Mike Goscinski - 27 Words That Could Change Everything: The PHIT Act's Legislative Journey

Hey friends, welcome to the Future of Fitness, a top-rated fitness and wellness industry podcast for over five years and running. I'm your host, Eric Malzone, and I have the honor of talking to entrepreneurs, innovators, and cutting-edge technology experts within the extremely fast-paced industries of fitness, wellness, and health sciences. If you like the show, we'd love it if you took three minutes of your day to leave us a nice supporter review wherever you consume your podcast. If you're interested in staying up to date with the future of fitness, go to future of fitness.co to subscribe and get weekly summaries dropped into your inbox. Now onto the show. Spanning over 4,000 clients in 44 countries, TeamUp has a vast global network with its roots right here in North America. Whether it's AI, new features, new partnerships, and new markets, Teamup's sites are set on raising the bar of the industry to enable their customers to perform and operate at the highest level locally, nationally, and overseas. However, the most reliable APIs in the market, you can deliver premium customer experiences and scale your fitness enterprise with the strongest technological infrastructure our industry has to offer. Empower your staff, engage your members, and unlock your next chapter of growth with software design for you. For a limited time, get a very generous 50% off your first month. To redeem the offer, simply contact the teamup sales team and use the promo code the Future of Fitness. Headgote.com. That is G-O-T-E-A-M-U-P dot com. Hey friends, this is Eric Balzone, and this episode of the Future of Fitness is brought to you by the Podcast Collective. Since our inception in 2023, we have emerged as the fitness, health, and wellness industry's premier podcast placement agency. We're honored to work with many of the industry's most prominent technologists, thought leaders, startup founders, and business executives. Why? Because they recognize that being on podcasts is the most effective way to authentically connect with their specific target audiences and rapidly grow a lucrative professional network. From podcast placements to speaking engagements, go-to-market strategies to investor relations, and media kits to press releases, the podcast collective brings a level of professionalism and deep industry expertise that can only be achieved by spending decades in the trenches. If you are a startup founder, business executive, emerging thought leader, or simply a savvy operator that understands the power of authentic media, learn more at podcastcollective.io and feel free to book a 30-minute strategy session with yours truly. Traditional media is dying on the vine. Podcasts are rising quickly to fill the void. Do not miss the vote. That's podcastcollective.io. Hey friends, it's Eric. Before we get into this interview with Mike from HFA, I wanted to do a quick little intro that unfortunately, between the date of recording and date of publishing, the FIT Act did not make it through the Senate. Now, what does that mean? Well, it means we don't stop trying, right? Number one. We can reiterate, iterate, and continue to push this thing forward from the top down. But what I would love for people to start thinking about is the biggest opportunity, most immediate opportunity we have is working from the ground up. So there's a lot of different ways to do that. If you tune into this podcast, I try to isolate ideas and concepts from thought leaders within the industry about how we can work both angles. And unfortunately, it wasn't a win for HFA in the industry, but we can learn a lot from it and we can still get a lot from this interview. So that being said, on to the show. Thanks for listening. All right, we are live. Mike Kazinski, welcome back. Hey, nice to be here. Thanks, Eric. Yeah, man. You, sir, have been keeping your toes tapping, I'd say. There's uh there's a lot going on with the Health and Fitness Association and what you guys have been up to so far this year. And it's only, you know, cute in 2025, and you guys have been covering a lot of ground. So I'm excited to cover it. I think there's a lot of really cool stuff for the industry. There's a lot of optimism. Had a lot of, you know, uh other other people in the B2B media space on this podcast in the last month or so, and everybody's really fired up about the direction of the industry and the uh the opportunities that we have right now that seem to be in kind of a unique uh convergence of many factors. So you you'll you'll be talking to that. Uh so we have what do we have to talk about? We have the fly in, we have the fit act. You guys released your uh 2025 consumer report. We'll get into that.

Part uh part of it's gonna be part of the club, but okay.

Awesome. We're gonna look forward to. Uh and then you have a European Congress coming up too. So, man, I guess maybe we could start with just the the report and what you guys took from that because I know that that feeds into a lot of the other things that you guys are up to, but give us give us the high level, man. What what do we have uh what do we have to be excited about?

You know, but you mentioned it. It's been an incredibly busy couple of months. First, as you know, we were in Las Vegas back in March for our annual show, the HFA show, which performed amazingly, had great turnout, great response, great education, and great feedback. Frankly, friends. All of the cloaks in the industry, both on the operator side and the supplier side. So thank you to everybody who made it out to the guest for the show. We we and that's really our watch point into the year. So then we came back to Washington, DC. And as you mentioned, we worked on getting our consumer report out the door this year earlier than ever. And we did we're doing so this year in a different format where we're sending out different pieces of pandemic throughout the year to help really continue the drumbeat of how important fitness is to the American public, how important industry is to the American public, and how impactful we are on the day-to-day lives of the consumers and everyone around the globe. So, main highlights from the report this year now, 96 million Americans visited a fitness facility in 2024, which is huge. Continue to show growth. The industry continues to show growth back from the pandemic and leaps and bounds upon where we were in 2020. 55,000 plus locations across the country and facilities, right? Servicing more than 1,000 jobs across the industry, contributing $59.6 billion to the US economic market. And then also finding where that median niche point is for where Americans are spending their most time, right? So $38 a month seems to be the median membership fee that Americans are are seeing across the country. Uh, but all in all, what it shows is it shows continued investment from uh Americans from across the population segment, ages six and up, more Americans spending more time at more locations across the country. So that's a great story for us to tell. And it actually led to a great story that we were able to bring to Washington, D.C. in May for our annual fly-in when we were up on Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers.

So one of the numbers I saw in here, uh, let me know if I got this right, but uh 77 million Americans now have fitness facility memberships. And that's the highest penetration rate at over 24.9%. So we've been talking about the other 80% for since I've been in this business. Um, so now are we talking about the other 75% that we're trying to get to?

I think you know, the the numbers show exactly you're right on 77 million Americans have membership. And again, now the other needs to take into effect that many Americans, so like myself, have memberships to multiple locations, right? Where people are diversifying the way that they get physically active, and that's great for the industry. But to your point, we are driving, trying to find percent. We're trying to drive at, which is now, I would say, probably that 75.6% is where we're trying to drive at. So HFA has a goal to get 30% of the American population physically active, meeting the HHS diet uh excuse me, physical activity guidelines by 2030, which is 150 minutes of aerobic or cardiovascular exercise plus strength training every day, every week. So we're driving at that goal, and we're trying to find ways to work with policymakers to incentivize Americans to get physically active. And so, yeah, it's a it's a great number penetration is is higher than ever. And all signs show that it's driving in the right directions to make fitness frontline health for every American.

Yeah, and I like the youth numbers too. Um so Gen Z and Gen Alpha now represent 30.8% of members, so that's up from 22.9% in 2015.

Yeah, and what we're seeing actually is, and and this is this is not this won't be news to any of your listeners, but what we're seeing is that Gen Z and Gen Alpha are actually investing in that higher price point as well. They're making sure they're not considering fitness as a luxury anymore. They're not considering fitness physical activity as a luxury, they're considering it a part of their planning, their healthcare planning, and a part of making sure that they are taking time away from their lives, not only for their physical well-being, but for their mental well-being by getting and staying physically active in the fitness community, which is really exciting to see because it not only helps us drive at the points that we're trying to make with policymakers, it shores that point and says, listen, this is not going to be something that's a benefit to those who are in the age of senior, baby boomer, millennial, right, genocid. So it's down the line being seen as a party production in every American's life.

And is there any uh I didn't see it at a high level, but information about like, are they going to health clubs, HVLP, boutique, like where where are we seeing the biggest growth there?

It's across the board. Okay. HVLP is still seeing pretty great members, according to the report. And we're seeing growth, you know, through the industry and every sector. And so that's something that we're looking at as well, and that we're trying to share across the board, not only within the industry, but with the policymakers, with the White House, with HHS, is to say, look, this industry is a diverse industry. And what I always like to say is that this industry is as diverse as the constituency and consumer base that it represents. There is a way for every American to get physically active the way that is comfortable for them. And we see that in our report, we see that in growth that people are taking advantage of it, right? There isn't just one option for everybody, there's an option for anybody based on how they want to get physically active in order that fits within their lifestyle and fits within their needs.

Yeah, which is uh another interesting point that I was I was looking at within this, you know, I don't think this is like bad news. It's just interesting is like so member visits went to 1.5 times per week versus 2.1 times per week pre-pandemic. But it's also showing increase in sports activities, at-home gyms, community or things like that. So it's like people are getting more fitness, they're just not necessarily doing it all at the gym, which I think is a great thing, right?

Yeah, yeah. No, I think it's listen, like I said, it's it's an opportunity. We need to meet consumers where they are. And what I think the report reflects is to your point, people are getting more and more physically active. But also, as I mentioned earlier, they they might be visiting multiple or different types of facilities throughout the week, right? Somebody may be working out in strength chaining one week and then using a hit class or you know, a spin class as a cardio or conditioning day, another day in the week, and they might be doing so at a studio. They might be taking yoga one day a week as well. So people are diversifying their options and diversifying, frankly, their portfolio of utilization throughout the industry, which is exciting.

Yeah, you have multiple gym memberships. Where do where do you go? How do you split it up?

I go wherever I am. As you can see, I travel quite often in the US. I follow me on LinkedIn. So I work out at all of our wonderful HFA member facilities here in Washington, DC that ranges from B then to gold to anywhere that I can fit into my busy schedule to get physically at. Yeah, right on, man.

Anything else? Any anything that really stood out to you? Anything that uh maybe kind of flew under the radar, but it's important in this report?

You know, no, I think we hit all the high points. I think what's really important to remember is that the industry is not only serving as a way for folks to get physically healthy, but it's serving as an economic engine as well in the United States. And that's something that, you know, lawmakers and policymakers sometimes forget when they see all of the logos and signs from Main Street, is that there's actually a robust business engine behind it. And that's part of the work that we're taking to Capitol Hill to connect those dots and taking to state houses across the country is to paint that picture as well, because everybody sees the ads, everybody sees people working out, they can see the industry buzzing all the time, but a lot of that is always equated to the activity as opposed to being equated to the massive business operation that's happening behind the scenes. And so that's the story we're trying to tell as well.

Outside of the brick and mortar space, um, I mean, there's a lot of sports references here within the report. Um, you know, because what the the industry is is undergoing. I talk about this in almost all of my podcasts now. I was like, we're we're undergoing some kind of unconscious rebrand, right? Because it's not we're not wellness, fitness doesn't really fit anymore. We're not healthcare. Um, you know, wellness is kind of like consumer is like a CPG thing now. Um, I threw around vitality once, but I mean everyone kind of associates that associates that with like hormone optimization and peptides, like things like that. So it's like, what are when you look at like that, this morphing of the industry, what does that signify to you? Like what were the opportunities in that, or are we just too early yet to find out where this whole thing kind of settles?

No, I think the opportunities are endless. And one of the things that we communicate and that HFA has been constantly talking about with policymakers is I always use the terminology physical activity for prevention. It's preventive healthcare. Right, we're not healthcare. That's because a large part of healthcare in this country is treatment based, if not all of it, right? If you know, you don't do it, you know very few of us are preventive side of things, this industry being one or the only. And so what we're trying to do is point that picture to policymakers about how physical activity, whether that is playing sports, whether that is working out in a Missouri, whether that's swimming, whether that's playing pickleball or tennis or another racket sport, all of that collectively is being physically active for the mental and physical well-being of your body. And so as we look to repositioning health and fitness as preventive health in the eyes of policymakers, I think those opportunities are limitless. And as we enter a new phase and continuing re-energent phase of wearables, being able to track the data that can then be reported to healthcare providers, all of a sudden they're connecting. And it's a very exciting time for the industry. It's a very exciting time for that quote unquote rebrand that you mentioned to take place. You know, on the sports side, we also are in what many are calling the mega decade of sports in the United States, right? Yeah, we it's a great band name. Starting in 2024, we have the FIFA World Cup, the Red Bree World Finals, we have LA 28 Olympics, and then the decade wraps up in 2034 in Salt Lake City with the Winter Olympics. And so while you look at this broad focus of sports, fitness, being physically active, all lies on the United States. We're trying to harness that in our efforts to get policy across the finish line, drive that population adoption of getting physically active and thinking of new and emerging ways that the association can be positioned to help getting that message out to broad populations in the United States.

Yeah, right on, man. Well, let's uh let's shift slightly to the fly-in. So you guys had that uh, you know, as a recording not too long ago, just a few weeks ago. What is remind everyone what those are and what the goals are, what the goal is. And and I know you had to turn people away. You had so many people interested in in showing up.

Yeah, the fly-in is uh is my favorite event on the Grand HF and Test throughout the year, selfishly, mainly because it's the one that that I focus on. It brings two leaders from the industry to Washington, D.C. for a day of education on all of the policy work that we are doing here in town with lawmakers and policymakers here in Washington, D.C. And then we actually take those attendees to Capitol Hill to meet with their members of Congress and staff and discuss those issues and discuss how they apply not only to the businesses that we represent, but also to the constituents of the lawmakers that we're speaking to. So this year we have just over 130 members come to town, mainly CEOs, they're high-level executives from the industry, attending and meeting with over 120 congressional offices. So it's a great jam-backed agenda in two days, but we get to deliver results. And what I was what I talked about a lot during the fly-in with our members that were in attendance is that I am lobbying all the time. I spend most of my days up on Capitol Hill meeting with lawmakers talking in two days. We were able to have conversations with over 120 lawmakers and their staff because everybody came to town. I would not be able to talk to 120 lawmakers in a month by myself. So being able to compress the agenda and get the industry in front of that many lawmakers helps us move the needle so much. And it was a great turnout, a great overall event, and decidable share produced results. So we're very excited. So we were talking about FTC's click to cancel, and we were talking about trade and steps and what the advanced how the conversation around Washington is impacting the industry's ability to plan and invest for the future.

Yeah. Man, since this new administration's coming in, it hasn't been boring, has it?

Not at all.

Yeah.

But that's a thing in a good way, too. Like I said, at the fly end, we've been able to produce results. So just coming out of the fly-in, as I mentioned, we were able to get a 60-day implementation delay on FCC's click to cancel regulation, which provides operators more time to get into ready for compliance. But it also allows a court case that we're invested in in the eighth circuit to take place and hear oral arguments that will hopefully delay or ultimately study implementation of the final rule so that HFA can work with the policymakers to craft a consumer-friendly cancellation regulation that is actually business tenable for the industry. And then, as of course, you know, the biggest highlight, that's Terry to read, we were able to get the fit act in the reconciliation package that's currently going through Cannabis, which is, you know, our one shot this year at getting fit across the finish line. So we're super excited and we're working tooth and down to make sure it remains in the package and gets placed on Donald Trump's desk for signature, finally putting things up front.

I want to cover the the fit a lot here in a minute, but before we do, the click to cancel, why in its current rendition is that so troubling for operators?

Yeah. So, you know, HFA engaged a lot with FTC to get the final rule to where it was, but there was still there's still a provision in the final rule that is a little bit ambiguous as to whether or not termination upon that click needs to immediately terminate payment processing. And that's just causing headaches for the implementation for compliance, right? We're working not only with the operators directly, but also with the third-party payment processors in the industry to try and make sure that they have enough time to get the systems in place to do so. So working towards the 60-day delay was necessary across the board so that the industry can make sure they're in a comfortable place in case our efforts in the courts are not successful and the bill goes into implementation on July 14th, or then renovation goes into implementation on July 14th.

Okay. Got it. Got it. Um, so back to the FID Act. Uh it's changed a lot, I imagine, over the last 15, 20 years since it first kind of emerged as a possibility. What does it look like now? And then um, you know, what does it mean to be where you guys are right now? Because I think a lot of us don't really understand how this whole legislation works, at least I don't.

And look, Rune What it's it's that's why I'm here, right? Because at the end of the day, you guys all need to run your businesses, run your shoes, run the things that you're doing, and allow us to focus on the wonkiness of it all. To your point. Yeah, you're 100% correct. This bill has been around for nearly two decades. Uh, it's changed in renditions, it has not changed much year over year since since I've been here. So the process that we're currently undergoing is a unique tool known as reconciliation. And it takes place when one party has control of both the legislative and executive branch in Washington. And what it does is it allows lawmakers of that party to get the pieces of legislation done outside of the traditional Senate rules of needing to have a 60 vote margin for approval and passage. Because Republicans own leadership in the House, the Senate, and the White House, they're able to push a large package, such as this tax package that's currently being considered, with a simple majority vote in the Senate because they have control of those two branches. So this aligns with also the expiration of the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that President Trump and the uh Republicans passed. 2017. So when we first start when when I first started with HFA after Viz came on board, we always knew that this was our prime opportunity to get this across the finish line, knowing that major tax provisions of the IOS code would be expiring in 2025, and that the House and Senate would have no choice regardless of who was in control, whether Democrats, whether it was to win the White House, the Senate was to be Democrat, the House was to be Democrat, whatever the combination was, we knew that these tax provisions were expiring, and that this is our super bowl. And that this is our economic opportunity to get across the other side. So we've been preparing for that for nearly three years. We've been talking with lawmakers and lining up the bill and positioning it for inclusion in the package. And we were successful. Now that's not without alterations and changing, because as we like to say here in Washington, DC, it's not about the perfect, it's about getting to a place that you can continue to mold and craft. And you know, we were able to work with the House Ways and Means Committee to get fit into a forb that was eligible to be implemented and inputted into this major package. So the reconciliation package rolled out on Saturday after we had to fly-in in Washington, DC. And they included provisions of the provisions because to your point, they narrowed it down a bit. As fit looks right now in uh in the reconciliation package, it would be HSA eligibility only. Uh it and it cuts the caps in half to 1,000 per household, 500 per individual. And now the reason they did this is because they're working within Washington, D.C. budget math to create everything with the parameters of a certain ceiling of what they can spend versus what they need to cut. And so in order to fit within those parameters, they needed to narrow the scope of the bill in order to do so. But as I mentioned earlier, it's about not getting the perfect, but about getting where we are and where we can get this point into the package and across the finish line, because I want to remind listeners that what we're actually doing here is changing the definition of physical activity in IRS code to be treated as a preventive health measure. So if we're successful in getting this across the finish line, regardless of if it's HSA and FSA eligible, both or both, or if it's $2,000 and $1,000 versus $1,500, the real key aspect that we're working on right now is a 27-word sentence definition of physical activity as preventive health in IRS code, which then opens up the opportunities for us to expand in the future in a much simpler format than the work that we've had to do on Fit for the past two decades. So if we're successful in having Fit remain in the package and get across the thing, and if the House and Senate is successful in passing this bill out and putting it on the president's desk for final signature, we will then be able to go back and expand out to FSA. We'll be able to expand those margins out to make sure that people can have more funds eligible. We'll be able to work towards many other things on fitness, equipment, youth sports, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera, by expanding that language after we do the hard work of getting the definition changed right now. So it's really hard not to be wonky and be wonky at the same time. So I apologize if that was long windsy.

No, that was great. That was really good, Mike. I mean, just what you what you explained about the 27-word sentence uh in the IRS code, I think is really critical. I've never heard it succinctly explained that way, but that's kind of like the meat of it, which allows us to do so much more, which brings me to a question about like companies like TrueMed and Flex allow for access to HSA, FSA dollars, but it's kind of a workaround, right? Is it just kind of like duct tape at this time?

Yeah. And so just to be completely clear, we we talk and work with TrueMed, Flex, you know, all Dr. Dr. B, all of the different providers in this space are in our network. We're having conversations with them because ultimately they are going to be helpful even after we get fit across the finish line. But to your point, yes, there is a space right now where consumers can obtain a letter of medical necessity to engage in prescribed physical fitness or physical activity. And this is because there's the IRS guidance under the code currently does allow for that. But it allows for it in specific purposes in use cases. And so the way that these companies work is they help through telemedicine connect an individual with a telehealth professional that can provide that to work against a chronic disease diagnosis or work against something, and then they can use open it opens up their treatment for HSA and FSA eligibility. The difference is that the IRS has been pretty clear about the utilization of these accounts for new programming or new fitness. So for an individual who currently has a gym membership, I would not be able to obtain a letter of medical necessity in order to do that. It would be it would have to be for new programming, right? A healthcare professional telling new medical really needed to do 60 minutes of high intensity cardio training twice a week, then they would can it would be in that letter of medical necessity for me to do so. And then I could go probably use that, use my HSA or FSA for say an RSC area mathies class or something of the Yeah.

Okay, okay. So you guys are looking to simplify it, really, and make it and make it more wider and like a wider breadth of opportunity for people. Today's episode of The Future of Fitness is proudly brought to you by EGM, a vertically integrated market leader in the fitness and health industry with an incredible vision, transforming healthcare from repair to prevention. I've been a huge fan of EGM's team and technology for years now, and I can tell you that their commitment to innovation is unparalleled within our industry. Here's what makes eGym so special. They partner with companies to improve employee health by providing access to fitness and health facilities. Then they equip those facilities with cutting-edge smart gym equipment and digital solutions. The benefits are clear. Companies see reduced healthcare costs and increase productivity, while fitness facilities benefit from a growing engaged membership base. What really excites me is EGIM's smart fitness ecosystem. By combining their strength equipment with AI-powered software and their corporate wellness platform Wellpass, they are leading the shift to proactive preventative health. This isn't just AI for show. This is the real deal. If you're interested in learning more about eGim and how they're transforming healthcare through exercise, visit eGym.com. That is eGYM.com.

Well, I think what it does is it takes away that step, right? We're all marketers. We all know at the end of the day how many pages on a website do individuals click through. And so what we're trying to do, and what my main goal is, and the goal that I try to communicate to lawmakers, is I'm trying to increase access for more Americans to get and stay physically active for their physical and mental health, right? And so if you remove the barrier of needing to consult with a healthcare professional before utilizing your own money, your own pre-tax earned dollars towards getting and staying physically active, that's only going to increase utilization or increase even the thought process of somebody saying, you know what, I have $150 left over in my FSA account. Maybe instead of joining a gym in January, I'll do it now in November because I have this money to spend. And maybe now it'll hold me accountable because I have the money set aside. I can hold myself accountable in January by reinvesting in my FSA to cover my membership. And I already have the money set aside and it's there for that purpose. Right. So all of a sudden, we're not only increasing lectures or driving, we're incentivizing Americans to put the money aside that they don't have to worry about losing because it's already set aside for them to be able to guess their business reaction. Awesome.

Um, you know, with the new administration we talked about earlier, but uh it's it's come up a lot on this podcast. Uh, you know, we got RFK Jr., uh, we got Casey Means uh as a nominee for Surgeon General. Um, a lot of unique and different backgrounds up there in in the world of of health, right? Dr.

Oz at CMS. Dr. R does.

Yeah, yeah. No, it's it's wild, man. It's uh it's it's a really I know I wouldn't have I didn't have any of this on my bingo card, you know, five years ago. I I wouldn't have thought this was gonna happen, but it's it's it's unique, it's a unique period of time, especially as you mentioned like the you know, having the house and the congress and a lot of different things in control of one party. So, I mean, how how does this change a your guy's approach? And then does this have a boost of of urgency and optimism for the next three and a half years that you think we can really push things? This is our window.

Yeah, yeah. So that's that's exactly you're you hit it right on the head, right? So first and foremost, I'm gonna just preface, right? Our mission, our focus, our goals do not change, regardless of who is elected, who is in a seat of house. What changes is our opportunity if our ability to have a receptive audience, right? So we are extremely excited at our opportunities right now with the focus and the attention on Americans' health, Americans' preventive health, and seeing what we can do, right? Driving that good, audacious goal that we've always talked about, which is getting more Americans into the system and more Americans getting physically at. And so uh thinking with sky is the limit right now is the easiest way to explain it. But Liz was at the White House last week for the unveiling of the Make America Healthy Again report, which covered the need for more children and more Americans to be getting physically active, to be investing in programming, and frankly, for policy to reflect that and incentivize that. And so, you know, we're we're happy then not only are we able to have a receptive audience, but UCFA is able to have a seat at your at the at the table. But to your point, that window of opportunity is only as long as an uh as an election cycle. And so the midterms are coming up. Uh midterm campaigning will start probably come January. I know everybody is is enjoying the reprieve from the commercials, but get ready, it's coming again. And you know, it's set to be a very publicly, you know, politically charged campaign season yet again. And so, right, with Republicans having control of all both branches, legislative and executive branch, it becomes a referendum, so to speak. The party itself, and traditionally, you know, the party would be at risk of losing one of the chambers of commerce. Uh, that's just that's just historical fact. That's not something that I is my opinion. Will it happen? I don't know. Uh everything, nothing surprises me more, and nothing is certain anymore in politics, which is you know uh something that we have to play with and deal with all the time. But to your point about that opportunity window, that opportunity window starts to become smaller and smaller the closer we get to the end of even this year. So we even knew coming in that on January 20th, when the president took the oath of office, we had a small window of roughly two years to get anything done. And so we're charging at that. But to the health and fitness industry, what I would love to share is that now is also the time to be investing in the association, investing in HFA to help us do this. It's sometimes lost, and sometimes I I continuously say this, but we are the only trade association advocating on behalf of this industry in Washington, D.C. and across state councils. We are only able to do that work with the support of the supplier community, with the support of operators being members of HFA and through those dues, providing us the resources we need to do this work. Every dollar spent directly goes into the research products that we produce and into the seat that we do and enables us to do this work on behalf of the industry. So if I'm able to uh mint the pitch, if you're interested in joining HFA and you're not already a member, please reach out to me. Please reach out to the organization so that we can talk through it more some more. Because again, to your point, it's very vital.

Yeah, yeah, right on. European Congress. So talk to me. What's that all about?

Yeah, in October, we have our European event. Uh, it's our our trademark European event. It'll be taking place in Amsterdam October two through four. Uh, it's a great opportunity to bring the global industry together. And it's it's uh, you know, it's an executive level education event. We'll have some great keynotes, some great speakers, uh, and some great items taking place. We're also working for those who were with us in Las Vegas, we'll have our second rendition of our global advocacy summit, which brought global leaders together from our federation network to talk about how the industry can work with policymakers around the globe to advance all of the things that we're talking about. You and I are talking about policies around fit, which would incentivize through the tax code more Americans to utilize their tax-free dollars towards physical activity. How can we take that? If we're successful, that could be a real launching point for other nations to start working towards those goals. And what we'll do through our federation network is provide tools and resources to enable that to do so. So we're working to really expand the programming. I would encourage anybody who is in the market or interested in the European market to attend. I mean, it's always you know, October is probably the best time to be in Amsterdam if it's never been. So I still have a picture there or check it out. Their website was up to date on rechep that I don't know right on an alpha basis.

So besides what you guys are doing at the national level, is there anything that operators, people within our community here can do at the local level that would be impactful for these larger efforts?

Just stay engaged, right? If you're at the local level, you know, you should be engaged with your local chamber of commerce, you should be engaged with the mayor's office, you should be engaged with HFA, right? Because we're engaged at in state houses across all 50 states. So we're we're talking to not only the governors, but everyone down to mayors. And so if you want to stay engaged and get engaged, it will be beneficial building those relationships from the selfish advocacy perspective. If you think about it, most people don't start their career running for Congress for president, right? They they start their career either in their local township elections, their local city elections, their work local state house elections, and work their way up through the chain. So if you're inviting those folks to your ribbon cuttings, their your new club openings, your new facility openings, even just inviting them to come check it out, or you're seeing them at the Chamber of Commerce events in your in your town or city, those are relationships that are going to last a lifetime and be beneficial for your business in the long run. And so HFA is here to help with that as well. So if you're interested, just reach out to me because we love nothing more than connecting our members with their local policymakers at home as well because they're interested. They want to engage with you and they want to learn about the work that you're doing for the community. Right, Alan. Great, great call of arms.

Mike, I know you're a busy man. I'm gonna I'm gonna let you go. This has been really informative and uh really happy to get an update on everything, especially because it's all pretty good news. You know, that's nice. That's a nice thing.

It's great to have good news. Hopefully soon I'll have more good news to share. But uh, Eric, I really appreciate you inviting me to share the work that we're doing. And if again, if anybody's interested in learning more about the work that we're doing, please feel free to reach out. We can find technology show notes or something. Yeah, sounds great, Mike.

All right, man. Well, we'll uh we'll be seeing each other soon in New York for the Afletech event. And uh yeah, man, godspeed, keep up the great work, ladies and gentlemen. Mike Mazinski.

Thanks, Kinner.

There we go. Hey, wait, don't leave yet. This was your host, Eric Malzone, and I hope you enjoyed this episode of Future of Minute. If you did, I'm gonna ask you to do three simple things. It takes under five minutes and it goes such a long way. We really appreciate it. Number one, please subscribe to our show wherever you listen to it, iTunes, Spotify, Castbox, whatever it may be. Number two, please leave us a favorable review. Number three, share. Put it on social media, talk about it to your friends, send it in a text message, whatever it may be. Please share this episode because we put a lot of work into it. We want to make sure that as many people are getting value out of it as possible. Lastly, if you'd like to learn more, get in touch with me, simply go to the futurofitness.co. You can subscribe to our newsletter there, or you can simply get in touch with me as I love to hear from our listeners. So thank you so much. This is Eric Malzone, and this is the future of fitness. Have a great day.