In this episode, Pete talks with Dixie Grace, a former planning engineer turned entrepreneur who has "brought back" the boiled peanut (a long time classic Southern snack) to the Northeast, an area where they're notoriously difficult to find . . . but not anymore! Raised by a single parent, she comes from a family of entrepreneurs, with her grandmother owning beauty salons and her mother being involved in various business ventures. Dixie shares her journey of creating artisanal boiled peanuts and...
Dec 29, 2023•35 min•Season 1Ep. 467
In this episode of HALO Talks, host Pete Moore is joined by Director of Education, Jeremy Strom, from Reaxing International. Jeremy shares insights into the Reaxing system, a game-changing, neuroscience-based program designed to train for unpredictability and enhance overall movement and response time. He discusses the company's innovative products, such as the Reax Run treadmill and Reax Board, and their impact on various industries, from health clubs to helping with Parkinson's treatments. Jer...
Dec 25, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 466
Host Pete Moore welcomes Josh Forkner, a prominent figure in the CBD space. Josh shares insights into his company's operations, including their innovative approach to product development, strategic partnerships, and the challenges they've faced in the market. Pete and Josh dive into the unique selling points of CBD products, the potential for growth in the industry, and the transformative impact of CBD on customers' lives. From athlete endorsements to navigating legal restrictions, this conversa...
Dec 22, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 465
In this episode, host Pete Moore sits down with serial entrepreneur Todd Abrams, the Co-Founder and CEO of ICON Meals. Todd shares his journey from starting his entrepreneurial ventures in the software industry to his passion project based in Texas, ICON Meals, which focuses on providing convenient and healthy food options. Throughout the conversation, Todd discusses the challenges and successes of his business ventures, the importance of building a strong team, and his perspective on taking res...
Dec 18, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 464
In this episode, host Pete Moore dives deep into the VC (venture capital) world with Kiva Dickinson, Founder of Selva Ventures. Kiva began his career in investment banking before joining TPG. He received top-notch training there and developed a keen interest in the dynamics of the consumer world, particularly in ecommerce and health and wellness. His focus shifted to earlier stage opportunities, particularly in the better-for-you products sector. Kiva shares valuable insights from his TPG and Ci...
Dec 14, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 463
Jack Thomas, originally from Australia, has been living and working in Thailand for the past few years. In this episode, host Pete Moore and Jack discuss everything from the burgeoning boutique fitness industry in Asia, to the evolving trends and growth opportunities in the U.S. fitness market. He is excited about the emerging markets in other Asian countries, such as Manila and Indonesia, and sees great potential for growth in the region. Jack also shares his new concept, The Fit Guide, a pione...
Dec 08, 2023•31 min•Season 1Ep. 462
Dane McCarthy is a former rugby player who pursued a career in finance before joining salesforce.com. After several years in financial services, he was transferred to New York. During the pandemic, he quickly realized the different workout culture in the US compared to Australia, where people often train in groups. That eventually led him to start Village Athletic . . . which helped unite people in their fitness journeys and filling the absence of the social training element that he missed back ...
Dec 04, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 461
Laura Adelson is a yoga enthusiast and now a new business owner who credits her husband for encouraging her to take a chance, buy the business, and save her long-time yoga studio from closing permanently. Together, they turned the struggling business into a thriving community hub and a place of learning for both students and teachers. She shares insights into the studio's brand identity, the process of saving the business, and the evolving landscape of yoga and fitness. From community building t...
Nov 28, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 460
Gary Kleinman is a seasoned marketer and former attorney who has always believed in the power of storytelling. After realizing the similarities between the marketing world and being a litigator, he decided to venture into a career that combined his skills in both fields. For years, Gary successfully ran an experiential marketing agency that specialized in organizing mobile tours for renowned organizations such as MLB, NFL, and Warner Brothers. Everything changed though after he stumbled upon an ...
Nov 24, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 459
Bill Parisi is a former athlete who began his career over 30 years ago. As a Division 1 all American athlete in college, he quickly realized the lack of appropriate training for young athletes in field and court sports. In 1990, he began his entrepreneurial journey with a small 3,000 square foot facility, which quickly grew to multiple locations. With guidance from industry expert Tom Plummer, Bill focused on helping young athletes aged 7 to 18. Pete and Bill dive deep into the world of youth sp...
Nov 21, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 458
Steven Puri, along with his friend Ulf, embarked on a mission to address the growing problem of stress and overwhelm in today's (extremely) fast-paced world. Both experienced moments where they felt stressed out and unable to fully enjoy life, due to an almost overwhelming number of tasks to complete. (Sound familiar?) Determined to find a solution, they decided to harness the wisdom of experts who had written about stress management and turn it into a user-friendly app. Their app not only inclu...
Nov 17, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 457
Maura Vella started her journey in the corporate world, quickly climbing the ladder and achieving financial success by the age of 24 in tech sales. However, she realized that despite the impressive paycheck, she lacked a sense of purpose and excitement. This led her to embark on a different path, one centered around her newfound passion for yoga. She eagerly attended classes every day, and it became the focal point of her daily routine. Fueled by this passion, she made the rather large decision ...
Nov 15, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 456
Chuck Goetschel is the CEO and Co-Founder of Rallio, and a respected figure in the franchising community, known for his strong belief and track record in building and maintaining positive relationships between franchisors and franchisees. With a focus on empowering and supporting franchisees while utilizing the strength of the brand, his mission is to ensure a harmonious and successful partnership between the two. He shares his expertise in solving problems and creating technology for local busi...
Nov 10, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 455
Pete Moore, Founder & Managing Partner of Integrity Square recounts a conversation he may or may not have had at one point or another in his investment banking career. These types of discussions may or may not also take place daily in investment banks and M&A firms everywhere. As he's often fond of saying, "Finance is basic math. It's not hard, but the people in the sector love to make it sound hard." That's one of the (many!) reasons you need a firm like Integrity Square if you're ever ...
Nov 09, 2023•4 min•Season 1Ep. 454
Amy Bantham began her career in the late nineties as a group exercise instructor, a role she quickly fell in love with. While working in management consulting, she realized that it was teaching group exercise during her lunch hour that truly brought her joy and drive. This eventually led her to begin working with the main industry trade group, IHRSA (International Health, Racquet & Sports Association) for over a decade where she focused on advocacy, health promotion, and health policy. Durin...
Nov 06, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 453
Bill Davis is an extremely dedicated individual who has witnessed the tremendous transformation and maturity of the HALO (Health, Active Lifestyle, Outdoors) space over the past few years. Despite the anxiety and uncertainty brought about by the pandemic, Bill has been impressed by the sustained growth and expansion of both membership and brands within the industry. With a keen understanding that fitness and wellness are top priorities for many, he recognizes the critical importance the brick an...
Oct 30, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 452
Wade Norris is a former researcher at Google AI, where he had the fortune of transitioning into the AI space just as it was gaining momentum. His expertise lies specifically in helping computers understand photos, videos, and the surrounding world. Wade had an amazing journey there, starting with a team of only 10 and witnessing its rapid growth to 140 researchers. During his tenure, he contributed to the development of several impressive products. Eventually, he seized the opportunity to explor...
Oct 27, 2023•28 min•Season 1Ep. 451
Chris Mirabile's passion for health started young. At 12, he stumbled on to a copy of Men's Health magazine, which inspired him to take care of his body through exercise and what he believed was a healthy diet. Health became an integral part of his life until everything changed when he was 15. While on a school trip in New York City, Chris unexpectedly had a seizure caused by an undetected, golf ball-sized brain tumor that had been growing for years. This medical emergency necessitated immediate...
Oct 24, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 450
Jake Thomas began his career in the fitness industry immediately after college. With a background in athletic training and a strong passion for working with kids and training athletes, he joined Forward Fitness and Parisi Speed School. Here he tells the story of how he went from Fitness Manager to proud Owner! After gaining valuable experience, he moved on to MVP Sports Clubs in Michigan, where he spent five years overseeing sports performance programs within the clubs. Wanting to return home, h...
Oct 17, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 449
Jane Curth is a passionate individual who has made a significant impact in the field of education and personal training. With a background as a professor in kinesiology, she specialized in online education and was recognized as a finalist for a state award for excellence in online teaching. It was during her teaching career that she identified a pain point in the industry and decided to take action. Jane's idea was to create a personal training course at the college level, allowing students to e...
Oct 13, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 448
Charles Seltzer and his Co-Founder Brendan Doney shared a passion for team sports since childhood. From hockey, basketball, and soccer to football, lacrosse, and more . . . their lives revolved around sports. However, their competitive sports journey ended after high school, and college only offered the chance to play intramural. After graduating, both found it heard to find a reliable team to play on. They joined different leagues but often missed games and weren't particularly thrilled with th...
Oct 05, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 446
Dr. Bechara Saab is a classically trained chemist with a passion for understanding the intricacies of the human mind. After completing his Ph.D in neuroscience at Mount Sinai in Toronto, Dr. Saab pursued a career as a principal investigator at the University of Zurich, where he opened his own laboratory. Through his work, he made a groundbreaking discovery - a strong correlation between the lack of exploratory drive in individuals with mental illness and their symptoms. This revelation prompted ...
Oct 03, 2023•27 min•Season 1Ep. 445
On today's episode we chat with Alex Peacock from Leisure Labs. He joins us from the UK to discuss the future of technology in the fitness industry, and how to prioritize your tech investments for maximum impact in 2023. With over 20 years of experience, he has witnessed the industry's shift toward embracing new technologies, but there's still work to be done, and Alex shares his insights on where we currently stand and what lies ahead. Pete and Alex dive deep into the top three technology prior...
Sep 29, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 444
Udaiyan Jatar, born and raised in India, had a unique upbringing due to his father's career as a fighter pilot. He attended 13 different schools across 6 states and became proficient in 4 or 5 languages. Coming from a family with a strong military background, this played a significant role in shaping his life. After completing his education, Jatar started his career in door-to-door sales. He later pursued an MBA and joined Procter and Gamble, a major company in India during the time of the count...
Sep 26, 2023•30 min•Season 1Ep. 443
HALO Talks, on behalf of Integrity Square, is pleased to share this podcast with our new client, HealthFitness Corporation. HealthFitness is committed to further expansion into facilities-based fitness management and has engaged Integrity Square to assist in outreach with prospective owners who are seeking a great home for their company and employees. If you are interested in exploring opportunities after hearing this podcast, please reach out to Rosa Alaimo-Quinn, our Chief of Staff, to arrange...
Sep 25, 2023•29 min•Season 1Ep. 447
Eziah Syed is a former athlete with a background in fitness and health. He played basketball at a national level in Canada and also had some experience in the tech space. His life took a turn when his mother was diagnosed with cancer and his brother suffered a serious fall, resulting in multiple injuries. These personal experiences made Eziah reflect on the healthcare system and the care received. He noticed gaps and questioned why his own injuries were taking longer to heal than expected. This ...
Sep 22, 2023•24 min•Season 1Ep. 442
Randy Sussman is an entrepreneur who identified a gap in the market for pickleball apparel early on. Observing that players were initially wearing items like heavy cotton shirts with kitschy designs, he quickly realized the need for high-quality, stylish clothing in this growing sport. The number of players have grown exponentially to approximately 7-8 million players, with 35-40 million having tried it at least once last year. Determined to meet this demand Randy approached his friend David, an...
Sep 20, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 441
Natacha Nelson's journey has been one of resilience and determination. In college, she faced the disappointment of not making any sports teams and struggled to find her identity as a mixed-race individual. Battling addiction, she eventually left. Not too shortly after, a moment of realization pushed her to make major changes. Working tirelessly in multiple restaurants, Natacha decided to return to a junior college to pursue her dream of going into the medical space. Starting with anatomy and phy...
Sep 13, 2023•25 min•Season 1Ep. 440
Rechelle Balanzat, an extremely determined, driven, and resilient entrepreneur, has overcome the rather large challenges of breaking into the highly competitive dry cleaning market with her company, JULIETTE. With her immense success in this competitive space, Rechelle now helms three different brands and 6 locations in NYC. New York has been her home for over 20 years, enabling her to understand the city's unique mentality and lifestyle. Her expertise with the fast-paced demands of New Yorkers ...
Sep 07, 2023•26 min•Season 1Ep. 439
Live from the floor of the March 2023 IHRSA Trade Show in San Diego, host Pete Moore interviews Blake Richards formerly with Nike as a Senior Data Quality Analyst, then Senior Global Membership Ops Process Coordinator and now as the Founder of Wunup . Wunup is a one-of-a-kind app that dives into world of gamification and peer-to-peer challenges in the fitness industry. Blake shares his journey from working at Nike to creating his own company, and how the culture and innovation at Nike influenced...
Sep 05, 2023•23 min•Season 1Ep. 438
