Today we’d like to introduce you to Tracey McFarlane.
Dan Wall has been a personal trainer and business owner in the Tampa Bay area for over 30 years. After training himself consistently to achieve great things in the bodybuilding world, ultimately winning the title of Mr. Syracuse and top 5 Mr. New York State, he decided he wanted to help others achieve their fitness goals. He decided to move from New York in 1990 and started Wall to Wall Fitness. Wall to Wall Fitness quickly took off acquiring over 350 clients with ten trainers and outgrew its facility twice in the first year. Dan’s ambition and passion for supporting personal health continued to drive him through various successful ventures, including developing fitness programs, Better Fit by Dan Wall, and consulting to establish numerous residential community centers throughout the Tampa Bay area. Dan has always enjoyed the personal attention he gives each client but was in search of a way to provide his expertise on a larger scale. In the personal training business, he was limited by the number of hours in the day, only being able to affect 8-10 clients. As he set out on his next venture, he united with Tracey McFarlane, a decorated Olympian and physical therapist that shared the same aspirations and drive. Tracey’s lifelong commitment to fitness started at a young age, competing in swimming throughout high school, and then onto the University of Texas. As a member of the University of Texas swim team, Tracey was a part of 4 national championships and went on to win a silver medal in the 1988 Olympic Games following her senior year at Texas. After ending her professional swim career, Tracey searched for her next endeavor and landed at a physical therapy clinic. While swimming, she experienced numerous shoulder problems and found that physical therapy was the only thing that made it better. Wanting to help others find the benefits she experienced, Tracey attended PT school and progressed in her career, becoming a Regional Director for an outpatient physical therapy company and the largest home health company in the country.
Physical therapy satisfied Tracey’s desire to take care of people and give them more than they expected with each interaction, treating the whole person rather than just a body part. While she has enjoyed the labors of her profession, she too desired to help promote physical fitness on a grander scale and affect more lives than she was able to in a workday. With a shared passion and vision to create a fitness center that offered group training with a personal touch, World Body was crafted. The World Body brand embodies Olympism bringing a blend of competitive spirit, comradery, fitness, culture, education, and co-operation. The World Body’s mission is to go above and beyond people’s expectations for the group fitness experience. It brings a highly energetic, motivating workout experience that allows members to give back to their community with their efforts. Dan and Tracey have always had the desire to help as many people as they could. Now, with World Body, they can help their members achieve personal fitness goals and work together to build better, healthier communities.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not, what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
NOT smooth at all. Signed the lease in early January 2020. When Covid began, we were delayed in permitting the construction project. It was supposed to be three weeks ended up being 18 weeks. I ended up not starting construction till June. Had issues with contractor causing delays of four months and $60,000 over budget. We ended up having to complete a lot of the work ourselves and did not open doors until December 4. A difficult month to open due to the holidays.
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar, what can you tell them about what you do?
We are a high-intensity interval group training studio offering a personalized, scientific approach to help clients achieve their goals. We make adjustments to the workouts based on the client’s goals. Clients are motivated by highly skilled coaches and trainers, and they are able to push themselves to earn points for each workout that can be used to purchase merchandise or memberships. We also calculate points that translate into dollars to donate to local organizations that promote health, wellness, and fitness. We want to make St Pete a better, healthier community. Our members will vote each quarter on which organization we will support next.
Do you have any advice for those just starting out?
YES! Expect that it will take twice as long and cost 20-25% more than you think. ALWAYS!
Pricing:
- Founders Membership $37/week for 3 classes a week
- Bronze Membership $17/week for 1 class/week
- Silver Membership $31/week for 2x/week
- $199 for 10 class package
- $379 for 20 class package
Contact Info:
- Email: tmcfarlane@worldbodyfitness.com
- Website: https://worldbodyfitness.com/
- Instagram: worldbody_fitness
- Facebook: @worldbodyfit
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