Nicholas Berglund (Life Time) | Reimagining Fitness as a Luxury Wellness Experience
Timestamps are as accurate as they can be but may be slightly off. We encourage you to listen to the full context.
Podcast Summary
In this episode of The CMO Podcast, Jim Stengel interviews Nicholas "Nic" Berglund, Senior VP and Chief Creative Officer at Life Time, who spearheaded one of the industry's most ambitious brand transformations. The conversation explores how Life Time evolved from a traditional gym chain into a "luxury wellness country club" with over 225 destinations and a $6 billion market cap. (05:27)
• The main theme centers on Life Time's radical pivot during COVID-19 from a sales-driven culture to an experience-driven culture, eliminating salespeople entirely while doubling revenue over three years without traditional advertising.Speakers
Nicholas "Nic" Berglund
Nic is the Senior Vice President and Chief Creative Officer at Life Time, where he has led the company's creative transformation for nine years. Before joining Life Time, he shaped campaigns for major brands including Cadillac, PepsiCo, and Gap during his time at agencies like Fallon and PMH. He also co-founded his own wellness-focused meal delivery service called Baki and worked as a freelance creative for several years, giving him deep expertise in brand building and creative strategy.
Key Takeaways
Design Your Well-Lived Life Intentionally
Berglund believes that "a well lived life doesn't happen by accident, it's designed." (07:37) This philosophy emphasizes that health should be at the core of life curation, not just aesthetic choices. For professionals, this means being intentional about every aspect of your life - from your morning routine to your career choices. Berglund practices this by laying out workout clothes the night before and maintaining a disciplined fitness routine six days a week, demonstrating that small intentional actions compound into significant life outcomes.
Transform Culture by Eliminating Sales Pressure
During COVID-19, Life Time made the radical decision to eliminate their sales team entirely and replace them with concierge teams focused on helping members rather than selling to them. (26:58) As Berglund explained, "people don't need to be sold. They need help." This shift from a sales-driven to experience-driven culture resulted in doubling revenue over three years. The key insight for leaders is that when you focus genuinely on customer success rather than transactions, sustainable growth follows naturally.
Use Crisis as a Strategic Reset Opportunity
The pandemic shutdown allowed Life Time's core team to completely reimagine their business model. (26:44) Rather than viewing the closure as purely negative, they used it to "step back, reflect, understand usage patterns, and see how and why people want to come here." This systematic examination of every customer touchpoint led to breakthrough insights. For business leaders, crises can provide rare opportunities to pause, evaluate what's truly working, and make bold strategic pivots that wouldn't be possible during normal operations.
Build Trust Through Shared Physical Experiences
Berglund emphasizes that working out together and "sweating together" creates deeper professional bonds and alignment. (38:42) His team regularly does classes, training sessions, and group workouts together, which he credits for building the family-like culture and trust within his organization. For leaders managing teams, especially in a digital-first world, creating opportunities for shared physical or meaningful experiences can be more valuable than traditional team-building activities for establishing genuine trust and collaboration.
Start Small to Create Massive Change
Berglund shared a powerful story about a member who lost nearly 100 pounds by starting with just 10 minutes on a treadmill daily. (44:56) The member's revelation was "I didn't know that I was designed to feel good." This principle applies to both personal development and organizational change - massive transformations begin with small, consistent actions that build momentum and create positive reinforcement loops. The key is making the initial step so small that it's almost impossible to fail, then letting success build naturally.
Statistics & Facts
- Life Time doubled revenue from 2021 to 2024, growing from roughly $1.25 billion to $2.5 billion while eliminating their sales team entirely. (29:57) This demonstrates the power of their experience-first strategy transformation.
- The company operates more than 225 destinations across North America with a market cap of approximately $6 billion, serving nearly one million members. (05:47)
- Life Time achieves double-digit growth with no traditional advertising and no salespeople, relying instead on member advocacy and word-of-mouth referrals. (06:01)
