John’s April Musings

Dear Soapbox Readers,

What a month this has been! The Superbowl / World Series all rolled up into one event called the IHRSA Convention. At the Petra-1 booth, we were slammed. Then add to the activity list in our attending the IHRSA Foundation mixer, Bill McBride’s reception and finally Augie’ Quest, we were running on fumes when I boarded the airplane on Saturday morning.

Next year the IHRSA Convention is in San Diego, one of my most favorite venues. Looking forward to seeing all of you at this spectacular event.

We have a number of articles in this issue and all of them worthy of your attention. It’s our mission to inform and inspire you to make a difference in those around you. You can make a difference and hopefully after you have reviewed the articles in this April issue, you will write me and let me know is we are motivating you in some small way to make a difference.

It’s all about giving back and making things better for those that have special challenges. Our lead story for the April Soapbox focuses on the special fundraising event where St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital and Life Time Foundation have joined resources to raise money for St. Jude’s (the event takes place on Saturday, April 22nd). Please take a few moments to read about this special event and I encourage you to participate (there are instructions in the article on how you can become involved with this event) or at the least make a donation. As many of you know, I feel very blessed and when I had dinner with Brittany Clark of the St. Jude’s fundraising division and then met Casey Johns the liaison from St. Jude’s who works with the folks from Life Time, I felt a need to become involved. I hope after you read the article, you will be moved to action.

Bill McBride is a regular contributor to the Soapbox. He has again provided an article on “Leadership Lessons” that exceeds all expectations. Bill’s article features leadership principles that are easy to understand and should be implemented by every owner and manager in our industry. I feel honored that he shares his management and motivational expertise with our readers and if your feel inspired by his article, I encourage you to contact him and learn more on how he can help you improve your membership experience.

2017- The Year of Empowerment by Latoya Bullard-Franklin (CEO, The Bulsard Group, LLC)….Interesting who you meet on an airplane. I met Latoya on my flight from Memphis to Houston. Imagine Tony Robbins, Norman Vincent Peale, Zig Ziglar, Brian Tracy, Wayne Dyer and Dale Carnegie all combined into a human dynamo that inspires you so much you have to share with the world what this woman has accomplished and yes, you can accomplish too! Her article will lift you up and give you the desire to meet or exceed expectations. I’m blessed to be able to share with you this very special woman.

Beyond Type 1 Announces Partnership with Medical Fitness Network to Provide New Fitness and Allied Healthcare Provider Resource. Give consideration in getting your club(s) involved in this program….“Baby Boomers are experiencing all kinds of age-related illnesses and an overall wellness plan of healthy living is critical for people with or without diabetes. Physical activity can benefit people, especially with those living with diabetes, in unique ways. Lisa Dougherty is shouting from the mountain tops that there are programs to help our seniors and the Baby Boomer population and with Lisa’s help, your facility can become “Ground Central” for helping make a difference in this age group’s lives. Spend a couple of minutes reading Lisa’s article and see if you don’t agree.

Were you aware there is a bill in congress that would help make paying for athletic club dues more affordable? Supporting PHIT Legislation…..That Will Make Physical Activity More Affordable and Accessible…. The Personal Health Investment Today Act (PHIT – H.R.1267 and S.482) will allow Americans to use flexible spending accounts (FSAs) and health savings accounts (HSAs) to pay for health club memberships, fitness equipment, exercise videos, and youth sports leagues. If passed, it will allow individuals to use up to $1,000 per year to cover these expenses and families to use up to $2,000 per year. If you haven’t heard of this legislation, we have provided you with all the latest 411 and encourage to share with your staff and membership. Obesity and lack of physical activity continues to grow in this country and if PHIT legislation can help reverse this trend, I would encourage everyone to get involved.