Adam Shane (Yoga Joint New York) on Why a Suburban Fitness Brand Is Betting on Manhattan

Everyone thinks their product is different. And it's not that different. Your walls might be pink or blue or black. And your machine might work differently than the machine two doors down from you. But I think it all feels the same. I think what the staying power is in the community you build and the way you build internal community. What are you doing with your staff? What are you doing with your team? How does your team treat one another? What is the internal culture of your organization? Will they pick up trash? Will they plunge the toilet?

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All right, here we go. Adam Shane, welcome to the future of fitness, man. How are you doing?

I'm doing well. I'm doing well. Thanks for having me.

Yeah, it's a pleasure. It is a pleasure. And you know, uh thank you to Alex Alamanasianu, I believe I said that correctly, for connecting us originally. And um, you know, he's been uh a big proponent of what you're doing with uh with Yoga Joint. And there's so much to talk about here. Now I I'm gonna start with this, Adam, and you know, kind of unveil my own biases. Like I haven't covered a specific yoga modality on this podcast since 2021. It was yoga six. And I realized, and I was like, God, that is like as I was prepping for this, I'm like, that is really like shame on me, really. Because here's some things like 300 million people practice yoga daily, right? There is 40 million Americans who practice yoga, so that's roughly 17% of the US adults. Uh staggering number. Um, 107 to 120 billion global market in 2025. So that's projected to hit 200 billion in 2030 at a 9.4% annual growth rate. Here's a number that's kind of fun. $62,640. That's what a typical yogi spends on classes, workshops, and accessories over their lifetime. I wonder, I wonder where that compares to CrossFit. I maybe I'll look that up later because I know CrossFit people spend a ton of money. And the uh yeah, and and wrote yoga ranks 15th on the most popular fitness trends uh trends according to fitness professionals in 2024. So that was like, I guess, me just admitting that I wasn't covered yoga nearly enough. And it's it's really interesting. So here's a question I have to kind of start this off is like you um you were the chief development officer at Barry's uh for 13, 12, 13 years, like a long enough. You've seen growth, you know this industry really well, you know how to scale. So what was it about yoga joint that caught your attention? You're like, okay, this is where I'm gonna I'm gonna put my chips in here and really put a shoulder into this thing. What was what was that moment?

Great question. I when I found Barry's, I was a client back in 2011 in New York City and just sort of, you know, dipping in and out of a lot of boutique fitness studios, SoulCycle, uh Pilates, yoga. Uh, and then I took a Barries class as a client and just fell in love with the, you know, I would say high-intensity nature of the workout, running the strength training, sort of the go hard nature of the program. Uh, moved to Florida in the pandemic in 2021 and started taking yoga joint as a client, really. I I was looking for a work workout. I was displaced in COVID. I missed my, I would say, fitness community personally. And I immediately fell in love with the way they were delivering their modalities. They're delivering it. Yes, it's called Yoga Joint. Yes, it's founded with the yoga principles in terms of the name the founder page held and sort of the history of yoga joint dating back 11 years. There is an hour, you know, vinyasin-inspired flow class. There's a 45-minute fit class with just high-intensity strength training, cardiovascular. And it's all delivered in, you know, what I would call like a fully immersive setting with dark lights, fun music, instructor, you know, guiding you through the workout. And it had that fun factor that I haven't seen many times delivered in brick and mortar boutique fitness. I think a lot of people, you know, deliver a great product, but it's not necessarily fully immersive. So for me, it was a great, I would say, low impact modality that was still wrapped up and delivered in a fully immersive, high energy, fun experience. So I think for me, the it was a natural shift between starting with a high impact workout like Barry's and moving and migrating to a lower impact workout like yoga joint. Not when I say low impact, like you're not running and it's not like the pounding on your body, the fit class is 45 minutes and you're you're sweating, you're drenched, and you're physically exerting yourself and getting to what I like to call breathless or getting to that point, which I think is hard to get in in boutique fitness. You're not necessarily getting that in a lot of low impact classes where you're going breathless. So I think it's really a full body workout. And that really for me was this annual of like, I was passionate about it as a client. I saw it as a great way to deliver low-impact uh physical experience and got to know the founders and and sort of align with them on mission, vision, values. Right on.

I was looking at the videos this morning that explained the different types of classes. So maybe walk me through that. Like, what is the uh the member experience and how is it different than maybe like a traditional yoga, which I mean I I've done several times, um mostly when I was injured, which is kind of funny. But I was personally intimidated. I'll I'll be the first one to admit. Like I was a CrossFit guy, you know, D1 athlete, like pretty strong, like uh all these things. But I was like, I was pretty intimidated getting into yoga. And uh, you know, I just felt weird, I felt awkward, I felt like everyone was looking at me. I'm sure no one was, but you know, uh but it this seems like a little bit more like has a little bit more mass appeal, just at least what I can see from the video. So maybe change, like tell me, how does this differentiate itself from the normal usual yoga offerings?

Yeah, I think you know, we're talking about the the class bit of the business is is sort of 50-50. You have half the classes are are 45-minute cardio strength training called fit. Half the classes are one hour flow class, uh, which is a vinyasa inspired flow. They're all done. It's done in a darker room. Um, so it's a little bit, yeah, I would say a lot of yoga, not all, is done in a very bright room. And so if there's sort of an intimidation factor at Yoga Joint, the beauty is really no one's looking at you. It's dark, you're looking ahead, you're facing the mirror. You're really not, I think, as a beginner to yoga, worried about people looking at you, whether you're doing the poses right, whether you're following the flows right. And so I think just like from a barrier to entry standpoint, the room's a little darker. It's you know, incorporates music and lighting and it's fun. And I think it's for all levels. It will push the advanced yogi and it will, you know, be uh welcoming to the beginner. I think a lot of people that I've talked to about yoga, I practice yoga for many, many years. And I think there's a vernacular, like a yoga language that creates a natural barrier. Like I don't understand what they're saying, I can't do the poses. Right. So I think it's all about, you know, teaching your team how to deliver that experience so it's not intimidating and everyone can understand it through, you know, the instructor essentially, you know, showing people what the poses are and making the right corrections and walking around the room and engaging the community in the class. And so I think yoga just might be one of those things where you have to try it a couple of times. It it is incredible for strength and flexibility, and especially if you're cross-training in a world that I think is what we'll call sort of a Pilates explosion. Um, there is a lot of people right now doing Pilates, getting out there, working out, doing a little bit of everything. And I think all of those people that are doing any form of workout could benefit from incorporating yoga into their routine, whether that's one day a week, one day every two weeks, or every day of the week. Do you know what I mean? And I think there's a lot of benefits from the flexibility and strength you get from yoga that can support your high racks competitions and your CrossFit workouts and whatever other workout you're doing. Um, and I think that's sort of you know what we're trying to make sure the market knows about us.

Yeah. You know, when I look back on my own like uh training over the years, like when I felt best is when I definitely I was doing I did yoga on Sundays almost religiously. And it just it was such a good way to downregulate. I mean, it was still difficult. Don't get me wrong, it was hard for me because I'm not super flexible.

But it's hard for everybody. It is a class this morning. I took a hot yoga class this morning and in front of any of the yoga class this morning, and it's hard. It's a challenge, right? You're holding poses, you're it's a lot of core work, and you're certainly going outside, not to interrupt you, but you're certainly going outside your comfort zone because your body is not used to sort of holding those positions. Um, you're certainly strengthening your core, strengthening your legs, and you know, that there's no downside.

Yeah. And it looks different. So the video I was watching there was I saw uh dumbbells, I saw bands, I saw some other things. So, I mean, that's not traditionally yoga, even by a long stretch, right?

So that's our fit class. Yeah, so that's a 45-minute fit class. So that that class is what I'll call 45 minutes of uh high energy cardio and strength training. So you're working your core, your, and you're using from anywhere from you know five-pound dumbbells to 20-pound dumbbells. And so you're working 45 minutes, you're working non-stop, and you're working your full body. So you're doing bicep curls, you're doing triceps, you're doing squats, you're doing lunges, you're doing core, you're doing mountain climbers, jumping jacks, all to music, all to an instructor sort of taking you through the room. And that's 45 minutes in an infrared heated room. That's 95 degrees. So it doesn't feel it's not just jacking the temperature up to 100, 105 plus. This is infrared heat. It's more warming your body. It's not necessarily temperature hot in there. Yes, it is warm in there, and if you're not accustomed to the heat, it's an adjustment, but it is not something where you know everyone can do it.

Yeah.

Let's talk about the it should be fun.

Yeah, I mean, it should be fun, right? Well, in the in in certain aspects of the world, like CrossFit Endurance will say things like, well, it doesn't have to be fun if you be fun. Well, sometimes it's just fun, right? And I think that's the competitive nature of it. Yeah, that's okay too. Let's talk about the business side, man. So it's in Florida, like give me the background. So it started in Florida. Now you're expanding to New York. Yep. You uh obviously have a very savvy business mind for unit economics. So maybe talk to me like what is attractive about this from a business standpoint and what are you what are you up to right now?

Yeah, I think it's so it it was started by Paige Held, the founder. She started the brand, you know, going back 10, 12 years ago in Fort Lauderdale. Um, you know, Bernie Zarko, who's the current CEO, and the other partner, David Lopez, came in to really what I say operationally professionalize the business alongside Paige and help scale. And so they opened a few more studios. There's now, you know, 18 to 20 corporate locations all in southern Florida from Miami to West Palm. There's also they're now open in Orlando and Winter Park and in Jacksonville. They have a few one-off franchisees and they are a franchise model. I started with Barry's back in 2011 as a franchisee. So I was the last domestic franchisee. I moved from New York City where I fell in love with the brand to San Francisco to open up the Bay Area as a franchisee. Through COVID, uh became a joint venture and then uh rolled into the business and became their chief development officer. But my background is in franchising. I love uh taking someone else's idea or baby, so to speak. And what I say is I'm not a founder, I'm an accelerator. So I understand how to scale a business. I like that. I I know what I'm not, and I am always in awe of founders. Uh it takes a lot of time, money, and grit to sort of create from scratch, but you can create something from scratch and then find people like me and say, uh, here's how, here's sort of the blueprint, now go execute. And so I love that. I love that model. I take a blueprint, and then my goal is to make sure I am executing at the highest level humanly possible. And so for me, when you say unit level economics and and you know, savvy, so to speak, I appreciate that uh you know, time will tell. But I the beauty of this model is there's 55 to 60 people in a room. And I rarely see full rooms with 50 plus people in it in boutique fitness. And so when you see that, it it is incredibly impressive. And so for someone like me that sort of obsesses over hospitality and experience, there must be something someone's doing right when they're putting consistently putting 55 plus people in a 45 or an hour class multiple times a day, multiple days a week in the suburban markets of southern Florida. We're not talking about New York City, we're talking about uh the suburbs of you know, suburban Florida. We're talking about Pocahonton, we're talking about Deerfield. Uh, those are great dense suburban markets, but uh those aren't main and main in center of Manhattan. And so usually those unit level economics are urban only. And to achieve those in a suburban market sort of for me piqued my interest. And I said, you know, I needed to learn more. And so for me, basically it's the unit level economic side of the business is there's there are large rooms, there is an opportunity for you know, putting 55 plus people in there. And if you can do that at the highest level consistently, you can be very successful. Now, the flip side of that, of course, is the whole industry is shifting towards more efficient, smaller boxes for brick and mortar. Because retail rents are going up, people are getting smaller and smaller and smaller with their footprints. And so most of the boutique fitness product in the market is, you know, 1,500 to 2,500 square feet. That's probably the bulk of the product, the 95% plus of the product that's being rolled out all around the country right now. Uh, we're looking for, you know, 3,500 to 5,000 square foot spaces, and we're willing to take, you know, ground floor spaces in Manhattan. And so those are intimidating to say the least, unit level economics. But for me, I love community of fitness. A lot of people use that word, I think, a little loosely. But when I think of community, I think putting a lot of people in a space together, doing something you know that they're all uh like-minded and have in common. And and then you can really build community when you're creating these bigger spaces for people. I'm not saying you can't do that in 1,500 square feet. I'm certainly not saying that. But when you have 10 people in a room versus 55, there's just this different spirit and energy that that room creates that that is magical when done at the highest possible level of hospitality.

Yeah, incredible. You know, the the question that always comes to mind when people dive into the New York City market. Like you've this been proven now in suburban in Florida, right? So then Florida, like you were talking about. I think there's what, 17 studios now. Uh why New York? Like the most competitive fitness market in the world, right? High rents. You know, I I always wonder, like, why do people dive straight into New York? And this is obviously something you put a lot of thought into. So yeah, help me understand. Irrational exuberance.

That's a great question. I ask myself that every day. I think I'll answer it personally, and then I think I'll take a bird's eye view for other people and just give my opinion. But from a personal standpoint, I I think it's really exciting to take a suburban brand and prove the urban model. In boutique fitness, it's almost always the other way around. Uh, it's almost always an urban model that has to go prove the suburban unit level economics. And those unit level economics and those demographics and the profiles of those suburbs are very, very different, right? They are um, you need parking, you need, you know, a different sort of resale footprint, you need to uh, you know, there's different sorts of retail real estate analytics that go into it. You're paying different rents, you have different upside, and so everything changes in the suburbs. And it it is not easier. Um, I'm not saying it's easier or harder one way around. I think the cities are harder from a construction cost standpoint, from a retail cost standpoint, so off-star, of course, significantly greater. I think the upside's also significantly greater. Um, and New York is the center of the universe. And so I think personally, and for everyone else, everyone probably wants to prove that they can be successful in New York City because everyone's probably looking at, you know, a lot of people, or a lot of people I've talked to are looking at expansion, and they believe that if you can open in New York and be successful there, you can be successful anywhere. I don't, I don't think that's true. I think, I think every time you open a store, whether it's in New York City or Whitefish, Montana, you need to put the same level of diligence, the same level of expertise. You need to spend just as much time building from the ground up, building the internal culture, working with your team, building your out external community, working with your local businesses, and and really proving that your product and your service are are besting class. And so I don't think there's any difference in the effort. There's just a difference in the cost structure.

And so your role in New York is you you are the franchise territory owner, right? So you're these are actually your locations that you're building out. Yep. Talk to me about the real estate. I mean, I I love going to New York. You know, I haven't most I've been spent most of my time in New York over just over the last four years, just due to mostly industry events and things like that. So I get to know the real estate. I'm starting to understand the the you know uh the boroughs and all that a little bit. But you are on you're you have one at Park Avenue South, right in Williamsburg. Yeah. So explain like the real estate decisions here. Like how how do you look at like the growing populations? I'm sure there's in I'm sure there's a lot of stuff that goes into like there's one thing I know, there is such a science behind real estate when it comes to franchising that is so uh well informed and very detailed, and a lot of research goes into this. Maybe walk us through how do you make these decisions on locations in real estate.

Yeah, I think I like to say, you know, um, there's it's a it's a perfect blend of sort of data and feel, right? You have to have both. It's not just uh all analytics. Um everyone has access to the same analytics, the same tools, the same demographics, psychographics, you know, cell phone data where you're seeing where your people are. The number one thing that you need to do is understand your customer and you need to know where they live and work. And so um, especially in New York City, it's it's it's a little obvious, right? You have a lot of vertical density in New York City that you don't have in the suburbs. And so uh Manhattan and the surrounding markets of the boroughs of Manhattan have a lot of density. And so you it's pretty obvious where people live, where your target customers live, and it's pretty obvious where they work in terms of the butts and seats in the office market. So you want to basically locate as close to those people as possible. And sometimes the real estate finds you. You have a very specific physical plant requirement, if ceiling height requirement, you have an electric gas, utility, water, you know, sewer requirement, you know how loud or quiet your use is, the louder you are, the more sound attenuation you need, the more, you know, careful you need to be about your co-tenants, who's above you, who's next to you, who's potentially below you. You have to be careful about, you know, whether you want ground floor space, whether you want to take an elevator up four floors, whether you want to walk up or down four creaky staircases. And I think all of that factors into sort of your decision-making process when you roll out brick and mortar fitness. And so for me, I like to be as close to my people as possible. And I like to make the experience for them as premium as possible. When I say experience, it's not the experience inside, which of course needs to be premium. I'm talking about, you know, how close you are to the subway, how close you are to public transportation, and you know, what the entry experience is. I think people overlook. They're chasing the low rents, which is which is fine, right? Because you get a discount on rent, whether you go two floors, three floors up, or two floors, three floors down in Manhattan and the surrounding market. But it's not a great user experience when you have to walk up three flights of stairs or take uh uh you know an elevator to get up there. I was in a space yesterday taking a yoga class in Bryant Park, and I had to enter in my, you know, me and the other people taking a class, we're all in our fitness outfit uh in a commercial office building. We had to enter with people in suits and you know, on our way up, not sweating, and on our way down soaking wet. And so we're on our way down and we're sort of bumping up to people coming down their office today from work. And you could I could just tell because I'm hyper aware of these experiences. So I'm always watching people's faces when we walk in and just sort of rolling their eyes, like another group of people that are soaking wet have to go down the elevator with me today.

Okay.

And I think. At some point, the customer will care about this experience as the market sees more products put to it. And so I think as more and more boutique fitness studios open and more and more people are looking for locations, especially Arc, as you said, in Manhattan, because a lot of people have their eyes are wide with dollar signs, because there's there's less price sensitivity here. There still is, but there's less here than maybe other cities or like the spending here is certainly a little bit different or seems to be that way. And I'm sure there's statistics to prove that. But uh I think the customers are are getting more and more sophisticated and they're making more and more decisions based on you know how well, you know, how how premium or or lack their up their experience is just getting in and out of the place.

Yeah. That's really funny about the elevator. Like that's uh one of things and it's it's it's one of those little things like as a as an operator, you may not pay attention to, but it's so memorable for the experience, right? Like it's probably a joke amongst like the members of that experience, like, oh God, you know, we're gonna go sweat on some people on the way down the elevator. You know, it's it's just one of those little things as far as experience that you have to pay attention to because it's so memorable for individuals.

And that's part of the real estate decision. You asked a question about the real estate and why, you know, you want to why you say like what the pass or fail criteria is for putting out, you know, signing a lease. And there's one of many. If you're walking up a fire regress or walking down three or four levels, it and you know, every decision is critical to the experience, especially if you're signing long-term leases. Because you're locked in. You're not getting out of that. The only way out is the wrong way.

The one uh, you know, I've only done like one or two fitness experiences in New York City. Um, and I don't, this is other ship. I don't know what's a fitness experience, but yeah, I go there. It's great. Like everything about it is is is a is an amazing experience. You know, from it's just it's a nice calm block, right? For the most part, that you walk into. It's like a you you're walking on a very busy block. I don't know what that is, and all of a sudden you make a right or whatever. Yeah, and it's like like you kind of calm down, then you walk into a location. It's like you take another deep breath, and you're like, and then it the whole thing is very calming. And I'm sure that was part of uh what Robbie planned for it too.

Thousand percent. Robbie's all over that. And uh, he's a friend of mine and a col you know, a peer in the industry, and he's very careful about the user experience.

He's done a great job. Great job. Um, you know what? So when you do something like this with the size of locations you guys are looking for, entering into New York City, obviously you have to be well capitalized. And I know you guys have a really strong partner, uh, North Castle. Is that correct?

They're one of many. Uh yeah, John Canner, who was on the board of Barries with North Castle, uh, is a longtime friend. And so he's uh I have John and a handful of other peers, Brent Loughle, a handful of other peers in the industry who have uh and Alex who have who are supporting me financially, along with you know, me putting a lot of my own money into the business to capitalize us to scale around New York.

Yeah. Uh and Joan's great. You know, I finally had the opportunity after nine years in this podcast. I I recorded with him just about a week or two ago. And uh, you know, his insights, um, it was really fun. You know, I could I could talk to that guy for hours and just you know, ping him with questions because I think you know his viewpoints were really interesting and fun to converse with. So getting a guy like that on board is is big. This guy knows his stuff. He's been doing this for what is like a quarter century now. He's been investing in in fitness and wellness experiences. So, you know, why um besides people betting on you, right? I think that's a big part. I know you're you know fairly humble on this podcast, but I think that's a key part of it. It's like people will bet on the person doing it, yeah, first and foremost, right? So there's that. But what else do you think from uh an investment standpoint? What what do you find are the things that really keyed people in and made them interested in in writing a check for you?

I think it's all the things I said earlier when uh what I love about the product, I think other people found. I think uh it makes it investable, scalable unit level economics. Or is it in an is it investable? I look at a lot of opportunities, a lot of friends call me with restaurants and different opportunities. And you know, I always ask, one, does the operator, you know, what's the operator's experience and does the operator have skin in the game? Yeah. So I think for for people who have supported me, the answer is yes, yes. Experience a lot of skin in the game. You know, this isn't something where I'm not putting any of my own capital in. It's a significant amount of my own capital going first. So I'm one of the larger checks in, if not, you know, the second largest. So I think for me, it's, you know, there's what does that person have to lose, right? And but put that aside, like you said, operator driven. I think it's uh, is it investable and what makes it investable? What makes it differentiated? You have, like I said, all of these products coming in. I think this is a great blend of strength and flexibility and mindfulness. You have sort of strength cardio with the fit class, you have the flexibility, mindfulness with the flow class. All of that's delivered in what we call a fully immersive experience to the end user, the client, the member, through, you know, our work with our talent and our instructors who are taking you through a class, um, you know, building out premium facilities with, you know, men's and women's locker rooms and showers and and and premium amenities and everyone gets a mat and a towel. And I think it's sort of like the going back to what makes this business most successful is the people, the product, and the hospitality. You've got to sort of make sure every day you are delivering sort of a culture of best in class hospitality. And uh if you can do that consistently, you can be very successful and scale. If you can't do that consistently, then you can't scale the business. It doesn't matter what the product is. It's the service and hospitality physical plant don't meet up to their level of expectations. All of it has to be done at the highest possible level. And you have to build that culture internally so that everyone's along for the ride, everyone's bought into the mission, and everyone's bought into the culture so that you can then, you know, scale open more units and continue to locate around people that want your product near them. Right. We're going to open on 32nd Park. We made decision open in Williamsburg so that we can tackle, you know, one of the coolest parts and hottest parts of Brooklyn and also have sort of a flagship in Manhattan. But then there's a lot of runway beyond that. There's, you know, the upper east side of Manhattan, the upper west side. There's more locations in and around Manhattan. There's opportunities in the boroughs, uh, there's opportunity in Westchester County, New York for the suburbs, there's opportunity in Long Island, and there's a lot of, listen, there's a lot of density and income and a lot of our target customers that you know want this type of product with this level of service. And so we're we're gonna deliver on that.

You know, one of the questions I want to ask you, Shane, is the uh Adams, the boutique market itself, right? Like I heard a I hear a lot of mixed signals. Like it's still strong. No, you know, it's getting squeezed. Like when you look at boutique, and maybe we mean zoom in on just New York and then kind of outwards, but like what's what's your overall sense on the boutique market right now?

It certainly feels frothy. And when I say that, I mean like the whole market, everything feels frothy right now. It's like almost too good to be true. I think when it is, it usually where there's smoke, there's fire, I guess, in that sense. So you want to approach everything with sort of like cautious optimism, I think is the best way to put it. You don't want to be overly bullish, like just because we're gonna open New York, we're gonna make a lot of money. That's not the case. When you roll out all your costs, you realize how hard it is to make it in New York. I think there is an incredible amount of product being put to market. It's getting very, you know, hyper differentiated. You can pretty much, if you like to do a certain style of workout, uh, it's not just Pilates anymore, it's not just a mega former anymore, it's Pilates and Strength Training, it's it's it's Pilates and and this, it's hot Pilates, it's cold Pilates, it's warm, but whatever it is. Most of it has the word actually Pilates in it. It's amazing how many how many studios are using the word Pilates in it, and uh, which is kind of a red flag. But but uh I I don't really get it. I I think everyone thinks this might be a hot thing. So I think everyone thinks they have something different. Everyone thinks their product is different, not necessarily better or worse, but different. And if you ask a hundred fitness owners who are rolling out fitness studios, certainly around New York, and I'm sure the rest of the country, the first thing they say is their product is different. And it's not that it's not that different. Your walls might be pink or blue or black, and your machine might work differently than the machine two doors down from you, or the machine, you know, two blocks left of you. But I think it all feels the same. And so it's not incredibly differentiated, even though people think it is. I think you know what the staying power is in the community you build and the way you build internal community. I think when I say internal community, it's like, what are you doing with your staff? What are you doing with your team? How does your team treat one another? What is the internal culture of your organization? Will they pick up trash? Will they plunge the toilet? Will they wash and dry the tablet and fold it the right way? I've been to a lot of studios and they feel like they're falling apart. There doesn't feel like this, you know, TLC reinvestment. I mean, the volume in New York is so incredibly high that you're, I think you're getting fooled that like everyone loves your product. And at some point, when your studio starts falling apart and you're not reinvesting back into it, people are gonna care. So I think it's sort of like the proof will be in the pudding about what happens in New York with all these concepts. We won't all make it. We won't. Like it's just inevitable, right? They didn't make it the original sort of cycle. We're on a new cycle. There's certainly more people entering the market through GLPs and just like more people trying fitness because there's different options for people. So I think, you know, the penetration is larger. Like there's, I'm sorry, the population of just people in the fitness community is larger. There's more opportunity for customers, and that's sort of spawning more people trying to take advantage of that and come in and open new businesses, and which I think is great. Will it all work? Probably not. Time will tell. I think, you know, only the best of the best are going to survive, especially if you're paying high rents in New York City, right? New York City is not going to give you a break. At no time will New York City give you a break, whether it's, you know, the a winter snowstorm, a summer heat wave, smoke in the city, all of these elements factor into your ultimate client experience, and all of that factor into your staff experience, right? How are you treating your team? How's your team teating what treating one another? And how are they treating their clients? And it's got it's a 24-7 non-stop sort of mentality. I don't know if that answered a question. Yeah, probably answered a couple of names.

That was great. And I agree, you know, I've been in this industry for a hot minute, and um, everyone always thinks that they have the new thing. Like they they've invented something. And even like, you know, when I CrossFit was incredibly disruptive, that was kind of my starting point into it. And even when I look at it, I'm like, did Greg Glassman really do anything new? Like, did he invent an overhead squat or a snatch or a wall ball or any of that? No. Um, he just mixed it up differently and packaged it and uh and it worked. Like, right? It worked, at least for a long time. Yeah. So it it is true. I mean, is there any uh any modalities out there besides yoga join, of course, that you're like, okay, that's keen. I'm kind of I'm I'm interested in that one. I want to see how this one plans out.

Well, you mentioned other chip. I mean, I I I think that's a really interesting one because there's uh a serenity to it when you get there. I think it's sort of the second I walk in, I have the same emotional experience that you have. And and so I haven't seen, I'm not gonna call out any other sort of boutique fitness where I've seen modalities where I I think they're they're you know they're great, we're not great. I think I I love what what Robbie's doing with other ship because I really think there's um he's doing it in in a unique way, and I always have a pleasant, positive experience that I can sort of shut the world off. So for me personally, uh you know, I'm only speaking personally, I really like that. I love what Pura Vita is doing right now. I I think uh, you know, no, there's no brand without some level of controversy, but Pure Vita is out there, and I love the experience, uh, the consistent experience I have in there. Um, you know, they've nailed down aesthetic and scent and consistency of food. And I think that's that's really important. For me, it's really about consistency and having a positive emotional experience every single time that you, you know, come to a brick and mortar fitness, wellness, or F and B product.

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What is Pura Vita besides Costa Rica's life motto?

It's Pure Vita, Miami. Uh, and it's uh it's you know, like uh healthy, it's healthy food. Food. Okay. F and baby. Got it. So check it out. Pure Vita Miami. It's it's it's probably coming to a city near you.

Yeah. Well, you you know, the thing I like about I didn't do it justice, though, Eric.

I didn't describe it justice. So, but uh, you know, it's a really cool concept. Uh they open in New York, they're out of Miami, and you know, I I it's great sort of you know, lunch dinner option. Um, and I think they're really doing the aesthetic and experience right.

Yeah. Well, people can go look it up. Um yeah. Well, you know, the things I like about othership is that it's complementary to everything else, right? Like it's doesn't, it's kind of stands alone. And I think what what I see about yoga joint too is like it's it's a standalone concept. Like people could just do yoga joint from what I've seen, right? And and get themselves healthy and fit um and have a great sense of community, but it's also complimentary. Like people could do berries, right? And then also, like you said, do yoga joint once or twice a week. And I think that's that's really integral. And I'm always keen on things like that that um don't need to directly compete with everything else. Like you can be complimentary, like, you know, on a another example, like I look at what um do you know? I don't know if you know Dr. Kelly Starrett, but he started uh mobility wad, and he's like the guru of mobility, right? Like he made mobility the the thing. And one thing that was genius, whether it was intentional or not, for him is like he developed this thing called mobility and made it really popular, which is now complementary to everything else. Like, okay, are you sports performance? Great, you need mobility. Are you, you know, a CrossFitter? You need mobility, are you whatever, right? You name it. Like mobility stands alone, but also is complementary to everything else that doesn't really compete. And I think that's really something that when I look at something like yoga joint, what you guys are doing, like you don't have to go, people don't have to make the decision like, well, it's either this or berries. It's either this or crunch. Of course, right? Yeah, it's it's great.

It's about moving, right? I think our and I would never say to somebody we're you know, we're a one-stop shop for everybody. Yeah, I eat a yoga joint exclusively. I love the workout, I like to eat, and it and sort of gives me everything I need for my workout. That doesn't mean it's for everybody, right? You can you can use it uh in a complimentary, complimentary way to everything else you do. Uh, it's also for all ages. I think the beauty is if you walk into a yoga joint class now, you'll see anyone from you know 14, 15 years old to 65, men and women. And so that's an another reason why I personally love it so much is just the diversity of the demographic. It's very co-ed and it's a very, you know, wide range of ages that are in there, and everyone's getting something out of it.

Yeah. What is uh what does the rest of the year look like for you, the rest of 2026? And you know, we're recording.

The goal is to get our first two locations open by the end of the year. So hopefully between Thanksgiving and Christmas, we're opening both locations in some order. We're in construction now on both, uh barring any sort of major construction delays. We're a month into construction on two locations, and really just getting people building a founding community, just really establishing ourselves with uh people that get to know our product and get to know what we're about, uh, so that they can have a positive experience when they come to UH. I know. And we'll take it from there.

Yeah. Well, I'm gonna ask you another question then. We'll we'll see where this goes. But like 10 years from now, what what is your 10-year vision for this? So in 2036, god god forbid, right? Um that'll probably come up way faster than I think. But yeah, what what is the grand vision here, Adam?

The grand vision is to help build a national brand. I think let's start, you know, for me personally in New York, but you know, I think the bigger picture is certainly to help the brand establish itself nationally. Right now it's just in Florida. I believe it's about to go to Atlanta and and potentially Texas, but right now it's uh they're only open and operating in southern Florida, Jacksonville, and Orlando. Uh we're, you know, we're gonna work to get this thing up and running and launched successfully in and around New York. And then the goal is to help, you know, go from there, honestly. Uh I'd love to see this be a national brand in 10 years. Uh, where if you're walking down the street and ask someone, have you heard of yoga joint? They've said yes. Whereas right now, uh, if I walk around Manhattan and say, Have you heard of yoga joint? Most people haven't. So the goal is put the thing on the mat.

Yeah, right on. Tell me about your team. Who do you have on the team so far?

It's a lean team right now. It's myself. I've got Heather Grace Thomas, uh, who's my VP of operations, it's the two of us. And we are out right now building a founding talent team and looking for a founding uh studio management team to really, you know, set the tone for New York. So, you know, if you are an instructor or teacher in and around New York and you want to talk, please shoot, hit me up, shoot me a DM. But, you know, right now we are uh intentionally patient and diligent about finding the right group of people with the right intentions to build the right team. If you build the right team and you set the culture up front, you're unstoppable.

Yeah, I love that. One of the last questions I always ask, which usually turns into a conversation within itself, but uh what what do you need right now, Adam? Like, you know, if if you know the type of listener that we have here, it's mostly industry folk from executives to you know practitioners to investors. What's critical for you? What are some of the bigger problems that you could use help with?

What do I need help with? Is that the question?

Yes, sir.

That's a great question. Uh what's prepared to answer that question. But if someone asks, what do I need help with? I am working really hard to understand how to build awareness about our product digitally and what digital marketing or digital awareness building looks like in 2026, which is very different than what it looked like five and ten years ago. It is. And I could use help figuring out how to differentiate ourselves digitally so that every single person who's just zoom, scrolling on their iPhone and getting product after product after product marketed to them, whether it's buy my product, try my product, or just this is what our product is. I want your eyes to stop for a second or two when you uh see something about yoga joint. And that is where we're spending a lot of time with a lot of team members. You said who's our team. We're working with a great marketing team and working with you know a digital agency, but we are we are constantly evolving, and I'm trying to figure out how to differentiate our product digitally. It is not easy to do, and everyone seems to have a different opinion on how to do it. So if you're out there and you're an expert at you know differentiation digitally, um, and not just paid digital, right? Not just feeding you ads, Eric, but but giving you education information that is interesting to you so that when you come across, you'll stop for a second. Uh, it is really hard to capture eyes uh for more than a second.

Attention is very hard to get right now. Yeah. You know, it's something at the work we do with the podcast collective too, is we're always trying to figure out how do we um leverage AEO, which I'm I'm struggling to understand. Luckily, I have you know one or two people on my team who are just thinking about this stuff all day long. But it's it's really it's it's a fascinating time as be as consumer behavior changes from a Google search to asking ChatGPT on their phone. I mean, my wife never does a search for Google on anything anymore. Yeah. You know, she's always talking to ChatGPT and asking questions, and the answers are really good. But it's like, what am I missing now? You know, how is this how is this all prioritized? And you know, is this paid? Like it's it's like, okay, once again, like how how do we manage this organically and also through pay marketing? It's a fascinating time, and it's just really hard to keep up.

Hard to keep up, and you know, the goal or my goal is to be authentic and you know, just always root myself in authenticity. And that there's there's sort of like a conflict digitally with authentic authenticity because it's not all authentic digitally and you know it's challenging.

Yeah. I guess I have one more question for you. Cause you came from, you know, berries and you grew this you guys you guys grew the shit out of that, right? Um and now you're kind of exposed on your own, right? Like this is you've put your own money in, right? You've you've taken on investors, like you're doing this, like you're you're you're out there, tip of the spear.

Crazy.

Yeah. How do you feel? Like, you know, how how does it all feel? Is it energizing?

I mean, I feel free. I feel anxious, you know, right? You know, I said authenticity is important. So there's an underlying anxiety that you know, I think I'm always rooted in, frankly. I've learned about myself, but I uh I someone asked me the same question not too long ago, and I said, um, I consider myself a creative person, but I don't think a lot of people would call me creative. And in a setting where there's more formal corporate rules, I tend to see my personal creativity stifled and my flame, you know, extinguished, so to speak. And I now have the freedom to sort of be very creative. And it oh it's sort of an unlock for me personally, if that makes sense. And so um I've seen I've seen sort of the benefit of of being able to flourish in an environment where you have no, you know, there's no fear of saying the wrong thing in a boardroom or meeting where um that fear I think can be crippling. So I think for me, it's removing that fear or removing that sort of layer of like, you know, just adding that freedom of creativity and being able to express myself. I can move faster. I find myself moving faster and more creative in flow. And and so there's like this freeing up of ideas and expression and just like, you know, things that are gonna really drive the business forward. And that I think uh is worth the risk.

Yeah, I love it. Well, I heard this quote, and this will probably resonate with you and a lot of people listening. Um I want to make sure I get this right. Entrepreneurs are people with chronic anxiety disorder that have been hardwired for hyperproductivity.

Probably, yeah. That's probably there's some more high-functioning ADD in there, uh, but I just never diagnosed as a kid. So, but yeah, that's that's just a great quote. I'm gonna use that one. You're gonna have to text me that. I'm not gonna remember that for data, but you're gonna have to.

I will, I will. It's it took me a couple times to get it right. But uh yeah, I mean, I live it every day.

And when you're banking on the wall, I think I'll just end. I don't know.

Yeah, please.

When you know, for me personally, when you're up against the wall, like you you have no choice. Like there is there is no other option but going forward. Like, and so I think um, in a way to your point, like it's uh you have to there's no day where I wake up now and just you know hit snooze. When I am working for someone else, I'm more inclined to hit snooze. I never hit snooze ever. I'm not saying that's a good thing, but but it's just the truth, right? Like it's just a segment. You have to wake up. There's no you don't have the choice. Like it's no, there's no five more minutes. There's only five less minutes. And so I think uh that that sort of like that that motivation is powerful.

Oh, that's awesome. That is awesome. Where would you like people to go next if you want to get in touch with you or follow you or whatever? Where would you like to go?

Yeah, go to my uh go to Yoga Joint New York, uh Yoga Joint New York Instagram account, yoga joint ny at yoga joint ny it is. Uh Adam J. Shane is my Instagram. Follow yogajoint.com is our website. Uh, and you know, we'd love to hear from you. And uh can't wait to see you this fall. Um, we're also gonna be having a handful of events around you know, Manhattan and Brooklyn over the next few months. So stay tuned to our accounts and we'll keep you posted.

Right on. Adam, thank you so much for joining me, man. I'm I'm I'm cheering for you and I'm I'm pretty confident what you're doing between your operational background and uh the people you have back in you who I know and respect quite a bit. I think uh you're set up. So go get it, man.

Means a lot. Thank you so much. Love what you're doing.

Yeah, Hazel Gentleman, Adam Shane. Take care.