Matthew Januszek, co-founder of Escape Fitness and partner in Escape Fitness USA, and Mo Iqbal, founder and CEO of SweatWorks, sat down with Ty Menzies — global CEO of Lift Brands, the international franchise organization behind Snap Fitness — for a LIFTS Podcast episode examining how the fitness industry has adapted to a fundamentally changed consumer landscape.

The conversation traces the behavioral shifts that followed the pandemic, the tension between digital and in-person fitness demand, how GLP-1 medications are intersecting with gym engagement, and the growing role of AI in creating hyper-personalized member experiences across franchise systems at global scale.

What This Episode Covers

Ty Menzies leads Lift Brands as its global CEO, overseeing Snap Fitness and its broader portfolio of franchise concepts across an international network — a position that gives him a uniquely wide-angle view of how consumer behavior and competitive dynamics play out across very different markets simultaneously.

His leadership perspective is shaped by the challenge of guiding a large franchise organization through the post-COVID transition, navigating the hybrid work environment's effect on fitness routines, and adapting to a consumer who has become significantly more educated about health and wellness options.

Under his leadership, Lift Brands has engaged with the strategic implications of mergers and acquisitions reshaping the boutique fitness sector, while also investing in AI-powered tools designed to individualize content and the member experience at scale.

Key Moments from the Conversation

• Consumer behavior in fitness shifted meaningfully after COVID, with the hybrid work environment creating both new opportunities and new competitive pressures for operators as members' daily routines became less predictable.
• The modern fitness consumer is more educated than at any prior point, raising the bar for what operators must offer and communicate in order to attract and retain members who are actively comparing their options.
• Digital fitness and in-person gym demand are not simply in competition — the more nuanced reality involves different segments of the population choosing different formats based on context, habit, and the quality of the in-person experience on offer.
• Mergers and acquisitions continue to reshape the franchising landscape, consolidating some boutique concepts while creating new ownership structures that alter how individual franchise locations are supported and positioned.
• Distinguishing fitness trends that have lasting behavioral foundations from fads that attract attention without changing habits is a core strategic discipline for anyone operating a franchise at scale.
• GLP-1 medications are generating interest in Ozempic-specific foods and training programs, pointing to a new sub-segment of consumer who is navigating weight loss pharmacologically while seeking complementary fitness and nutrition support.
• AI-powered hyper-personalization of content and member journeys represents one of Lift Brands' active investment areas, reflecting a broader industry conviction that individualization is the primary lever for improving both retention and satisfaction.

Why This Conversation Matters

Matthew Januszek's experience building Escape Fitness into a global equipment brand gives him firsthand knowledge of how franchise-scale decisions ripple through the physical environments where members actually train — making a conversation with Snap Fitness's global CEO directly relevant to the equipment and facility design work of Escape Fitness USA.

For LIFTS Podcast listeners running or investing in fitness businesses, Ty Menzies's perspective on AI, consumer education, and the post-COVID landscape offers a strategic framework grounded in operating at a scale that surfaces patterns most single-location operators never see.

▶  Watch the full episode on YouTube

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