Build Belonging + Community
Studio owners are noticing something interesting. Intro offers are still selling, but long-term commitment feels harder. In this conversation, we explore why commitment psychology is shifting and how establishing your values and views to build your community is now the real driver of membership conversion and retention.
People Love Your Classes…
So why do memberships feel hard to sell?
Studio owners everywhere are noticing the same thing:
People are still trying classes. But getting new membership feels harder than it used to.
✨ Intro offers are still working
✨ People are still walking through the door
✨ Once members join, retention is holding stronger than expected
BUT…
the transition from someone loving the class and committing to membership feels slower.
Bad Marketing:
Source or Scapegoat?
At first glance, it’s easy to assume:
Maybe the offer isn’t strong enough
Maybe the pricing needs adjusting
Maybe the sales process needs tightening
But the pattern we’re seeing suggests something deeper.
What’s changing right now isn’t visibility or interest…
It’s commitment.
Fear of Commitment
People are hesitant to commit long term to almost anything right now.
Why?
Financial uncertainty
Emotional fatigue
A world that feels a little unpredictable
When life feels unstable, commitment feels riskier.
(And let's be honest, things are feeling heavy for a lot of people right now.)
So instead of memberships, people often choose lower-commitment options first:
Class packs
Intro offers
Drop-ins
Not because they don’t like the studio.
Because commitment itself feels more intimidating than it once did.
The Old Fitness Growth Model
For years, the boutique fitness model followed a familiar path:
Tries the workout → Loves the class → Buys the membership
Community came after the membership.
The Model Is Quietly Reversing
What we’re seeing now is a different order.
Now, people don’t commit to workouts first.
They commit to places where they feel like they belong.
When someone feels a genuine sense of belonging inside a studio, the membership decision becomes easy.
When that connection isn’t clear yet, people keep testing the waters.
Lisa's Insight:
The Studios Growing Right Now…
The studios building the strongest memberships aren’t just selling great workouts.
They’re building communities people feel proud to belong to.
Places where members feel:
Welcomed
Represented
Supported
Connected
The workout still matters.
But the community experience is what creates commitment.
Ask the Right Questions
The question studio owners should be asking right now is not:
“How do we sell more memberships?”
It’s something deeper:
💭 What does it actually feel like to belong inside our studio?
💭 How are we creating a safe, inclusive space for our community?
💭 What are ways that we can give back?
Once belonging becomes clear, commitment follows.
That shift is quietly changing the leadership role of the studio owner.
Owners aren’t just operators anymore…
You’re:
✨ Community leaders
✨ Culture builders
✨ Shaping the environment members walk into every day
Studios with strong new membership sales are intentionally designing moments of connection.
JAMIE’S BELONGING AUDIT
3 areas to build stronger moments of connection:
1. Your first impression
For someone walking into your studio for the first time, is the experience designed for connection… or just logistics?
Do they immediately feel welcomed by the community? Or simply checked in for class?
2. Your language
Listen to how your team talks about your studio.
Do they describe a schedule of workouts? Or do they talk about the bigger community members are part of?
3. Your member experience
Look at the moments between classes.
Are members interacting with each other? Or are they showing up, working out, and leaving?
3 Pillars to Crafting a Memorable Identity
In this bonus clip from our April CORE Workshop: Build Belonging + Community, Katie Horwitch breaks down a simple but powerful framework for building a memorable identity people will actually connect to:
✨ Relatable
✨ Inspirational
✨ Aspirational
This is the foundation for creating a studio people don’t just try… but choose to belong to.
