Building Community and Leadership in Fitness w/ Joey Kazda

Join us as Joey Kazda shares his inspiring journey from gym member to general manager at Fitness Premier Minooka. Discover insights on leadership, community building, and the evolution of a fitness facility, along with tips on personal growth and industry success.

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Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:00

Welcome everybody to another episode of Fitness Premiere Beyond the Club. Here with my co-host and good friend Michael Orwick. Mike friend. Thanks for adding that in. That's a new add-in. So you're a good friend, Mike. So thank you. Appreciate it. We're excited to be here with Joey Cazda from Fitness Premier Manuka running the show over there. Joey, welcome. Thanks. Thanks for the introduction. Good to have you here, brother. I tell you what, every time I hear your name, I hear nothing but positive vibes coming about what you're doing over there in Manuka. So maybe we start with just telling the audience a little bit about you and your story and how you ended up where you are today at Fitness Premier Manuka.

SPEAKER_00 0:33

Yeah, so it's kind of been a crazy ride, to be honest. Um so starting back probably when I first got a membership right during the pandemic, and I uh so I I was a 14-year-old kid and I started working out. My buddy brought me to the gym. I was like, why not? I'll give it a try. You know, got in a breakup and I was like, I need to, you know, let some demons out. Sure. And I uh so I started working out and I started uh I started loving the community aspect of the gym. It wasn't really just about you know benching 225, like it was more so like I like how I can you know talk to people, everybody is willing to give me advice. Sure. Um, and uh another thing that I liked was uh the staff that they had. The steph was super friendly at the time. Uh in particular, this this guy, Josh. Yeah, yeah, sure. And I uh Josh was great. Yeah, and I I talked to Josh for for a while and almost every single day, and I mean you guys might have heard the story before, but almost every single day, you know, six days a week, I would ask Josh, is there any openings? I'd love to have a job. When can I work here? When can I work here? And for about a year um that went on. Well for like I was just asking, is there any openings right now? Um and Josh's like, no, not yet. Well, one day uh in in 2021, he was like, actually, there is an opening for front desk workers is is leaving. Well, right around that time, I actually I tore my knee and I was on crutches. So he saw me on crutches. He's like, Oh, I'm not gonna hire you now. It's you know, we think I remember that you're on crutches. So I'm waiting, you know, eight weeks after that. I uh I got off crutches and he kind of felt bad. He was like, I told you there was an opening, and you know, we already filled that that position, but I think I have an opening for you. So they actually hired me on to be like a floor cleaner, just floors, not front desk, just floors. And I would work two hours a day, four days a week. Literally, my my main objective was vacuum and mop. And then we had another front desk worker leave, and I got promoted the front desk. I might be the only person that's able to say that, but um yeah, I got I got promoted to fancy that's been uh it's worked out. So yeah, it worked out. And Josh asked me, um, what's your goal from here? Like, what do you want to do for the rest of your life? And I never really had thought about that question before, and I thought about it a little bit more. And I was like, I mean, I love a gym. Being a 15-year-old kid at the time, I didn't really know what that was really about, but you know, it's cool to say every kid says that. Oh, I want to run a gym eventually. So I I had that idea in my head for a while. I was like, one day I'm gonna run a gym. I don't care what it takes, I don't care what I have to do to get there, I'm going to run a gym. So, anyways, fast forward. Um, you know, I I work my front desk shifts. Um, they promote me to this thing called front desk manager, which was pretty much I made a whole cleaning list and had to um be the manager of our other front desk workers. It wasn't like an actual like promotion, didn't get paid more or anything, but it was uh so I mean there was that, and I I just felt more included, of course. Um, and then you know, fast forward a couple more years after that, a couple more years of work in that position, I got uh promoted to assistant manager. Right around that time, I graduated from high school. I got my PT cert, and yeah, at the time it was kind of like a, you know, we have a couple people leaving here, you know, we're just gonna make you assistant manager, you're gonna be still cleaning, you're gonna be doing the front desk stuff, but also a little bit more of a manager role as well, which I was okay with. Um, and then we had actually a manager leave that winter time. I became like the the general manager there and went around the time where he left, I started taking more coaching sessions. And then I figured out that I was pretty good at um just being personal. Talking to people, yeah. Yeah. Um, and I loved the idea of helping people with their fitness journey more of the community aspect, like I've started my journey with working out back in 2020. That's what I loved. So, like taking those coaching sessions, it's not really about getting people in and making their life healthier, of course. Like that's that's a plus, right? They're gonna lose a hundred pounds. That's that's a huge thing. But on top of that, it's making them feel welcome. A lot of people who are trying to lose weight have tried to lose weight before that. Sure. Uh and they failed, right? They they tried it on their own, they failed. And that happens a lot. And it was kind of a it was kind of a niche. So that's awesome. Yeah, that was kind of my upbringing. And then I guess you can call me the the operator now or Manookah.

SPEAKER_01 5:04

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_00 5:04

You've done it, man.

SPEAKER_02 5:05

Yeah. I mean, you're that's a great full circle story of like starting as a member, going through the journey and just grassroots, like learning the business and mastering your craft and finding your sweet spots and honing in, dude. That's incredible. I love that, man. So take us through just when you come into Manooka, describe us a little bit about that facility and like, you know, the vibe, the community, your team, and just you know, what does a day in the day life look like at at Manookka for you?

SPEAKER_00 5:29

Oh, 100%. So for me, I mean the first time I walk through the doors is for my workout. So I I walk in the doors and like immediately it's like, all right, I see our smoothie guy up front, greet him, greet Brent, and you know, everybody's doing their own thing, everybody's getting it in, either it's before work or what whatever. The time you get to the what time you work out. I like 7 30, 8 o'clock. That's what it's like. I get my workout in. Yeah. Um, going into the gym for work um is a little bit of a different story. I have a I have more of a smile on my face for sure when I uh yeah when I enter the doors for work, um, which I mean goes to show that I like what I do. Um I'm not faking a smile. Right. I uh a big thing for walking into the gym in MNUCA from a member's perspective for sure, is you see these people talking, and then they're not just taking up a machine and talking. Like you got people in the lobby who are talking. You got people in our back lobby, we have two lobbies. We have people talking to our staff at the front desk. Like it's always super, super um friendly and inviting every time you walk into the gym.

SPEAKER_02 6:37

Yeah, you guys have a couple good pockets of that social space where you can really have members connect with with you guys and the team and each other, which is neat. What's the craziest thing you've seen happen at Monoka since you've been there? Any wild stories you can share? Easiest thing. Maybe I should have thought about this before. It's okay. It's okay if you have you've only been in the you know five, six years now.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

So, you know, do you have when it comes to mind? I think it's crazy to hear your story and just kind of putting myself in your position and going through that, especially in your age and the way you know the world is nowadays. I'm sure there was a few times where you thought about, is this place really for me? Is this a job I wanted to get on your hands and knees and clean the floor, work eight hours a week? I'm sure that was probably, you know, hey, when's my time? When's a when's my time? When's my time? So the fact that you stuck it out and you know, overcome those type of challenges says a lot about you. And to Jason's point, I've heard nothing but good things about Joey Cazda. So the fact that I've had the opportunity to work with you side by side a few times and really work with you. Where do you where do you see like yourself in the future? Is this is this an industry that you see yourself staying in, doing over time, landing in the next three, five, ten years? What do you what do you foresee for yourself?

SPEAKER_00 7:44

I mean, for me, the absolute dream is to um not only run my own club, but own it, to to have a gym where I can I can run it, I can c I can call it my own, I can build it, whether it's from the ground up, whether there's already pre-existing members in there, and making the membership base just a more welcoming place. Right. Um now for me, like end-all be all goal would be somewhere kind of the the southern Wisconsin area. Um it's doable for sure. I love the I love the Wisconsin area. I love the Lake Geneva area. But you know, it's beautiful. My girlfriend lives there too, so that's obviously a plus. But uh it's it's it's gorgeous there, and also there's uh super friendly. There's not really a bad person that I've met in that area. So e whether it's in the northern Illinois region or the southern Wisconsin, it's all it's all the same thing, but it's all pretty cool.

SPEAKER_01 8:36

Yeah, I think you've had an opportunity to work with some pretty specific people in regards to specific skill skill sets. So, what are some of the takeaways from the leaders that you've had with us that you can take away, but maybe even use in your leadership development?

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Yeah, I mean, there's so many. I have a super cool team around me with Brent and Dana and Eric, and I've had Dan Duffy as a as a leader before. Oh, great. Um, Mike Kerr as a leader before. Um so I mean, everybody who's been above me at some point in time has given me great advice. Um and being as young as I am, by the way, I'm 19 years old. Wow. Um is uh, you know, I I take everything, everything that I can. I'm not gonna walk around like I'm the most intelligent person in the room because most of the time I'm not.

SPEAKER_01 9:22

Right. Um but you're humble enough to know that those people are being sincere, and that's a key takeaway that you don't know everything, but you're willing to learn 100%.

SPEAKER_00 9:32

Um so there's a lot of advice, especially coming from Brent Um that he's given me. Um I I like to say that Brent's given me all the tools that I need to know. Any question that I ask, it seems like he's already thought about the answer. You know, he uh he pretty much knows everything, everything that I'm gonna ask. And he is super good at training and developing people just like me, just like Nick, to grow and want to grow in the company because I mean that's that's what it's all about, right? Yeah, it's exactly what it's about.

SPEAKER_01 10:01

Let's let's go back to thank you for that, by the way. So let's go back to Minuca itself and talk about like the evolution of where you were as a member and where that club has not only changed in culture, but also the amenities that have been added to that location. Can you speak to that a little bit?

SPEAKER_00 10:17

Sure. Um so dating back to August of 2021, when I uh when I first roughly got a job there, we actually made this huge renovation where we knocked down some walls, we opened up some classrooms in the back. There was a uh physical therapy facility right next to us. They moved facilities, so we opened up that space and uh gave us a decent amount of square footage. Then we opened up a new dumbbell rack. So that was a big change. That was probably the first big change that I saw as a member, as a as an employee. But moving forward onto that, obviously, more recently within the past year, there's been the uh the relax and restore amenities. Now, the relax and restore, it's it's it's amazing. It speaks for itself. Game changer for sure.

SPEAKER_02 10:57

Uh tell us a little bit about all the stuff that's in there, and then you know, you guys have some of the most stacked amenities in the network, I think. So what are what are some that members are fighting over to get in on, like that they're competing for? 100%.

SPEAKER_00 11:09

Yeah, there's the uh there's the two human touch massage chairs. Those are those are great. Those are great, and everybody wants those, everybody wants the red light lamp that are usually right next to the massage chairs. So those two are probably the the most uh sought after. Yeah, yeah. Most used for sure, too. Um you can go in on a Sunday and you'll see somebody just go into the relaxing restore and leave right afterwards, not no workout, no nothing. That's Mike. That's Mike seven days a week. Uh you know, we have a pretty big sauna, and we actually have we have four saunas at the club. So everybody's got everybody's got a sauna to use. So that one's not really fought over, but uh also our frost locker. I know Brent was talking a little bit about the frost locker, but digging in a little bit deeper on that, um, my favorite thing to say about the frost locker is while there is a lot of physical benefits, there's so many mental benefits. Um, it can help combat depression, combat anxiety, help you get motivated for your workout, um, make you feel a little bit more disciplined for your day. Yeah. Um, whether it's your workday or your workout. How cold is that locker? It would you recommend that more before your workout then or after your workout? You know, I honestly would recommend it both, more so if you're going to do the sauna with it. I would say after. Yes, of course. Um, but if you're going to just do the frost locker, of course, fine. Um, it'll help motivate you for your workout for sure. How cold is it in there? I believe it is like 30 degrees in there. 30, 35 degrees. I usually do half the time that I stay in the sauna. So if I stay in the sauna for 10 minutes, I stay in the frost locker for five. Fine that's cool. Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 12:46

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:46

Yeah. You almost have to train your body for that, right? Sure.

SPEAKER_01 12:49

Yeah. Awesome. Let's talk a little bit about FitWave.

SPEAKER_02 12:52

Can we go there?

SPEAKER_00 12:52

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:53

How's what tell us a little bit about what FitWave is and and uh you know if there's any you know transformational stories or memorable moments that you could think of that happened in your guys' Fitwave studio? Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 13:03

Um I mean, there's there's a ton. FitWave at at Manooka really has been a game changer for so many people's fitness journeys. Dana is is the one running the show.

SPEAKER_02 13:14

She's a fit, yeah, she's senior vice president of Fitwave.

SPEAKER_00 13:17

She's our she's our Fitwave girl for sure. Um and like I like to say that the morning classes, it's it's Dana's friends, but realistically, it's just members who came in and then Dana got along with and made them feel like they were included, right? That's the biggest thing about FitWave, is everybody feels like they're included. And not only that, but it also promises success. Um, it is genuinely probably the best program that you can do bang for your buck, that's number one, and also just community aspect and getting an efficient and effective workout at, I mean, six days a week.

SPEAKER_01 13:51

So yeah, and you know, speaking a little bit more to that, it also targets not just a specific age. It's pretty much for every age, right? Yeah. Um, well, cool. So is there any like speaking of FitWave and client testimonials, is there anybody that you could think about, maybe a story that maybe you can share in regards to using FitWave or even personal training services? Top of mind when it comes to Minoca. Uh, can you repeat that? Yeah, so a client testimonial using our programming, using our our services. Some of you maybe can give a shout-out, kind of a story, maybe you know, a snapshot of of what that looks like.

SPEAKER_00 14:21

Yeah. Um, so number one person is my client Tom. I've been personal training Tom for about a year and a half almost now. And um Tom started at a weight where he was like, I really need to change this. Um and he had this goal, and and actually he's tried multiple times before to lose the weight. Um, and I was like, I would love to actually get you in. At the time, I was like, wasn't super confident in my coaching session abilities. So I actually put them with somebody else and they sold him the personal training and they just handed them off to me. But even with that, I was like, this is going to be the most life-changing thing I will ever do for somebody. It's one of my first clients I I really ever had. Wow.

SPEAKER_01 15:06

And you were probably not old at the time, 16, 17, 18 years old?

SPEAKER_00 15:09

17. And I uh yeah, I I I started working with him. Um and right now, you know, you fast forward a year and a half, we're we're damn near 100 pounds down. Um, huge, huge testimony um for him, and he's not even close to being done yet. Yeah. But huge shout out to him for doing all that. That's awesome. That's great.

SPEAKER_02 15:29

Love that. That's well, Joey, let's start landing the plane a little bit. So if if I'm if I'm a member of the Grundy County community and live in the Manuka Shanahan area, and I'm thinking about exploring what you have over at FP Minucka, where do I start? I come in with a premiere pass. Where do I start? What does it feel like? What should I do?

SPEAKER_00 15:49

Yeah, I mean, so number one thing is we really want to take you on a tour of our facility. We have so many things to show people. Yeah. Um, so many hidden amenities too that you just can't see from the pictures you see online, too. So, number one thing is bringing you on a tour, getting to learn a little bit more about you and your fitness goals. And whatever your fitness goals are, whether you want to build muscle, lose fat, just stay healthy in general, there are programs set that will help each and every single one of those um that promise success too. Um, so if I'm taking you on a tour and I see certain goals, and again, for for all ages, for everybody type, wave is a perfect program for literally everybody. Some people just feel like they aren't ready for Fit Wave, and some people the times don't work. Um and there's always other programs um to to put back on those uh those clients that are coming in or those members that are coming in. But if if we sign them up for uh you know, minimum, they're gonna love the relaxing restore. Minimum they get on a relaxing restore membership. And even that, they actually save money within the first six weeks, right? It's either you pay um 70 bucks for your first six weeks or 95 bucks for your first four, right? So in the beginning, they they save money and with that they use all of our awesome amenities.

SPEAKER_02 17:06

Yeah, you feel good when you leave, you get all the access to all the cool stuff that yeah makes you recover and feel great, right?

SPEAKER_01 17:12

Yeah, Minooka is the ultimate one-stop shop. You literally have a little bit hearing your story and hearing where Minooka was and where it's at, like congratulations on you know, not only what Manoka's done, but you're a big part of that. So landing the plane is sometimes hard, but let's let's let's do what we call just rap rapid fire. Sure. Okay. So we're gonna throw some things out there and you have less than two seconds to answer. Is that fair? Yeah, it's fair. All right. So are you more of a morning bird or a night owl? More of a morning bird. Okay. Free weights or machines?

SPEAKER_02 17:43

Uh free weights. High fives or nux? NUX. Oh, it was quick.

SPEAKER_00 17:48

Do you say, hey, how are you? or what's up, man? What's up, man? Do I look like I say a foam roller person or a theragon person? Theragun, for sure. I use it like every day. Yeah. Endurance cardio or a sprinter? Endurance cardio. Right. There's three phases of Fitwave core, the work, or the finisher. Which one do you like better? I like the core section. I would say that's the only one that really beats my ass. Okay. It's like uh, I mean, obviously I could push myself hard for every single one of them, but uh the uh the core section is it's it's crazy. I did that, I did five minutes of it with uh with one of Nick's classes like last week, and my core was tight.

SPEAKER_01 18:22

Yeah, I love how the the choreography of Fitwave puts the core at the beginning because most people skip core at the end, or I'll do apps at home. Cubs or socks. Cubs. Cubs. Okay. All right. Favorite NFL team? Bears.

SPEAKER_02 18:34

Go Bears. Go Bears. Go Bears. We'll end it there. We'll end it there. Um Joey, I mean, just to wrap up, just listen to your story. And like a 19-year-old kid is uh pretty incredible. Like sitting there talking to you, there's no way I would uh peck you for being that young, but I think like your story, the journey, uh, you know, the team around you is all aggregating into like super, super just uh amazing story and I think a journey for the rest of your career, right? Like when I think about that, when I started, I graduated college and had a had a guy sponsor me to finance a gym and I was a partner at 23 years old. Shout out to John, by the way. And I think you're putting yourself in a great position for people around you to help you do the same thing, right? Which we're super excited to be on that journey with you. And I think if you want to land in southern Wisconsin and open up a couple of gyms of your own, like it's in your uh it's in your future for sure. And it could be in your near future. So super excited for you, super glad you're with us here on this team. And uh yeah, just grateful you're with us, man. Thanks for being here today.

SPEAKER_00 19:34

Thank you.

SPEAKER_02 19:34

All right, brother. You bet. Good having you.

SPEAKER_01 19:36

Thanks, Joey.