Twobrainradio

When your gym is stable and the fires are out, what's next?Two-Brain’s Tinker Mastermind provides an elite level of mentorship for gym owners who are ready to build wealth, scale their businesses, learn to lead and create lasting legacies.This is the fun part of entrepreneurship—the part where you have choices: build investment portfolios, acquire real estate, franchise your concept, create new businesses or simply pick your kids up from school every day. The possibilities are endless.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike Warkentin sits down with Tinker leaders Joleen Bingham and Lisa Palmer to find out exactly what the program is and who it’s for.Tinker-level gym owners have reliable cash flow, available time and a growth mindset. They focus on four main pillars to build their Perfect Day: lifestyle, wealth, scaling and leadership.Tinkers join weekly breakout calls with elite entrepreneurs from around the world and attend quarterly in-person meetups in places such as Florida, Arizona, Portugal

Stop trying to clone yourself when you hire coaches.Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper explains why hiring for personality and training for skill is the smartest path to building a team that lasts.Most gym owners hire based on certifications and technical knowledge. Then they micromanage every rep, correct every cue and watch their coaches burn out within two years. But clients don’t care about perfect squat mechanics; they care about how they feel when they walk through the door.Coop explains where to find coaches with great personalities and also provides a 10-question personality assessment you can use on potential hires.Before you start looking for coaches, take the assessment yourself. If your score reveals you’re burned out, use the strategies from this episode to deal with that first.The key takeaway: Hire people who light up when they’re around others. Then teach them the technical stuff.DM Coop through Gym Owners United to get his free Energy and Attitude Assessment—link

Feb. 13, 2026, is Two-Brain’s 10th anniversary—a full decade of solving every problem in the gym business.In this special episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper tells the complete story of how Two-Brain Business became the biggest mentorship practice in the fitness industry.The journey started long before 2016. In 2005, Chris opened his first gym, and by 2008, he was broke, running two struggling locations and looking for part-time jobs in the newspaper. He couldn’t find a single example of someone making a real living as a gym owner.Then he found a mentor outside the fitness industry and started translating business lessons into gym-specific tactics. He published his first blog post on June 9, 2009, as a “love letter to future Chris”—sharing exactly what worked and what didn’t.By 2012, gym owners were flying him to Fort Lauderdale to speak. He self-published his first book, “Two-Brain Business,” which went on to sell 26,000 copies, becoming the bestselling fitness business book of

Different gym owners need different leadership books.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares a simple plan to help you use the contents of any book to improve yourself and your business, and then he recommends specific books in each realm of leadership.Self-Leadership (to go fast, go alone):“Think Like a Monk” by Jay Shetty“The Creative Act” by Rick Rubin“Courage Is Calling” by Ryan Holiday“Dare to Lead” by Brené Brown “The War of Art” by Steven Pressfield“Drive” by Daniel PinkTeam Leadership (to go far, go together):“Be the Unicorn” by William Vanderbloemen “Good to Great” by Jim Collins“Vivid Vision” by Cameron Herold“Leadershift” by John Maxwell Peer Leadership (share the mission beyond your gym):“Influence” by Robert Cialdini “Building a StoryBrand” by Donald Miller“The Go-Giver” by Bob Burg and John David Mann “How to Win Friends and Influence People” by Dale CarnegieTribe Leadership (influence your community at scale): “The Wisdom of Joseph Campbell” by Michael T

Could your gym use an extra $5,000 in revenue this month?In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper shares three proven tactics gym owners can use to generate more revenue from clients they already have:

In the last year, three marketing agencies have asked Chris Cooper to buy them out—and dozens of others have disappeared.The average lifespan of a gym marketing agency is 18 months: They churn through gym owners, only to vanish, rebrand and repeat the cycle. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Coop pulls back the curtain on why agencies keep failing, and then he lays out a better marketing plan for gym owners.He explains how agencies exploit gym owners who don’t understand marketing and often provide low-quality leads or clients who are attracted by unsustainable offers.The solution? Stop renting your marketing and build systems you own.Chris describes four battle-tested marketing funnels that have been refined across thousands of gyms worldwide: referrals, organic social media, content and paid ads.These funnels feed each other, and once they’re running, they’re yours forever. You'll have a world-class structure that will outlast any agency.Dive deeper into your marketing systems with Two-Brain’s

The 10th annual Two-Brain Summit happens June 6-7, 2026, in Chicago, and this year’s theme will change how you think about scaling your gym.Today, Chris Cooper reveals the event’s headlining speaker—bestselling author Mike Michalowicz—and the “Power of 10” theme that will guide every session.The Power of 10 framework covers:How to take your 10 best clients and replicate them.The 10 weekly actions that guarantee business growth.The 10 core leadership skills every gym owner must acquire.Coop also explains that scaling isn’t linear. The systems that get you to 10 clients won’t get you to 100, and the business that serves 100 won’t work for 1,000.At the summit, you’ll work on the systems you need to grow at each stage of entrepreneurship so you can build the biz you want and earn your Perfect Day.The summit isn't some motivational conference where you sit in the dark and try to stay awake. It's is a workshop: Attendees have created hiring plans, booked sales calls and posted content as speakers directed

Tickets to the Two-Brain Summit are $200 off until Feb. 1. Get yours via the link below!This year's headliner: Mike Michalowicz, entrepreneur and author of multiple bestsellers, including “The Pumpkin Plan,” “Profit First,” “Clockwork” and “Get Different.”Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Mike joins Two-Brain CEO John Franklin to explain why most gyms are swimming in a sea of sameness, invisible to potential clients. And of course Mike has a clear plan to make a fitness business stand out and force people do a "double neck turn" when they see it.You’ll learn the psychology behind what grabs people’s attention versus what our brains filter out and ignore.Mike shows gym owners how to look for new ideas outside the fitness industry and shares a real-world example of a microgym that differentiated its marketing and quadrupled foot traffic overnight.He also reveals the “magical, Jedi-mind-trick question” you can ask ideal members to learn what truly sets your gym apart. Then you amplify your advantag

CrossFit taught the world how to move, and now through MetFix, Greg Glassman wants to teach them how to eat.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper sits down with Peter Shaw, former CrossFit flowmaster and current head of the MetFix Seminar Team.The pair explore how MetFix is building on top of CrossFit rather than competing with it by shifting the focus from fitness alone to overall health.Peter explains that MetFix emphasizes metabolic health education so trainers can confidently work with the 80% of people suffering from chronic disease.The opportunity for gym owners is significant: MetFix adds a revenue stream, and it creates a pathway to attract clients who want to reverse diabetes, lose weight and get healthier.Peter also discusses building relationships with medical professionals and positioning yourself as a health authority in your community.Links“Effect of Glucagon-Like Peptide-1 Deprescription …”“Virta Health champions its nutrition therapy …”MetFix WebsiteGym Owners UnitedBook a Ca

Twenty years of gym ownership will teach you things no course ever could.Chris Cooper’s gym, Catalyst, recently turned 20, and today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain's founder is sharing 22 lessons he’s learned over the last two decades as a fitness entrepreneur. Chris reveals the early mistakes that nearly cost him everything and the systems that finally gave him stability and freedom. He also explains how mentorship and self-improvement helped him acquire critical skills and avoid expensive missteps.You’ll find out why coaching skills rarely determine long-term gym success and what actually separates gym owners who survive from those who eventually burn out.Among Coop’s top lessons: Fix yourself before fixing the business, consistency matters more than intensity, and gym owners aren’t selling workouts—they’re selling hope.Tune in for two decades of hard-won wisdom that could save you years of pain and tens of thousands of dollars.LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:04 - Pre-2005 to 200927:15 - 2010

Hyrox affiliation gives Rob Sowden-Taylor 25 to 40% of his gym’s leads and creates long-term members who stick around for an average of 2.5 years.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” host Mike Warkentin sits down with Rob, owner of Ion Strength and Conditioning in Wales, to break down exactly how he uses Hyrox as a client-acquisition tool.Rob shares how he structures Hyrox simulations to maximize participation and revenue, running more than 120 people through them in just four hours. About half his event participants are existing members—boosting average revenue per member—and the other half are new people, providing fresh leads for his gym’s ongoing services.Tune in to get the complete blueprint for implementing a Hyrox program that generates leads and boosts revenue.  Read Rob’s full Hyrox ROI breakdown, linked below.LinksRob's Hyrox ROI BreakdownGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:06 - Rob’s new Hyrox lead stats8:35 - Running Hyrox simulations12:09 - Where leads come from15:43 - Pricing the simulation

If you put all your clients on podiums and celebrate their achievements, they'll stay longer and you'll earn more. Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper breaks down the in-house competition he’s refined over 15 years: the Intramural Open. The four-week event can be run completely on its own or combined with the CrossFit Games Open.Two-Brain's signature fun competition is a win for everyone: Clients get podium moments they can’t get anywhere else, and gym owners see measurable improvements in retention and average revenue per member. Plus, Coop has added a special bring-a-friend workout that's an A+ marketing opportunity.From setup logistics to post-competition revenue boosters, Coop lays out the exact steps for running a successful team competition in your gym. You’ll even learn how to offer pre-event programs and specialty clinics to generate additional revenue before the competition begins.Chris also shares survival tips to avoid burnout and refresh the open if you've run th

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper explains why gym owners need to stop consuming clickbait speculation about CrossFit’s sale and start working on what actually matters: their businesses.Stop paying the “distraction tax”—hours spent watching videos, scrolling comments and worrying about things you can’t control cost you opportunities to generate revenue, build client relationships and preserve decision-making capacity.To give you a concrete plan to improve your business in a time of uncertainty, Coop walks through a five-step process you can use to objectively measure the value of any gym affiliation using real numbers:✅ Check local search volume for the brand✅ Track where your leads come from✅ Calculate marketing ROI with a simple formula✅ Measure revenue from affiliation programs✅ Assess retention value among engaged membersIf you decide to rebrand, Chris also covers the true costs, from domain changes and social media updates to new signage and content, so you underst

Industry data reveals that 2026 could be the best year gym owners have ever seen.Revenue is up across every gym model, average revenue per member is rising, and even the lowest-performing gyms are earning more than they were a year ago.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper presents data from Two-Brain’s latest “State of the Industry” report and highlights 10 reasons gym owners should be optimistic for the year ahead.He explains why personal training and small-group training continue to outperform during uncertain economic times, how predictable competition formats such as Hyrox are driving retention and revenue, and why gym owners are finally starting to charge what their services are actually worth.He also looks ahead to some of the biggest opportunities for gym owners in 2026: closing the business knowledge gap and using AI as a tool to make human coaching even more valuable.Tune in for the full breakdown, and to see the data for yourself, download the “State of the Industry” report via th

About 65% of small businesses fail by Year 10, so very few gym owners get to see what works across two decades of ownership.But Bill and Staci Russell have endured to achieve something rare: Their gym, CrossFit Cleveland, has been their sole source of income for nearly 20 years.In this episode, Bill shares hard-earned lessons learned from surviving multiple economic cycles, overcoming staff challenges, adjusting to market shifts and making personal pivots in the fitness industry.Bill and Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper—another two-decade gym owner—review practical lessons younger gym owners often miss, including:- Demand must be present before you commit to a facility.- Your first target market is often wrong.- Staffing mistakes compound over time.- Culture problems can be prevented before they appear.- Surviving is not succeeding.- Smart, ethical exits and transitions are possible.Whether you’re early in ownership or deep into it, insight from these two long-serving entrepreneurs can help you make better deci

Why do most gyms plateau at 122 members? The answer: leadership.In this episode of "Run a Profitable Gym," Two-Brain CEO Chris Cooper explains how your leadership skills determine whether your gym grows, stalls or shrinks.Your gym will rise to the level of your leadership and fall to the level of your worst staff members. To take your gym to increasingly higher levels, you must evolve as a leader. Chris presents the four phases of leadership for gym owners and lists the skills required to climb the ladder:✅ Founder—Master self-leadership with focus and discipline.✅ Farmer—Build team leadership through clarity and systemized delegation.✅ Tinker—Develop peer leadership by collaborating and mentoring.✅ Chief—Become a better storyteller and improve your ability to create and inspire new leaders.To avoid outpacing your leadership development, Chris recommends you build your gym business plan with 150 members as your first target—not 300. If you try to go big too soon, you'll always slide back to 120

Unleash’d Strength Gym generates 15 times as many leads as the average fitness facility and sets eight times as many appointments. In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” owner Joseph Strada reveals the tactics that produce 200 leads and 60 sales appointments per month.He walks through his marketing funnels, explaining how he earns leads through organic social media outreach, paid Meta ads and referral-driven events such as monthly pancake breakfasts.Each funnel includes a systemized, VA-driven follow-up process that turns interest into booked appointments instead of lost leads.Joseph also explains how he improved his online presence by auditing his website and optimizing his gym’s Google Business Profile to boost SEO.Two-Brain teaches clients to build and operate four marketing funnels that produce high-value clients regularly. If you aren't turning leads into members, analyze your funnels and remove the clogs fast—a mentor can help. Use the link below to find out how to use the Prescriptive Model to

Most coaching gyms add just five clients a month—but the world’s best fitness facilities are consistently adding more than 20 with stellar sales systems.In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Chris Cooper analyzes the data behind top-performing marketing funnels, and he reveals which tactics landed these owners on our Top 10 leaderboards, from instant lead follow-up to simplified booking procedures, consistent organic marketing, airtight lead nurture and sales practice reps.You’ll also learn how mentors help gym owners identify weak spots in their funnels and tighten their systems so they can add large numbers of ideal clients month after month.Tune in to discover exactly how elite gyms around the world are generating more leads, booking more appointments, increasing show rates and closing more high-value sales.Get Coop’s “Generate 30 New Leads in 30 Days” guide in Gym Owners United, linked below. LinksGym Owners UnitedBook a Call1:49 - Marketing and sales leaders7:33 - Strong systems10:37 - Lead nurture1

The fastest way to figure out what people want is by asking the right clients the right questions.Today, Mike Warkentin sits down with gym owner Toni Roy of Breathe CrossFit to break down how the Pumpkin Plan transformed her business.Following the steps, Toni created a list of clients who bring her the most joy and a second list with her highest-value clients. Typically, a gym owner circles the clients on both lists to ID the members they want to replicate. In Toni's case, the groups had zero overlap. This insight pushed her to rethink her offerings and create a hybrid membership built around CrossFit, personal training and nutrition—a combo that delivers better results for clients and boosts average revenue per member.Now, regular Goal Review Sessions allow her to continue the conversation: She can catch problems early, celebrate successes and upgrade prescriptions to serve clients better. Toni also gives a behind-the-scenes look at the new-moms group she developed with her Two-Brain mentor. The support

You won’t build a successful gym by guessing what people want. You just can't read minds—but every entrepreneur tries to do that, and it's costly.Today on “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper provides the simple fix: Start using the “just ask method"—a proven way to boost every single metric in your gym.Chris walks through exactly which questions you must ask to improve your gym’s marketing, sales, retention, pricing, ROI on expenses, staff development and net owner benefit.The key insight: Don't guess; just ask.For example, you might assume clients want a kettlebell class because you love kettlebells. If you meet with clients and ask what they want, you might discover 10 of them are training for running events, and you have a prime opportunity to boost average revenue per member with a race prep program.Or perhaps you can't hold onto staff people. What if you ask what they want to earn and accomplish, then show them how to do it? They'll stay longer and allow y