When we started developing HealthSeekers, the mission was relatively simple: How do we engage more people who want to be healthier, but don't necessarily want to join a gym?
The initial focus was on health checks, body composition measurement, coaching and simple, achievable behaviour change.
But as the first operators have started delivering the HealthSeekers Accelerator, we're learning that the impact doesn't stop with the people taking part.
It's also changing the way some staff coach.
Those changes are starting to find their way back into the wider membership, which is one of the most interesting lessons from the programme so far.
HealthSeekers gives coaches different conversations to have
Most fitness professionals are good at talking about exercise. Sets, Reps, Training plans, Goals, Technique, Progress.
All that is important, but health is bigger than exercise.
A HealthSeeker might want to talk about:
- energy
- sleep
- hydration
- nutrition
- stress
- weight
- body composition
- confidence
- longevity
And often, the first step isn't prescribing anything... It's listening.
A Daily100 or HealthCheck gives the coach something to explore, but the important part is what happens next.
"Tell me about that."
"How are you feeling?"
"What would you most like to improve?"
"What do you think would make the biggest difference?"
These are different conversations, and for many fitness professionals, they're also more like the conversations they entered the industry wanting to have.
Health coaching can create more purpose
We talk a lot about member retention, but staff retention matters too, and the two are inextricably linked.
Most fitness professionals don't choose the career because they want to count repetitions, they want to help people, they want to see progress, they want to make a difference.
HealthSeekers creates more opportunities to do exactly that.
A coach can meet someone who hasn't exercised for years, understand what they want from their health, help them identify one achievable change, and then see what happens. That can be incredibly rewarding, and when staff have more purpose in their work, there's a potential benefit for the business too.
Better staff experience can support better staff retention.
And then something interesting happens...
The coach goes back onto the gym floor... But they don't leave those skills behind.
They've become more comfortable asking questions. They're more likely to talk about health rather than just exercise. They've learned that not every conversation needs to end with a workout. They've experienced the value of a HealthCheck.
And they may start thinking:
"Why aren't we doing more of this with our existing members?"
That's where HealthSeekers starts to become bigger than a programme for non-members.
HealthSeekers can improve member conversations too
Imagine an existing member who has been coming for two years. They attend regularly, they know how to use the kit, they've got a routine. On paper, everything looks fine.
But when did anyone last ask them: "How's your health?"
Not: "How's your training?"
Not: "Have you hit your target?"
But: "How are you doing?"
That question might uncover something completely different... Perhaps they're sleeping badly. Perhaps they're struggling with stress. Perhaps they've lost motivation. Perhaps their goals have changed. Perhaps they're delighted with their progress and simply need someone to recognise it.
These are all opportunities for a coach to add value.
This is where retention by stealth comes in
We've talked before about retention by stealth. HealthSeekers wasn't designed as a retention programme, but it creates more opportunities for the things that influence retention:
- More coaching conversations.
- More health checks.
- More opportunities to discuss progress.
- More opportunities to notice when someone is struggling.
- And more opportunities to celebrate when someone is doing well.
Because people don't stay because a club has a retention strategy. They stay because they experience value, they make progress, they enjoy the experience, they know people, they feel supported, they feel that someone cares about their journey.
Retention is the outcome... The conversations, coaching and relationships are part of what creates it.
There's another side to the equation
The HealthSeekers journey doesn't have to be: Non-member → HealthSeeker → Member (Although that's clearly an opportunity).
There can be movement in both directions.
An existing member might discover that a more health-focused approach is what they need. And a member who is ready to cancel might not necessarily want to end their relationship with the club altogether. Perhaps their circumstances have changed. Perhaps they don't have the time to train three times a week. Perhaps the membership cost no longer feels justified. Perhaps they simply don't want the commitment of traditional membership right now.
But they might still value:
- health checks
- body composition tracking
- coaching
- accountability
- progress reviews
- support
That's where a HealthSeeker downgrade option becomes interesting.
Instead of: Member → Cancelled
there's another possible journey: Member → HealthSeeker → Re-engagement → Member
It's not about making cancellation difficult, it's about making the relationship flexible enough to reflect where someone is now.
Sometimes the best retention strategy isn't persuading someone to keep exactly the same membership. It's finding another way for them to stay connected.
The HealthSeeker effect
Put all of this together and something interesting starts to happen.
The programme may begin with a non-member. But the effects can ripple through the club.
HealthSeeker engagement... More meaningful coaching... More purpose for staff... Better coaching behaviours... More health conversations with existing members... More progress and engagement... Better retention
And alongside that: HealthSeeker ↔ Membership
The relationship doesn't have to be linear, it can move with the person's needs.
That's a much more resilient business model than simply trying to keep everyone in the same membership category forever.
Accelerator Insight: The HealthSeeker effect doesn't stop with the HealthSeeker
The biggest lesson from the first HealthSeekers Accelerator cohort may not be what happens to the person taking part. It's what happens to the people around them.
HealthSeekers gives staff a reason to have different conversations. Those conversations create more purpose for coaches, develop their coaching skills, and can encourage them to have more meaningful health conversations with existing members.
That creates a virtuous circle: HealthSeekers → Better coaching → More staff purpose → Better member conversations → More engagement → Better retention.
So HealthSeekers isn't simply a way to engage the 66% who want to be healthier but don't identify with traditional fitness. It can change the way the whole club talks about health. And that, perhaps, is the most important insight of all.
From HealthSeeker to healthier club
Across these four articles, we've explored four different lessons from the early stages of the Accelerator.
- The measurement starts the conversation.
- A simple win can create momentum.
- The biggest opportunity may be the 66% who want to be healthier, not fitter.
- And now: The impact of engaging those people can extend far beyond them.
That's why we're increasingly thinking about HealthSeekers as more than another programme... It's a way of broadening the role of the club. A way of giving staff more opportunities to coach. A way of giving members more meaningful interactions. A way of creating a different relationship with people who aren't ready for traditional membership. And potentially, a way of building a more resilient business.
The fitness industry has spent decades asking:
"How do we get more people to exercise?"
Perhaps the bigger question is:
"How do we help more people become healthier?"
Because if we start with health, we can create more opportunities for fitness, movement, coaching, community and membership to follow. And everyone can benefit.
Continue the Conversation
This article is the fourth and final part of our HealthSeekers Accelerator Insights series, sharing the lessons, observations and evidence emerging from the first cohort of operators.
The Accelerator is still developing, and we're learning alongside the operators taking part. That's what makes it exciting.
If you'd like to explore how HealthSeekers could help your organisation engage more people, create more meaningful coaching conversations, support your team and build a broader, more resilient health proposition, I'd love to hear from you.
