From teaching yoga alongside a corporate career to creating game-changing fitness studio management software, Laura Munkholm’s path is one of client obsession and creating unflinchingly robust solutions to one of the industry’s most pressing needs. Her extensive background exposed a crucial reality: studio owners were being held back by fragmented, inadequate technology solutions. This firsthand experience sparked a vision for transformation. 

Enter Walla, a product far beyond just another software platform. Born from Laura’s mission to empower studio owners, Walla is a full-bodied solution combining practical tools with intuitive guidance. Like having a dedicated business coach available 24/7, it streamlines everything from scheduling and check-ins to marketing and financial reporting — all while maintaining the personal touch that makes boutique fitness special. 

Laura Munkholm

Laura Munkholm’s journey in the fitness space spans almost two decades. What began as teaching yoga alongside her corporate career in her early 20s evolved into a leadership role at YogaSix, where she helped manage their first few locations. After countless hours running operations, her expertise led her to a seven-year consulting career, working with hundreds of fitness studios globally. Through this experience, she identified a critical gap in the industry. Studios were struggling with inadequate technology solutions for operating their businesses. 

This insight sparked a partnership and a new mission: creating comprehensive studio management software that is a genuinely all-in-one platform. They aimed to empower studio owners to achieve their business goals and provide a system to do it efficiently. Welcome to Walla, the platform for the future of boutique fitness that supports studios with scheduling and checking people in, but also with the marketing, sales, financial and operational reporting, and everything that goes along with running a studio.

All-In-One with Walla 

Founded in 2020, Walla’s timing proved perfect, allowing the team to focus on building revolutionary software with top talent. “Walla is almost like a coach alongside you. Not just a piece of software.” Laura explains, and the clients agree—it’s like having a software and business coach who shows up to every single shift to work eagerly all in one space. 

As a true all-in-one solution, Walla eliminates the need for external integrations. Everything lives in one space, from newsletters and automation to text messaging and staff management, making it the most comprehensive fitness software on the market. Through a quick two-minute survey, the platform even personalizes communication and support for each client’s journey. 

Walla is a powerful software. But powerful doesn’t have to mean complicated. Its robustness expands across many spaces but is easy to navigate. One of the things I loved most when learning about Walla was that it serves as a digital front desk coach, maintaining consistency across all instructors. When clients arrive, instructors instantly access personality insights and preferences from the clients’ initial two-minute survey, enabling personalized experiences regardless of who’s teaching the class. This seamless information sharing ensures every class feels tailored and familiar, even with substitutes or new coaches and trainers. 

What stands out most is Laura’s obsession with creating software that clients absolutely love and rave about, not just use. Built from the ground up by those who worked in the space and intimately understood the industry’s gaps, Walla maintains an impressive 95% client retention rate. This success stems from some of their core values, including an obsession with client feedback and viewing every single client as a partner each step of the way.

Final Thoughts

The fitness industry has long been about human connection and transformation. Walla brings that spirit to studio management software, seamlessly connecting business operations with a personal touch. Walla has emerged as the answer to what happens when industry expertise marries client-obsessed motivation. The platform’s success proves that sometimes, the best solutions come from those who have lived the challenges firsthand. 

The future of boutique fitness is a blend of operational excellence and genuine human connection. By utilizing software that amplifies rather than replaces that human touch, Walla is helping write the next chapter for an industry where “personal” is at the forefront of everything. Laura’s relentless pursuit of creating happy, successful customers is a beautiful reminder of the importance of a people-first mentality and viewing your clients as partners.

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.