Good Neighbor Podcast Estero
Bringing Together Local Businesses and Neighbors of SWFL
Good Neighbor Podcast Estero
EP# 191- Natural Health Modalities and Community Empowerment with Alisa McLaughlin
How can a wellness journey start with a battle against type two diabetes? Join us for a gripping conversation with Alisa McLaughlin from Ageless Fitness and Vitality Booth Wellness Center, who shares the inspiring story of how she and her husband Mike turned personal health struggles into a thriving wellness business. From adopting the keto diet to exploring cryotherapy and halo therapy, Mike's transformation demonstrates the power of natural health modalities. Alisa also opens up about the challenges they faced opening their center right before a devastating hurricane and their resilient efforts to rebuild their community.
Alisa dispels common myths about wellness services, emphasizing that innovative health solutions are not just for athletes or the wealthy but can benefit everyone. With a Christian-based approach, Ageless Fitness and Vitality Booth Wellness Center empowers people of all ages and abilities to feel, move, and breathe better naturally. Tune in to hear Alisa's insights on making wellness accessible, affordable, and easy to incorporate into everyday life, and get inspired to take control of your own health and vitality.
Ageless Fitness and Vitality Booth Wellness Center
Alisa McGothlin
10011 Estero Town Commons Place
Unit 101A
Estero, FL 33928
(239) 301-4121
estero@agelessfitnessfl.com
WEBSITE
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Cabo Jim.
Speaker 2:Schaller. Welcome Good Neighbors, episode number 191 of the Good Neighbor Podcast, estero. Today we have Good Neighbor Alisa McLaughlin from Ageless Fitness and Vitality Booth Wellness Center. Welcome.
Speaker 3:Thank you.
Speaker 2:Yeah, pleasure to have you on. I know you've been on a previous kind of version of this, but always good to get an update of where you guys are at, and I guess you've been open for three years now, right, right?
Speaker 3:So a lot has changed right. A few things have changed.
Speaker 2:yes, so why don't we start off by sharing a little bit about what you do first, and then we'll jump into the changes?
Speaker 3:Okay, great. So Agile's Fitness and Vitality Booth Wellness Center. We're a Christian-based personal training and wellness center. It's all under one roof and, simply put, is that we help people of all ages and abilities feel, move and breathe better. Help people of all ages and abilities feel, move and breathe better. So our goal is to empower people to manage their health and well-being, naturally, helping them feel their best physically and mentally.
Speaker 2:And that's the important part. Naturally, there's so many other ways now that probably aren't the best for you, right, right, so how did you get involved in the fitness wellness industry?
Speaker 3:So it's my husband and I, mike, and for Mike, he was diagnosed with type two diabetes nearly 25 years ago, so his endocrinologist kept increasing his insulin and it really frustrated him and he just thought there's got to be a better way to manage this disease. Ultimately, he changed his diet to the keto diet. He maintains an active lifestyle, he's a runner, and then doing things like cryotherapy and other wellness modalities helped him manage his diabetes, and now he feels healthier at age 59 than he did when he was 30. And now he feels healthier at age 59 than he did when he was 30. And then for me, yeah, and naturally you know and then for me, halo therapy helped me avoid sinus surgery. So when we were looking into businesses, I knew I wanted halo therapy to be part of it.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love it Cause you know, the older we get cause I'm in the same age group, it's you know we need to take care of our health and we need to do the right things for our health as well too. So you opened up around, ian, you know about three years ago. Talk about challenges. I mean, obviously that was a challenging experience, but what type of challenges have been involved to get to where you are today?
Speaker 3:So, yes, I don't think we realized. So we just moved here maybe a year before we opened. So we're new to the area. I have never been through a hurricane before. We opened our doors literally I think it was like three days before the hurricane hit. So just you know, we were closed for maybe a week. But the challenges of then the surrounding area people are still rebuilding their houses even to this day, so wellness probably wasn't at the top of everybody's mind. They're busy repairing things. So it has been a slow go. I think things have finally started picking up. But yeah, it was challenging right after the hurricane. For sure.
Speaker 2:And we were seeing that, like all of Florida, we're seeing an influx of new people. We're seeing a lot of growth down here, which is good, so a lot of new people move into the area. So we need to get them into the fitness and wellness.
Speaker 3:Right.
Speaker 2:So, speaking of that, are there any maybe myths or misconceptions surrounding what you do that we can kind of clear up for our listeners?
Speaker 3:I think a really common myth is that wellness modalities are just for the professional athlete or for the wealthy, and that is not true at all. Our innovative modalities are designed to benefit anybody, regardless of their fitness level or their lifestyle. You know, for example, cryotherapy it's not just for a professional baseball player. It can help anyone with pain relief, it can help increase their energy and even help with sleep quality. So it just it are. Our services are both accessible and affordable, so it really makes it easy for people to incorporate these modalities into their current lifestyle.
Speaker 2:So, speaking about cryotherapy, obviously it's been a newer thing in the past couple of years that that's become more trendy, more popular. Are there other things that are maybe trending in the industry or changing that we can speak about?
Speaker 3:It's funny because I just am seeing articles all over the place of fitness centers now offering wellness modalities and I told my husband the other day I don't think you're going to be able to be a gym without a sauna going forward. So you know a gym without a sauna going forward? So you know we have that in our facility. We've got the infrared sauna, cryotherapy, vitality booths and then compression therapy as well.
Speaker 2:So you've got a full gamut of, like you said you know, vitality and wellness opportunities for people when they do come in Now, is there a certain person that kind of needs that, or is it kind of open to everybody, Because everybody needs to be, you know, healthy as they can be correct?
Speaker 3:I mean all of our modalities help decrease inflammation and build up your immune system, so it's really good for anybody. But the people that I think really benefit from halo therapy are people that have respiratory issues, sinus infections, allergies, asthma. The red light is great for anybody. Actually, it's good for your skin, so anyone that wants to look better. It increases your mitochondrial abilities as well, so everything is working at the cellular level, and if you can breathe better, if your mitochondria is working better, it just has that domino effect where you're going to be healthier.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. And then the red light is something that's become popular over the last couple of years as well, too, where it's more, I'm going to say, available out there now. Are there other things that are maybe up and coming that we should look out for?
Speaker 3:Yes, we just introduced and this is brand new, it's CBD-infused halotherapy. So right now we're the only center in the area offering this, but it is CBD infused with the salt you breathe it in. There's no THC, but it's really helped some of our clients with their joint pain. It helps with your anxiety, it helps you feel relaxed and it helps you breathe better.
Speaker 2:Wow, and that's become, I want to say, kind of a miracle drug, but it covers a lot of you know, a lot of things for a lot of different people. You know, I think we all have that stigma that you know the THC version of it was. This is what happens if I do that. But now you know it's available, where it can help a lot of people in a lot of situations become, you know, it's really tailored to what their needs are, correct.
Speaker 3:Yes, and by breathing it in, too, it's getting into your system more quickly than if you are using an oil or cream.
Speaker 2:So, speaking about breathing, putting things together for people Are there. Do you put programs together based on? Do you kind of do like an analysis of somebody and say what are they looking for and like, okay, this is the program we're going to customize for you particular.
Speaker 3:Yes, our wellness techs will take someone through an intake where they ask them questions and then, based on their goals, their illnesses, they will come up with a plan. And we've got memberships packages, we've got a very good intro package, so it's completely customized and tailored. And also our personal training fits in with that as well. So someone can do personal training, whether they want to just increase mobility to, you know, keep up with their grandkids, or they're rehabilitating from an injury or a surgery, and then you can partner that with the wellness and recovery afterwards, or even before sometimes. So it's yeah, it's a full program.
Speaker 2:It's a full program, you know from start to finish and you lay it out for them. And a lot of people need that guidance because they're like, hey, I go to the gym, I see all this equipment, I don't know what to do, I don't know where to start. But if they have a trainer with them personal trainer they're going to say, ok, we'll start with this, do this, and that's very important.
Speaker 3:Yeah, and that's what's unique too about ageless fitness you're always going to be one-on-one with a personal trainer in a private exercise room, so there's no intimidation of like going into a big gym and seeing these big buff guys lifting weights. There's none of that, there's no intimidation. And, like our program director says no intimidation, only motivation.
Speaker 2:That's it, and it doesn't matter how big or small or old or young you are. Everybody needs wellness in their life, exactly so is there one thing you wish our listeners knew about ages that.
Speaker 3:Maybe they don't know. A couple of things. One of the other new things that we just rolled out is our targeted cryotherapy, which can be used for cryo sculpting.
Speaker 3:I don't know if you've heard of it where you can fat freeze. Basically it's called cryolipolysis and the way it works is a special wand is put on any area I've been using it for my abs and the coldness can kill the fat cells, but your skin is not damaged at all. It just kills the fat cells and then it comes out through your lymphatic system, those fat cells. So everything that we also have in our center to improve your lymphatic system, like red light, a vibration plate sauna, works in perfect conjunction with you know, getting your lymphatic system working the best.
Speaker 2:Wow, that's crazy how the technology has come such a long way that we can do that. If our listeners were interested in getting a hold of you or learning a little bit more about what you do, what's the best way to contact you?
Speaker 3:We have a website that has all kinds of information. It's www. agelessfitnessfl. com. And then the best way, I think, is just come in, let us give you a free tour, show you around, get to know you. And then another really cool way is just attend one of our wellness workshops. We have the next one in October and that's for anybody who's curious. What's halo therapy, what's cryotherapy? They can actually try the modalities at our workshop, have some food and mingle with other like-minded people, and it's just a really fun event.
Speaker 2:That is great. So any last words for our listeners, anything? You'd like to add? Any last words for our listeners, anything?
Speaker 3:you'd like to add. I think I'd want people to know that our staff is the best. They're all so knowledgeable and caring. All of them are either pursuing degrees or have degrees in the health and wellness field.
Speaker 2:And they really care and get to know every client individually to help them along their wellness journey. I love that. I love that and, like I mentioned earlier, a lot of people need that guidance and assistance and push, so it's wonderful what you guys are doing. I appreciate you guys and thanks for being such a good neighbor and we hope to see you soon.
Speaker 3:Awesome. Come to our wellness workshop.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast, estero. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnpestero. com. That's gnpestero. com, or call 239-296-2621.