If there is one person in the UK who has spent more time working to earn fitness and physical activity the institutional respect it deserves, it may be Tara Dillon. As CEO of the Chartered Institute for the Management of Sport and Physical Activity — CIMSPA — she leads the official professional development body for the UK's sport and physical activity sector, and her ambition is nothing less than putting preventive health at the center of national policy. Matthew Januszek brought her onto the Escape Your Limits podcast for a conversation that is as much about systems change as it is about gym floors.

Over nearly 90 minutes, Tara and Matthew cover how CIMSPA came to be and what Chartered status actually required, why the sector struggles to be heard by government and treasury, the critical role of quality data in making the economic case for physical activity, and how engaging older populations represents one of the industry's most significant untapped opportunities. It is a rare window into the policy and professional infrastructure that underpins the fitness industry most operators never see.

About Tara Dillon

Tara Dillon came to CIMSPA through a career grounded in operations and public sector management, including a significant stint as Executive Director at IQL UK, where she drove professional standards in water safety. When she was appointed CEO of CIMSPA, the organization was at an early stage of its ambition — Chartered status, which many thought impossible to achieve, was still ahead of it. Tara led the organization through that process, and CIMSPA has since established itself as a core systems partner in the delivery of Sport England's ten-year Uniting the Movement strategy.

Under her leadership, CIMSPA has grown from a handful of dedicated staff to an expanding workforce recognized externally as a Best Companies 3-Star World Class organization and ranked the number-one best company to work for in the not-for-profit sector. That recognition reflects a deliberately constructed organizational culture — one where Tara applies the same standards of professional excellence she advocates for the wider sector to the institution she runs.

Her focus increasingly extends beyond credentialing and into preventive health: making the economic and public health argument that investing in physical activity produces returns that dwarf the costs of inactivity, and working to ensure the Treasury and government departments understand that case in their own terms. She is widely recognized as one of the most experienced and influential voices in UK fitness and leisure, and one of the most effective at translating sector expertise into policy language.

What Tara Dillon and Matthew Januszek Talked About

• Tara explains the origin and purpose of CIMSPA clearly — including how Chartered status was achieved against considerable skepticism — and describes what it means in practice for the professional credibility of everyone who works in the sport and physical activity sector.
• The challenge of being heard by government is addressed with practical detail: Tara outlines why the fitness sector has historically struggled to secure the kind of policy recognition it deserves and what arguments have proven most effective in opening those doors.
• Cracking the Treasury issue is explored specifically — Tara describes the importance of framing the case for physical activity in economic terms that resonate with finance departments rather than relying solely on public health arguments.
• The value of quality, collective data is a recurring theme: without consistent, high-quality sector data, it is impossible to make the evidence-based case for investment in physical activity infrastructure or preventive health programming.
• Prevention over cure is positioned as both a moral and an economic imperative — Tara argues that the case for preventive health strategy has never been stronger, particularly in the context of NHS pressures that have intensified since the pandemic.
• Engaging the older population is identified as one of the sector's most significant opportunities, with Tara discussing both the barriers that currently prevent older adults from accessing physical activity and the systemic changes that would make participation more accessible.
• The fitness sector's image problem is addressed honestly: Tara acknowledges that the way the industry presents itself to outsiders — including government — has historically undermined its credibility, and describes the work being done to change that perception.
• People are loyal to people, not institutions — this principle shapes Tara's thinking on how CIMSPA builds relationships across the sector, and how the fitness industry more broadly might use personal connection as a tool for community engagement and retention.

Why This Conversation Matters

Tara Dillon's conversation with Matthew Januszek matters because the fitness industry's long-term success depends on more than great equipment and programming — it depends on the professional infrastructure, the policy environment, and the cultural legitimacy that organizations like CIMSPA work to build. Understanding how those systems function, and who is building them, is essential knowledge for anyone serious about the sector's future.

For Matthew Januszek, whose work at Escape Fitness USA reflects a deep investment in the long-term health of the fitness industry on both sides of the Atlantic, this kind of conversation represents a genuine contribution to the field. Bringing Tara Dillon's expertise to the Escape Your Limits audience connects operators and entrepreneurs with the bigger picture — the policy debates, professional standards, and public health arguments that will shape the conditions in which they do business for decades to come.

▶  Watch the full episode on YouTube

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