The Small Group Gym Pod

The podcast where gym owners who mainly run a small-group personal training model share their stories, struggles, and strategies so you don’t have to figure it out alone.

The Small Group Gym Pod is a health podcast hosted by Stuart Aitken, with 46 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Stuart Aitken hosts The Small Group Gym Pod, a health show with 46 episodes published.

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  Episode #48

  #48 How TBH Cut Churn From 9% to 5.5% (w/ Tom Buckle)

  Aug 19, 202644 min

  Nick Winkleman's Sept 26th Edinburgh Seminar Details (8 spots left) Tom Buckle thinks about his gym a little differently from most gym owners. Within a year of opening TBH, he'd fired himself from coaching. Now, he tries to fire himself from another role every three months. The result is a 183-member group training gym that can run without him - and Tom has just secured funding to open another three locations. In this episode, we get into: Why TBH runs sessions with up to 24 members Why your coach-to-member ratio shouldn't necessarily be your USP How Tom reduced churn from around 9% to 5.5% The 180-day system TBH uses to catch members before they leave Why they film and review entire coaching sessions as a team What Tom looks for in the "modern coach" How their latest referral campaign turned 15 trials into 13 members Why Tom deliberately tries to make himself redundant from his own gym The lessons he's learned turning TBH from a gym into a scalable business Find out more about Tom: Instagram His Gym

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  Episode #47

  #47 How to Make Your Coaches Better at Coaching (w/ Nick Winkelman)

  Aug 12, 20261h 5m

  Nick's Sept 26th Edinburgh Seminar Details Nick Winkelman is one of the world's leading experts on coaching communication and the author of The Language of Coaching . In this episode, we explore his work through a very specific lens: How can group training gym owners help their coaches become better at the actual craft of coaching? We talk about why coaching quality isn't separate from retention and business performance, how the language your coaches use shapes the experience members have in your gym, and why great coaching shouldn't simply be left to chance. Nick explains how to spot the subtle "echoes of understanding" that tell you when a cue has landed, why different clients respond to different types of language, and how coaches can move between managing the energy of an entire group and giving one individual exactly what they need. We also cover: Why "if they're laughing, they're listening" How to create better and more personalised coaching cues The difference between global and local communication Why asking more questions can improve your coaching A simple way to discover how your clients prefer to be coached Why filming one session could dramatically improve a coach The one question every coach should ask when watching themselves back How gym owners can build coach development into their business How AI could eventually provide coaches with personalised feedback on how they communicate If you own a small-group gym and care about making the coaching inside it genuinely world-class, you'll get a lot from this one. Find out more about Nick: Instagram His Book Edinburgh Seminar

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  Episode #46

  #46 The Systems That Allowed Sean McKirdy to Take a 3-Week Honeymoon

  Aug 5, 202648 min

  Most gym owners think getting from 100 members to 200 is about finding a better marketing strategy. Sean McKirdy disagrees. In this episode, Sean breaks down the lessons he's learned from growing Elevate 98 in Edinburgh from a one-man PT business into a 220-member small group personal training gym with seven staff. We discuss why every gym seems to hit "sticky points" at certain membership numbers, how Sean gradually removed himself from the day-to-day coaching, why he believes investing in staff beats investing in equipment, and the marketing system that's helped them grow consistently for five years. You'll learn: Why 50, 75 and 100 members often become growth plateaus. The mistake gym owners make when trying to push through those plateaus. How Sean built a gym that continued running while he disappeared for a three-week honeymoon. Why your marketing channels should work together rather than in isolation. How to make your messaging resonate with everyday people—not other coaches. The surprising reason Sean keeps doing every new member consultation himself. How case studies outperform generic testimonials. Why consistency beats novelty when competing against bigger gyms. Find out more about Sean: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seanmckirdy98/ His Gym: https://elevate98.co.uk/

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  Episode #45

  #45 What 25 Years In Business Teaches You About Running a Gym (w/ Alwyn Cosgrove)

  Jul 29, 202649 min

  How does a gym survive, and thrive, for more than 25 years? Results Fitness in Santa Clarita, California, has been one of the most respected gyms in the world since 2000. In this episode, I sit down with Alwyn Cosgrove to unpack what has allowed Results to keep growing while so many gyms have come and gone. We discuss the three pillars every successful gym needs, the KPIs every owner should know, why "price objections" are usually value objections, how to evolve your business without losing your identity, and why the future of fitness marketing may have far less to do with fat loss than many coaches realise. We also cover: The People, Process, Product framework The three KPIs every gym owner should track Why most coaches are white belts at business Sales, guarantees and overcoming objections Marketing in a GLP-1 world Reinventing your gym without chasing trends Why systems make average coaches great The importance of hiring your own coach Find out more about Alwyn: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alwyncosgrove/

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  Episode #44

  #44 Coaching Lessons Every PT Should Steal From Therapy (w/ Krista Scott-Dixon)

  Jul 22, 202643 min

  This week I'm joined by Krista Scott-Dixon, one of the most respected coaching educators in the world and author of Applied Nutrition and Coaching: Counselling . Rather than talking about programming or nutrition, we explore something that's arguably far more important: the coaching relationship. We discuss what PTs & in-person coaches can learn from counselling, why remembering the little things can transform client retention, how to repair fractured coaching relationships, and why trying to "fix" clients is often the wrong approach. You'll learn: Why the coach-client relationship matters more than technical knowledge. The simple behaviours that make clients feel genuinely cared for. The biggest mistakes that quietly damage coaching relationships. Why behaviour always serves a purpose (even unhealthy habits). How to help clients create better habits without relying on willpower. Why experiments beat advice. How to stop caring more about your client's goals than they do. Practical lessons from counselling that every PT can use immediately. Find out more about KSD: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/stumptuous/ Website: https://kristascottdixon.com/ Her new book (Applied Nutrition Coaching Counselling Practice): https://www.amazon.co.uk/Applied-Nutrition-Coaching-Counseling-Practice/dp/B0GYQM4SP1/

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