Active Wellness and Mindbody: Elevating Fitness Experiences Together

In the ever-evolving world of health and wellness, partnerships fostering innovation and growth are crucial for both businesses and their clients. Active Wellness, a trailblazer in fitness management, has forged a dynamic partnership with Mindbody over the past ten years. This collaboration continues to streamline how Active Wellness operates and enhances the fitness experiences of their clients. 

We had the privilege to sit down with Mike Rucker, the Chief Digital Officer at Active Wellness, to gain insights into the company's journey, values, and how synergy with Mindbody has been pivotal in their success. 

A Decade of Innovation and Transformation

Mike Rucker has been with Active Wellness since its inception, which sprang from the ashes of a preceding company called Club One. The acquisition of Club One's assets marked the beginning of Active Wellness in 2014. Over Mike's journey at Active Wellness, he has been transformative, progressing from Vice President of Technology to his current role as Chief Digital Officer. 

"Active Wellness is a unique organization," Mike states. "We don’t own clubs but instead manage other entities’ assets, essentially offering 'soup to nuts' services for fitness centers." With a diverse portfolio of over 50 clients, Active Wellness covers a broad spectrum of fitness environments, from commercial clubs to multi-tenant corporate gyms to community centers and medical fitness installations. 

The Power of Partnership: Active Wellness and Mindbody

The partnership between Active Wellness and Mindbody started serendipitously. As Active Wellness took over operations from Club One, there was an operational need to quickly migrate from a prior member management system to something that could be stood up quickly, which led to Mindbody. The relationship flourished from there, as Mindbody's ecosystem aligned seamlessly with the strategic and operational needs of Active Wellness. 

"The partner marketplace has been a big reason for us staying with Mindbody," Mike explains. “The availability of different providers in the Partner Store enables us the agility to create custom solutions for everyone that we serve. As the leader in fitness management, we service the gamut of different fitness center models, from medical fitness to multi-tenant amenities, to sprawling commercial facilities. Having a flexible tool kit means we can customize our tech stack to the needs of our various partners.”  

Additionally, Mike spoke highly of the dedicated support provided by Mindbody's strategic and technical account managers.  “Getting to work with our strategic and technical account managers has been extremely helpful, and it’s allowed us to stay agile and create a tech stack for every client based on their needs.” 

Unleashing Innovation: Digital Transformation for Active Wellness

Mindbody’s seamlessly integrated API has been critical in Active Wellness' growth. With the ability to customize reporting to the specific needs of Active Wellness, their team has been able to easily extract insights that drive decision-making. Mike underlines that Mindbody has enabled them to customize a tech stack offering for each location, ensuring that every client receives the services they require. 

Looking ahead, Mike is excited about the future of the partnership. As Mindbody continues to evolve and adapt to Active Wellness’ growth goals, the software adapts to serve their ever-growing customer needs. "We want to continue to be good stewards of the increased value that comes with Mindbody and pass it on to our clients in a way that helps them be confident about Mindbody, as well as deliver the best level of service possible.”