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I have been to enough fitness industry events to know what most of them feel like by Saturday afternoon. The sessions are solid. The presenters are good. The energy is usually gone. Not because the sessions were bad. Because nobody built recovery into the schedule. You leave carrying a notebook and a kind of tiredness that does not quite make sense given that you spent the weekend learning things you care about.
Tricia Murphy Madden, co-founder of Fit Pro Programming, has left events feeling exactly that way. Summit in the Sun, June 25 through 28 at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona, is what she built when she decided that feeling was not inevitable.
“These are the very people who spend their lives giving energy to others. Why aren’t we giving that back to them?”
— Tricia Murphy Madden, Co-Founder, Fit Pro Programming
That question, Madden says, is the one Summit in the Sun was designed to answer in structure rather than language. An experience where the education still lands at a high level, but where attendees also leave feeling refueled, connected, and inspired in a way that actually lasts.
The premise behind Summit in the Sun is simple enough to state and genuinely difficult to execute. Education and restoration are not competing priorities. They are of the same priority. An event that treats them as opposites does not serve the people attending it.
Each day begins with curated workshops and educational sessions focused on programming, coaching techniques, and professional development. The afternoons shift into something most fitness conferences have never attempted: cabana-style pool experiences with a live DJ, curated product sampling, a step-and-repeat content studio where attendees can capture professional-quality assets for their social media, and the kind of unhurried conversation that only happens when nobody is rushing to the next breakout session.
The meals are included and prepared by the Wigwam’s award-winning culinary team. That detail matters more than it sounds. Eating together creates the kind of connection that a scheduled networking block never produces. The conversations that change careers tend to happen at lunch, not during the forty-five minutes officially designated for meeting people.
Madden describes the design challenge directly:
“The Summit in the Sun schedule was intentionally designed to let attendees experience first what’s new and trending, while also taking deeper dives into the programming they teach every day, with a real focus on filling their rooms. We balanced four to five hours of high-level education with guided social experiences, from a true day club-style pool party to thoughtfully curated meals designed to restore, relax, and inspire.”
— Tricia Murphy Madden, Co-Founder, Fit Pro Programming
The cutting-edge, research-backed content matters. The environment that makes it possible to actually absorb the content matters at least as much.
The fitness industry has a complicated relationship with the word exclusive. Summit in the Sun uses it in two specific ways that are worth understanding before you register.
The education is exclusive. Every workshop and session was created specifically for this event. The content does not exist anywhere else. Attendees are not sitting through a version of a presentation they could have watched online or seen at another conference last spring. The programming launches happening at Summit in the Sun are happening there first, which means the coaches in the room are the first in the industry to work with the material.
The sponsor experience is exclusive in a different sense. Walk the floor at most fitness conferences and you will know within ten minutes which sponsors paid the most for their booth placement. Summit in the Sun does not have a floor like that. A small number of partners, each one selected for what they can offer rather than what they can spend, each one present in a way that creates a real interaction rather than a branded handshake. The swag bag works the same way. Sun products, fitness equipment, gift cards. Things people actually use, chosen because they belong there.
“We curated our partners with the same level of intention as the programming itself. There’s a deep respect needed for the independent instructor today — they’re not just teaching classes, they’re shaping consumer behavior.”
— Tricia Murphy Madden, Co-Founder, Fit Pro Programming
Madden continues: many of today’s independent instructors are micro to macro influencers, shaping consumer behavior across travel, apparel, and beyond. The partners selected for Summit in the Sun reflect that influence and think beyond the traditional fitness space.
Related: Elite Coaching Skills: What the Exam Didn’t Teach You
Ten to fifteen continuing education units across four days, with the option to add more through three pre-conference certifications on June 25. Human Reformer, The Recovery Barre, and Ever FLEXED run in the morning and early afternoon before the official summit begins, adding CEU credit through ACE, NASM, and AFAA before the welcome reception at seven that evening.
For existing coaches managing their continuing education requirements alongside a full client roster, that concentration matters. One event, one travel budget, one block of time away from the studio, and the CEU requirement is handled for the cycle. The pre-conference certification option turns what is already a strong professional development investment into an exceptional one.
The standard registration rate is $899. Fit Pro Programming instructors register for $849. Hotel accommodations at the Wigwam start at $189 per night under the group rate, booked separately via the confirmation email link. Airfare and travel are not included.
What the location provides in return is a resort environment that a hotel conference center in a major city cannot replicate. Three pools, an Aveda spa with a ten percent discount for Summit attendees, tennis, pickleball, and the kind of desert landscape that does something specific to a nervous system that has been running at full coaching intensity for the better part of a year.
Summit in the Sun is not built for the coach who is still figuring out whether they want a career in fitness. It is built for the coach who has already committed, who is actively managing a client roster or teaching a full class schedule, and who has reached the point where the question is not whether to keep going but how to keep going without burning out, plateauing, or losing the thing that made the work meaningful in the first place.
Group fitness instructors looking to expand their programming and their teaching impact. Trainers and coaches who want tools they can take directly into their next session. Program directors who want to strengthen their communities and collaborate with peers doing the same work at other facilities. Professionals who have learned the hard way that growth requires recovery and are done attending events that ignore that truth.
“The people in the room at Summit in the Sun are the ones who care deeply about what they do. They want to stay on top of trends, but they’re also asking better questions: why it works, how to make it better, and how to grow beyond the class. We have instructors, studio owners, and directors coming in from all over the world who are ready to take that next step.”
— Tricia Murphy Madden, Co-Founder, Fit Pro Programming
Here is the part worth naming directly: this is a real investment. Standard registration at $899, hotel nights at $189 minimum, airfare on top, plus four days away from a class schedule or client roster that does not run itself while you are gone. For some coaches, that math will not work in 2026, and the right call is the regional one-day event with a smaller bill. For the coaches who can make the investment, the offset is concentration: ten to fifteen CEUs, exclusive programming, and a restoration window the regional event cannot deliver. The decision is whether the consolidation is worth the cost, not whether the event will deliver what it says it will.
The measurable return from Summit in the Sun is straightforward. Ten to fifteen CEUs. Fresh programming content exclusive to the event. A swag bag with real value. Professional content captured in the on-site studio. A network of peers who were in the same room, doing the same work, for four days in the Arizona desert.
The less measurable return tends to matter more. The coach who attends an event focused on restoration as well as education comes home differently than the coach who attends an event focused solely on content delivery. The ideas land differently when the person carrying them has actually had time to think. The motivation lasts longer when it is built in an environment that treats the professional as a whole person rather than a credential to be renewed.
Summit in the Sun runs June 25 through 28, 2026. Spaces are limited. Registration is open at fitproprogramming.com.
“Stay curious. Stay connected. Come back renewed.” That is the standard the event was built to meet. For the fitness professional who has been giving everything to their clients and their classes, and has not had a weekend that gave something back in longer than they can remember, it is worth the flight.
FITHIRE — CONNECT WITH EDUCATED AND COMMITTED FITNESS PROFESSIONALS
The coaches who invest in events like Summit in the Sun are the coaches who show up differently on the floor. They hold their certifications current, they bring fresh programming to their sessions, and they build careers that last. FitHire by Coach360 connects studio operators and facility managers with fitness professionals who treat their development as seriously as their delivery.
What is Summit in the Sun and who is it designed for?
Summit in the Sun is a four-day retreat-style fitness professional event running June 25 through 28, 2026, at the Wigwam Resort in Litchfield Park, Arizona. It is designed for working fitness professionals: group fitness instructors, personal trainers, coaches, and program directors who want continuing education, fresh programming content, and genuine professional connections in an environment that prioritizes restoration alongside education. It is not a beginner’s event. It is built for the existing coach who is actively managing their career and seeking a professional development experience that matches the level of investment they bring to their work.
How many CEUs can I earn at Summit in the Sun?
Standard registration includes ten to fifteen continuing education units through ACE, NASM, and AFAA across the four-day event. Coaches who arrive on Thursday, June 25, for the optional pre-conference certifications can earn additional CEUs through three separate programs: Human Reformer running noon to four, Ever FLEXED running eight to three, and The Recovery Barre running eight to twelve thirty. Each pre-conference certification registers separately and is not included in the standard summit registration fee.
What is included in the Summit in the Sun registration fee?
Registration covers the welcome reception on Thursday evening with light appetizers and complimentary drinks, breakfast Friday through Sunday, lunch Friday and Saturday, a $25 daily food credit usable at any Wigwam restaurant, all education sessions and workshops, retreat resources and session handouts, a swag bag from brand partners, and exclusive discounts and giveaways throughout the weekend. Hotel accommodations start at $189 per night under the group rate and are booked separately. Airfare and travel are not included. The three optional pre-conference certifications on Thursday are also separate from the standard registration.
What makes Summit in the Sun different from a traditional fitness industry conference?
Three things distinguish it structurally from most industry events. The education content is created exclusively for this event and is not available anywhere else. The sponsor experience is curated rather than expo-style, with a small number of partners each offering hands-on activations rather than booth transactions. And the daily schedule is deliberately designed to balance education with restoration, including afternoon pool experiences, a content studio, and included resort meals that create connection time rather than logistics. The Wigwam Resort location, with three pools, an Aveda spa, and desert amenities, supports that restoration philosophy in a way that a hotel conference center cannot.
Jessica Maurer is a Coach360 contributing editor covering the business of group fitness, professional development events, and the operational systems behind sustainable coaching careers.
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.
Group fitness lost one of its most recognized voices in 2020. Ellen de Werd was a top-10 Beachbody Master Trainer and a long-standing Fitness Director. Coaches across the industry knew her well. When the pandemic pressed pause, all of it disappeared. Conferences stopped. Live events dissolved. The stage lights went out.
However, this is not a comeback story. Instead, it is a blueprint for how coaches rebuild when a platform disappears. It is also a lesson in what stays when everything borrowed is gone.
For 25 years, Ellen’s career had a rhythm: teach, travel, present, repeat.
For Ellen, losing Beachbody Live was not just a career disruption. It was personal. The role had held her expertise, her community, and her sense of belonging in the industry. When it disappeared, so did the structure that held those pieces together.
However, the real cost was not immediate clarity. Instead, it was confusion.
“I worried that my value in the industry was in jeopardy,” Ellen says. “I was afraid I was no longer important without that title.”
Still, recovery did not happen in a dramatic breakthrough. Instead, it unfolded slowly on a yoga mat. That in-between phase lasted longer than most coaches admit in public. The honest cost of losing a platform-built career is that silence. Not the peaceful kind. Indeed, the kind that echoes.
WARRIOR began in 2020. There were no investors, no team, no plan. While the industry around her was contracting, Ellen wrote and illustrated courses by hand. As a result, funding came from her own savings: careful choices about where to spend and where to stretch.
However, turning that course work into a recognized group fitness company required precision. Meeting the cert standards of ACE, NASM, and AFAA was not optional. It also meant building systems for instructor intake. Those systems had to stand without legacy backing.
After 25 years, she had just lost the platform her career was built on. Specifically, starting over in a shrinking market: without backing, without a team, without an industry name. If WARRIOR did not work, there was no version two. Otherwise, she would quietly fade from a field she had spent her career building.
In practice, this is where most ideas stall. Not for lack of vision, but because the system requires more than most people plan for.
“I completed my 200-hour yoga teacher training but deep down really struggled with my slightly ADHD temperament,” Ellen explains. “Traditional yoga classes felt boring. I had such a hard time sitting still. Therefore, I created WARRIOR Rhythm to provide a yoga-ish format for others who, like me, wished they loved yoga. It’s unconventional, bold, and different. It worked. People wanted it.”
The response surprised her. “People and instructors began to reach out,” she continues. “They asked about what they were seeing me do on a mat. It dawned on me that I had a real business chance.”
Ellen did not just create workouts. She built a framework that could be evaluated, accredited, and scaled.
“I marvel at how it has grown. I look back now amazed.”
ELLEN DE WERD. FOUNDER. WARRIOR RHYTHM
WARRIOR Rhythm is not easily defined. Indeed, that is exactly the point.
It blends yoga flows, breath work, HIIT, and strength work into a single group fitness class. The phrase Ellen uses, “where woo-woo meets WAAHOOOO,” captures something deeper than branding. For example, it reflects a collision of intensity and reflection: two states most group fitness formats treat as opposites.
However, the challenge is not creating that mix. Instead, the challenge is teaching instructors how to deliver it with integrity.
In WARRIOR training, coaches learn to do this without mental whiplash. They guide students from high effort into recovery, weaving in breath work. In practice, this means using language and pacing to guide nervous system shifts, not just physical transitions.
For instance, a pure HIIT class elevates stress hormones. While a pure yoga class can lower them, WARRIOR moves students through both states in a single session. It teaches the body not just how to push, but how to recover. As a result, that ability to shift becomes a skill students carry outside the studio.
Six years ago, Ellen de Werd was sitting on a yoga mat. She was processing the loss of a platform that had defined her career.
Today, WARRIOR has 6 branded group fitness formats and spans 14 countries. Meanwhile, a network of master coaches supports the system. The company hosts its own yearly conference and retreat. As of March 2026, WARRIOR has its own studio.
“Opening the brick-and-mortar studio feels like the peak of it all,” Ellen says. “The keys to the front door feel like a symbol of my entire career. We now have a headquarters. But more than that, a home.”
But the distance between those two moments is not explained by strategy alone. Instead, it is explained by one truth: platforms can disappear. However, skill, perspective, and voice do not.
For coaches, the instinct is to search. Ellen’s journey says: build from what cannot be taken.
The industry will continue to shift. Business models will evolve. Platforms will rise and fall. However, the coaches who endure ask better questions. They build something that belongs entirely to them.
In short, for coaches in this field, everything can be revoked. What you build from the ground up cannot.
Not borrowed, not licensed, not dependent.
Just built.
Hers.
FOR OPERATORS HIRING NOW
Post your opening. Find specialty group fitness instructors on FitHire by Coach360. Post your opening and let the format speak for itself.
How does WARRIOR Rhythm meet cert standards for group fitness instructors?
Specifically, the WARRIOR course work meets the cert standards of ACE, NASM, and AFAA. Ellen built the company with accredited in mind. She created intake tools and training records that cert bodies could review.
Can studio studios license WARRIOR Rhythm formats for their group fitness program?
Yes. While each format is distinct, WARRIOR Rhythm has 6 branded group fitness formats available through instructor cert training. Operators can reach WARRIOR-trained instructors through its global network, now active in 14 countries. WARRIOR blends mindfulness, HIIT, yoga flows, and strength training.
What makes WARRIOR Rhythm different from standard group fitness formats?
Instead of treating intensity and mindfulness as separate disciplines, WARRIOR moves students through both states in a single session. Instructors train to use language and pacing as nervous system tools, not just coaching cues. It is for students who want the challenge of HIIT and the reset of yoga. They should not have to choose between them.
How long does it take to become a certified group fitness instructor in WARRIOR Rhythm?
Certification timelines depend on format. WARRIOR training courses qualify for cert credits through ACE, NASM, and AFAA. Master trainer pathways exist for instructors who want to teach other instructors. This is how WARRIOR scaled to 14 countries while keeping delivery standards.
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