In this episode, Deb Coviello sits down with Shaun Grove, CEO of Stride Fitness and seasoned fitness franchising executive. Shaun's career path is anything but conventional — from playing college and professional football, to practicing law, to becoming an FBI agent, to scaling Club Pilates from 11 locations to 150+ under Exponential Fitness. He shares what it really takes to build a franchise system that lasts, why the "grow fast or die slow" mindset can be dangerous, and why he believes the future of fitness lies at the intersection of cardio, strength training, and recovery — all under one roof. Whether you're a C-suite leader, an aspiring entrepreneur, or a fitness enthusiast, this episode is packed with hard-won wisdom about leadership, systems, and building something that truly scales.

Episode Highlights:

9:01 — Acquiring Stride Fitness and Leading Through a Messy Transition

Shaun describes how he took over Stride Fitness, which had 17 struggling locations, and gave franchisees a transparent choice: evolve, go independent, or exit. His willingness to help owners on their terms — working with landlords and lenders — set the tone for the kind of leader he is and the culture he was building.

11:47 — Why a Law Degree Makes You a Better Leader (In Any Field)

Shaun reflects on how the critical thinking, communication, and problem-solving skills developed in law school have been invaluable across every role he's held — from litigator to FBI agent to franchise CEO. A reminder that foundational skills transfer far beyond the career path you started on.

17:58 — The Biggest Lesson in Franchising: You're in the Royalty Business

Shaun delivers one of the most important insights in franchising: your success as a franchisor is entirely tied to the success of your franchisees. Selling territories is not the goal — getting those locations open, profitable, and sustainable is. This mindset shift is what helped Club Pilates grow responsibly and predictably.

25:38 — The Future of Fitness: Cardio + Strength + Recovery in One Place

Shaun explains the vision behind the redesigned Stride Fitness model — a 2,000–2,800 sq ft boutique studio blending cardio, strength training, and recovery (massage chairs, compression therapy, red light therapy, and myofascial release) into a single membership. He argues that strength training is the missing piece in most fitness routines, especially for longevity.

Shaun Grove is the CEO of STRIDE Fitness, a boutique studio concept blending cardio, strength, and recovery under one roof. A former attorney and FBI agent turned fitness franchising executive, Shaun previously served as President of Club Pilates — growing it from 11 locations to 700+ worldwide — before acquiring and redesigning STRIDE with a bold new vision for the future of fitness.

Connect with Shaun:
https://www.linkedin.com/company/stride-franchise
https://www.instagram.com/stridefitness_huntingtonbeach/

For more information about my services or if you just want to connect and have a chat, reach out at: https://dropinceo.com/contact/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, Deb Coviello sits down with Hall of Fame speaker, award-winning author, and business strategist Meridith Elliot Powell to explore one of the biggest challenges facing C-Suite leaders today: uncertainty. Meridith shares her research-backed, three-step formula for surviving disruption and leveraging it as a competitive advantage. From adapting your perspective to listening deeply to your customers and committing to process, this conversation is packed with actionable strategies for any leader navigating a turbulent marketplace.

Episode Highlights:

• 2:44 — Meridith shares her origin story and why she became obsessed with uncertainty: how 2016 sparked her research into companies that thrived through the Great Depression, World Wars, and other disruptions — and the three-step formula she developed from that work.
• 9:03 — The three-step formula revealed: (1) Adapt your perspective so uncertainty leads to opportunity, (2) Focus on people by mastering the skill of listening to your team, customers, and network, and (3) Commit to process by leading your team for tomorrow, not just today.
• 20:02 — Meridith's powerful "seeds, weeds, and needs" quarterly review tool: a simple three-question exercise to help leaders identify what's working, what's wasting time, and what's missing — so they can focus energy on what truly moves the needle.

Meridith Elliot Powell is a Hall of Fame and million-dollar speaker, award-winning author, and former C-Suite executive with more than 25 years of business leadership experience across manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and travel and tourism. After studying organizations that grew through history's greatest economic disruptions — from the Great Depression to the 2008 financial crisis — she developed a proven formula to help leaders and organizations turn uncertainty into opportunity.

Connect with Meridith:

https://www.facebook.com/MeridithElliotPowell/
https://www.youtube.com/user/meridithepowell
https://www.linkedin.com/in/meridithelliottpowell
https://www.instagram.com/powellmeridithelliott/
https://x.com/meridithpowell

For more information about my services or if you just want to connect and have a chat, reach out at: https://dropinceo.com/contact/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode of the Drop in CEO podcast, host Deb Coviello welcomes Joe Bockerstette, Managing Partner at Business Enterprise Mapping. Joe shares his journey from engineering to consulting, angel investing, and leading transformative workflow improvements for organizations. Together, they discuss the realities of process management, the challenges of change leadership, and practical advice for business leaders seeking sustainable growth and peace of mind.

Episode Highlights:

• [1:00] Joe Barker’s career journey: from engineering to consulting and angel investing
• [9:00] The realities and risks of angel investing for entrepreneurs and investors
• [17:00] Mapping business processes: identifying “red clouds” and driving organizational change
• [24:30] Real-world example: Transforming a marketing firm’s operations and achieving peace of mind

Joe Bockerstette is the Managing Partner of Business Enterprise Mapping in Phoenix AZ., a professional services firm delivering transformative workflow improvement. He has more than 30 years’ experience as a CEO, business consultant, and private equity/angel investor. Joe was previously a Consulting Partner with PwC, co-founded a private equity firm, Equity Management Group and was the first Managing Partner of the Main Street Venture Fund, an angel pledge fund in Indiana. Joe holds a BS degree in Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, and an MBA from Xavier University. He has served as a director on a variety of public, private, and non-profit boards and has co-authored three books, Attracting an Angel, How to Get Money from Business Angels and Why Most Entrepreneurs Don't, Time Based Manufacturing and Red Cloud Road, How Strategic Process Management Drives Competitive Advantage.

Company Website: www.businessmapping.com

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-bockerstette-86875a17

For more information about my services or if you just want to connect and have a chat, reach out at: https://dropinceo.com/contact/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.