Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Lights are bright, we chase the sight Media, dreams, we take the flight Partnerships, they lead the way Success is what we aim today.
[00:00:10] Speaker B: All right, I am super excited today. I have Kurt from Issa on the show. Pumped to have you here, Kurt. I'd love to kick this off. You got to tell us what Issa stands for, what the company is about, and.
And let's get started with that.
[00:00:28] Speaker C: Jer, thank you so much for having me today. I'm very excited. Issa stands for the International Sports Sciences association, and we are the global leader in fitness certifications and education since 1988. So our vision is to connect 100 million people to the power of healthy living by 2030. So we're here to help you earn more money while changing lives through fitness education.
[00:00:53] Speaker B: That's cool. Wow. And started out in. What did you say, 1988?
[00:00:57] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:00:58] Speaker B: Cool. Been around for a while. That's good, right? I imagine there's been a lot of change over that time from its original founding. And I'm curious, how did it get started? What is the founding story for Issa?
[00:01:10] Speaker C: Yeah. Such a great question. And we were literally, the heartbeat of Issa is healthier living and helping people live longer. And so Dr. Fred Hatfield, known as Dr. Squat, created Issa way back in the day, 1988. And it was live workshops. It was about education, helping people get into the fitness industry, be set up for success, and learn about body mechanics, movement, all of those things. And over the past many, many decades, we've been able to evolve from personal training certifications to having over 50 different certifications and modalities and partnering with the world's leading gyms. So ISAY certified over 650,000 trainers in 176 countries.
[00:01:54] Speaker B: Wow. I mean, I would say fitness is one of those things, like, just, you know, being healthier, being more fit. It's something that is. It's like part of the human condition. Right. Like, every time you think about it, it's like, oh, okay, are we really thinking about fitness and health now? But it's always been something that's important to people.
Tell me a little bit about the products themselves that. Issa, you mentioned certifications. Let's dig into that a little bit more. What does that. What does that mean to people?
[00:02:25] Speaker C: Yeah, it's a great question. And the certifications are so critical, because if you would like to pursue, whether it's starting your own business in the fitness industry or working at a gym or a health club or any type of facilities or practitioner like that, you do need the Issa or a certification to be able to equip you to be able to start working, whether that's for yourself or inside of a gym. So it's really that important requirement. Similar to how certain jobs need a four year degree. You need your ISA certification to be able to unlock that pathway or career in fitness, which is really a game changer for a lot of people because there's 74,000 open jobs in just the US based on the US Bureau of Labor and Statistics. So there's a lot of opportunity in the fitness industry to be able to have a new career or even a side hustle part time job as well.
[00:03:15] Speaker B: Cool. 74,000 available jobs. I also saw that Issa has a guaranteed job job placement that's super unique. Basically saying you come in, you get certified and you'll have a job. Can you speak to that? I mean that is very unique, I think in anyone that's looking for new employment or new career path.
[00:03:37] Speaker C: And it's a game changer. That's one of the reasons why we are the number one rated and reviewed fitness certification company in the world. And the reason why is because we have the best job guarantee in the industry. So because of those 74,000 open jobs just in the US we partner directly with the leading gym chains.
Not only are we their preferred education partner, but a lot of them actually have our education integrated into their curriculum. So I'll use Equinox as an example. Right. Every Equinox coach or higher is getting the ISA certification. So for one of our coaches or someone that is actually getting certified outside of a gym, you now have a shoe in, right. To be able to apply to get a job at one of those industry leaders. And so we really connect those dots and we have a proprietary platform called CareerConnect that's exclusive to every Issa member and every Issa gym partner. Where almost like LinkedIn, you can connect and actually find someone that's a certified coach or you could find a hiring partner and connect with them directly on the platform and get a job.
[00:04:40] Speaker B: So a ton of credibility because you guys have been around for a long time. You've certified 650,000 more or more, even trainers and fitness experts. I mean, you guarantee people that they'll have a jobs. It sounds like that you are the industry standard with all the major fitness centers requiring this as certification. So let's talk about you. What's your role at the company?
[00:05:04] Speaker C: I am Issa's Vice President of Partnerships. I've been at Issa for six years. And it's been an incredible journey for me. I've actually been in the industry for nearly 16 years, so being able to see the industry evolve from getting my certification, being able to Impact lives on the front lines, to now my role at Issa. I love the fact that we're able to impact and help so many people. We're certifying over 5,000 new trainers every year, every month.
[00:05:30] Speaker B: So you are certified. You got into this by actually being certified yourself through Issa?
[00:05:37] Speaker C: Yes. So, interesting enough, as a former athlete and pivoting in my career and my journey, finding out about Issa was like a dream come true, because it opened up not just more doors in the fitness industry, but it obviously opened up the opportunity for me to be able to join the company. Six years later, and it's still so tied to impact, to purpose and helping people, which I love.
[00:05:59] Speaker B: You know, you have the role in the company, but you also understand what it's like to be one of the customers of the company. What do you find is most challenging in your role?
[00:06:10] Speaker C: I would say the most challenging aspect in my role has actually been connecting the dots between our students that are the most excited after they get certified and our gyms who have been struggling to find talent and find the trainers to fulfill on the growing demand. The fitness industry has had 20% growth over the last three years, and it's continuing to project even more growth. So there's more studios opening, from Pilates to yoga to.
Even now, with the trend of GLP1s and Ozempic and weight loss, we have certifications for each of those modalities. So the biggest, I would say, challenge is connecting the dots between those that are certified and the actual outcomes of being able to get into that career to helping the end user. And so that's why we love Impact and being able to partner with our gyms and also so many incredible affiliates, because it helps us fulfill those 74,000 jobs that are in need of being filled.
[00:07:06] Speaker B: Yeah. And what are the big changes going on in the industry right now? You mentioned GLP1s and different types of fitness, like yoga studios. So what have you. So you've been there for. You said six years now?
[00:07:17] Speaker C: Yes.
[00:07:17] Speaker B: Yeah. What are the changes you've seen over the last couple years and more recently?
[00:07:21] Speaker C: Yeah, so there's been some significant changes which have been very great for Issa because there's been an expansion of the different interest levels across the fitness industry. So, for example, we're seeing a rise in strength and conditioning amongst women. There's a huge boom there. So you're actually seeing gyms kind of removing some of the cardio equipment and adding in more racks for squatting and powerlifting and things like that. So that allows us, with our strength conditioning certification, to certify more people that can focus on sport performance and those types of modalities. But then also we're seeing the rise of recovery, right? People are seeing more and more the importance of rest, recovery, rejuvenation. And you're seeing those pop up inside the gyms where you don't now just need a personal trainer. What about a recovery coach? Right? What about someone that can help me with that journey? And the same thing applies also with weight loss, right? We've seen GLP1s or the Ozempic and those types of weight loss medications really taking the industry by storm. And really not just the industry, the world by storm. They say 7 to 8 out of 10 people are either curious or asking about GLP1s and weight loss medications. So for us, we rolled out the GLP1 certification, which is a game changer, because now you can answer those questions. You have another opportunity to provide value to your client base, your gym, or to your own individual business, which opens so many doors. So I would say those are some of the really big trends, are the additional pathways that we're seeing open up. And then we're seeing also the expansion of the different types of modalities, as I mentioned, Pilates, yoga.
You see, there's more and more people coming into the fitness industry and finding they're building community by joining a fitness club or joining a fitness class.
[00:09:03] Speaker B: And 20% growth over the last three years. I mean, that sounds like it's a thriving industry.
I want to dig in more to this question of you've got the people that are being certified, you have your students that are being certified, and then you have your fitness centers which have all these open jobs. And big part of your job is matching these, you know, supply and demand up. Now, when it comes to your affiliate or your creator programs, what are the primary goals you have for that program?
[00:09:30] Speaker C: Yeah, it's a great question. Our primary goal is to continue to one, expand our reach. I mentioned that we're certifying 5,000 people a month. There's opportunities for us to certify 10,000 people a month. And there's that much interest, demand. And that's why we partner with not just creators. We partner with publishers, affiliates, advocates. Even if someone's not currently certified or someone that's not currently promoting content, but you have an audience or a community that's interested in learning more about new modalities or something that you're kind of attracted to. We really want those partners worldwide to be able to reach out. We want to be able to work with partners who care about quality, integrity, supporting people and reaching their fitness goals. So we really, our goal is to continue to want to grow and expand, to partner with the right partners that are aligned with our mission of connecting 100 million people to the, the, the value and the benefits of healthy living by 2030. And then also being able to have just incredible content that they can share about Issa, like the job guarantee that, you know, right now I know there's a lot of people that are looking at side hustles, part time jobs, new careers or turning over a new leap. We want to be able to be that path that we educate, provide awareness and help people grow and make more revenue.
[00:10:49] Speaker B: Very cool, Very cool. So a lot of it is about recruiting new students, getting them to understand what the certifications that are available. And you're right, it's more than just certification. A lot of these people are becoming their own boss. Right. They're heading out on an entrepreneurial journey, which is really important as you have, you know, economy goes up and down. Right. There's jobs and job losses. And I actually was, was looking at the, at the website the other day and there's this interesting thought around, you know, AI is out there, it's taking, who knows if it's actually taking them or not. But it seems like there's this trend towards maybe a lot of white collar jobs might be replaced by AI. I'm curious what the, your thought is on that and the fitness training because it does feel like a very human centric industry.
[00:11:38] Speaker C: Absolutely. And this is one of those AI proof careers which makes the value and the timing so much more unique because you're not going to just be able to plug in AI and have AI lead a class. Now it may help with programming, it may give you some ideas for a meal plan or modifications to exercises, but you will need a practitioner, you will need a coach. You'll need someone that is going to be able to have empathy and authenticity to drive connection and really be the reason why someone comes back right into that gym, that health club or even supports that business. And then what's also great, I love what you mentioned, you can be a part time or full time coach at a gym or health club and also have your own business and work, work, you know, as an Individual operator, yourself as well. And we even provide benefits like a free website for every Issa certified student. So we really provide a lot of value in addition to even that job guarantee. If you don't want a job, we can help you with the free website and things to be able to really get you connected to those new clients and being set up for success.
[00:12:44] Speaker B: Yeah, love that. Love that. Especially as we may or may not be heading into, like, an economic downturn. I think the idea that you can get certified in a relatively short amount of time, that this is the type of career or job that's likely going to be here well into the future. It's a growing industry. I mean, that gives a lot of reasons for affiliates and review sites and creators to be talking about this, because it does seem like something really positive for them to share with their audience. I'm curious, do you have any specific types of partners that you love working with that are your preferred partner type out there?
[00:13:20] Speaker C: I love what you just said because you mentioned a few a second ago when you said review sites, people that are creating content about fitness or wellness or creating content that's intraday to things like new side hustles, new outcomes where they can start a new career, any of those types of partners that are creating that editorial content, or if you have a very engaged audience where you're providing informational information or content to them that's going to educate and provide awareness about things they maybe did not know yet. We really prioritize, yes, those editorial partners, but also we work with deal and coupon sites as well. We work with a variety. You know, we work with creators on the individual basis from Instagram, YouTube, Facebook. I would say one of the great things about Issa is that we have so many different opportunities and paths to raise awareness and connect and draw engagement that really, we. We like to open things up and say, please reach out. We want you to apply. We've seen incredible success. And just one example, you know, love impact. You know, we were rated number one by Forbes for the 2025 Best Personal Training certifications in the entire industry. So I really love being able to have the review sites and able to get that great content where we're educating.
[00:14:35] Speaker B: Yeah, that's cool. That's a great example, because I imagine people, especially around now, we're in Q4, but we're also getting close to that holiday season. And then everyone knows January is where people, you know, decide, hey, I'm gonna. I'm gonna be a better version of myself. Maybe talk a little Bit around why this is such a key, you know, decision making time for people that might be interested in a certification course.
[00:15:00] Speaker C: So it's a great call out. This is a critical time from a certification standpoint. We're seeing record numbers when it comes to enrollments and new students signing up. So the timing is perfect. And it doesn't end now. We actually see a peak season start right now before, you know, Black Friday, Cyber Monday and some of those key promotional periods. But also because January is New Year, new Me, as you mentioned, and everybody's flooding into the gyms, the studios, they want meal plans, all of the things you now can promote Issa to your audience. Driving engagement, help people get certified to have a job when January hits. Right. So instead of waiting into January to get started, the Q4 window is the perfect time to ride the momentum. Also, people have some downtime with the holidays to finish their certification. Maybe they have a couple extra days off work. We're 100% online. It's self study, so it allows someone to finish at their pace as fast as they want. So someone can literally start today or even a month from now and be certified in January and hit the ground running and be able to have that job during peak season. So the timing is perfect. And also to your point, if people are looking with the holidays for a side hustle or a part time opportunity, we see the gig economy is continuing to grow. And now with autonomous cars, you know, the AI element where some of those roles, right, are, you know, everyone's not going to be able to drive Uber Lyft in the gig economy.
People will have to turn to fitness and teaching group classes or driving things that have even more engagement and fitness. And Issa is a perfect pathway to be able to set people up for success.
[00:16:37] Speaker B: Yeah, I could see that. Q4, you're building up supply, right. If we think of it as a supply and demand economy. So need more students taking more courses so that they get certified. And then that big demand curve comes in in that January, February, when people are really interested in maybe changing some habits that they've had in the past or just getting, you know, more fit, feeling better.
So, yeah, this is a key time, I guess, for these partners that are a good fit for you that have the right audience to maybe be reaching out and saying, hey, I think I've got an audience that may be interested in these certified courses.
Maybe I have a health conscious audience. Maybe I have an entrepreneurial audience, like someone in the gig economy as well. Very cool. And so I think it's really clear the types of partners that you want and what kind of audience they may have that benefits Issa. What is it about Issa that you think partners should be attracted to? So why should these review sites, these creators, these different affiliates, what is it about Issa that should attract them and start joining your program?
[00:17:39] Speaker C: Yes, it's a great question. And what I always like to say is, Issa, we literally stand by top notch experiences. So we have 15,000 five star reviews.
Having been around for over 35 years, the impact that we've been able to create. We're a well known established brand, we're the global leader. We have the best job guarantee in the industry. We have career connect to actually connect you to the outcomes as far as students and the gyms. We partner with 15,000 different gym partner locations. So when you're talking about Issa or the pathway, not only do we have preferred partnerships, but we actually have interview guarantees with different gyms all over the world.
Um, also we equip our partners with high converting assets, brand guidelines, banners, email copy and more to set you up for success so you don't have to guess what's going to work well or what's going to resonate. We're going to help empower you with everything that you need. You're never promoting a loan. Think of Issa as an extension of your marketing, marketing team. That's how we operate from an affiliate standpoint. And then we also give you early access to promotions, campaign calendars, seasonal opportunities. Our affiliates actually get access to our best pricing.
So not only are you able to promote and earn income and have that opportunity, and we're here to help you grow, but also you have exclusive pricing that you're able to promote to your audience. It's not available on our website outside of being able to access this in impact.
[00:19:12] Speaker B: Yeah. I mean, if you are a partner, a publisher, a creator, a review site, I mean, what more do you want than a very credible brand that has a product that's highly desired, where, you know, they'll even guarantee job placement when you take the certification courses. It's a growing industry and we're about to hit the biggest demand curve that happens within the year in January. So I think if you're a partner, a publisher, a creator, a review site, an affiliate, Issa is a huge opportunity for you to start working with if you're not already. And what a great person to have, you know, steering this whole thing, Kurt, where, you know, athlete yourself, you're certified yourself, and now you've been a part of here. You know your stuff. Loved having you on the show today. And Impact is super, super proud and happy to have Issa as one of our brand partners.
[00:20:06] Speaker C: Thank you so much, Aaron. I am Kurt Mangham II with Issa the International Sports Sciences association and you can find us on impact.com lights are.
[00:20:15] Speaker A: Bright we chase the sight Media dreams we take the flight Partnerships they the way Success is what we aim today Build the buzz with every post make the most we coast to coast from news to trends we never stop the publishers playbook Got it locked click, click Making magic in the digital rap and we're unstoppable so phenomenal.
