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A podcast for female boutique fitness, wellness and physical therapy small business owners who want expert insights and honest conversations about what it means to show up, thrive, and of course GET PAID.
312 Episodes
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Confused about whether your team should be classified as employees or independent contractors? You’re not alone — and getting it wrong can cost you big time. In this episode of Female emPOWERED, host Christa Gurka sits down with returning guest Katie Santos, founder of FitnessHR, to unpack everything studio and wellness business owners need to know about HR compliance, classification, and protecting your business. Together, Christa and Katie break down real-world examples from Pilates, yoga, ...
In this episode of Female emPOWERED, Christa sits down with website designer and SEO expert Jess Freeman, the creative behind both the Pilates in the Grove and Christa Gurka websites. Together, they unpack exactly what makes a boutique fitness or wellness website stand out in 2025—and what you need to prioritize to attract more clients and rank higher on Google. Jess shares her proven process for stress-free website builds, her favorite platforms for service-based businesses, and her expert i...
In this week’s Female emPOWERED episode, Christa breaks down one of the most powerful—and misunderstood—decisions you’ll ever make as a boutique fitness or wellness business owner: finding your niche. If you’ve ever worried that niching down means turning clients away, leaving money on the table, or boxing yourself in, this episode will change your perspective. Christa shares why narrowing your focus actually expands your impact and profitability, how to identify your ideal client, and what i...
Female emPOWERED Podcast | Episode 307 🎙️ How to Ramp Up New Hires Without Killing Your Profit Margin Are you staring at your new team member’s half-empty schedule and wondering, “Did I make a mistake?” You’re not alone — and you’re not losing money (even if it feels like it). In this episode, Christa Gurka walks you through how to set realistic utilization expectations for new instructors or clinicians, how to design smart compensation structures, and what you can do if your new hire isn’t ...
Are Google Ads worth it for your studio or practice? If you’ve ever wondered why ads don’t seem to work for you—or why you’re spending thousands each month without seeing results—this episode is for you. I’m walking you through the anatomy of a Google Ad and breaking down how to set up campaigns the right way so you can start generating consistent, high-quality leads. Inside the episode, you’ll learn: The three types of Google Ad campaigns every brick-and-mortar business should run: non-brand...
Welcome back to another episode of Female emPOWERED, the podcast for female boutique fitness and wellness business owners. I’m your host, Christa Gurka, and today we’re diving into one of the toughest leadership challenges for studio and clinic owners: how to transition clients from your personal schedule to a new team member’s schedule—without losing trust, clients, or revenue. If you’ve ever felt nervous about handing off your long-time Pilates clients, physical therapy patients, or yoga st...
How you pay your team can make or break your business. In today’s episode of Female emPOWERED, I’m breaking down the most common compensation models for Pilates instructors, yoga teachers, and physical therapists—and why getting this wrong can destroy your margins, retention, and culture. Too many studio and practice owners overpay staff, set up complicated systems nobody understands, or tie pay directly to percentages that cut profits in half. It doesn’t have to be this way. Inside this epis...
How do you build a boutique fitness brand that stands out in a crowded market? And how do you balance staying true to your values while also marketing for growth? In this episode of Female emPOWERED, I’m joined by my dear friend and returning guest Kari Saitowitz — founder of Fhitting Room in NYC and current CMO of New York Sports Club. With a background at American Express, Pepsi, and a Harvard MBA, Kari blends world-class marketing expertise with the real-life lessons of building and scalin...
Do you ever feel like you’re running in circles in your business — putting out fires, answering team questions, juggling clients — and never getting ahead? In this episode of Female emPOWERED, I’m joined again by my go-to content strategist and business bestie Latasha Doyle, founder of Uncanny Content . Together, we dive into the real-life benefits of stepping away from the day-to-day and giving yourself a CEO Day, VIP Day, or DIY business retreat. This isn’t about working harder — it’s about...
: 🎙️ Female emPOWERED Podcast Episode: How Hosting Workshops Can Grow Your Revenue, Community & Credibility Episode Summary: In this episode, Christa Gurka shares everything studio owners need to know about hosting in-house workshops — not just attending them. If you’ve been searching for new ways to increase revenue, train your team, and build your brand’s authority in your local wellness community, workshops may be your next power move. Christa breaks down exactly how and why hosting ...
Welcome to the 300th episode of the Female emPOWERED podcast! I never imagined we’d reach this milestone, and I want to use this special moment to honor the women who made this possible. In this heartfelt solo episode, I’m reflecting on the incredible journey from launching the podcast in 2021 to now. But more importantly, I’m celebrating the designers, mentors, team members, clients, business besties, and podcast guests who helped me grow not just a podcast—but a movement for women in wellne...
Episode Summary: Thinking about selling your fitness or wellness business one day? This episode is a must-listen. Christa Gurka sits down with Mitch McGinley, founder of Boutique Fitness Broker, to unpack the highs, lows, and lessons learned from her own seven-figure studio sale. Together, they explore what makes a business truly sellable, how deal structures are formed, what to expect during due diligence, and how SBA financing, SDE, and EBITDA play into your valuation. They also get real a...
In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, Christa Gurka tackles one of the most important mindset shifts a wellness entrepreneur can make: moving from being an operator to becoming a true business owner. If you're feeling stuck in the daily grind, overwhelmed by decision fatigue, or like your business can’t function without you - this episode is for you. Christa shares insights from her own journey of growing Pilates in the Grove from a hands-on, owner-run business to a scalable compan...
From Changing Room to 3 Locations: Jennifer Gelfand’s Journey to Building a Transformational Wellness Brand In this episode of the Female emPOWERed Podcast, I’m joined by Jennifer Gelfand, pelvic floor physical therapist, yoga teacher, and founder of Root to Rise Physical Therapy in Maine. What started as a one-woman show treating patients in a yoga studio changing room has grown into a thriving, multi-location, multidisciplinary wellness practice—and it didn’t happen overnight. We dive into ...
In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, host Christa Gurka - physical therapist, studio owner, and business mentor - shares actionable strategies for conducting a mid-year business review. Aimed at Pilates studio owners and wellness entrepreneurs, this episode walks you through how to reset and refocus your business for a strong finish to the year. Christa dives into the core areas to evaluate during a quarterly check-in, including offers, pricing, scheduling, team alignment, and rev...
In this inspiring episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, host Christa Gurka welcomes Erin Canada, the founder of Paradise Pilates in North Carolina. Erin shares how her personal experience with chronic back pain and a love for Pilates led her to launch not one, but three successful studio locations in just 13 months. This conversation dives deep into the transition from instructor to business owner, highlighting the importance of strong systems, hiring the right team, and understanding your...
In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, host Christa Gurka reflects on a powerful insight from a recent Inner Circle retreat - your greatest strengths can sometimes become your biggest obstacles. Drawing from a CliftonStrengths assessment she completed with her mentees, Christa unpacks how common entrepreneurial traits like “achiever,” “empathy,” and “strategic” thinking can work for or against you, depending on how they're used. She explores how self-awareness around your own streng...
In this episode, Christa takes you behind the scenes of a live training she hosted for her Inner Circle clients, all about how to get better results from AI tools like ChatGPT. If you’ve ever felt stuck staring at a blinking cursor when trying to write content - or ended up with a robotic, boring blog post - this episode is for you. You’ll learn exactly how to write better prompts that get you high-quality content tailored to your brand voice, audience, and goals. What You’ll Learn in This Ep...
In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, host Christa Gurka addresses a challenge many wellness entrepreneurs face: a summer marketing slump. July, in particular, can feel slow - with fewer leads, lower engagement, and conversions that seem to stall. But before you scrap your strategy entirely, Christa explains why a full overhaul may not be necessary. Instead, she encourages business owners to diagnose before they pivot. Using data to compare current performance to the same period la...
In this powerful and validating episode, host Christa Gurka dives into a topic many business owners feel but rarely name: the invisible emotional labor that comes with leadership. From managing team morale to handling client dissatisfaction, making decisions, and being the emotional safety net for everyone - women business owners often carry an unseen weight that leads to burnout, resentment, and stress. Christa shares her own experiences and offers a compassionate but practical framework for...
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