Geronimo Unfiltered

Hosted by Geronimo Unfiltered

Business Entrepreneurship Health Fitness

Website RSS feed LinkedIn Facebook Instagram YouTube

Episodes

164

Latest episode

Jun 2026

Language

About the show

Most studio owners decide to open their fitness and wellness businesses because they want to help people and add more meaning into their lives. Their heart is in the right place, but scaling a profitable business that feels incredible to own and run is trickier than ever before. So where they get stuck is no one has ever shown them how to run a wildly successful business, without the overwhelm and chaos. Plus, they’re doing it all alone. Until now. Welcome to The Geronimo Unfiltered Podcast for ambitious boutique studio owners who are allergic to average and know they’re capable of more. They’re just missing the HOW. I’m your host Doza, CEO and Founder of The Geronimo Academy... And together with my crew and my community of owners and managers who are the doers and the implementers, we are on a mission to pioneer a better way to own and operate a health and fitness business, while building a life you love, not hate. So, if you’re ready to push your boundaries, level up your money, meaning and impact & stop doing it all alone… then you’re in the right place ... This is going to be raw and unfiltered, zero bullshit. So take a deep breath, strap yourself in, and let’s get started.

Listen to episodes

60 recent

June 16, 202651 min

The System That Builds Powerhouse Pilates Instructors for You

Not sure where your studio's leaking time or money? Book a free discovery call with my team here: https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up Follow the show: Spotify Apple Geronimo Unfiltered YouTube Instagram: @thegeronimoacademy Follow our guest, Jade Winter here: https://www.instagram.com/jadewinter/ He built a global reformer Pilates franchise with 130+ studios. No memberships. No free trials. Just one simple model run with relentless consistency. I sat down with Jade Winter to pull apart how he did it, and to get the operating principles any studio owner can steal, whether you do Pilates, strength, or anything in between. We covered the contrarian stuff most people are scared to touch. Why free trials train people not to value you. Why he ditched memberships for prepaid packs and never looked back. And the exact revenue ceiling, what we call the "40K fuckery," where owners hit a wall, dip about 20% for three months, and either learn to lead or burn out. If you've ever felt like you ARE the business instead of owning one, this one's for you. In this episode you'll hear: Why Jade kills the free trial and what he runs instead The prepaid pack model and the 80 to 90% repurchase rate behind it How he solved instructor inconsistency with screens, voiceover, and 100+ hours of training The "don't blame them, train them" rule Why base plus commission beats paying instructors hourly The "$50 of value for $25" test that survives any downturn The wake up call that forced him to build real systems What the top 10% of studios do differently (hint: it's not talent) The one tactical move to make first thing Monday morning CHAPTERS 00:00:00 Meeting on neutral ground 00:02:00 Kill the free trial: why paid intros win 00:03:00 Prepaid packs vs memberships 00:05:49 How the 100-hour instructor model works 00:07:33 The screens and voiceover origin story 00:10:00 Instructor inconsistency: the real enemy 00:19:53 Don't blame them, train them 00:22:24 The 80% conversion benchmark 00:24:30 Base plus commission 00:30:00 Deliver $50 of value, charge $25 00:42:28 The wake up call: being the business vs having one 00:43:46 The "40K fuckery" explained 00:50:52 The Monday morning move 00:53:58 Wrap up If you got something from this, then you need to listen to "Coming back from rock bottom with Travis Young from Reborn." And if your studio's not where you want it, book a free discovery call with my team and we'll map the fix: https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up

June 9, 202624 min

The Playbook System That Grows Your Business While You Rest

How Rod and Jenny went from "close the doors" to a near million-dollar run rate in six months, and the playbook system that now lets them holiday while the business grows. 👉 Want the playbook that gets work off your plate? Grab the Team Handbook Builder GPT: https://bit.ly/p-team-handbook-builder Follow Geronimo Unfiltered Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube: @GeronimoUnfilteredOfficial Instagram: @thegeronimoacademy Most owners think a holiday is a money problem. It's not. It's that the business only works when you're the one running it. Rod and Jenny owned a calisthenics gym in Newcastle. In debt, burnt out, doing everything themselves. Jenny gave Rod an ultimatum: profitable by December, or they close. Six months later they're planning a two-week holiday they call the Japan test. The goal isn't survival while they're gone. It's growth. Ryan breaks down exactly how they did it. The real order of operations, not the highlight reel. In this episode you'll hear: - Why a holiday is a team problem, not a revenue problem - The order Rod and Jenny built their team in, and why sales came first - What a playbook is and how to write one anyone can run in seven days - Why splitting sales from rollovers converts higher - Why hiring a salesperson feels wrong and is your highest-leverage move - How systems beat the "no one does it as well as me" trap - What actually triggers the owner-to-CEO shift - What the Japan test is and how to know you're ready for one Chapters: 00:00:00 Intro and the Japan test 00:03:00 Meet Rod and Jenny: close-the-doors to turnaround 00:05:40 The core constraints holding them back 00:06:30 What a playbook actually is 00:07:30 The trust barrier and letting go 00:09:10 The owner-to-CEO shift 00:11:00 Level two: buying back your time 00:13:50 Mapping the million-dollar team 00:15:25 Why they hired the salesperson first 00:16:00 Owning the rollover number 00:17:45 The dual converter formation 00:20:30 Why sales and rollovers can't be one role 00:22:00 The wins start landing 00:23:40 Six months, start to finish 00:25:00 Your next three steps If you want more like this, go back to "How Newstrength Went From 'Good Enough' to a $1M Run Rate." And if you're ready to write your first playbook, the Team Handbook Builder GPT asks you the questions and pops out the doc: https://bit.ly/p-team-handbook-builder

June 2, 202631 min

Deep Dive into Ads: Create the right ads and get more members without losing money

👉 Steal the Avatar 550 framework free: five questions to ask 50 members so you know exactly who you're talking to and what to say. Grab it here: https://bit.ly/p-avatar-550 Want to know where your studio is actually leaking? Book a free 15-minute studio check-up and we'll show you the quick-win opportunities to get you moving faster: https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up Subscribe and follow so you never miss an episode: Spotify Apple Podcasts YouTube @GeronimoUnfilteredOfficial Instagram @thegeronimoacademy The boss is out getting an MRI, so we went rogue. Jess and I took over the pod to break down everything we coach our clients on about marketing a gym or studio in 2026. She's nine years in the industry, seven with us, and helps manage over five million dollars in ad spend a year. We can tell an owner's ads are broken without looking at a single metric. This episode is how you spot the same ten things we spot, and what to do instead. Here's the uncomfortable truth: your ads probably look beautiful and convert nobody. The generic, talk-to-everyone, free-trial playbook is dead. You've got 1.7 seconds to stop the scroll, and in a trust recession, polished reads as fake. The fix is getting so specific it's almost uncomfortable, and using language you already have in your DMs and sales calls. In this episode you'll hear: - Why the old generic ad playbook stopped working in 2026 - The offers quietly killing your lead quality - How to build a hero narrative and why a demographic isn't an avatar - The avatar 5x50 framework we give away free - The raw, face-to-camera content converting right now - The only two Meta metrics that matter and the benchmarks to hit - Short vs long copy and why creative beats the buttons you press - The three action steps to start with if your ads are broken Chapters: 00:00:00 What's different about studio marketing in 2026 00:01:22 The old way: generic, polished, and dead 00:02:53 The offers killing your lead quality 00:06:34 The three coaching conversations we have every day 00:07:12 Building a hero narrative so specific it's uncomfortable 00:08:23 Why a demographic is not an avatar 00:10:52 Why raw and unfiltered beats polished right now 00:12:46 The face-to-camera content that's actually working 00:15:08 The IDEA copywriting framework 00:16:30 Short copy vs long copy 00:19:28 The only two Meta metrics that matter 00:22:07 The benchmarks you need to hit 00:23:04 Where to start if your ads are broken 00:25:24 Step one: get clear on your avatar 00:25:43 Step two: ad copy and creative 00:27:49 Step three: get comfortable on camera 00:29:50 Your first move and the free Avatar 550 framework If this one got your head spinning in the best way, go deeper: listen to 10x Your Leads in 2025: Why Your Ads Aren't Working (And What To Do Instead) next, it's one of our most downloaded episodes for a reason. And when you're ready, book your free 15-minute studio check-up here: https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up

May 26, 202632 min

The Onboarding Process That Took a Pilates Studio to 600 Members Without a Single Ad (7 Steps)

Want to know where your studio is quietly leaking members? Book a free 15-minute studio check-up and I'll show you the quick wins hiding in your member experience: https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up Follow Geronimo Unfiltered so you never miss an episode: Spotify Apple Podcasts Subscribe to our YouTube The Geronimo Academy IG 600 members. Four studios. Zero paid ads. Kat from Good Times Pilates breaks down the exact seven-step experience every new member moves through before they touch a reformer. I'll be honest, this one broke my brain a little. Kat has built Good Times to 600 members and four studios in under eight years, and almost none of it came from ads or a referral program. Her edge isn't a clever offer. It's a seven-step experience that makes people feel like they found her on their own, makes them feel seen the moment they walk in, and sends them home better than they arrived. We mapped the whole thing out, step by step, so you can run it on your own studio this week. In this episode you'll hear: Why Good Times treats itself as a lifestyle brand, not a Pilates studio The seven-step member experience that runs before a single first class How to make new members feel like they discovered you organically The welcome message and community guidelines that set people up to succeed What a five-star arrival and first-class check-in actually look like The post-class moment and follow-up that turn one visit into a habit Why niching down hard grew the business instead of shrinking it The "pretend you're a client" audit to run on your own studio this week The real referral numbers behind 600 members Chapters 00:00:00 600 members, no ads, no referral program 00:01:48 The right people find you (lifestyle brand, not a Pilates studio) 00:06:42 Why do you exist? Stand for something 00:09:22 Business by design: why niching down grew the studio 00:12:43 The 7-step member experience, start to finish 00:12:45 Step 1: The welcome message that sets people up for success 00:16:30 Step 2: The tours and what to expect 00:17:08 Step 3: The arrival experience 00:20:33 Step 4: How they enter the room 00:21:30 Step 5: What the teacher does for a first-timer 00:25:00 Step 6: The post-class moment 00:25:56 Step 7: The follow-up that closes the loop 00:28:23 Why no callbacks, no ads, no compromise 00:29:12 Where to start: pretend you're a client 00:30:42 The real referral numbers behind 600 members If this one hit home, listen to "How Kye Made His Studio a Second Home + Created a Membership Base FULL of Organic Leads" next. It's the same organic-growth playbook from a different operator. And when you're ready to find the quick wins hiding in your own member experience, book your free 15-minute studio check-up here: https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up

May 19, 202629 min

The Conversation Every Business Partnership Needs

👉 Want to audit your own studio structure? Book a free 15 minute studio check-up here. Follow Geronimo Unfiltered so you never miss an episode. Geronimo Unfiltered Official YouTube @thegeronimoacademy Ange and Tanya from Feel Good Pilates have built four studios on track for $4M with one business partner and zero drama. This is the framework, plus Doza's own war story of nearly losing the business before Geronimo Academy even started. Around 40% of studio owners are in business with a partner. Most are one tough week away from the argument that never quite gets resolved. Money stress shows up, resentment shows up, and suddenly you're parked in a suburban street on the phone to your lawyer working out who gets the house. Doza has been there with Ben in the first year of Geronimo. Ange and Tanya have run a cleaner version of the partnership model from day one. In this episode, Doza pulls out a big piece of paper, draws a line down the middle, and walks them through the two-column rule live. Then he maps it to the eight KPIs every studio business runs on. If you've ever felt foggy about who owns what in your partnership, this is the episode to send your business partner. In this episode you'll hear: The two-column rule that ends partnership confusion forever Why one throat to choke per KPI is the most underrated rule in business Doza's full story of nearly losing his business and his oldest mate The eight KPIs every studio business actually runs on Why Feel Good Pilates have only ever had to fire two people The single ego trap that kills most business partnerships The exact starting move Monday morning if your partnership needs this conversation Chapters: 00:00:00 Cold open 00:01:59 Why partnerships go murky 00:03:14 Doza and Ben, the lawyered-up war story 00:06:49 The mastermind room that saved Geronimo 00:08:01 The two-column rule, drawn live on paper 00:08:28 Who's actually the CEO at Feel Good Pilates? 00:09:00 How they secretly run a RACI model 00:10:18 Ange's column: culture, retention, team, ops 00:13:17 Numbers: why this one is always shared 00:15:20 Tam's column: lead flow, sales, content, brand 00:17:03 Mapping the 8 KPIs to one throat to choke 00:18:26 Why this clarity is why they'll hit $4M 00:19:00 Buy back your time: what each partner would delegate first 00:22:53 Did the split happen naturally? 00:25:20 The biggest mistake Doza sees in failing partnerships 00:28:18 Where to start Monday morning 00:29:48 Where the pilates industry is going 00:30:30 Vision reveal: 10 studios in 10 years Where to go next: If this hit, listen to The Real Reason Your Team Isn’t All In (It’s Not the Money). Ready to audit your own studio structure? Book a free 15 minute studio check-up here.

May 12, 202654 min

Bricks and Clicks: How to turn your studio into a 7 figure media business | Danny Kennedy

You can't grow a fitness studio on media alone, but you can't grow it on a business plan alone either. Doza sits down with Danny Kennedy, host of one of Australia's biggest fitness pods with 12 million+ downloads and counting, and reverse-engineers Danny's $49 / $250 / 1:1 offer stack live on camera. Then Danny flips the mic and teaches the belief loop that decides whether you'll ever actually do the work. If you own a studio, this one maps straight back to your bricks. You'll learn about the attention engine, the conversion engine, the 5-minute lead rule, sell by chat, and the mindset piece most studio owners skip. Want Doza to do the same diagnosis on your studio? Book your Studio Check-Up Here. If this one landed, go back and binge: Matt Purcell - Turn Content Into Cash. Enjoyed this episode? Here's where to find more: Follow Geronimo Unfiltered Follow Doza on Instagram Follow Geronimo Academy on Instagram Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:04 You're in the media business in 2026 00:05:41 Personal brand — when's the right time to lean in? 00:06:25 Attention engine vs conversion engine 00:09:00 Why we canceled our short-form shoots 00:11:21 12M downloads, a 5-year commitment, and 2 years of silence 00:14:08 Your reality is always catching up to who you're being 00:19:53 The Vegas cocktails moment that changed how Danny records 00:22:41 Danny's offer stack — app, school, 1:1 00:29:09 The 40-out-of-100 signal you're under-pricing 00:38:30 The 5-minute lead rule — 100x more conversions 00:40:01 Pods as ads — how Doza grew 500% in 12 months 00:41:50 Sell by chat — 5 chats a day, non-negotiable 00:44:14 Doza's diagnosis: kill the app, build the back end 00:47:34 Bricks & clicks for studio owners 00:49:46 Monday morning — where do you actually start? 00:52:03 The belief loop, drawn out 00:55:29 The black coffee theory 00:57:35 You don't experience the world as it is, you experience it as you are

May 5, 202625 min

The AI Playbook for Studio Owners (Without Breaking Your Business)

Most studio owners are doing one of two things with AI right now. Ignoring it. Or trying to automate everything and breaking their business. Both will lose. There's a third path - and it takes 45 minutes to set up. Try Gerry - our free AI sales roleplay bot → https://bit.ly/p-gerry-sales-call-bot Get a free 15-minute studio check-up → https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up Claude Code found $2.3 million of hidden money in our business in five minutes. Stuff we'd been chasing for two years. Four people couldn't crack it. AI did it in five. But the first place most studio owners go with AI is sales. That's the one thing you should never automate. In this episode, Doza and Geronimo Head Coach Ryan walk you through the three Northstar principles that stop you breaking your business with AI - and the three workflows every studio owner can have running by Friday. Try Gerry - practice your sales script with our free AI roleplay bot → https://bit.ly/p-gerry-sales-call-bot In this episode, you'll learn: — The 3 Northstar principles that stop you breaking your business with AI — Why you should never automate sales (and what happens if you do) — Why "departments are dead" and workflows are replacing them — Workflow 1: How to build an email marketing project that sounds like you — Why Claude beats ChatGPT for gym owners (and the exact stack to switch to) — Workflow 2: How to turn voice recordings into team playbooks in minutes — Workflow 3: The HR project that scripts hard team conversations for you — Why you're now the Chief Sprinkle Officer in your own business — The "AI Friday" rule that stops you wasting your week down the rabbit hole — How to use AI in a Pilates studio, yoga studio or gym without breaking what's already working If you've been ignoring AI - or breaking your business trying to use it… Listen now. Tools mentioned in this episode: — Claude → https://claude.ai — Claude Code → https://claude.com/code — Wispr Flow → https://wisprflow.ai Chapters 00:00:00 Claude Code found $2.3M in 5 minutes 00:01:32 The trap most studio owners are walking into 00:02:51 Northstar 1 — Don't start with AI, start with workflows 00:03:33 Northstar 2 — Skin to skin (human in the loop) 00:04:09 Why you should never automate sales 00:06:04 Northstar 3 — You're still the operator (the Iron Man rule) 00:07:49 Workflow 1 — Email marketing project 00:10:39 Wispr Flow — the tool that changes everything 00:14:03 Why most studios get email dead wrong 00:15:36 Workflow 2 — Playbook builder 00:17:51 You're the Chief Sprinkle Officer now 00:19:38 Workflow 3 — HR project (the whisper in your pocket) 00:22:48 The "AI Friday" rule 00:23:42 Where to start on Monday

April 28, 202629 min

The Real Reason Your Team Isn't All-In (It's Not the Money)

Your team will never run through a wall for a revenue target. But they will run through one for a vision they're written into. Most problems in your business come back to one thing - no vision. Not lack of leads. Not pricing. Not your team. No vision. You think hitting the next revenue number will fix your team's energy. It won't. Your team is not going to fight for $1M, $2M or $3M. Why would they? They're not the ones taking it home. Ryan managed a $1M studio. He quit. Not because of the money - because there was no future he could see himself in. In this episode, Doza and Geronimo Head Coach Ryan break down why revenue targets fail as a team vision, what a real vision actually looks like (3 years out, written in present tense, in magazine format), and walk through 5 real client case studies of studios who rebuilt their vision and watched culture, retention and team buy-in shift in months. They finish with the exact "Monday morning move" to start writing yours. Practical for fitness studio owners, gym owners, Pilates business owners, yoga studio owners and any wellness studio founder whose team is showing up for shifts but not for the mission. Book your free 15-minute studio check-up → https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up Want the Vision Book template Doza references in this episode? Get the exact rip-and-raid template delivered to your inbox → https://bit.ly/p-vision-book-template CHAPTERS 00:00:00 — The one thing every business problem comes back to 00:00:36 — Ryan: why I quit a $1M studio 00:02:36 — What would've made me stay 00:03:10 — The Vision Book: 3 years, present tense, magazine format 00:04:02 — What actually goes in a vision book 00:04:39 — No vision, no fork in the road 00:05:34 — Why a clear vision creates instant buy-in 00:06:31 — Case study: She Can 00:09:21 — Case study: New Strength 00:12:29 — Case study: More Time Academy 00:14:43 — Case study: Frontline 00:18:21 — Case study: G3 King of the Mountain 00:23:32 — Your team will not get excited about a number 00:24:34 — Monday morning move 00:25:30 — The Geronimo manifesto, read live

April 21, 202623 min

Making Good Money But Hate Your Business? You've Hit an Identity Problem, Not a Business Problem

Your team isn't unmotivated. Your hires aren't the problem. If you're making good money but you still don't love your business, you haven't hit a business problem - you've hit an identity problem. Book your free 15-minute studio check-up → https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up You learned the skills. You got off the floor. You even hired a team. But you're still doing everything yourself. Still swooping in. Still saying "no one does it like I do." That's not leadership. That's fear wearing a busy costume. The studios that break through aren't run by better operators. They're run by owners who killed the old version of themselves and became someone new. Your revenue says you're at level 2. Your behaviour says you never left level 1. Doza and Geronimo Head Coach Sophie map the three identity levels every studio owner must move through - operator, manager, multiplier - and what has to die at each one. They walk through a real client case study (Bexy) who wanted to quit at every transition point but pushed through all three levels to build a self-running, net-growing studio. The pattern was every time she got stuck, it wasn't a business problem. It was an identity problem in disguise. The line that will hit you: "If your team isn't all in, that's not a team problem. You haven't become the person worth quitting three other jobs for." Book your free 15-minute studio check-up → https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up In this episode, you'll learn: • The 3 identity levels every gym and studio owner must move through (operator, manager, multiplier) • Why your revenue can say level 3 while your behaviour keeps you trapped at level 1 • The "double dip paradox" — why results always get worse before they get better when you delegate • What "no one's as good as me" is really telling you about your identity, not your team • Why most studio owners accumulate skills but never make the actual identity shift • How one studio owner went from overwhelmed operator to multiplier with consecutive months of net growth • The self-coaching prompt that changes everything: "Where am I contributing to this?" If you own a gym, Pilates studio, yoga studio, or any fitness business and you're successful on paper but stuck in practice… Hit play. Next episode worth your time: Why Some Studio Owners Win - And Others Stay Stuck [https://youtu.be/_kBG1in5UAw] CHAPTERS 00:00:00 — "I'm making money but I don't love my business anymore" 00:01:15 — Level 1: The Operator — victim to victor 00:03:10 — What level 1 sounds like 00:05:02 — The adult learning curve 00:05:50 — Level 2: The Manager — letting go of control 00:07:04 — Why you won't delegate (and what you're really afraid of) 00:09:01 — The double dip paradox 00:09:41 — Level 3: The Multiplier 00:12:18 — The complacency trap at level 3 00:13:27 — "My team isn't all in" is an identity problem 00:14:51 — Becks: from operator to multiplier (full case study) 00:20:48 — Monday morning move

April 14, 202622 min

STOP Building Your Studio the Wrong Way - 5 Things We'd Actually Do Starting From Zero

No brand. No list. No members. No reputation. If you had to build a $1 million studio from scratch in 2026, what would you actually do first - and in what order? Book your free 15-minute studio check-up → https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up Most people start with the fit-out. Black walls. Fancy equipment. Vowels missing from the logo. Nobody cares. And they shouldn't - because you haven't given them a reason to. The studios that win in 2026 aren't the prettiest. They're the ones that solved a real problem before they signed a lease. If you don't know your point of view and your total addressable market, you shouldn't even start. Doza and Geronimo Head Coach Sophie both wrote down the five things they'd do to build a million dollar studio from scratch - independently, no cheating - then compared answers live. They agreed on three. They fought about two. And the order they landed on is the exact roadmap Geronimo uses to launch studios at a profit. The math: net 3 member growth per week × 50 weeks = $1M run rate in 12 months. That's 3 sales, 2 rollovers, no more than 1 cancel - every single day. No vibes. No energy. Just the number in the box. Book your free 15-minute studio check-up → https://bit.ly/p-your-studio-check-up In this episode, you'll learn: • Why your point of view and total addressable market matter more than your equipment or fit-out • The content-first strategy that lets you build an audience before you even sign a lease • How to lock in a rent deal that doesn't put you underwater from month one (60% of revenue rule) • Why Doza and Sophie disagree on what comes second — and what that tells you about your situation • The exact focus order once doors open: media, sales, product, then AI workflows • How to reverse engineer a $1M run rate into daily KPIs you can actually hit • The "win the day" discipline that separates studios that grow from studios that vibe If you're planning to open a gym, Pilates studio, yoga studio, or wellness business in 2026 - or you're already open and want to rebuild smarter… Hit play. Next episode worth your time: The 5-Phase Formula to Launch Your Studio at a Profit (and Avoid a Total Flop) Chapters 00:00:00 — No brand, no members, no list — what do you do first? 00:00:33 — Round 1: Problem + total addressable market 00:03:17 — Round 2: Content team vs rent deal (they disagree) 00:06:06 — Round 3: Solid rent deal + business model forecast 00:08:32 — The founder-led content strategy 00:10:17 — Round 4: Focus order once you're open 00:13:38 — You're a media business in 2026 00:15:21 — Round 5: Three months in — what now? 00:16:22 — The million dollar roadmap 00:17:55 — Reverse engineering $1M to daily KPIs 00:19:27 — Monday morning move