In today's episode, I sit down with the President of PVOLVE, Julie Cartwright, to discuss the company's groundbreaking approach to fitness tailored specifically for women in every life stage. PVOLVE is changing the narrative in women's fitness through their mission - to change women's lives at every stage through low-impact, functional movement.
Our conversation covers everything from the best workouts for women as they move through various life stages to invaluable business tips and strategies for female entrepreneurs who want to build a brand that stands out in the fitness industry.
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In today's episode, I sit down with the President of PVOLVE, Julie Cartwright, to discuss the company's groundbreaking approach to fitness tailored specifically for women in every life stage. PVOLVE is changing the narrative in women's fitness through their mission - to change women's lives at every stage through low-impact, functional movement.
Our conversation covers everything from the best workouts for women as they move through various life stages to invaluable business tips and strategies for female entrepreneurs who want to build a brand that stands out in the fitness industry.
Episode Highlights:
SQUAD LINKS:
GUEST LINKS:
Don't forget to leave a review! We love to read them -- THANK YOU!
The low impact. I mean people are just really starting to put real value in living their lives longer better. It's not just about lifespan, it's about health span, you know, and there's so many people that are, you know, at that time of retirement where you really want to celebrate that and yet they can't move their body the way that they really want to move their body. And so that's what we're trying to really help.
Speaker 2:Danielle Donovan and welcome back for another episode of the Squad Podcast, a fitness and wellness focused podcast for all of our go-getters out there. Today, we are talking to the president of P-Volve, julie Cartwright, about how to help women live better, longer, and how P-Volve is empowering women at every stage through low impact, functional movement. Whether you've tried the P-Volve workouts or you've heard a thing or two about them when Jennifer Aniston joined the team last year, I truly love that. They are one of the only fitness companies focusing on improving women's lives from fertility, postpartum through menopause and everything in between. P-volve has signature workouts dedicated to women at every stage. P-volve is truly changing the narrative through their company's mission, clinical back studies and clinical doctor board. You guys, did you know that women have historically been underrepresented in all medical research and, despite making up about 50% of the population, just 6% of publications included only females, which is so dangerous because our bodies are different, we age differently, we need to learn and know how to work out to improve our quality of life, and it's not until P-Volve that this narrative is changing. Julie is a true trailblazer, joining the P-Volve team in 2017.
Speaker 2:As president of P-Volve, julie is focused on spearheading the brand's overall vision and growth strategy and oversees everything from operations, marketing, sales and new business development for P-Volve's global business ventures. I've been doing the P-Volve workouts for a while now and truly love how good they feel on my body and mind. The low impact strength moves help me feel good and move better, while giving me that strength, confidence and energy I need to keep up with two little kids at home and for all life ups and downs. Right In today's episode we talk about why the fitness industry has traditionally overlooked women's life stages and how P-Volve is changing the game. We go into P-Volve's healthy aging clinical study and top tips for you on how to live better longer.
Speaker 2:The best workouts for women as you move through various life stages, from fertility to meta-pause and everything in between, and for a box-quad out there wondering the business secrets and strategies P-Volve focuses on. We talk about insights into P-Volve's business, growth and marketing tactics, how they integrate community and customer feedback into everything they do, and the best piece of advice from Julie for our fitness and wellness entrepreneurs. We cover so much in this episode and it's truly one of my favorites, so I won't make you guys wait any longer. I'm Julie. Welcome to the show.
Speaker 1:How are you today? I'm so great. Thank you so much for having me on.
Speaker 2:Of course, I'm so excited to talk today all about P-Volve, your mission and specifically what sets you guys apart. So let's dive into it and, if you can, share a little bit about P-Volve and what sets you apart from other methods in the fitness industry.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely, I love talking about this. So P-Volve really is functional movement paired with resistance-based training. So it's really a new to market methodology and it's I'm really proud to say it's clinically backed and it really is about moving your body the way that your body is really meant to move in every day. So everything from getting out of the car to picking up your child, to taking a walk around the block, the movements that we do in our workout really help to support that everyday movement and there's a ton of benefits to that really long term that I'm sure that we'll talk about.
Speaker 2:Absolutely, and I truly love your mission to change women's lives at every stage through low impact, functional movement, because it's truly so important. There are so many stages that we go through as women and we need to focus and strengthen our bodies for those different stages, which I feel like is not really out there, and I love that you mentioned your clinically backed. I know that you just had the Healthy Age and Clinical Study. I would love for you to talk about that, share a little bit about those insights, and there's a couple facts that I found just alarming that I would love to dive into.
Speaker 1:Yeah, absolutely. I think, first and foremost, we've got quite a bit of differentiation about us. I mean, first, we are new to market methodology that really helps you to not only look great but also feel great, and I know that that's really really important to everyone as to really feel good in your everyday. We also have patented pieces of resistance equipment, so equipment that you won't see anywhere else. It's patented. We have got three different patents on our resistance based equipment. And then I think that the other real differentiation is really around our Omni Channel offerings. So we have both in studio, so your traditional boutique fitness location where you can meet up with your girlfriends or bring your husband and you can work out in real life with a trainer, or you can actually experience the method at home, the exact same workout. So it's not an accompaniment, it's not something to do on your day off. That's not really linked very tightly to your in real life experience, and so we've got an on demand platform thousands of workouts and then, and then we also have live classes, which are two way and the instructor can see you at home. So that's sort of some of our differentiation. I think that when you talk about the clinical efficacy of what we've, what we've been building.
Speaker 1:I think I sort of take it back to when we started the company. I started the company with the founder back in 2017. And, believe me, I went into that meeting not thinking that I was going to change my career path, but I heard Rachel Katzman, who's our founder. I just heard her story and her story was so compelling and it really was about her wanting to look great. She was 23, look great, but she wasn't putting any emphasis on how she felt. So she sort of talked about that that through functional movement, she realized how important the emphasis is on how you feel every day, and I knew the importance. I was in my early 40s. I knew that, oh gosh, you know like you're really gonna, you're really going to care about the things that you did when you were younger and how that really impacts how you feel when you get older, and so I just couldn't say no and I really wanted to help her. Well, that exact story of Rachel's is the exact same story that we heard from thousands, tens of thousands of our members. We listen to them every single week. We listen to them every single day, and because everybody had this story, the story of oh my gosh, I got lifted but I've got this great like toned core I. I've got these great sculpted arms. That's all great. But then they all had this feel good story as part of it.
Speaker 1:So we knew that we were on to something. We knew that it was different than what other fitness options you know we're really touting as their results. And so we started to get doctors on our board. We've got four doctors that sit on our board that help our highly credited, you know trainers to really put together really strong programming. And then we got into clinical studies.
Speaker 1:The one that you just referenced is the healthy aging study and you know, I think we were a bit progressive. We got into it about two years ago and it's a really it's an all woman clinical study, which is unheard of. Less than 6% of sports clinical studies involve women and you know we we really put it to the test. We wanted to make sure that by practicing peave all as a woman that's 40 plus that we could substantially increase the strength in your hips, the strength in your knees, your balance, and when you think about one in four women falling after the age of 50, we proved just that that we could do you know, really improve your, your balance and your strength and help you to live your life longer. So those are some of the things that we've been up to.
Speaker 2:I love it and I love just the growth and the concept and the method and the mission behind everything. And circling it back to the stuff that you just said, only 6% of women are included in studies, which is insane because women make up more than 50% of the population. Why they're not included more? And so I love that you guys have focused on an all women focus clinical study and have incredible results from that. But why do you think the fitness industry traditionally has overlooked, you know, women in different life stages, from metapause to postpartum to pelvic floor health, you know how. Why do you think that's happened and how is pVolve reshaping that narrative?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I don't know necessarily why it's happened, but I think that as we've dug into more of the data, it's sort of astounding. It really is. You know, we are powerful parts of the society and even early stage, when we started to talk about pelvic floor health, people were like, oh, I'm not supposed to just allow myself to when I jump rope by pee, because just because I've had a baby, they didn't really realize that there are things that you can do to really help to prevent that. Metapause is this thing that women go into, that they just know is coming, that they dread, and yet there's not a lot of talk about the things that you can do to work with your body, not against it, during that time period to reduce those unwanted symptoms of that transition time.
Speaker 1:So I think that when we really started to focus in on women, we had our first doctor to join. Our board was our doctor of physical therapy. That's actually a pelvic floor specialist. She opened our eyes to just how much her patients need this type of workout to go beyond what she can help them with clinically and to continue to rehabilitate themselves at home. And then, further to that, we got Dr Nima, who's our chief physiologist and a key researcher for us to really start to talk about how we can be ahead of the industry and really do something around healthy aging with women, because he was so sure, he was so positive that we would get the positive outcomes and be able to have that clinical backing, and it was something that we just saw in the market as a need and also that was neglected.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, no, it's so true. When you say neglected, I feel like just, especially with postpartum. That's where I was. I just had my son 10 months ago and you go for your six thank you, and yeah, it's just. But it's mind blowing the lack of information. I feel like that's out there, because you go for your six week checkup, they check you for two seconds and then they say, yep, you're good, but you know you need to focus and strengthen your pelvic floor. I have no idea what that means. There's no guideline, there's no structure, there's nothing really to say what to do next. So I love that you guys are creating programs around that. So I would love for you to share what those programs look like and how women of all different life stages can take advantage.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely so. Our doctor of physical therapy, dr Amy, has definitely educated us a lot. There's actual programs on our on-demand platform that are labeled pelvic floor, but there's actually two different types of exercise that you can do. Actually, some people need to release a very, very tight pelvic floor that creates dysfunction in your body, and so we have specific programming for pelvic floor releasing. And then there's the opposite, and that's what I personally experienced after the birth of my two children is that I needed pelvic floor strengthening. So there's a different set of curriculum for our workouts that are really specific to that dysfunction. And Antonietta who I know that you've met who's our chief talent in training for all of our trainers, both in our studio and on demand she got very involved with Dr Amy to develop that programming and also and I don't say this lightly it also has a lot of education, because we, as women, I think we really want to know how we can continue to take some of the things that we're learning about our body into our everyday. So that's just one part of our programming.
Speaker 1:We also have special programming around menopause and the many different symptoms that you experience in menopause. I'm 48 years old. I'm not necessarily going through hot flashes, but I certainly was experiencing unwanted weight gain. So you know, or I could notice that my strength was decreasing. I was trying to put my suitcase above my seat on the airline, which I've always been able to do, and I sort of noticed in my early 40s that I didn't have that strength. That's not fair. That is not fair and we need to be able to do something about it. And so we really put together programming that is very symptom specific for menopause, and then we could go on and on.
Speaker 1:There's also programming around the four phases of your menstrual cycle. I mean, it's crazy. I have a 13 year old daughter and it's just the number of years that you are going through. You know your menstrual cycle is 40, 50 years. It's absolutely crazy. And so the idea that you can work with your body and not against it during those four phases is so important to us too. So we really were very progressive and we really believe in the fact that we had to have a woman first mentality in terms of how we were developing our product.
Speaker 2:I love the woman first mentality and it's so true I read that's why there's not a lot of studies with women, because their bodies are always changing with the different cycles and through the different stages. But, like you said, that's not fair. That doesn't mean that's okay. You need to focus and do something about it to be able to help women, because they need those different programs and strength training programs to be able to live their best life and feel their best, look their best, feel their best, and I think P-Volve really focuses on all of those angles. So going into them, the actual workout and the method itself, because it is so important. There's different stages and cycles that women go through. But the focus on strength training and low impact versus high impact and cardio and stressing out your body we all know that that's not sustainable. That's not gonna be realistic. But at what life stage is it crucial to introduce more strength training and low impact? Or what is a specific workout program that's gonna be most effective for your body look like?
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Well, I really think that you should always be incorporating low impact workouts, no matter how old you are. I mean, high impact can have long-term effects on your joints and you will age one day, and so I think it's really important to seek out movements that are gonna support your movement today, but also your movement 10, 20, 30 years from now. People are really looking for to live their lives much better, longer, so we often say that we really support that, so I think that's really important Strength training, specifically especially for women. You should really think about strength training again throughout your life, but certainly when you start to become 35 plus, your body, our biology, is just going to lose bone density and strength as part of our hormonal makeup, and it's incredibly important when you're in your 40s to strength train.
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Speaker 1:And also, you know, I think I'd say on the flip side. I was actually just talking to a girlfriend and she was sharing with me. She's just like oh my god, I work out so hard all the time. She's also 48, work out so hard all the time and I'm just gaining weight. And people don't realize that in your 40s you also have to be very careful about doing too high intensity workouts because your cortisol levels can actually make your hormones actually be more rampant and it can. It can actually do the opposite of what you think, and that is, you can actually gain weight. So, really, more doing short bursts of cardio. You know, definitely cardio is important for your cardiovascular health, but you want to be incorporating strength training and and heavier weights being lifted because you have to counterbalance that loss of strength.
Speaker 2:Right, so true. I heard you know when, yeah, you are doing that higher impact, your body goes into fight or flight mood, so it's going to see it onto any calories, anything that it gets, because it's in that frantic fight or fight mood. So I love that you are focusing on thinking more of a lifestyle and sustainable and and it's such a good workout too, like I've been doing them and I absolutely love it. And yeah, it's such a great strength intensive workout and they go by. They go by so fast. And yeah, I've been doing the workouts and absolutely love them. I love the resistance, I love the strength training component. They honestly go by so fast. So how did you guys come up with the specific method to where it is today to be that awesome, amazing workout? That is just addictive.
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean, look, I think it's been definitely an evolution. I think that Rachel who was introduced, our founder who was introduced to functional movement you know, at the very beginning, that's really what unlocked this entire idea, is this idea that you can move your body in a low impact way and really have amazing physical results but then also feel really amazing. And she wanted to take that one step further and really started develop a patented, resistance based equipment to really again sort of like differentiate and accelerate the results. So that's really where it started. It started very basic. We only had the strength and sculpt classes that I'm sure you've tried out, danielle.
Speaker 1:And then once we brought Antonietta and our other really highly certified trainers on board, and then we were listening to our members and what they really wanted. And then we had our Dr Board who who was kind of guiding us on the things and the ways that you need to move your body to live long and like live healthy. I think it was a combination of all of those things. And so we've got quite a few different types of class offerings, not just the specialized class offerings around the pelvic floor and menopause and your menstrual cycle and pre and post natal and even fertility. We even have programming around fertility that we worked with with our endocrinologist on our on our boards.
Speaker 1:We've got that specialized program. But then we also have strength and sculpt. We have sculpt and burn again to just sort of incorporate some faster movements in interval training, because your heart does need that too, but just kind of quickening the pace. And then finally, and this is probably the most popular right now, is our progressive weight training, and that really is, you know, part of the programming that was used in the clinical study for healthy aging, because it is really about, progressively, you know, lifting weights and what that can really do for your longevity.
Speaker 2:Amazing. And let's go back to the clinical healthy aging study that you guys did. What was the most surprising finding from that study? And then I'd love for you just to talk about how integrating weights is helpful as you age.
Speaker 1:Yeah, definitely.
Speaker 1:So I think that I was actually thinking about this as we were announcing this last week, but I think that the most surprising findings beyond the fact that we're clinically proven to improve your strength and your hips and your knees and balance is such an important thing for women as they age Actually, it's important for men too but there was also other markers that were also proven out, and that's like quality of life and then better sleep, better energy levels which, gosh Danielle, you as a young mom, I'm sure you know how important energy is.
Speaker 1:It's like we just have to get through our days, sometimes with as much energy and capacity as we possibly can have. So those were all amazing. But I think that what was really interesting is that the way that the study was set up is that there was a group of women that did P-Vol for a straight 12 weeks and then the control group did really like your normal type of activity so everything from normal cardio for that same time period, like 150 minutes of cardio and strength training a week and there was zero improvement by the control group. And then there was a significant improvement by the people that were practicing P-Vol, which, of course, incorporated our patented pieces of equipment and the functional movement. So I think that's the thing we're probably most proud of is that it's a remarkable improvement on the markers that can really help you to live longer, safer, without pain Amazing.
Speaker 2:It was pretty awesome, yeah, and like I said, I just love that you guys are focusing on women and it's crazy that there's not enough out there. And when you're talking about quality of life and that being one of the measures, what does that look like? How do you measure quality of life or what are those certain points to say, yes, you have a good quality of life?
Speaker 1:I think that there's this statement that's said right now and everything is about longevity in the space at the moment the IVs, the infrared, the low impact, I mean, people are just really starting to put real value in living their lives longer, better, and I think that there's this new statement out there that it's not just about lifespan, it's about health span, and there's so many people that are at the time of retirement where you really want to celebrate that and yet they can't move their body the way that they really want to move their body, and so that's what we're trying to really help, Helping people live their lives longer better.
Speaker 2:I love that. I think that's just such a strong statement and it's truly so true. At the end of the day, we just all want to live longer better and I love that P-Volve is helping the squad and everybody do that. And in switching gears, then going from more of the focus and the health side and the clinical side of P-Volve, the work outside and the business side, I'd love to hear how P-Volve became such a household name. You know you have Jennifer Anderson on board and how do you guys grow like that? What's that growth strategy look like?
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh. Well, I think, first of all, we were very ambitious, like very ambitious. We knew what this method was capable of and because we were hearing from our members their, like, profound results I mean, we talk to our member every single week. We have for years in front of the entire company and we really celebrate their stories, their stories of, you know, overcoming things in their lives through practicing, you know, this method. So we knew that we were building out a really amazing product, but we also we also were pretty ambitious. We wanted to not only have patented pieces of equipment, we wanted a global audience, we wanted to have a streaming service, but we also really believed that you have to show up in real life, in real communities, that we have to meet her where she is at. I was a mom at the time and I realized that some days I'd like to get my workout in, but I can't get to the studio, and so we always were committed to sort of this, this omnichannel, this omnichannel business model, and so that was, I think, I think a little bit of ambition, but at the end of the day, you also are touched with a little bit of luck and I'll tell you in August of 2022,.
Speaker 1:You know, jennifer Aniston's team reached out to us the first time her team has ever proactively reached out to a company, because she had been a secret streamer for a year that she had a story very similar to Rachel, even if it was at a different age, where she had pain in her body and she wanted to continue to move her body actively and she didn't want to sit on the sidelines, and so, by practicing P-Volve, she really experienced these transformative results and she really wanted to be a part of putting a megaphone to what it is that we're doing, because you sort of sometimes need a megaphone in this industry because it's very crowded. And I remember the first time we were talking to her, rachel and I, and she's like everyone needs to know about this, like everyone should be doing this, and so we're so lucky and honored we really are that she came on board and she's doing just that. She's helped us to really accelerate our growth. We just launched with her in June of 2023. And our business is through the roof.
Speaker 1:But also more people are just becoming aware of the profound results that you can get by treating your body right and choosing movement that supports your body today and tomorrow. So that is a very exciting part of our business unexpected, for sure, but we also we have awarded around 45 franchise locations. So, danielle, we're definitely we've already opened, I think, nine locations, and so we're really going to be infiltrating the US in terms of in real life studios, and you'll be able to experience it in real life or at home, depending on what your needs are.
Speaker 2:I love that and I'm sure the feeling of walking into a new franchisee location is just unreal, because you see it growing, you see it coming to life, and I also love that you said that you talk to a member every week and you celebrate a member every week. How essential is community to your marketing strategy? What does that look like? Because I feel like community is the core piece of turning every business into a brand and I love that you guys focused on that. Is that the main focus of your marketing, or what does that look like?
Speaker 1:Oh my gosh, Daniel, we're like absolutely obsessed with the customer. Like we're absolutely obsessed. We not only interview a customer every single week in an interview style in front of the overall company that's awesome. We're in tears, we're laughing, you know. I mean, it just is like it's so awesome but we're also doing a lot of other things.
Speaker 1:We're constantly in our WhatsApp and our Facebook groups just like listening to people supporting each other. We have Monday nights. We have new member like Zooms, with highly accredited trainers that really help to onboard, you know, a new member with a with a community, but also just to help, like, pull some of the intimidation out of and also provide support. You know, you've you've got to choose to move. It's not something like you know that that just happens, and so we like to support our members there. We're constantly looking at our MPS scores. I personally reach out to to members that send in reviews multiple times a week. I like I think that's the key to success. Like, absolutely it doesn't matter what we think. It really matters what your customer thinks. And you know we've, we've absolutely had to change some decisions that we've made based on a consistent, you know, customer feedback or member feedback, and we've also leaned into things because members have told us oh my gosh, just like you've just got to continue to do that. So it's a huge part of the ethos of our company.
Speaker 2:I love that you say that and that's what the squad is all about. It's the squad, it's the community, it's having people that are like minded to cheer you on, to support you on those you know, celebrate those wins, support you on those low days and be there with you every step of the way so you can truly see and feel that community sense. And I love that you guys have that as a core focus and that you guys, from the top level down, are focusing on that. I think a lot of people say, yes, we asked for about community, but they're not doing anything to foster community, and so I love also that you do the Monday night zooms. What are their things do you do to foster and kind of create that community within the Pbop community?
Speaker 1:Yeah, I mean definitely challenges, I think. I think challenges are a big thing. We're right now in a new year, new you challenge, and really what we did there is we have like a WhatsApp group and you know there's hundreds and hundreds of new members New and and, honestly, like legacy members that are helping each other, like you know, pick different workouts or explain different moves or answer questions. I think that's really important. And then there's like our studios, and that's a huge part of our model too, I think. I think in real life, community is we have meetups, we've got educational series, we add value, We've got, you know, sponsorships where we bring in, you know, iv and other things that our members would be really interested in, you know. So I think that we're constantly trying to be better in terms of community. I could probably learn a thing or two from the squad Like I really can't and I'm constantly trying to just like figure out how to amplify the member's voice and to have them, you know, really helping each other, because I think that that's just like so authentic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I love that you guys are focused on community and people just want to be seen and heard and valued and that's the true essence of creating that community and that you guys are focusing on that. And the challenges, too, are amazing, even when you're first getting started. I know in the system you log in and you know there is the Getting Started Challenge, which I've been doing, and it's good just to have a guide and then to have a community to support you along that. So, leaving it off last question, as far as community and support and advice, what would you say is your best piece of advice for female entrepreneurs in the fitness and wellness space who want to build a brand, who want to build a you know, a business that makes an impact or makes a difference? What would you say is that best piece of advice to give them?
Speaker 1:You know, I think that the advice that I would give you is that first of all, you have to have a product that works. You've got to have a product that people need, that delivers real results. But at the heart of it, I think you've got to be really, really, really passionate about what you do. This isn't an easy industry. There's been years where you're just like fighting through it, but in the belief that you know that you're delivering something that people need and you've experienced it yourself and you're hearing it from your members like that passion and that grit, I swear, is a huge part of the success of this company. And it's not just about Rachel and I, it's about our team too. They all really believe and are members first, of what it is that we're doing. So you know passion and grit, but a product that works, you know, and that you've actually put that efficacy behind and you know that it works, I think is just critically important, because that's how we attracted Jen.
Speaker 2:I could not agree more. Having something that works, but then having that passion behind it to drive you, to fuel you, to motivate you, to inspire you, to light you up, is truly everything. So, julie, thank you so much. I absolutely loved our interview today. Where can people connect more to you, to P-Volve and any exciting things you have going on?
Speaker 1:Yes, it's absolutely at pvolvecom. We also have pvolvefranchisecom if anybody's interested in franchising, and you can certainly also look on Instagram at P-Volve too. So and please reach out to me.
Speaker 2:Amazing. We'll put all that in the show notes and, julie, thank you so much for coming on today and sharing about the P-Volve story, the mission and just all more about women's health. I love, love your focus, thank you.
Speaker 1:Thank you so much for having me on.
Speaker 2:And there you guys have it another powerful episode. If you are loving this episode, come hang out with me over on Instagram where you are at, at the squad underscore co. And if you are loving this episode, I'd love for you to hit subscribe and share it with a friend, because we all know, success happens when you surround yourself with people who lift you up. See you, guys, next time.