specifically for this, for, for, for this move.
I mean, yeah. Everyone I'm hearing like everybody's looking at these alternatives mm-hmm. To help. You know, lose weight, but there's also benefits, health benefits too, um, with also being a part of this move. But, um, definitely looking at implementing something, um, as we are moving into this new year mm-hmm.
With a program specifically for that, because we do host challenges the year, um, we just ended the Shred challenge, shred challenge that was very, very successful where, um, we opened it up. You do not have to be a member. Um, to be a part, but you sign up for a six or eight week challenge, um, and we're. We are holding you accountable.
Um, so you do have to meet a certain amount of exercises. You have to track your macros. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. You know, all of the things. Um, and we actually had a very successful group. Right?
[00:24:10] Jessica: Yeah. And I, I think the accounta accountability. Part of what you guys are talking about is what's missing from the big places, the Planet Fitness.
Right? A hundred percent. Because, you know, you're kind of, you're not known, so you can walk in and, and be anonymous, which has its benefits too. Yeah, yeah. Um, but you're not being held accountable and no one's missing you if you don't come. Right. Yeah. You, I, I'm getting the feeling that, you know, if I start there and then you don't all of a sudden don't see me, we're gonna reach out.
You're gonna be calling and saying, where are you? Yeah. And I'm gonna be like. Who this?
[00:24:43] Adrien King: Yeah. And specifically on those challenges, we have specific check-in check, so like there's, there's no lapse in that. So there's always a weekly check-in. Mm-hmm. And you have to fill out the form on what your week looked like.
And so the biggest thing with that is we want you to see what life looks like for your week. A lot of times you'll go through and say, oh, I ate great this week, or, oh, I had great breakfast, I had a great weekend. Until you write it down that you're able to see it. So now we review that together and so it's like, Hey, let's make some adjustments.
Hey, what's coming up this week? How can we prevent that? Can we prep? Can we plan? If you can't prep your meals, can you at least plan what you're gonna eat when you're in a sticky situation? Mm-hmm. And so have an idea as to where you're success successful, not just for six weeks, but for six months thereafter.
So that's why we try to create an open dialogue with that.
[00:25:24] Jessica: Okay. So we're, we're getting into the new year now. Mm-hmm. Let's talk about the New Year's resolutions and, and challenges and things like that. What are some of the most common New Year's Fitness goals you hear from members that activate fitness?
[00:25:39] Adrien King: Lord,
[00:25:39] Jessica: are those all over the place too? They're all over the place.
[00:25:42] Meagan H. Jacobs: Okay. I mean, you can go from and, and I'm preaching to the choir because I know even being an owner. Mm-hmm. And even being a fitness coach. It's like, do as I say, not as I do. And so I feel like every January I myself will have this new, okay, this is what I'm gonna do this time and I'm gonna stick to it.
Um, but we hear everything from I wanna lose 15 pounds or, um, I want my, um,
[00:26:13] Adrien King: pants sizes, reduced pants. Yeah.
[00:26:16] Meagan H. Jacobs: My cholesterol levels are high. You know, the doctors are telling me I need to get this under control, so I'm starting fresh. Um. I have a trip coming up in June. Oh, that's a big one. Yeah. And I have a wedding because it's wedding season between April and October.
So I mean, we hear everything, um, at the start of year of like these goals that. They want to be accomplished. Um, I wanna get stronger.
[00:26:44] Adrien King: And I'll say it's not just women either. Men, yes. We have a lot of men that come to the gym and they want the more co. They want confidence, they wanna get stronger. They don't want to just be left out lifting on their own.
I'm one of them. I like to lift in a group environment, so I want my six packs back. I wanna feel like an athlete again. That's the biggest thing that we hear. It's like, Hey man, I used to do this, but I don't know if I got it anymore. Well, we're gonna show you that. You still do. And so even though they're men, yeah.
They're gonna come here and work out as well.
[00:27:05] Jessica: Well, and I see that each age brings in different sets of of, of goals, I guess I should say, because, you know, when you get older, you wanna be able to lift up your grand babies
[00:27:17] Melissa: Yep.
[00:27:17] Jessica: And, and run around and chase 'em around and play. Yes. So I guess, you know, you do hit different milestones in life, but with that comes new, new goals.
[00:27:25] Adrien King: Mm-hmm.
[00:27:26] Jessica: So how do, how do you guys help maintain and create. Sustainable goals for each person
[00:27:33] Adrien King: I would say we create sustainable goals by just having that open dialogue and conversation. So again, the gym's not so big to where we can't, we don't know all of our members.
So whether it's, you know, a member like Theresa, right there is. Over 65 years old and she does workouts at five 30 Monday through Friday every single time.
[00:27:51] Jessica: Dang, Theresa. Yes. And she
[00:27:53] Adrien King: and I tell her every single time, wow. That she is a testament and a walking billboard. And I tell my grandparents about her because I wish my grandparents were able to lift like Theresa does.
Yes. And workout like she does. And it goes to show you, it doesn't matter the age, whether you're 16 or 65, like you're able to. Work for your health and you were able to work on yourself. Um, so we just have the open dialogue no matter who it is. Hey, what are you working on? How can I show up for you? How can I hold you accountable?
Hold your feet to the fire.
[00:28:22] Jessica: So what do you guys have that you're looking forward to this year? Anything new in the studio? Um, you mentioned challenges as well. When you guys came in, you told me about a, a new feature that you're offering mm-hmm. I guess starting this year. Is that correct? Yes, correct. Okay.
So tell tell us about that
[00:28:39] Adrien King: from recovery on three. 1, 2, 3.
[00:28:42] Meagan H. Jacobs: So, um, we have, um, started. Activate movement and recovery. Mm-hmm. Um, falls under that umbrella of Activate Fitness. However, it is our physical therapy clinic. Okay. Yep. It's. It goes into, um, us looking at the overall wellbeing of, um, the community, our members.
, We have a lot of members that come in and they have some back pain or they've done something to their shoulder and. We have to outsource them out. Um, same with our Parkinson's, um, community. Um, they need physical therapy. It goes hand in hand on their just day to day, um, to help their overall quality of life.
And so we are hearing all these things. We are both coaches, we coach football, we coach track and field. Um, so we're dealing with athletes on a regular basis mm-hmm. That have different things and tweaks that they have going on in. We want to be able, we want it to be able to move into a direction as we're looking to strategically, um be able to sustain in this economic environment, um, with our business plan.
And so it just fell right into play. Um, so we're super excited. We have four providers, um, they That is great. Yeah. Have four providers. Um, we are accepting all pretty much major insurance. Um,
[00:30:08] Jessica: um, companies that's quite an undertaking to, to add this type of piece to your existing business and
[00:30:14] Adrien King: to learn. Yes, yes.
So it's a whole different piece. A lot to learn. Yeah.
[00:30:18] Meagan H. Jacobs: I have, I, and agent, we have learned a lot. Mm-hmm. Um. Just so much with like the credentialing, all that goes in. Mm-hmm. Behind, goes on behind the scenes. I know enough to be dangerous about certain things. Um, I have a finance and accounting background, so that's just typically Oh, that's beneficial though with where I am with the business.
Yeah. Right. But I mean, as far as like the medical in industry, I was just like, oh my goodness. There's just so much that goes in behind like. Opening a clinic and running a clinic. It, it looks different. Um, we wanna make sure we're in compliance, you know, with, um, various different things. But we are super excited.
We do accept Medicare as well. Mm-hmm. Um, for that older population. But, um, we are up and going. Officially we've started seeing patients. Mm-hmm. Um, and so Monday through Friday, um, we are available appointment only. Mm-hmm. And, um, if anyone is interested, they can contact the studio or send an email to Movement and recovery@activatefitness.com.
[00:31:27] Jessica: It's such a great, like, obvious duh thing to have as part of the studio, but it, it does sound like it's something that was probably tricky to think about all the, the, the things that need to be done to get to that part. So congratulations for Thank you. Adding this piece. Yeah.
[00:31:45] Adrien King: And it's always like, and that's the thing, like God has a vision, um, we're just living in it, right?
Mm-hmm. And so I think. I wrote down, I think I showed Megan back in 2021, Hey, I want to have a recovery room. I want to have this, I wanna have that. I wanna have that. And so when moving to recovery kind of came into fruition, I was like, wow, this finally, like, it's a different vision because now we have so many different walks of life coming into it and really showing me how, you know, movement is medicine and recovery is power to really impact individuals and town.
Can we continue to impact folks rather than just straight up recovery? Because with the Parkinson's program, movement is gonna be huge. The gate, the freezing, even speech is gonna be huge. So having ways to really continue to impact that population. Mm-hmm. Our most consistent members. So they're gonna want to get most of the, um, services as well.
We're gonna be sending Yeah. They're there anyway. Yeah. Yeah. So I think it's gonna be great to be a one stop shop for all health in all walks of
[00:32:36] Jessica: life. Yeah. And to your point, I, I tell my kids all the time that I, I've learned from doing all these interviews that. One common denominator that I've found from really successful people is that you write things down, you write your visions down what you want for your future, your goals.
Mm-hmm. Because it's that mental aspect of writing it down that reminds you of what your goals are.
[00:33:01] Melissa: Mm-hmm.
[00:33:01] Jessica: So. Thank you for, um, telling me that so I can tell my kids. See, yeah. Yes. Adrian did it too. He wrote it down. Yes. Thank you guys so much for being here today. Thank you for talking about the studio.
Thank you for the amazing things you're doing with the Parkinson's community and for going over some of year's resolutions with us to kick off the new year. Thank you for having us. Yes, absolutely. Thank you.