Essential Leadership Insights From President and CEO of UFC Gym
We have been following ATFW (All Things Fitness and Wellness), along their YouTube journey. ATFW Hosts a Podcast focused on Fitness and Wellness where they conduct interviews with industry leaders and innovators and showcase gym and spa locations with their Gym Tour series. Krissy Vann the Host of ATFW, consistently posts YouTube Shorts filled with motivation and authentic insights gleaned from everyday gym goers and athletes alike.
Fitness Podcast ATFW
Recently, ATFW the emerging Fitness Podcast hosted an interview with the CEO and President of UFC Gyms, Adam Sedlak.
Adam has been a part of the fitness industry since 1994. He's done it all, from working the front desk to being a trainer to managing the whole operation. He's traveled and relocated over 20 times, but now he's settled in to bring a new approach to fitness through UFC gym. With 160 locations already open and another 1000 in development across 40 countries, Adam is leading the charge in expanding the reach of his vision.
In this episode, Adam talks about how he's been able to achieve such rapid expansion and aggressive adaptation. He also shares his thoughts on what it takes to be a successful leader, how to expand globally, and why industry advocacy is so important. Most of all, he talks about his passion for how fitness can be used to transform all aspects of life.
Check out this episode to hear Adam discuss when he started grasping the concept of Leadership and how that helped UFC Gyms expand.
Leadership
Adam “It doesn't matter how much education you have, how much information you've been given. I think leadership is owned by you becoming the best version of who you are and then having an extreme amount of emotional intelligence to be fully aware of how you impact others and how others can impact your thought process.”
Mentorship
They discussed mentors and how important their mentors have been on their journey and how good mentors shape good leaders and help them navigate the adversity we go through daily.
“I think mentorship is critical to anybody’s success…” Adam
One thing that was huge for Adam in this process was his ability to reflect on and recognize his insecurities. Were all have some form of insecurities and being able to be self-critical and take peer criticism productively are key factors in becoming a good leader. It’s only when we can recognize the strengths that we can recognize our shortcomings. Once we recognize where we need help we can fill those gaps by hiring the right people and ultimately become better leaders.
As Krissy says insecurities “can either be your shackle or your growth spurt”
UFC Gyms
Krissy had a chance to visit a couple of Adam’s gyms in So Cal while she was in San Diego for IHRSA 2023.
In this interview, she reflects on the atmosphere of the UFC Gym, and the great sense of community.
Adam discusses how from day one the intent of UFC Gyms, was to identify what makes UFC athletes so great. Then try to bring that to the average consumer. Knowing the average consumer ultimately wants the same things as the UFC athlete, to become the best version of themselves.
For a UFC athlete to be great, they have a community of 10 people or so, all helping them reach their pinnacle.
To parallel that with the average consumer and how they need a team to trust, a place to call home engagement, and external motivation.
Adam goes on to compare the UFC Gyms model to the $ 10-month / gym with good equipment but no real labor or personnel onsite to help “coach”.
Adam’s UFC clubs can run around $100 a month but offer a true sense of community, engagement, and the deep desire to help people change their life.
As he mentions, and we’d agree “people will pay for what they get” and if you can offer a more personally engaging approach with accelerated results. We want people to use the gym long-term and by seeing results consumers will go to the gym more frequently, be more conscious of their health, and be better off.
Fitness is Essential
In this segment, they discuss the Fitness environment across the globe. Adam has UFC clubs across the world and has some interesting insights and predictions for the future.
Did you know that working out 2-3 times a week can add 10 years to your life? Fitness is crucial, and it's great to know that a few workouts a week can make such a substantial difference.
The discussion also touched on the importance of advocating for the "Essential Nature of Fitness,", especially during COVID. It's interesting to note that many places got it wrong, but it's never too late to prioritize fitness and reap its benefits.
Global Connections
Krissy and Adam have a fascinating chat about how UFC Gym manages to keep its Brand messaging and Vision consistent across the globe and how he has gained so much momentum with UFC Gyms.
Adam sheds light on how each market has its unique characteristics and cultures. He has gyms in various countries like Russia, China, and Africa, so it was fascinating to hear about the differences.
They also dive into UFC Gym's plans for Global Expansion and their tactics for achieving it. After a lengthy discussion, they concluded that the key factors are picking the right real estate, recruiting the right people, executing the value proposition correctly, and knowing how to market it. If all these elements are done correctly, it puts the company in a great position to succeed.
ATFW Fitness Podcast
Make sure and catch this must-listen episode of ATFW, where you will hear from one of the most respected voices in the fitness industry.
While you're on ATFW, be sure to hit like and subscribe for new podcast episodes weekly, plus inspiring founder stories from their gym tours and wellness haven highlights. Join the conversation today and discover why the fitness industry is shifting from a story of recovery to redemption.
