Optimal Aging
Are you a gym owner, personal trainer, or wellness professional looking to grow your business by attracting more clients over 50? Welcome to The Optimal Aging Podcast — your go-to resource for marketing, messaging, and member retention strategies tailored to the powerful 50+ demographic.
Hosted by Jay Croft, founder of Prime Fit Content and longtime fitness writer, this podcast delivers real-world tips, expert interviews, and smart content strategies to help you:
- Stand out in a crowded fitness market
- Connect with older clients who value quality
- Build trust through storytelling and clarity
- Keep members engaged and coming back
Whether you're launching a new studio or want to grow a thriving community of active agers, you'll find practical, proven advice here — every week.
💡 Topics include:
• Fitness marketing for adults 50+
• Email, video, and blog content that actually works
• Branding, storytelling, and building trust
• Retention strategies for gyms and training studios
• Trends in wellness, longevity, and brain health
Subscribe now and learn how to build a better fitness business — by helping people age well and live better.
Visit: https://primefitcontent.com
Optimal Aging
Creating Your Own Successful Fitness Brand, with Sue Hitzmann of the MELT Method
A lot of fitness entrepreneurs are trying to do what Sue Hitzmann has already done. She created a thriving brand, wrote a best-selling book, and helps people all over the world live better, more healthy lives.
So, I’m delighted to have Sue as my guest this week on the Optimal Aging podcast.
Sue is the creator of the MELT Method, a gentle, self-care system to treat pain and reverse the signs of aging.
Sue’s MELT journey began at 26, when -- amid a thriving fitness career – she began experiencing debilitating foot pain. Nothing seemed to help until she began researching how to take care of the problem herself. She found the answer was in her body’s fascia, or connective tissue. A series of light-touch exercises hydrated her connective tissue and healed her pain. From that the MELT method was born. The best-selling book and business followed. She now has some 2,000 MELT-certified instructors across the country, generally working with a slightly older demographic.
ALSO: I'm very excited to welcome our first advertiser, Naamly, a multifaceted communication tool that helps your members stay longer & pay longer, giving you the power to turn a new member into a lifelong customer.
Key Moments
5:30 -- She started in fitness at 16; the pain began in her 20s
9:50 -- What is fascia?
13:30 -- What does MELT mean?
16:55 -- Working with "older adults" and why we should be more "proactive" about pain
19:57 -- I hate foam rollers (MELT is better)
27:26 -- The power of rapport in communications
33:56 -- Sales conversations: What, why and how
36:35 -- "I'm a question asker... That's how you connect with people"
39:40 -- "People need us now more than ever"
41:39 -- Three Things I Like This Week -- Boxing vs. Parkinson's, Target, Travel Tips
Links
The MELT Method
Sue’s book and tools on Amazon
Sue on LinkedIn
Naamly -- Support our advertiser
Rock Steady Boxing
Target
AARP’s travel page
