Female emPOWERED: Winning in Business & Life

From Changing Room to 3 Locations: Jennifer Gelfand’s Journey to Building a Transformational Wellness Brand

In this episode of the Female emPOWERed Podcast, I’m joined by Jennifer Gelfand, pelvic floor physical therapist, yoga teacher, and founder of Root to Rise Physical Therapy in Maine. What started as a one-woman show treating patients in a yoga studio changing room has grown into a thriving, multi-location, multidisciplinary we...

In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, host Christa Gurka - physical therapist, studio owner, and business mentor - shares actionable strategies for conducting a mid-year business review. Aimed at Pilates studio owners and wellness entrepreneurs, this episode walks you through how to reset and refocus your business for a strong finish to the year.

Christa dives into the core areas to evaluate during a quarterly check-in, i...

In this inspiring episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, host Christa Gurka welcomes Erin Canada, the founder of Paradise Pilates in North Carolina. Erin shares how her personal experience with chronic back pain and a love for Pilates led her to launch not one, but three successful studio locations in just 13 months.

This conversation dives deep into the transition from instructor to business owner, highlighting the importance of ...

In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, host Christa Gurka reflects on a powerful insight from a recent Inner Circle retreat - your greatest strengths can sometimes become your biggest obstacles. Drawing from a CliftonStrengths assessment she completed with her mentees, Christa unpacks how common entrepreneurial traits like “achiever,” “empathy,” and “strategic” thinking can work for or against you, depending on how they&a...

In this episode, Christa takes you behind the scenes of a live training she hosted for her Inner Circle clients, all about how to get better results from AI tools like ChatGPT. If you’ve ever felt stuck staring at a blinking cursor when trying to write content - or ended up with a robotic, boring blog post - this episode is for you.

You’ll learn exactly how to write better prompts that get you high-quality content tailored to your b...

In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, host Christa Gurka addresses a challenge many wellness entrepreneurs face: a summer marketing slump. July, in particular, can feel slow - with fewer leads, lower engagement, and conversions that seem to stall. But before you scrap your strategy entirely, Christa explains why a full overhaul may not be necessary.

Instead, she encourages business owners to diagnose before they pivot. Us...

In this powerful and validating episode, host Christa Gurka dives into a topic many business owners feel but rarely name: the invisible emotional labor that comes with leadership. From managing team morale to handling client dissatisfaction, making decisions, and being the emotional safety net for everyone - women business owners often carry an unseen weight that leads to burnout, resentment, and stress.

Christa shares her own exper...

In this candid and insightful episode, host Christa Gurka tackles a topic that’s often misunderstood in the fitness and wellness space: accountability. Speaking directly to both business owners and employees, Christa breaks down what accountability really means—and why it’s a necessary ingredient for a thriving, sustainable business.

She shares her perspective as a long-time business owner and leader, explaining how clear expectatio...

In this powerful follow-up episode, Christa Gurka shares part two of her journey to selling her Pilates studio, Pilates in the Grove. After a near miss at the closing table in 2024, Christa regrouped, healed, and ultimately closed a successful deal in March 2025. 

This episode is both a personal story and a practical guide for boutique fitness and wellness business owners considering a future sale.

Christa walks listeners through wha...

In this week’s episode of Female Empowered, host Christa Gurka is sharing a story she's never told publicly before - the story of the time she almost sold her business, Pilates in the Grove.

This is part one of a two-part series where she'll walk you through the emotional, strategic, and operational journey behind trying to sell the business she built from the ground up. From a modest $2,400 investment in 2008 to a multi-l...

In this episode of the Female Empowered podcast, host Christa Gurka breaks down the financial and operational differences between class packages and membership models for fitness and wellness businesses.

While class packages offer flexibility, they often lead to inconsistent cash flow, making it harder to forecast revenue and plan for growth. Christa shares research and real-world examples showing how transitioning to a membership m...

Welcome back to another episode of the Female Empowered podcast! In this week’s solo episode, I’m diving into one of my favorite topics: membership models and how they can be a game-changer for fitness, wellness, and healthcare business owners.

Whether you run a Pilates studio, a physical therapy clinic, or any other service-based business, a well-designed membership model can provide more predictable revenue, improve client retenti...

In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, Christa Gurka explores a common but often misunderstood challenge in the wellness and fitness business world: what happens when being “fully booked” starts working against you. 

If your calendar is packed, your energy is drained, and your business feels stuck, this episode is for you.

Christa breaks down the signs that indicate you’ve hit a business growth ceiling - including a maxed-o...

In this episode of the Female emPOWERED Podcast, host Christa Gurka tackles one of the more stressful realities of being a business owner — when a rockstar team member gives notice. Whether it’s an instructor, therapist, or front desk leader, losing someone who plays a vital role can feel like a major blow. But Christa reminds listeners that “everything is figureoutable” — and with the right mindset and strategy, staff turnover can...

Welcome back to another episode of the Female Empowered Podcast! If you’re a fitness or wellness business owner who feels drained by workshops or events that don’t generate enough ROI, this episode is for you. I’m sharing strategic, workshop-free ways to attract high-quality leads and grow your client base — without burning yourself out in the process.

In this episode, we explore smart, sustainable alternatives to traditional worksh...

In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, Christa Gurka sits down with Peter Pastijn, the former studio owner and current Director of Partnerships at Momence, an all-in-one scheduling and management software built specifically for fitness and wellness businesses. 

Peter shares how his experience as a studio owner shaped the development of Momence and how the platform empowers owners to optimize their operations, improve the c...

In this week’s episode of Female Empowered, I’m joined by two amazing guests and fellow physical therapists turned business mentors - Dr. C. Shanté Cofield, aka The Movement Maestro, and Lex Lancaster. These two have successfully built their own thriving online brands after years in the clinic, and they’re sharing exactly what it takes to go from in-person to digital.

We dive into what the online business journey actually looks like...

In this episode of Female emPOWERED, Christa Gurka sits down with Sandy Taylor, a Vice President Senior Financial Consultant at Charles Schwab, to discuss what small business owners really need to know about financial planning. From retirement accounts to investment strategies, Sandy breaks down complex concepts into clear, actionable advice.

They talk about how to start investing even if you don’t have a ton of cash, what retiremen...

Welcome back to another episode of the Female Empowered Podcast! Today, we’re diving into something every small business owner faces—the mental battles, self-doubt, and challenges that come with running your own business.

In this episode, I’m opening up about the emotional rollercoaster of entrepreneurship, how to take control of your narrative, and why being "in the arena" means embracing both high achievements and setbac...