Every operator has interviewed this candidate. Four-year degree in kinesiology or exercise science, strong transcript, genuinely bright, and no idea how to run a session with an actual person in front of them.
You hire them anyway, because the market is thin, and then you spend six months teaching them what school did not. That cost sits in your payroll as a coach who cannot carry a full book yet, and in your calendar as the hours you spend developing them.
The candidate is paying too. Health and wellness graduates face significant underemployment, working outside their field simply to get by, which is a strange outcome for a degree in a growing industry.
That gap between what a classroom produces and what a floor requires does not close on its own. Somebody has to do the developing, and for most operators that somebody is you, working from instinct, in whatever hours are left.
A Different Way to Carry It
FITFIXNOW runs accredited continuing education online, self-paced and mobile, with courses approved by NASM, ACE, AFAA, ISSA, and ACSM, meaning the CEUs count toward recertification rather than sitting in a folder somewhere.
The catalog spans mental health and recovery, fitness and training, professional skills including communication and leadership, and specialized care covering injury prevention, active aging, and special populations. Certificates are issued immediately on passing. Tens of thousands of customers have come through the platform.
The operational appeal for an owner is that none of it requires pulling a coach off the floor for a weekend or covering travel to a conference. Development happens in the gaps that already exist in a coach’s week.
Christine Conti is the owner and CEO of FitFixNow. She says, “The average client today is looking for more than just a workout; they expect an experience. They want a trainer who not only creates safe, effective programs but also understands how to support mental health, recovery, nutrition, and more. FITFIXNOW provides a platform for fitness pros to easily gain access to the resources they need to keep up with the growing demands of their clients. Providing affordable CEU-approved courses on demand is key when it comes to standing out in the industry and increasing revenue and retention.”
Why This Belongs in a Growth Conversation
Fitness staff development gets filed as a cost, which is why it tends to be the first thing cut and the last thing planned. Filed correctly, it is a pricing decision.
An operator competing on equipment is in a commodity fight they will eventually lose, because anybody can buy the same racks. An operator whose coaches are demonstrably better than the coaches down the street can charge more and hold members longer, and that difference compounds every month it persists.
Specialized categories matter more than general ones. Active aging, chronic conditions, and injury prevention open member populations most facilities currently serve badly or avoid entirely. A coach trained to work with a sixty-five-year-old managing arthritis can bring in members your competitor cannot handle.
There is also the retention math, which most operators underprice. A coach being developed is a coach who can see a future in your building, and coaches who see a future stay. Replacing one costs more than developing three.
“Consider staff education the best investment for your facility. If you want your trainers to feel valued and you want to improve your facility’s culture, provide educational and motivational resources that also fulfill their CEU needs for recertification.”
— Christine Conti, Owner and CEO, FitFixNow
“You are alleviating the financial burden many trainers feel when it comes to recertifying. Morale is high. Culture is positive. Trainer retention improves. ROI is outstanding! Everyone is happy!” Conti adds.
Built to Sit Inside an Organization
FitFixNow is structured as an organizational partnership rather than a set of individual course purchases, which is what makes it usable at the scale an operator actually needs.
The model works for any organization with people to develop. Gyms and studios building coaching depth across a team. Franchise groups needing consistent training standards across locations. Universities strengthening programs without adding faculty workload. Corporate wellness operations, healthcare-adjacent facilities, and any employer whose staff hold certifications that require maintaining.
The common problem it solves is that these organizations all need continuing education delivered flexibly to people whose schedules do not accommodate traditional formats, and none of them want to build that infrastructure themselves.
Ricky Persad is the VP Strategic Business Development & Internships at FitFixNow. He says, “Our partnership model is designed to be flexible and customized to each organization’s needs. In addition to our platform of 75+ on-demand courses accessible anytime, anywhere, FITFIXNOW offers live in-person and virtual CEC workshops, monthly mentorship webinars, and a nationwide internship program.
“We work with universities, gyms, studios, and other fitness organizations to build a package around their specific goals. For example, a gym may choose 30 platform accounts plus one in-person and one virtual workshop, while a university may prefer two customized workshops per semester.”
The mentorship component, led by Ricky Persad and Christine Conti, adds monthly virtual sessions with industry professionals, career planning, certification guidance, and resume and job support. For an operator, that is development infrastructure you did not have to build and cannot easily replicate internally.
“Customization is one of our greatest strengths. We work directly with leadership to understand their staff’s educational needs and then tailor the programming accordingly.”
— Ricky Persad, VP Strategic Business Development & Internships, FitFixNow
“For example, next month we’re delivering a customized virtual CEC workshop on resilience and burnout, ‘Pouring from an Empty Cup,’ to 3,000 instructors at a nationwide gym organization—developed specifically in response to a need identified by their VP of Education,” Persad says.
The Operator Takeaway
The coach you hire untrained and the coach you never develop cost you the same way, and neither cost appears on a line item labeled as such. It shows up as slower ramp time, thinner books, higher turnover, and a facility that competes on price because nothing else distinguishes it.
Development is not a benefit you offer once the business can afford it. It is one of the few levers that makes the business itself worth more, and operators who treat it that way are quietly building something harder to compete with.
Related: The Hiring Signal Most Operators Miss Until It Is Too Late
FitHire — Connect With Operators Building Sustainable Businesses
Operators building businesses that last invest in the people who deliver the product. FitHire by Coach360 connects facilities with coaches worth developing and coaches with facilities that will do it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should an operator invest in continuing education for staff?
Coaching quality is one of the few things a facility can compete on that a competitor cannot simply buy. An operator competing on equipment is in a commodity fight, while one with demonstrably better coaches can charge more and keep members longer. Specialized training in active aging, chronic conditions, and injury prevention also opens member populations most facilities serve poorly. Development doubles as retention, since invested coaches tend to stay.
What is FITFIXNOW?
FITFIXNOW is an online continuing education platform for personal trainers, group fitness instructors, and wellness professionals, offering self-paced, mobile-friendly CEU courses approved by NASM, ACE, AFAA, AAAI, IFTA, ACSM, and ISSA. Categories span mental health and recovery, fitness and training, professional skills, and specialized care. Certificates are issued immediately upon passing. Christine Conti leads the company and was named IDEA World Fitness Instructor of the Year in 2023.
Can a gym, studio, or franchise partner with FITFIXNOW directly?
Yes. The platform is built for organizational partnerships rather than only individual purchases, and works across gyms and studios, franchise groups, universities, and corporate wellness operations. The shared problem it solves is delivering accredited continuing education to staff whose schedules don’t accommodate conferences or weekend certifications, without the organization having to build that infrastructure itself.
About Jessica H. Maurer
Jessica is a recognized fitness business consultant and strategist focusing on transforming businesses from overwhelmed to organized. Her international presentations, workshops, certifications, and consultations underscore her commitment to helping fitness professionals and businesses realize their full potential. When Jessica takes the stage, she’s sharing fresh ideas and inspiration that spark positive change. Jessica’s international presentations and consultations are about growth, career transformation, overall wellness, and making fitness a joyful journey. Her expertise spans education, program and instructor development, and brand evolution, making her a key player in elevating the industry. Jessica also played a pivotal role in developing the Mental Well-being Association’s certification for Fitness Professionals., always striving to bring a holistic approach to wellness that’s as uplifting as it is effective.
Jessica has presented at prestigious events like IDEA World, Fitnessfest ACSM Health & Fitness Summit, SCW Mania, AsiaFit, and more. She has worked with brands such as FIT4MOM, SFR, BOSU, Lebert Fitness, Savvier Fitness, SCW Fitness, FitSteps, canfitpro, IDEA, and VIBES music. She also has written content for the IDEA Fitness Journal, canfitpro Magazine, Mental Well-being Association, FIT4MOM, Motherly, and more.
