Matthew Januszek, co-founder of Escape Fitness and partner in Escape Fitness USA, and Mo Iqbal, founder and CEO of SweatWorks, hosted Austin Cohen, founder and CEO of FlexIt, and Justin Turetsky, part of the founding team and COO of FlexIt, for a fast-paced LIFTS Podcast episode recorded against the backdrop of New York City's evolving fitness market.

The discussion covers the personalization and data-led fitness experiences gaining momentum in NYC, the ethics of genetically modified foods, the ongoing debate around authenticity in influencer marketing, and what the pursuit of excellence actually demands of entrepreneurs building in competitive markets.

What This Episode Covers

FlexIt is an on-demand fitness platform that connects consumers with personalized training experiences, built by Austin Cohen and Justin Turetsky on the premise that flexibility, data, and individualization are the defining expectations of the modern fitness consumer.

Operating in one of the world's most competitive fitness markets, FlexIt has had to develop a clear point of view on what separates durable fitness trends from short-lived fads — and on how authenticity and measurable outcomes differentiate a platform in a city saturated with premium options.

The founding team's combined experience in operations and concept development gives FlexIt a perspective that spans both the consumer experience side and the business mechanics of building a scalable fitness technology company.

Key Moments from the Conversation

• New York City's fitness market is being driven by consumers who are increasingly willing to pay a premium for personalization — a trend that reflects broader shifts in how people think about health spending as an investment rather than a discretionary expense.
• Separating fitness trends with genuine staying power from fleeting fads requires operators to look beyond initial consumer enthusiasm and evaluate whether a concept addresses a durable behavioral need or simply captures a cultural moment.
• Genetically modified foods represent a case study in how marketing shapes consumer perception — what may be a long-standing agricultural practice gets reframed as either a breakthrough innovation or a risk, depending on how it is positioned.
• NYC's food culture has a measurable effect on how its residents make dietary choices, creating a unique consumer environment where local identity, health consciousness, and access to diverse options intersect in ways that differ from most other markets.
• Influencer and social media marketing remains a powerful tool, but its effectiveness increasingly depends on the authenticity of the creator's relationship with the product or brand — audiences have become sophisticated at distinguishing genuine advocacy from paid promotion.
• Entrepreneurship in fitness demands surrounding oneself with exceptional people; the quality of a founding team and network shapes execution capacity as much as the strength of the original idea.
• The pursuit of excellence in product development and market execution requires a willingness to engage critically with what is working, what is not, and why — a discipline that FlexIt's founders brought to the conversation through frank debate rather than polished talking points.

Why This Conversation Matters

Matthew Januszek's work developing fitness equipment and environments for the North American market makes the consumer behavior signals coming out of New York City directly relevant — NYC often previews demand patterns that later move into broader national adoption.

The LIFTS Podcast conversation with FlexIt's founders is a reminder that the personalization imperative is not just a product feature but a cultural expectation, and that fitness businesses at every level need to be thinking about how they individualize the experience they deliver.

▶  Watch the full episode on YouTube

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