Finding the right career path in fitness often requires knowledge and connections. Career Lab by Coach360 delivers both through a powerful dual approach this summer. This innovative platform combines fitness professionals, leading employers, and industry experts in two distinct formats designed to accommodate different needs and preferences.

Whether attending from home for the virtual event or experiencing the energy of an in-person event, Career Lab provides direct access to hiring managers, practical skills development, and transformative networking opportunities. With industry staffing challenges persisting across facilities nationwide, these events create critical bridges between qualified talent and premier employers actively seeking to fill positions.

The Career Lab Experience

Career Lab by Coach360 addresses a fundamental challenge in the fitness industry: connecting qualified professionals with meaningful career opportunities that allow them to grow and thrive. The experience builds upon Coach360’s Marketplace—a digital ecosystem launched in late 2024 that has already transformed how fitness professionals discover jobs and advance their careers.

These specialized events further Coach360’s mission by creating spaces where fitness professionals gain direct access to employers, industry veterans, and practical knowledge. The dual-format approach (virtual and live event) ensures that every fitness professional can participate in career-advancing opportunities regardless of location or schedule constraints.

Through keynotes, panels, workshops, and networking sessions, participants develop skills to stand out in the job market, build sustainable business models, and create authentic personal brands that resonate with potential employers and clients.

Virtual Career Lab: Nationwide Access to Opportunity (June 17)

The Virtual Career Lab on June 17th allows fitness professionals across America to connect with leading brands and industry voices without geographic limitations. This accessible format eliminates travel barriers while delivering comprehensive programming from morning until late afternoon.

Opening with Kathleen Ferguson, Coach360’s Founder and CEO, the virtual event immediately transitions into practical career development strategies before diving into brand-building with fitness luminaries like Eloiza Tecson, Todd Durkin, Lindsey Greeley, and Angela Gargano. Participants engage with virtual employer booths during structured networking breaks throughout the day, creating valuable connections with hiring managers from premier fitness companies.

The employer panel features talent acquisition leaders from Life Time, Pvolve, and Planet Fitness sharing insider perspectives on what truly matters when evaluating candidates. Additional sessions explore virtual career paths, skill diversification, creating sustainable six-figure incomes, thriving in the digital landscape, and pathways to studio ownership.

With speakers representing organizations like the American Council on Exercise, NASM, Fitstop, and numerous successful fitness enterprises, the virtual format delivers high-caliber insights with the flexibility to participate from anywhere. This comprehensive program provides equal access to career advancement resources for professionals unable to travel to California in August for the live event.

Live from Anaheim: Career Lab at TheFitExpo (August 1)

The in-person Career Lab experience kicks off August 1st with energetic morning workouts led by celebrity trainers Lacee Green and Maricris Lapaix. This dynamic duo starting the event sets the tone for a full day of immersive learning, followed by a networking breakfast that doubles as the first of several job fair opportunities throughout the day.

Corey Calliet delivers a powerful opening keynote on overcoming challenges and building a lasting legacy in fitness. The program progresses through essential career-building sessions, including a panel on transitioning from certification to a thriving career, and expert perspectives on client retention through periodization programming from Pete McCall.

The afternoon features sessions like Building a Standout Fitness Brand Rooted in Purpose, Passion & Personal Identity with Lacee Green and David Christopher. Todd Durkin returns to deliver the closing keynote on coaching greatness before Kathleen announces the Coach of the Year award ceremony and final networking mixer.

This live experience offers unique advantages through face-to-face connections with employers, hands-on learning, and the added benefit of attending TheFitExpo Anaheim on August 2-3. Participants gain immediate career connections and ongoing networking opportunities extending through the weekend expo.

Final Thoughts

Career advancement demands knowledge and relationships, two elements that flourish most powerfully when fitness professionals connect directly with those who shape the industry. Career Lab by Coach360’s dual-format approach recognizes that each professional faces unique circumstances, providing tailored pathways to growth regardless of geography, schedule, or career stage.

These events create community spaces where fitness professionals gain targeted, actionable insights while forming relationships that fuel sustainable careers. By uniting premier employers with qualified talent in formats that accommodate diverse needs, Career Lab by Coach360 turns staffing challenges into opportunities for meaningful professional advancement across the entire fitness ecosystem.

About Elisa Edelstein
Elisa is a curious and versatile writer, carving her niche in the health and wellness industry since 2015. Her lens is rooted in real world experience as a personal trainer and competitive bodybuilder and extended out of the gym and on to the page as a writer where she is able to combine her passions for empowering others, promoting wellness, and the power of the written word.