DC - Describe your journey from being into health and fitness to becoming co-owner of Barry’s Bootcamp.
JG - I fell in love with health and fitness as a student at Barry’s in my early 20’s and was fascinated by the workout, culture and brand. It was a transitional moment in my life, and I quickly set my sights on working for this innovative fitness company. Although at the time, there was no “boutique fitness industry”, it wasn’t difficult to see Barry’s was doing something special, and had an offering that was scalable and portable with mass appeal. After working with the founders for a number of years, earning their trust and showcasing my value in management, I was given the opportunity to buy into the business and lead a national expansion.
DC- There are a ton of group centric fitness venues popping up around the country. Explain the difference between Barry’s Bootcamp and those that appear to be similar.
JG - One of the benefits to being a frontier in the industry is the legitimate claim to being an ORIGINAL. As well as 2 decades of community and culture cultivation, discoveries from what worked in the past, and the ability to learn lessons from our mistakes.
Other than the history, Barry’s has come to rely on the trifecta that differentiates the brand and makes us special: the science, the magic, and the community. It’s impossible not to mention the efficacy behind what we do- the combination of true strength training combined with interval cardiovascular. Secondly, “the magic” includes (but isn’t limited to): the instructors’ style of teaching, Fuel Bar recipes, customer service, and our red room vibes. And finally, the community, which at this point spans all across N America, throughout Europe (UK, Norway, Italy) as well as Dubai- and is only growing quickly.
DC - What were your expectations when first launching Barry’s compared to your expectations today?
JG - I never, in my wildest dreams, expected Barry’s to have such international appeal. I’m consistently surprised by the amount of inquiries we receive from around the world, which is a testament to the universal appeal of the brand.
DC - It appears that you have a lot of amazing life experiences. How has your personal life shaped what Barry’s is today and what you hope it will become in the future?
JG - The experiences throughout my life have absolutely shaped my style of leadership and therefore the culture of our company. I grew up in an extremely homogenous area of the Midwest, which only highlighted my various oddities and made it difficult to be “different.” This experience encouraged me to always foster an environment where people feel safe to be who they truly are. I hope this can be felt in the ethos of Barry’s, in every department, and at every level.