Beth McGroarty, Vice-President of Research and Forecasting at the Global Wellness Institute interviews our Founder, C. Victor Brick. With 35 years of success in the fitness industry, Victor is CEO of Planet Fitness Growth Partners (PFGP), the largest privately owned Planet Fitness franchise with 80+ clubs in the US and Australia. He’s chairman of the John W. Brick Mental Health Foundation and a Global Wellness Summit Advisory Board member.
Beth McGroarty, VP, Research & Forecasting, GWI: So much has been written—so many surveys done—on how the pandemic has made wellness more important to people. What’s your take on the future of wellness?
Brick: This is the most earth-shattering event since World War 2, and it will affect every aspect of civilization for the foreseeable future. It’s creating a whole new economy and mentality, and I believe there is nearly endless opportunity for wellness if we have the courage to push wellness to go where it belongs: as part of the healthcare delivery system.
The pandemic revealed that everything we’ve been saying for years about prevention is painfully true. It’s our time; it’s a classic case of never wasting a crisis. Wellness will move to the true mainstream, and once it’s mainstream, everything changes: The medical world, governments and employers will all invest in “more wellness.”
McGroarty: Why has healthcare resisted integrating preventative wellness approaches for so very long?