Becoming an Outcomes-Driven Health & Fitness Industry[Podcast Series]
[:55] Dr. Bantham introduces her guest, Ross Stewart Campbell
Ross Stewart Campbell is Founder and CEO of Beyond Activ.
[1:09] Switching to the health & fitness sector
“I should move into a career where I'm really helping people, serving people, and that is health and fitness.”
[3:39] Health & fitness sector positioning
“Look I went from the highest capitalized industry segment in the world. Energy is a multi, multi trillion dollar industry. And you move into health and fitness, which, and by comparison, especially the fitness component, is a relatively small industry, hugely under capitalized, mostly under appreciated, but the passion and the enthusiasm and the sacrifice behind the people that are behind these brands, I think, is second to none.”
[4:40] Shining a light on the impact of the health & fitness sector
“I think we're also pretty substandard when it comes to producing data and research reports that validates the outcomes that we know happen. But of course, we struggle to put them in credible ways in front of the people that matter.”
[7:22] Health & fitness industry best practices
“So I think experience, facilities, the adoption of wellness, longevity, becoming mainstream, the application of marketing and getting out positive health messages, the excitement, the passionate industry we have, I think these are all positives and they resonate across the globe.”
[14:27] Shifting to an outcomes-driven industry
“I think only in the past five years have we really made true strides in becoming a technology-enabled, data-led, outcomes-driven industry, and with that short window of maturity, I don't think we can beat ourselves up too much that we haven't achieved too much in that space of time.”
[18:52] Bridging the credibility gap
“I think there's an education gap, maybe a credibility gap as well, with the fitness and wellness industry truly proving their credibility as trusted partners in the delivery of outcomes for patients, whereas doctors, I think maybe, don't necessarily trust what we can do.”
[22:28] Social wellness trend
“And one of those areas I think is very exciting is social wellness. And by that, I mean social bathing, social plunging, social sauna, traditional infrared. That, for me, is a very exciting area where you can go and bond with people and quite a relaxed environment and still have a benefit to your health and well being.”
[26:45] Meeting the needs of a broader demographic base
“As an industry, we struggle to try and find the commercial angle, to try and make sure we're monetizing the services that we need to bring these populations in. I think that is a challenge we're always going to face. Can we come up with exciting experiences and a commercial ROI, and then can we have room in these facilities to bring these populations in and engage them as regularly as we do, and engaging the already fit?"
[30:57] Beyond Activ origin story
“So we created Beyond Activ in Asia as a bridge between these different islands and to try and break down the barriers between health, fitness and wellness. As we grew through the pandemic, we started having more discussions—and the pandemic prompted this—around preventative health, around best practice, around growth and investment.”
