Building What Lasts in an AI-Driven World | Korey Rowe | The Sweat & Equity Show

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What happens when the strategies that built your success are no longer the strategies that will carry you into the future?

In this conversation, Ariel Belgrave sits down with strength and mobility specialist Korey Rowe to explore what it really means to build for longevity in an industry that is changing faster than ever. From partnerships and leadership to AI, relevance, and personal evolution, this conversation challenges some of the assumptions many fitness and wellness professionals are still holding onto.

Rather than chasing trends, Korey shares why the future belongs to those willing to adapt, audit what’s working, and stay deeply connected to the people they serve. It’s a conversation about growth, but it’s also a conversation about identity, humility, and the courage required to evolve before the market forces you to.

If you're building a business, leading a team, navigating change, or questioning what comes next, this episode offers a thoughtful perspective on what sustainable success really looks like.

WHAT YOU’LL HEAR IN THIS EPISODE

• Why the strongest businesses double down on truth instead of chasing noise
• The mindset shift that helped Korey build long-term partnerships that last
• What "the survival of the fittest" actually means for modern fitness entrepreneurs
• How AI is changing the industry and where human connection becomes even more valuable
• Why collaboration may be the biggest growth strategy most founders overlook
• The personal question Korey is still asking himself despite years of success
• What leaders must learn to let go of in order to stay relevant

📌 CHAPTERS

00:00 Intro

01:11 Building for Longevity Instead of Short-Term Wins

04:39 The Real Engine Behind a Diversified Business

08:21 Why Long-Term Partnerships Change Everything

10:24 What It Really Means to Earn a Seat at the Table

19:16 Growth, Scale, and Doubling Down on What Works

27:33 Competition vs Collaboration in Fitness

33:18 The Future of Fitness, AI, and Adaptation

39:39 Building Human-Centered Systems in an AI World

41:00 Why Leadership Must Look Like Service

45:35 The Biggest Opportunities for Builders Right Now

49:33 The Question Korey Is Still Trying to Answer

56:16 A Message to His Future Self

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ABOUT SWEAT & EQUITY:
The Sweat & Equity Show is for fitness and wellness professionals who want to build sustainable businesses with more ownership, leverage, and longevity. Hosted by Ariel Belgrave, the show explores what it really takes to grow your income and impact in this industry, with honest conversations on business models, revenue, partnerships, burnout, mindset, and the shift from practitioner to operator.

HOSTED BY ARIEL BELGRAVE:
Ariel Belgrave is an award-winning fitness and wellness entrepreneur, speaker, Under Armour athlete, and former HR tech leader turned founder. Through Sweat & Equity, Ariel creates thoughtful conversations that explore the intersection of wellness, entrepreneurship, leadership, and sustainable ambition.

🔗 CONNECT WITH ARIEL:
Instagram: @sweatandequityshow
Gym Hooky Instagram: @gymhooky
LinkedIn: @ArielBelgrave
Website: https://www.sweatandequityshow.com/

🔗 CONNECT WITH KOREY ROWE:
Instagram: @korey.rowe
KR Method Instagram: @krmethod
YouTube: @thekoreyrowe

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Creators and Guests

Host

Ariel Belgrave

What is Sweat & Equity Show?

The Sweat and Equity Show brings insights, clarity, and tactics for the modern fitness and wellness business owner to grow and thrive on their terms. Global speaker, advisor and wellness entrepreneur Ariel Belgrave, peels back the curtain on about what it takes to build, grow, and sustain an enduring business in the industry. No gatekeeping allowed!

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Whenever you want to scale. Sometimes people think they need to be louder and flashier and do more.

What you need to do is to be the truth. Corey Rowe is a globally recognized strength and mobility

specialist, known for helping people build bodies that are strong, capable and built to last. You've

also had long term partnerships only. Only I am not playing the short term game. Everything that

I'm doing in this season of my life is building things at last and helping people to do the same.

With over a decade of experience and features in Forbes, Vogue, LA times, in essence, he's built a

platform that reaches millions through movement driven educational content. The fittest will

survive. The people who are most adapted. Say a lot for the people in the back. We're asked to reject

the things that got us here because he won't get us there. What would you say are the top three

opportunities that you see the most clearly in our industry?

There's a shift happening in the fitness industry right now where the people who last aren't just

the ones who are great at what they do. They're the ones who understand how to build around it.

Today's guest is someone who understands both deeply. Let's get into it. Corey, welcome to the

Sweat and Equity Show. I'm so excited to be here. It's a pleasure to be sitting beside a fellow

builder. What you are doing here with the sweat equity show is well needed. It's never been more

needed than know where so many fitness professional wellness professionals are trying to

navigate through this minefield of next, you know, how do they stay relevant and how do they

continue to do what they what they signed up for, which is to really help people live stronger, more

vibrant lives. So I feel very honored to be here and congrats to you. Thank you. Thank you. And I

really couldn't think of a better person. I'm like the business mind, the trainer mind, and I'm

excited to just talk about growth. And one thing you always say is let's build right big. We never

stopped. Yes. And I think so. When I think of you, I think of just the different seasons of your

business, the different types of things that you offer to the world when you serve. But as we look

at this fitness, the shift in the economy, AI, technology, all of it, I just think there's going

to be so much that we can talk about. Absolutely. So before we get into speaking about how the

world is shifting and all that comes with that, I would love just to paint the picture of where

things are for you. Present day. Absolutely. So if you can kind of set the foundation for what your

business currently looks like, like what is the makeup of your business when you think of, I guess,

diversification, I feel like you have like a portfolio of businesses underneath yours. So if

you can just share that, that would be great. Absolutely. I think looking from the outside in, it

looks like I'm doing a lot. But at the core of it, which is important to sustain diversification, is

that you're doing what you're best at and you're doing something that's repeatable, that's scalable,

that can be sustained. So from the outside in, I have a robust online platform. I reach millions of

people sharing what I believe to be a strong approach to living, you know, stronger, more

resilient lives with mobility and strength. Leading that I have. Thousands, tens of thousands

of women in one program that I've partnered with, with Doctor Jennifer Ashton. And we've now scaled

that. And that is growing because there's such a need within that population for women to be

educated about strength training and how do they continue to live as they progress through the

decades? Right. Live stronger, more vibrant lives. And then I have the care method, which, you know,

has coaches and nutritionists working intimately one on one with clients, giving them the high

touch experience very intimate and making sure that everything is cut specifically to their

needs, highly personalized training. And then when you zoom out, you know, I love the idea of being in

person and engaging with people and know I do that at scale through large classes from anywhere

from 50 to thousands. You know, my, my, I have a class coming up that's 2000 people that would be

leading. So those are taken the form of retreats and events and classes. And at the core of it all,

I still consider myself a personal trainer. Um, that's the DNA that bleeds into all of my

ecosystem. So I do have a few clients that I work with one on one, and I think it keeps me very

connected to the individual whenever I'm building something at scale, because I get good feedback

from that. And then around that, you know, it has now expanded into, you know, food products. I have,

you know, food products, CPG products that have I'm not developing that's launching soon. Um, there's

real estate that I now invest in. There's other things that I've taken on that's outside, and all

of it is to support what I love to do, which is to help people live healthier, stronger, more vibrant

lives. I love that, and when you think of all that you shared right now, which one would you say are

the biggest drivers in your business? Um, the biggest drivers in my business comes down to

helping people move better in whatever form, whether that be programs at scale that are done

asynchronously, or is programs that are done in a more intimate way, like one on one. And then I have

the partnership sites. You know, I work with brands that I trust. I work with brands that I am a first

user of. I like to say one of my principle for doing any sort of endorsement is like, would

I engage with this brand anyway? Would I engage with this brand whether or not I'm being paid?

Would I engage with this brand if this brand had no interest in me? And if that is the case and I'm

doing it consistently, then I see the partnership as an opportunity for me to share something

that's impacted me positively that I'm ecstatic about. So I do work with I have a brand

partnership, so but the core of it is helping people move better and feel better and live life

on their terms. How I like to say it, it's like I like the goal is to help people build bodies they

can trust, build bodies they can rely on through the decades. So that's the main driver. And then

everything else supports that. And I'm happy that I have that opportunity to be so diversified. Yeah.

And so even as you're speaking about diversification, I just I love that there's this

mix of online. I love this mix of you also prioritizing being in person. Yes. Um, the brand

partnership side of things. On the brand partnerships, I'm curious how you determine

what you say yes to, um, when it comes to bringing that brand into your ecosystem and connecting

with your audience. Um, before I say yes, I have a strong know, um, response to most things.

Okay. Um, I have a good sense of, you know, what I'm trying to accomplish today. And over the next 5 to

10 years, there may be some change and need may move based on what's happening in the industry,

based on my likes, based on how rapidly I'm growing our challenges I'm having. But I have a

strong North Star and that's rooted in my personal constitution. I want to be aligned with

brands that are actually doing good work, um, that products are standing up to scrutiny and are

truly helping people. I think the people behind the brand is just as important. It's sometimes

even more important than the product itself. So if I have an interaction with the brand and the

people that I'm interacting with don't feel like we share the same mission or feel like we can't

get along in a way that is going to be pleasurable and do great work, then that's a no

for me, even if the product is great. So it's the people, it's the product and it's the mission. Like,

what are we doing here? That's one of the questions I ask with whenever I sit with a brand.

I said, what's important to you? I know we're looking at this as an ambassadorial level or a

representational level or a partnership level, but what's important to you? What's the end goal?

What's your mission? And if I can align with that mission and if the legalities and the terms, you

know, support that, then you know, my partnership my partnership lead and I so I also have outside

visit, you know, visibility on it. I'm not just looking at my own perspective. I have a team that

will help me, um, you know, shape the decision. So those are the criterias. And that's my

process in a nutshell. Yeah. And I love that. I'm like grinning ear to ear. Because I feel like it

is so rare when I have conversations with other creators, business owners. Um, obviously

working with brands, especially when it's big. One is it's a very sexy, uh, thing that can look on

your resume or just who you're working with. Absolutely. I love the intention, and it's

something I resonate as well. And I know for you, you've also had long term partnerships and I

think only only correct. Only only. Okay. And long term as in a year or more. How are

you? All my partnerships have been over a year, over two years. Three years. Um, obviously had to

start at some point. Um, but I start the conversation with continuity. Yes. I everything

that I do, I want to see myself through time, engaging with it, building my family, building my

community, building my business, building my mindset. These are all very futuristic Lifelong

engagement. I live a very narrow life. Um, but very deep, um, in what I choose to commit. So one

of the things we don't have to get married, um, on the first conversation. That's not what I'm

looking for. Yeah, but there should be a pathway. I am, I am, I am not playing the short term game.

Everything that I'm doing in this season of my life is building things at last and helping

people to do the same. And I want to see how can I grow. Does this relationship have enough capacity

to feel, you know, or to to grow with me as I grow? And can I support on the

other end? Can I support this partnership to grow? So it's not this one side. It is very symbiotic.

Can I help you? So if it's a brand that I don't think I can move the needle forward on, if it's a

company, then, you know, it makes no sense because there's no continuity on their end and vice versa.

You know, there won't be any on my end. So it's long term. Um, I say a long term game with long

term people. Yeah. And this has actually reminded me of. So I just released an episode called get in

the room. So it's this focus of the importance of being in the room when you have these

conversations with brands. Right? And I actually would love for you to speak to the importance of

that, because there's something about someone just seeing how you operate online as an influencer, as

a creator. But when you step into a room, yes. And you bring your confidence at that table and you

ask questions and they realize that you are far more than someone who posts content, of course it

changes the game on how serious they take you. It changes the game on what opportunities they give

you. So I would love for you to speak to that, because I'm pretty sure you do that pretty damn

well. Absolutely. And I want to appreciate being in any room I don't I feel

deserving of being in the room, but I don't take for granted, and I prepare to make an

impact when I'm in the room. And I think before you get in the room, it's all the things that

you're doing before, when you're outside, when you're thinking about it. If you're going to be in

the room, around the table, a part of the conversation, what do you bring and how are you

moving the needle forward? How through proximity. Is everyone better because you are there, right?

The idea is that we have builders with different skill sets coming together under a joint umbrella,

trying to accomplish something. What are you bringing? And I think before getting into the room,

that's where the work is done in the dark before there's a spotlight on you, before there's a

microphone, before there's a partnership, before there's a contract. Are you taking the time to

make sure that when the world turns to listen to what you have to say, you have something

worthwhile to say? That's right. You have something to give. So for me, being in the room starts from

being outside the door and being in the dark and not being seen. So when I in the room, I'm not

confused about who I am and what I'm trying to accomplish. And I'm also not confused about my

deficit. I understand that there's room for me to grow, so a part of being in the room is so that I

can upskill myself so I can grow through proximity, so I can learn, so I can change, so I can

be challenged. But while doing so, there's enough value that I bring in the room that still secures

my seat at the table. Mhm. I love that. And as you think about all that you are doing to get into

the room, I'm curious what type of support you have as you think about what's happening outside

the door to get into that door. Do you have a team? Um, what type of support do you have to make that

happen? I have a team around me. I have a team around me from home. Okay? Yes, from from. From

home. Um. To business. Um. Just spiritual. Right? Um, I'm a I'm a believer. I'm a Christian. And, you know,

I'm always, like, seeing what God's purpose is for me. And I have a strong team. I'm very blessed to

put the team together, to put together their best in class in every department. And I have a home

that challenged me. I have a wife that, you know, sees my gaps and speaks to it and supports me and

my growth. And I think you need that. And I have peers who are winning, who are being challenged,

who are, you know, setting the bar high, who through proximity. I'm growing. And I think all of those

environments help to prepare you because it gives you feedback on the things that you're great at,

but it also gives you feedback on the things that you're not so good at. And those are the things

that, if brought into the room, become a liability. That's where you see someone step in the room, but

they don't last because their liability got in the way, because they didn't work all those

details before getting in the room. So I have a team, um, in every department, from operations to

partnership to content, have mentors that I sit with. I have a life coach that really helps me

walk through my own challenges, counseling, all of that. So I think it makes you a rounded individual

so you can show up and, you know, be of service when you have the opportunity. I love that, and, you

know, Kudos for getting those people in your life especially. You got to delegate. So when it

comes to you having a big vision, it's like, what does it look like to be able to move things

forward? Um, I am curious, as we are still on the topic of your team, what are you typically looking

for when you are bringing people on to work with you and help bring your vision into reality?

That's important. I, I initially try not to I have a criteria for the role. Okay.

So there are certain technical, um, check marks and skill sets and competence baseline. I think that's

that's a non-negotiable for there's a basic entry point where we need to at least meet that mark.

There may be a learning curve that's necessary or some upskill or some development, and we're okay

with that. If someone is able to learn and to be nimble and to grow, we can figure out how we can,

you know, go with that curve. So it doesn't have to mean that you're exactly ready to go. So there's

that criteria beyond that. It comes down to vision and alignment. I'm in the phase of building,

and I need to be able to work along some alongside someone in the role that can

see my vision, that can be excited about it, and I can see a future for themselves in a certain

timeline for it that will determine how invested they are and how committed they are, beyond the

line item and description of the role. And another thing I would say, there's a spark that goes off

in someone's eyes when you share your vision, and they're that intangible element where

you can quantify it in a resume. I think that's when you know your you found your people, you

found your tribe. And I'm always looking for that because I would much rather go to bat with

someone who, you know, has that spark, who has that enthusiasm, who sees where I can be and where we

can be, as opposed to just checking in and clocking out And then someone who is the most

competent, who lacks that, because I don't think they'll be able to survive or be committed. So

it's the technical aspect of it is or does our values align? Do they truly believe in what we're

building and does it excite them and are they willing to grow? Do they have a growth mind

mindset? Right. That's where they can fill their gap and they can be upskill. Yeah, I love that.

Let's also talk about the realities of bringing on people who may not be aligned. Yes. Can you give

obviously no names or any of that, but an example of you hiring and then needing to let someone go

because there was an alignment? Um, what did that look like and how did you navigate it? I've been

very fortunate with that in my personal ecosystem where I haven't had to let go. Many people. Good.

I have worked in other spaces where I've brought people on one of my, you know, one of my

resume history. Point was I was director of operations for Boutique Fitness, and I would hire

trainers, I would hire staff, and they would come in and we'd had to let them go. They look great on

paper, but in the culture on the job, they just weren't what we needed. And sometimes

it was just all on them. We were clear about the role. They just didn't represent themselves in a

very honest way. And we found out that later on. And sometimes they're great, but they're just not

great here. And we have to have that honest conversation. And in in two ways. What I've done is

I've had the honest conversation. I said, like, this place isn't serving you. You're not going to

succeed here. And the reason why I brought you on is not just for our objective. It's also so that

you can have a place where you can thrive. And I don't see that for you. And based on what I've

observed, I would point them to places or ways that I think they could grow to be able to do

that. So how I handle that conversation is very honest. I take responsibility where I made a

misjudgment. I think you can put a horse in the ocean and expect them to win. And if you choose to

do that, it's not the horse, it's you. You've just made the wrong match. So I take responsibility

when I've done that. And then there are other instances where, you know, there's a path where you

can help people to grow. They may not be the right person know because they weren't clear. And that's

where you put them through a developmental process. And you hope that they'll be able to make

the change that they need to get to where they they need to be to thrive and also have a good,

good experience and also to accomplish the objectives that you bring them on. But I'm very

candid with the conversation. If we need to, you know, put an end to it, then, you know, we'll put an

end to it and hopefully you set them free to win somewhere else. That's right. I can tell you I

worked in corporate of some capacity. There's some history there. Yeah, well, I think it's important.

What I always say is the corporate skills pay the bills, because there's so much that you learn as a

leader with you being director of operations, that now that you're running your own business and you

have for quite some time, all of that bleeds through, is transferable into what it looks like

to build a team, knowing that not every decision may be a perfect one. Yes, but I sense a lot of

humility in you as well. And taking ownership of, um. It's necessary. Yeah, yeah. It's necessary. It

goes. It goes both ways. And I think it's feedback. It's feedback for the person. And if you don't

honor that, then it becomes this constant streak that infects all your decision making when you

acknowledge it and when you address it. We're all fallible to some degree and the degree that we

have a healthy relationship with that reality and humility that we have to fix, it is going to

determine how successful organization or companies or institutions are. You know, and

especially when you're in a leadership role and people are probably not as willing to speak up

and to point those out. So you have to have that internal, sort of reflective approach to find it

for yourself if no one is going to speak up. Yeah, yeah. Um, okay. So you have a

team. Let's talk. Let's get into growth. Yes. I'm curious. Um, we'll do growth and then just get into

like, where is this industry at and where we got what we got to think about? Yeah, right. So I'm

curious what's top of mind for you as you've you've shared the different parts of your

business. What's top of mind for you, for what you want to focus on and what you want to choose to

expand on with what you're doing now. Where do you see the opportunity? The opportunity is doubling

down on what's working and making it the best system that the industry has access to.

So right now, we are doing a tremendous job at courting attention and also

then fulfilling the expectation on that attention, attention. So that's creating a content

ecosystem where we're putting out content that's valuable, that's impactful, that's instructional

primarily on the category of joint health, mobility, strength, conditioning and then

leading people to solutions for movement pathologies that they have or, you know, say,

strength and conditioning deficits that may have, whether it be increasing bone density or

increasing muscle mass or improving VO2 max. Also tutors working through any movement dysfunction.

They have knee held hip hop, shoulder health, all the stuff that tends to fall apart as we move

through time. We have asynchronous programs and as I mentioned, we have coaches myself involved that

are helping people. So it's connecting people with a need to the product, doubling down on that and

getting more of that out through content. And then obviously following it up with fulfillment is the

core of it. And everything else on the peripheral. Peripheral, you know, in terms of like the

partnerships that we do, the events that we do, not less important, but they are

run in a joint way with other teams. So most of my attention needs to be in-house

because that's where, you know, the book kind of stops with me primarily, and I think doubling down

on that because and the reason why, whenever you want to scale, sometimes people think they need to

be louder and flashier and do more. Sometimes what you need to do is to be the truth and double

down on what the real need is. So when you look at everything I'm doing, I'm expanding in Asia. We're

expanding here in North America, we're expanding globally with the care method, because we just

recently launched a partnership in Asia that's growing. That's been amazing. And, you know, I'll be

traveling there, say probably bi monthly or quarterly to continue to grow that. But really

what I'm doing is just helping people live better lives. So everything at the end of it, and I've

always I said this when I was in corporate, and I now say it with my team, we're connecting people

to the help that they need, and everything that we do needs to be able to make that clear, that we

are the preferred choice because we deliver and we have the credibility and we have the authority,

and we have the evidence behind it to say this is how we help. So for me, it's just working through

the pipeline, getting rid of the noise and having a cadence and a flow so we can be prolific enough

in sharing that and pointing people to that. So it's a lot of optimizing systems for scale so

that when the growth, you know, happens or well, well, the continued growth that we're experiencing,

we can sustain it. Yeah. And and how are you thinking. So let's hone in a little bit on the

content, um, ecosystem. When you say there's this content ecosystem you create what's included in

that. Well, primarily at the core of it is

identifying, you know, which we we already know, but it's putting together systems and programs

to help people identify, diagnose their movement pathologies and then putting

together solutions that help them to solve it. That's from movement standpoint. Also, for persons

who have set goals along the lines of body composition, is really helping them to be have the

nutrition that they need, the movement that they need to support that. So from a content top of

funnel one is getting the movements out, getting the reals, or getting the the the, the, the

carousels or getting this the CTAs or getting the vessels out, getting the things that really send

the back bad signal to say what we're doing, and then obviously making sure that we have the best

in class movement, library and support systems for that. So that is a

constant flow. It's about removing friction. So making sure that the editors are on point, making

sure that, you know, the the narrative, you know, in terms of communicating what we do is clear.

So there is no confusion. A lot of person get lost in the source because people just don't know

exactly what they do. You could have the best professional who is unknown, because they don't

have this message that gets to the people that need it. So we have to make sure that we're always

stress testing or narrative and making sure that it's clear. So a lot of it is producing that. And a

lot of you get technical, but the idea is getting the message out to the right people and then

making sure that when they do find us, that we help them better than anywhere else, that they

could go. Yeah. And who are the right people for you? Because I know some of the I mean, you're

talking mobility and hip and what is your audience look like? And I'm curious how you think

about reaching those audiences, assuming that they range from different generations depending on

where they are in their lives? How do you think about that? I've been fortunate in the sense where

my audience is very diversified and are all seeing results. Okay. Sometimes you find that

persons are very niche and they need to be um, fortunately, because of the partnerships that I

have, I've been able to reach different audiences. So for those for demographically and this, this

this is a bit it's not exhaustive, but it's more of a high level. You know, the partnership that I

have with oxygen for action. And we're working with women between the ages of 45 and 80. Okay. Um,

throughout the nation and beyond. Right. And these women are very much concerned about making sure

that each decade feels and looks the way that they desire. Um, and we have a strong program. We

have tens we have thousands of, of of testimonials of transformation right across the board, from

blood work to movement to injury to strength, bone density. It's amazing. So moving to see women

living such healthier lives, and then the partnership that we have in Asia, you know, we're

helping dancers and athletes and movement professionals cover their gaps, you know, because a

lot of times they don't have the cross training that they need. And what gets in the way of how

they perform is the fact that they develop an injury and know they're out of the sport. So the

care method now comes in with ABA, which is American Bar Association. That's expanding in, in,

in Asia, particularly now we're in Shanghai. And then growing out of Shanghai, we're helping

movement professionals safeguard their ability to move by giving them the foundational

strength and mobility they need, so that they can use that as a firewall to protect them against

injury. So that's growing. And then I would say it, the third audience is pretty much

anyone who wants to live pain free. Want to focus on joint health mobility and

optimizing their body composition to age 2 to 2 throughout the decade. And that's where, like the

one on one coaching comes in in a more intimate way. Yeah. What is standing out to me just because

I have some thoughts on this and I would love your thoughts. Um, you do partnerships,

collaboration to scale your impact, right? As you talk about ABA, as you talk about what you're

doing with the KR method. What I see a lot in our industry, and I'm curious for your thoughts, is I

don't see as much collaboration. It's more competitive competition, um, happening. And I'm

curious for you, how do you go about the collaborations and partnerships and what do you

look for to make a call on this being in alignment. And then generally your thoughts on

competition in the industry, because I know there's a whole lot, but wherever you want to

start first on it, it's just standing out to me as you talk about how you're able to scale your

impact. Absolutely. I first started well, I'll first talk about competition, okay. I think there is

there is the presence of competition, but it becomes less relevant when you're at your best. It

becomes less relevant when you're doing the things that you need to do and you're optimized.

And when you understand that it's not a zero sum game. A lot of times the zero sum game

mentality says that if someone has, then I can't. There's a world where we both can, and if we look

at the statistics objectively, there more need for help than they are qualified helpers. So someone

in our position as a movement professional or some as a as a talent, as an influencer, there are

more people that need help than we the people who are helping. There are more fires than they're

firemen, so to speak. So the idea is that not being so concerned about the market and the market's

ability to, to to deliver on our desires from a business standpoint is maybe you're not good

enough, maybe you're not positioned properly, maybe you're not optimized enough. So we skip we skip

the personal responsibility to be better and then be concerned about the competition. You're not

even in the finals yet to be concerned about the competition. You need to get to the finals. Then

you can talk about it. And most persons who get into the finals, they're okay. They're fine. They

made it to the NBA. Yeah. They're taking care of their families. Yeah. They're okay. So I would say

get better first. Before you were a bull competition. Your competition is bettering

yourself primarily. And if you do that consistently, then you'd be all right and you'd be

helping the people you need. So that's my idea on competition. And the last thing on that is I'm

happy that they're great Movement professionals and did a great content creators, and they're

great business minds. Oh, they're helping because we need more of that. The world is better when we

have better people building better products. And if your goal genuinely is to help people, why

aren't you excited that there are great people out there doing it right? So I'm inspired by great

people doing great work. I want more of them. And so the last thing I take two positions, I'm

building a great product and I'm clapping for the people that are building great products. And my

idea on partnership bleeds perfectly into that. If I see all the people building great products and

I can be a part of that, and we are aligned for the same sort of metrics I used to decide as my

team, does our vision align the work that they're doing? Do I think I can move the needle forward? Do

I have the bandwidth for it? Is there some sort of cohesive narrative about the work that we're

doing and how and the synergistic nature of it? Is it worthwhile pursuing? Then let's build.

Let's build. Let's do it together because we're better together. I realize about five years ago

when I decided that, wow, I'm at a standstill. The stance was that I've

gone as far as I can go on my own. And it needed. I

needed a partnership. Not in the more the only the obvious form where it is publicly announced.

But I needed support, I needed relationships, I need people in key roles to cover my blind spot,

to help me grow and build. So I've gone as far as I can go on my own. So partnership for me is the

only way for the next frontier and not dilutive partnership, synergistic, organic, meaningful,

purpose driven partnership and true partnership, not just association. Yeah. And what is true

partnership for you. True partnership for me is I respect to joint and respect for each other.

Estrada's perspective is a skill set. What the person brings to the table. A symbiotic nature

where there's mixing of creative DNA and perspective and ideas are entertained. And they

are. They're better together than they are apart. Because sometimes there's association where it's

a negative to one. It's like a shark and the remora, in some ways you're not quite sure. Is this

a net positive for both? It's a net positive for both of us. Are we creating something that

otherwise probably wouldn't have been able to be created unless we were together? Yeah. In that way

that gives that a unique value proposition. And do we have for me a criteria like do I have

the opportunity? This is maybe not the true definition of partnership, but it's a criteria for

how I engage in partnerships. Do I have the freedom to continue to express myself outside of

this relationship? Right. Do I have ownership of my creative outlets? Um, do I? And it doesn't

necessarily mean that there is no non-compete, but it can't be so suffocating that my entire

ecosystem now depends on this joint relationship. It should be an amplifier in between us and

not a negative impact on the doors that I can, I can pursue that are important to me, that are

necessary for my growth outside of the partnership. Yes. You can. I just I just want you to

pause because the way gems are being dropped right now across. The passion, the

clarity, there's just so much that you've just shared here that I know is going to resonate

really well. Um, and thank you for expressing it the way you do, because it's just something that

has been top of mind as I think about what it means to grow. And I think oftentimes when people

think growth in this industry, it is doing it in so like solo silos. Absolutely. Um, when some of the

best changes I've seen and impact in the business is collaborative efforts. Absolutely. So this is a

perfect segue into talking about the future. Okay. Let's talk about it. I am

curious where you believe the current state of fitness

and where the future is going. For starters. We know

it's never been more obvious to the fitness professionals and never been more obvious to the

people on the receiving the help of fitness professionals, institutions, entity that we

get one body to live in and we need to take care of it. And there's a spotlight

on health and wellness, on longevity and feeling, looking and moving our best. There's a clear

desire as why it's $1 trillion industry growing at a rate that we've never seen before, and it

will continue to grow at a rapid rate because we get one bodies and we need to be able to take

care of it. We can trade it in. We can only upgrade upgraded and we upgraded through wellness

practices. So where it's going? The industry will continue to grow. It's not a fake bubble because

it's a true need. Health will always be a priority. It's being democratized in some way.

There is great access to information and great access to help it. There are more options. It's

been stress tested from an evidence based standpoint. You know, the things that we believe

are there holding up to scrutiny and to testing and people and are questioning

how exactly they need to be helped. Do they need to be helped through AI? Do they need help through

a one on one person? Do they need to be held through institution in group settings? They're

trying to figure out exactly how they need to help. And that's creating emerging markets is

creating emerging you know, is creating opportunities for companies and individuals to

stand in and be a clear. Raise their hands and say, hey, I'm an option. And he's also making some

entities and individuals not as important or not as relevant as they once were. You know, we see

dinosaurs dying, figuratively speaking, and they have to figure out how do they find themselves as

a go to choice option in this new landscape. So there's a death and there's growth happening in

that space where I think it's going. I think we need to zoom out and not be so caught in the

weeds. We need to execute in the weeds on the things we need to learn. We need to upskill. We

need to know what the trends are. We need to figure out where people are going, what their

interests are. Those are in the weeds. We also, but I think we need to look at it from a macro

standpoint. What is happening is the idea of the fittest will survive. It's

that's what's happening on a macro scale. And what the fittest means is in the macro. So the goal is

how do we become better? How do we become more relevant? How do we become more impactful? And that

looks different based on what your business is and based on who you are and based on how you're

positioned? You can't use someone else's playbook for next. You have to use your playbook for next

because it's going to take you from your point A to your point B, not someone else's. So it's like

taking Google map direction, but you're in a different direction. Different location doesn't

work. So there's an audit that needs to be done for next. I think before we talk about next, we

need each individual, each company entity to say, where am I in this landscape? What

are my assets? What are my liabilities? And then where do I want to go? Where do I want to go? As a

personal direction? Who do I want to help? How do I want to help them? How do I need to serve? What do

I need to do and where is the industry going? The combination of where do you want to go and where

the industry is going, and then that will allow you to find the Goldilocks zone about how do you

get to next and to remain relevant. And that is a personal audit. I look at that as a as a rubric,

but at the end of it, it is the fittest will survive. The people who are most adapted, we're

axonal to adapt. We're asked to be nimble. We're asked to be fragile. We're asked to be more

curious than ever. We're asked to break the systems where we're asked to reject the things

that got us here, because it won't get us there. Say it louder for the people in the back. We're

asked to. Reject the things that got us here because it won't get us there. And that takes

humility. And that takes a radical shift and transformation. And it also takes people not

understanding it, but having the vision to break what's working. No, there's a saying that, you know,

don't fix it if it's not broken. Sometimes if you see it, if you see the future depth of it, you need

to get ahead of it and you need to break it before it breaks on you so you can have something

else in place. You know, as, as as a landscape shifts. That was so perfectly said. And I

can't help but think about when I look across all different industries and the systems that have

been created for years. The fitness industry is absolutely one where it is dated. Yes. Right.

Absolutely. And I feel like that breakthrough, this is truly going to be the survival of the fittest,

because there are a lot of people who still operate for what worked 40 years ago, 50 years ago,

or at least still trying to be relevant. Yes. In that way. Yes. And I'm curious for yourself, what

are you thinking about when it comes to building and adapting and changing and shifting when it

comes to your business? Mhm. Yeah. So we're integrating AI into our business. We're

integrating AI into research. We're integrating AI into workflows. Um how I describe it to

my team is I want us to be the most AI

powered system so that we can leave the true human task to humans

so we can truly be there to do the things that only humans can do for it. So it's

just like anything else. It's not just AI. It's also, you know, personal development, personal

growth. I'm challenging myself as a leader to grow. How do I see myself? How do I see my business? How

do I see my clients? What are their needs where they know? How do I see my audience, where they

know what's important to them? So there's a technical aspect of it where, you know, working on

the technology, making sure the technology supports it. There's also the needs assessment of

that. What's still important to the people that I'm serving. That's right. You know what's still

important to them? How what do they need from me know at this stage, based on where I'm at and

based on where they are. So there's that re that, that, that needs assessment. And also to

challenging myself to become the sort of person who can lead my company and lead my team and lead

the people who rely on me into this next phase of their life, the next phase of growth. So there's.

This. Personal transformation that's happening. I think we should look at

everything, you know. For example, you know, I mentioned AI, but I don't want to go too deep down

the rabbit hole on that. But it is just the goal is we're trying to create systems for me

that help people. And we want to just say what can help us do that in the best way possible. We're

not we're seeing these things as tools and we're. So for me, it's finding the tools, becoming the

person and having the team that can consistently help people build, you know, more resilient bodies

and live healthier, more vibrant lives. And it's consistently saying what gets us closer to that

and what doesn't and the things that don't. Then we, you know, we have to get rid of those and the

things that do. How can we have more of that and refine it? Yeah. What do you think for this future

that leadership needs to look like leadership. Needs to

look. Like. Service. Um, it needs to look like truth.

It needs to be reliable. It needs to have a sense of humility. Um.

Where we are okay to admit what we don't know. But we are resilient

and unrelenting in pursuing the right path forward and

discovering what that could be. I think leadership needs to. Be. Privately held

accountable, not just publicly celebrated. I think there needs to be a greater

harmony between the things that are done behind closed doors. The things that are done in the in

board meetings, the things that are done in private. How we manage our inner thoughts and our

private lives. I think there needs to be more congruence and a true line for leadership

Where we are more, I would say, homogeneous in who

we are. And that's a challenge for everyone, because I think the things that we get celebrated

for in public often are, are from the things that we've done in private. That's right. So the people

who practice in the dark, the people who do things when no one is watching, those are the people who

normally get applauded publicly. Conversely, leadership that crumbles in the spotlight. Our

leadership that had a different lifestyle in the dark. I think we're now called to do the right

thing, and whether or not we believe no one sees. Because ultimately, if you put that on a long

enough timeline, it becomes evident. Mhm. So being the truth I think is what leadership looks like

being the truth that serves. And that means I've been in truth as a professional being the truth

standing by what your product says, your true, your product being the truth, your systems being the

truth, your company being the truth and having it have a heart to serve. People want to be served,

and they want to be served with things that are honest and true and does what you say

it would. Yeah. And I honestly, as we talk about survival of the fittest, that's going to be a big

one, right? How do you lead how you serve. It's all going to trickle down and it's going to just it's

going to be interesting to see what winning looks like. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. Absolutely.

Everything everything now is is a stress test. It's a stress test on

on the best. Whenever, whenever every ecosystem wants to survive. The ecosystem

itself wants to survive. The individuals in the ecosystem are part of that makeup. They want to

survive. But what will come out of this will be the best products, the best companies, the best

help, the best service. And it's stress testing everything that's not. And I think that's a

positive. Yeah, it's a positive because then there's a net. Good on the other end of it. And if

we have that framing then we remove some of the fear that's associated with this transition.

Because a lot of the fear that comes with transition is that will I be relevant? How will I

survive? How will I stack up? And if we live too much in that space of fear, it robs us of the

creativity and insight we need to become the person, and to build the companies and to build

the solutions that we need. Because fear isn't. Creative. Fear causes you to retreat. It causes you

to hide. It causes you to shun. What we want is the excitement and enthusiasm to know that there's

something great coming out of this, and there's a role for you to play in the ultimate build on

this. There's an opportunity. There's a huge opportunity. There's never been more opportunity

than there is no. So seeing that, having that perspective, it really, you know, injects you with

energy and creativity and insight. And there's something to gain at the end of this, as opposed

to trying to just merely survive. It's more than survival that we're playing for here. We're

playing for the ultimate outcome on both sides of the field. You know, in terms of growth for the

people who are in the space, building things, and also to the people on the other end, you know,

experience or products in our service, they will also be getting more refined and better products

and services than we've had historically. Yeah. And as you think about fitness and wellness

practitioners, entrepreneurs, what would you say for people who are building for this next? Because

let's build. Right. Yeah. Let's build. That's right. Um, what would you say are the top three

opportunities that you, that you see the most clearly in our industry?

I think there is an opportunity for people. Who. Felt they needed more

infrastructure to help on the playing field. um, because, no, they're more support for that. They're

persons who needed to have raised capital previously to get things done. To build a team, to

get their message out there from the outlets that distribute, say, content, or gets you in front of

your audience. A lot of that has been democratized, so getting to the right people is a lot easier.

Also, supporting yourself and building the products a lot easier. So I think for those

persons who may have had an infrastructural limitation, no more than

ever, you know, they have more support for that, whether that be capital or human capital or

financial capital or no knowledge deficit. You know, they have that. So you find out there are

greater people who with great ideas, with enthusiasm, with the work ethic, they know have a

shot that maybe they didn't before. So that's an entire industry that can emerge. Another thing I

would say, I think there is also the backlash and there's like a need for those persons who can

truly identify what the human needs are, what are truly human, what are

the true human desires? Because the more we move away from human interaction, the

more there is this need and this hunger and this yearn for human connection.

And for those persons who can provide a solution for that, who can make life more

tangible, who can make experiences more immersive, who can foster greater connection,

who can help people feel seen and heard and help people feel human and cared for

through institutions or through environments and through products. That's an opportunity because

for the problem that is solved, they created another one. And business is all about identifying

a problem and solving it the best. So there is that need. So for the people who can truly deliver

on what's truly human, and how people feel more human and have humans feel more connected and

seen by other humans and build relationships. There's an opportunity that's an entire industry.

And the other opportunity for me, I would say it's more of a personal and institutional one. I think

we are collectively all acts now across all industries, no matter where you are, country,

geographic, business, all levels, we're all asked to do an audit.

There's no one that's not thinking about next right now. There's no one that feels that they

have it completely figured out. Everyone has a question mark about their viability at this point,

so maybe more confident about their viability. But everyone has a question because if you don't have

a question, then that surely means that you won't be viable. So everyone has a question. Yeah. That

sort of audit is a good mirror. It's a good opportunity for those persons who

genuinely want to show up and to be their best and to create something meaningful that lasts,

they know have the necessity to do that. They can't put it off.

And that necessity is the mother of all great inventions, as you know. The phrase says to know

you have an opportunity through necessity to create something better than you've had before.

Yeah. And I find that that's when we get the best from ourselves, when we when it becomes a must and

a need, we have the opportunity to truly tap into that part of ourselves that probably wouldn't

have otherwise be accessible. So I'm excited for what comes out of that on a personal level, at

institutional level, because it is now a need. Yeah. And what would you say is your question mark? What

are you still figuring out in this season to prepare for the next? I'm trying to figure out

that's a good one. And. I'm trying

to figure out. Who I am at my best.

You know, everything that I do has been a tool to mine the best out of me. Would I challenge myself

physically? Would I try myself in business to grow emotionally, spiritually? It's always to

find out where I'm at my core. I believe that if I'm truly free and I truly develop and I can give

that to the world, all my needs are taken care of and my mission is accomplished, and the people

that are on the receiving end of that gift are helped in the way that only I could help them. So

everything that I'm doing now is a constant pursuit of who I am, not who I

was told to be, not who I believed that was because of the environments that I was in, not

who I needed to be, because that's what was appropriate and that's what made me palatable for

all the people. Who am I? Who am I at my best at my frist? Who am

I at my most creative? Who am I without the vices? Why am I when I'm focused? Why am I when I'm

spending the time that I in the way that I need to spend it on the things that I need to be when

I'm in the right place at the right time, doing the right things consistently, that's what I'm

pursuing. And that question mark becomes clearer every time I show up in alignment with the

knowledge I have of myself. And I'm excited to see what that looks like up until the day that I take

my last breath, because I think it's a receding shoreline. And I think I'll always have that

question mark because it's ever unfolding. But I'm interested in to learn more and more about that

person. Yeah. That's powerful. Yeah, I felt it, I felt that and this is a it's a perfect way. I think

that's so powerful that I'm like, okay, we gonna end it on a who am I? Um, and I'm going to we're

going to switch gears really quickly. This is oh my goodness you got you got me question. Okay okay

okay. So we're going to switch gears. We're we're going to have a little fun. This is called sweat

and equity. This or that. This or. That. So I'm going to give you two options without overthinking it I

want you to select what that option is. And then maybe in 1 to 2 sentence your why around it okay.

You ready to do that okay. So so. Okay. First one learning more or executing more.

Executing more I think I've learned enough to execute now. Yeah okay.

Monetize first or build an audience first. Build an audience.

Build interest before you try to monetize. Serve first before you try to ask for a paycheck.

Partnerships or independence. Partnerships. I think the right

partnership has an element of independence and collaboration, and I think that's the Goldilocks

zone. You know, you go further together. Mastery of craft or mastery of

business? Mastery of business for where I'm at now

because my business has moved beyond my craft. In person training or online

platform. I would say in person

training for me, um, big because it connects

me to the human, the, the, the that I get to see the individual that informs

my online. Because now I think about the human in the crowd, as opposed to just thinking about the

crowd and forgetting the human. That's right. I agree. Yeah. Revenue first or brand

first. I would say brand first brand commands revenue and there's no

sustainable revenue without the brand. So I would say brand first. Okay. A few more

clear structure or creative freedom. Clear structure. Um, where I'm at, no order and

systems. I think a lot of trainers, you know, are artists and creatives and they don't can't create

a business because they have no structure. So for me, order and systems right now, that's what scales.

That's what scales follow the market or shape the market.

I say shape the market. When you think about shaping the market, you think about your unique

proposition within the market. You're not a puppet on a string. You're a player in your niche.

And it's more so niche than market. It's like finding where you can serve this.

Optimize what exists or create something new. Optimize what exists. I think

optimizing what exists for those persons who have a strong niche product that serves

people, then sometimes you just need to be better at what you're doing. For me, I need to be better

at what I'm doing. So optimizing it, making it better, nurturing it. Let's take it

home. Focus on retention or focus on acquisition. Retention for

me. Um, and it's it's because retention leads to acquisition. If people in

my line of business, if people want to stay with you, they'll tell people. If people want to stay

with you, it means it works. And if people want to stay with you, people want to go somewhere where

they want to stay. And that ultimately leads to acquisition. Yeah. Chori. Chori.

Chori. Yeah. You did that. Yeah. Oh, we did that. We. We did that. We did that. Some great question. Listen,

we did that. Thank you. Great. Thank you so. Much for joining. And I would say the last thing you know,

I'm just thinking of the longevity of this conversation, honestly, because there's just so

much that many people I'm sure can unpack, so many questions they'll ask themselves after this

conversation. But inspiration is on a whole nother level. And I'm curious. When I'm curious, I would

ask you to give a message to yourself, the future. Cory, let's do ten years out, Corey,

that you would love to share. How is it? Thank you for taking care of the older version of you by

doing the things you needed to do now. There is an older version of all of us deep inside that are

depending on the choices that we make today. Here we go. And I know this is probably not a part of

it, but I have to say it to you. Um, I think I think what you're doing is amazing. You do it with such

heart. You do it with such clarity. You ask question. That shows that you see the person. You

get a sense of who they are and what they want to accomplish. I can tell that this isn't a hobby for

you. I can tell this is a calling for you. You're built for it. I can tell with your team and the

fact that they're so invested, they. And it means that you have delivered on their expectation.

And you've done things in the dark in leadership roles that cause them to be so enthusiastic when

they're here on a set. This is a conversation worth having. And never stop building. Never stop

building. Thank you, I receive. Thank you so much Corey. Yeah. Thank you. Woo! Yeah. And that's a wrap

friends wrap.