The Studio CEO: Business Coaching For Yoga & Pilates Teachers & Studio Owners

Jackie Murphy
  • 4.9 (60)
  • Marketing
  • Updated Weekly

Welcome to The Studio CEO, the only podcast that empowers yoga and Pilates teachers and studio owners to step confidently into their roles as CEOs. If you're ready to take your business seriously, show up with passion, and scale your studio to new heights without burning out, you're in the right place. I’m your host, Jackie Murphy, an award-winning, certified business coach with 12+ years in the yoga industry I’ve seen firsthand what it takes to turn your passion into a powerful, scalable business. Join me as we dive into strategies, insights, and real-world advice to help you grow your revenue, build a thriving team, and create a business that serves you as much as you serve your clients. It's time to embrace your CEO mindset and make more money without working more.

  1. 5d ago

    What Ads Really Cost: The Payroll-Savvy Way to Get New Students Every Month

    Send Jackie A Message! You want to be well known in your town. You want more bodies in the room, because a full class is more fun to teach. You want a predictable way to grow your membership instead of waiting on referrals. And you want fresh faces, because you have been rotating through the same people for a while now. Paid ads are the growth lever that changes all of that. Money is what stops most studio owners from pulling it. So this is the money episode. In week three of our month on paid advertising, I break down what running ads yourself really costs your yoga or Pilates studio, including the version you think is free. We run the hours, the skill decay, the cost per lead, and the four hurdles that drain your budget before a single new student walks in. The question was never whether you are smart enough to learn Meta ads. You are. The question is whether you can afford to keep being your own ads department. TIMESTAMPED OUTLINE [00:00] What every studio owner tells me they want[03:01] Why the Studio CEO Ads Agency exists[05:57] The four blockers: budget, knowledge, "I'll do it myself," time[09:23] Five hours a week is six full work weeks a year[11:45] Why ads knowledge expires and your sales skills do not[14:53] Where do-it-yourself starts draining your budget[17:30] The lead that went cold and the winning ad you broke[19:45] You are the talent: how CEOs divide labor[21:11] $15 leads versus $200 leads[24:48] Why $5K agencies do not fit a studio payroll[27:48] The runway of warm leads you are burning through[29:18] Your next step, and why this window is closingKEY TAKEAWAYS ✓ The real question is not "can I afford an agency," it is "can I afford to keep being my own ads department." ✓ Five hours a week on ads is 250 hours a year, six full work weeks in ads manager, priced at your CEO rate. ✓ Boosting a post does not reach new people. It shows your post to the audience you already have. ✓ At $15 per lead, $1,000 brings 67 people in the door. At $200 per lead, it brings five. ✓ Every business runs on a runway of warm leads, and it shortens every month you skip cold traffic. PULL QUOTES "Not what does an ad cost, but what did the whole machine cost, including the version that you think is free." "You don't have six work weeks a year at your CEO rate to be an ads manager for 20 minutes on a Thursday." "Not one thing on this list is about intelligence. It's a full-time attention problem happening to a part-time attention owner." "Everything else you're doing will not matter if new students stop finding you." "You are the talent. Your students and your team need you way more than the ads dashboard does." FAQs How many hours a week does it take to run your own studio ads?Owners running their own digital marketing report three to ten hours a week, roughly 250 hours a year at five hours. Professionals spend far more, with one media buyer describing 12-hour days in peak season.Does boosting an Instagram post count as running ads? No. Boosting shows your post to your existing followers instead of the cold audience you need. That is why owners try it, see no new students, and write off ads entirely.What is a good cost per lead for a yoga or Pilates studio? It varies by market. Jackie has clients paying $1 per lead online, $5 on Google, and $15 in studio markets. Unmanaged accounts can climb to $200 per lead.Why do my ads stop working after I change them? Every change to the offer, audience, creative, or landing page resets the platform's learning phase. Excited owners break winning ads by improving them.What does ads management cost for a studio? Many agencies start near $5,000 a month plus a $5,000 minimum spend. The Studio CEO Ads Agency is $1,000 a month with no minimum spend.How do I apply for the Studio CEO Ads Agency? Head to the website, click Studio CEO Ads Agency, and fill out the two-minute application. Strong fits get a call with Jackie before maternity leave begins in September.Work with Jackie Murphy Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficialThe Studio CEO Ads Agency: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/agencyJoin The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

  2. 5d ago

    Ads Find Her, Your Content Convinces Her: The System That Fills Studios

    Send Jackie A Message! Ads Find Her, Your Content Convinces Her: The System That Fills Studios Do I run ads, or do I just keep posting organically? It's the question every studio owner asks... and it's not the right question. In this episode, I'm sharing the one number that should reorganize your whole marketing plan: people who see your organic content AND your paid ads are 61% more likely to convert than people who only see the ads. Ads and organic aren't competing for your budget, time, or energy. They're two halves of one marketing machine — and running either half alone is the expensive version of both. In this episode: Meta or Google? My honest answer in about a minute — and why your ad budget starts with MetaThe real reach of your organic posts (the average Instagram post reaches about 3.5% of your own followers — and what that means for your growth plan)Why referrals and organic are a bonus, not a marketing planThe 61% multiplier: what happens when someone sees your ads and your contentThe halo effect — how running ads makes your organic content work harder, including the study where searches for a brand's name jumped over 400%Why the first thing a curious stranger does is tap your profile (and what she needs to find there)Warm audiences: how the people your content attracts convert at 5–10% vs. about 2% for cold traffic — and how that quietly lowers your cost per member every weekYour one action this week: the two-question multiplier auditReady for ads?  The Studio CEO Ads Agency is enrolling a few new clients for August.  We only run ads for yoga and Pilates businesses; we're built to fit your payroll, and when you apply, we'll tell you honestly whether you're ready. The application takes less than two minutes.  Work with Jackie Murphy Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficialThe Studio CEO Ads Agency: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/agencyJoin The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

  3. Aug 4

    Should Your Studio Run Ads Yet? The Cost of Waiting and the 5 Green Lights

    Send Jackie A Message! You've told yourself you'll grow organically first. Referrals, word of mouth, posting the right way. Ads are for later, when you're bigger. That sounds responsible, and it is costing you money every single month. In this episode, Jackie Murphy breaks down the invisible invoice your yoga or Pilates studio pays while it stays invisible: the luck ceiling of referral-only growth, the empty spots in your classes that add up to five figures in missed lifetime value, the attention shift that moved your future members onto their phones, and the unpredictability tax that makes every month feel like a gamble. Then she does the thing most people selling ads skip. She walks you through the five green lights that say your studio is ready for paid advertising, plus the one red light that means wait. By the end, you'll know exactly where you stand. TIMESTAMPED OUTLINE  [01:39] What's coming in this four-part August ads series [04:22] The invisible invoice: four costs of staying invisible [05:07] Line one: the luck ceiling of referral-only growth [06:30] Line two: missed member math and empty class spots [08:30] Line three: where new students are looking now [10:15] Line four: the unpredictability tax on your nervous system [11:46] What the data says about Meta and Google returns [13:36] Real math on a $280 monthly ad budget [15:12] Why organic content and paid ads multiply each other [16:21] Green lights one and two: a converting offer and knowing your numbers [18:20] Green lights three, four, and five: follow-up, capacity, budget [23:39] Inside the Studio CEO Ads Agency and what's nextKEY TAKEAWAYS Referrals are a bonus, not a marketing plan. Growth by referral is growth at the speed of luck.Ten empty spots at a $1,200 lifetime value each is $14,000 of revenue not walking in.83% of people on Instagram discover new businesses in the app. Paid ads are how you show up there.An ad's job is to bring a stranger to your front step. Your offer's job is to open the door.People who see your organic content and your ads are 61% more likely to convert.You don't need all five green lights today. You need an offer you know converts.PULL QUOTES "Being invisible is expensive." "Referrals have to be a bonus, not a marketing plan." "A business that grows on referrals is growing at the speed of luck, and luck has a ceiling." "It might be costing you way more to not have ads on in your business." "Ads are an amplifier. They make more people experience what is already happening in your business." "Anyone who sells you ads without checking this first does not deserve your trust." FAQs  Do yoga and Pilates studios really need paid ads? Referrals and word of mouth cap out at the size of your members' social circles. Ads are the channel that makes new student flow predictable instead of lucky.How do I know if my studio is ready to run ads? Check the five green lights: an intro offer that converts, a lifetime value number, a follow-up process, capacity for new people, and a budget you can commit to without panicking.When should a studio owner wait on ads? If you have no proof your intro offer converts, wait. Ads amplify what already works, so test the offer organically first.What kind of return do ads get for studios? Across small businesses, Meta returns about $4.20 for every dollar spent, and yoga and Pilates is one of the strongest categories on the platform.How much should a studio spend on ads? Clients in our agency spend anywhere from $5 a day to several hundred. Pick a number you can commit to for a few months without stress.Work with Jackie Murphy Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficialThe Studio CEO Ads Agency: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/agencyJoin The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

  4. Jul 21

    The Handbook Trap: Why a Handbook Won't Fix Your Team

    Send Jackie A Message! Everyone in the yoga and Pilates world is telling you the same thing right now: you need a handbook.  And they're right — until they let you believe the handbook is the fix. Because here's what the research shows: SOPs don't fail because they're badly written. They fail because nobody is holding the standard. In this episode, Jackie names the trap almost every studio owner falls into — asking a document to do a manager's job — and gets precise about three words we throw around like they're interchangeable: leadership, management, and systems.  You lead the direction. You manage the standard. The system remembers it for you. Miss the middle layer, and even a beautiful forty-page handbook rots in a Google Drive folder while you keep re-fixing everything yourself. In this episode: Why documents are inert — and why "I wrote it down" is not the same as "it's handled"The three layers defined: leadership (what matters and who you're being), management (accountability, feedback, and training — this week), and systems (the handbook, SOPs, and checklists that remember the standard)The story of a client, a Pilates studio owner, with forty-two pages of SOPs and a team following none of them — and the exact changes that made the handbook realThe 90-second coaching conversation to use the next time a standard slips (word for word)How to onboard so the handbook actually lands: walk it, shadow it, teach it backStandard of the week, checklists, public praise, and handing ownership to your leads — the rhythms that keep standards aliveThe one rule you can't break: hold the standard the same way for your newest hire and your biggest superstarYour action step this week: pick one standard that keeps slipping. Don't rewrite the SOP. Give it an owner who isn't you, put it where it will be seen, and add it to your next team check-in. One standard, one owner, one rhythm. A handbook tells your team what good looks like. Management is what makes it happen. Leadership is why they want to. Work with Jackie Murphy Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficialThe Studio CEO Ads Agency: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/agencyJoin The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

  5. Jul 14

    The Profit Fix: Why 91% of Studios Are Broke (and the 3 Numbers That Change It)

    Send Jackie A Message! The Profit Fix: Why 91% of Studios Are Broke (and the 3 Numbers That Change It) Roughly 91% of boutique studios aren't sustainably profitable — and most owners are convinced that's a revenue problem. It isn't. In this episode, Jackie breaks down the three numbers that actually decide whether your yoga or Pilates studio pays you or just keeps you busy: rent, payroll, and marketing. You'll hear what healthy looks like, the real (uncomfortable) reason owners avoid their numbers, and exactly what to do about each one — so your studio finally gives you the money, freedom, and life you built it for. Because knowing your numbers isn't restriction, and it isn't fear. It's the most empowering thing you can do as an owner. Your numbers are the controls. In this episode: Why "protect payroll, protect rent, cut marketing" is exactly backward — and what that instinct is quietly costing youThe real reason we avoid our numbers (it feels disempowering, like opening a bill you're scared of) and how to flip itWhat healthy actually looks like: payroll, rent, and marketing as a percentage of revenueRent: how to negotiate it down — and the bigger move most owners miss, monetizing your space with a Premium Value Offer (PVO)Payroll: cut low-attendance classes, tie raises to attendance and performance (not tenure or certifications), and pay well without overpaying to keep someoneMarketing: why running Meta ads to find new people is non-negotiable, and how organic content supports itThe one brave action to take this weekTakeaway quote: "You don't have a revenue problem. This is a numbers problem. A sustainable business isn't a bigger grind — it's a machine that gives back." Your action this week: Pull your numbers and calculate three percentages — payroll, rent, and marketing, each as a percent of revenue. Just look at them honestly. It's the most CEO thing you'll do all year. Work with Jackie Murphy Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficialThe Studio CEO Ads Agency: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/agencyJoin The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

  6. Jul 7

    More Than a Class: How to Become the Habit Members Can't Cancel

    Send Jackie A Message! Here's the deal: most studio owners pour time and money into the top of the funnel. New leads, new intro offers, new members. But if half of those new members quit within 90 days, you're filling a leaky bucket and going backwards. In this episode, Jackie Murphy breaks down why retention, not acquisition, is what makes a yoga or Pilates studio sustainably profitable. You'll learn the six retention plays that turn a brand new member into a years-long member: why the first 90 days decide everything, how to stop selling classes and start selling transformation, and how to become so woven into a member's life that canceling never crosses her mind. This isn't about being the best workout in town. Great workouts are everywhere now. It's about becoming irreplaceable. If you've ever signed up 40 new members and still felt stuck, this one is for you, y'all. TIMESTAMPED OUTLINE [02:44] The unlimited membership confession (and the guilt trap it created)[03:54] Why retention beats acquisition every time[06:16] The retention data every studio owner needs to see[08:56] Play 1: The first 90 days decide who stays[12:12] Play 2: Stop selling classes, start selling transformation[15:59] Play 3: Become way more than a class[16:45] Play 4: Build a community that lives off the platform[18:00] Play 5: Become the daily habit[19:30] Play 6: Track the one number that matters[20:25] Your three-step retention action plan for this weekKEY TAKEAWAYS ✓ Half of all new members quit within the first 90 days. That window is where the habit is made or lost.  ✓ Every additional visit a member makes in a month cuts her chance of cancelling next month by 33%.  ✓ Stop selling classes. Start selling transformation. The number of classes is the prescription, not a quota.  ✓ A structured onboarding (orientation plus three follow-up touch points) can keep 27% more of your members.  ✓ Without an emotional bond and a community, you're just a great workout. And a great workout is replaceable.  ✓ Nearly half of Gen Z says community, not the workout, is the number one reason they stick with fitness.  ✓ Show up in your member's daily life, not just on the mat or the reformer. That's what makes you uncancelable. PULL QUOTES "If all you sell is the class, you've already started to lose that person."  "Every class they take, every visit is a vote to stay."  "Stop letting the number of classes be the product and start letting it be the prescription."  "You're no longer a line item. You're part of who she is."  "When community spills out of your four walls and into their real lives, you've created the deepest stickiness there is." FAQ Why is member retention more important than getting new members? Acquisition without retention is a leaky bucket. You can sign up 40 new members, but if they quit within three months, your studio goes backwards. Keeping the members you already have is what makes a studio sustainably profitable. Why do so many new studio members quit in the first 90 days?  It takes around six months to wire in a fitness habit, and most people quit in month two or three, right before it locks in. The first 90 days are when the habit is either built or lost. How do I improve retention at my yoga or Pilates studio?  Build an onboarding system that drives frequency, sell the transformation instead of the class, and show up in your members' daily lives outside of class. Frequency builds the habit, and the habit keeps members for years. How many visits per month keep a member from cancelling?  Members who make four or more visits a month stay an average of seven months longer. Every extra visit in a given month cuts a member's chance of cancelling the next month by 33%. What does "stop selling classes" mean for a studio owner?  It means positioning your classes as the prescription for a result your member wants, not a quota she has to hit. When she's focused on the transformation, missing a class or two doesn't make her question her membership. Work with Jackie Murphy Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficialThe Studio CEO Ads Agency: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/agencyJoin The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

  7. Jun 30

    The 2027 Revenue Stream Almost No Studio Is Touching

    Send Jackie A Message! The recovery side of wellness (saunas, cold plunge, contrast therapy) is on track to nearly triple over the next decade to almost $27 billion, and almost nobody in the yoga and Pilates industry is moving on it yet. If you have been working harder than ever and growth has still stalled, this episode explains why. Here is the shift: your members do not want just a workout anymore. They want a result. McKinsey surveyed more than 9,000 consumers and found wellness has become a daily practice, with people buying outcomes like sleep, recovery, and energy. Meanwhile, most people who quit a studio do not leave over price. They leave because they stopped seeing results or got bored, and half are gone within 90 days. In this solo episode, Jackie Murphy breaks down what your members are really asking for, why studios are too slow to give it to them, and the one recovery move you can make this quarter to get a full year ahead of your market. Become the Studio CEO. TIMESTAMPED OUTLINE [00:00] The $27 billion recovery wave nobody in yoga and Pilates is riding yet[01:57] Why this is a "where is this going" conversation, not a quick tip[03:56] The belief keeping you stuck: a great class is the whole product[06:31] What is opening now: cycling 4%, Pilates 46%, yoga 27%[09:26] Recovery: the fastest moving, least crowded category in wellness[11:11] Three reasons recovery works for a yoga or Pilates studio[13:40] Four ways to start small (no $200K build-out required)[16:48] The CEO question that changes how you run your business[18:18] What is coming in two weeks and where to connect KEY TAKEAWAYS Your members stopped buying activity. They are buying outcomes: sleep, recovery, energy, longevity.Price is rarely why people quit. They leave because they stopped seeing results or got bored, and half leave within 90 days.Recovery revenue does not require another instructor, so you add income without adding payroll.A $59 recovery add-on at 40% member adoption can mean roughly $60K in new recurring revenue per year.You do not need a $200K build-out. Start with one layer and prove demand first.The studios that move now own the next decade. The ones who wait spend it catching up. PULL QUOTES "This is not a hustle problem. The market is moving underneath you, and this is the memo nobody sent." "A beautiful class used to be the whole product. It is not anymore." "You never got to vote on that. Your customer just changed their mind." "You do not have to build an empire to start. Pick the lightest version that fits your space and your brand." "Stop operating as a teacher who owns a studio and start running a wellness brand." FAQ Is recovery a real opportunity for yoga and Pilates studios? Yes. The fitness recovery market was about $8 billion last year and is projected to hit nearly $27 billion by 2035. Very few yoga and Pilates studios offer it yet, which is exactly why the window is open now. Do I need to build a sauna or cold plunge to start? No. Start with a weekly recovery or restorative class, partner with a local sauna or cold plunge spot, or add a simple product like compression boots. Prove demand first, then scale. How much revenue can a recovery add-on generate? As an example, 200 members at $129 a month with a $59 add-on adopted by 40% of members is about $5K in new monthly recurring revenue, or roughly $60K a year, without acquiring a single new member. Why do members really quit a studio? Price is usually not the top reason. Most people leave because they stopped seeing results or got bored, and about half quit within the first 90 days. Connect with Jackie on Instagram @studioceoofficial for weekly industry insights. Work with Jackie Murphy Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficialThe Studio CEO Ads Agency: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/agencyJoin The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

  8. Jun 23

    The Fear That It Will All Run Out

    Send Jackie A Message! She wants to plan a Black Friday sale--but is afraid it'll ruin her monthly recurring revenue... That's where this episode starts — with a real conversation I had this week with a studio owner who is winning by every number you could name, and is still quietly afraid it's all about to run out. If you've ever talked yourself out of a sale, a price increase, or hiring the help you need because some part of you whispered "what if it dries up" — this one is for you. We get into where that fear really comes from, why hitting a bigger number never makes it go away, and the loop it traps you in: the fear makes you play it safe, playing it safe keeps your studio small, and then you read your small numbers as proof the fear was right. I'll show you how to break that loop — not with a pep talk, but by becoming an evidence collector for a new belief. Plus the one simple practice you can start today that tells you whether it's safe to grow. In this episode: Why the fear that it will "run out" lives in almost every studio owner — and why it's not a flawThe reason your best year doesn't quiet the fear (and can make it louder)The hidden loop where scarcity thinking quietly creates the exact result you're afraid ofHow a belief really changes — and why willpower and affirmations don't do itThe evidence practice that retrains the belief at the rootThe one number that tells you you're cleared to make your next bold moveThe one thing to do this week: Start an evidence file. Write down how many brand-new people started a membership or intro offer in the last 30 days, plus three proofs that you can keep building. Read it every time the fear shows up. A few lines worth replaying: "It's going to run out is a thought, not a fact.""Your brain wrote down every fear and never once wrote down the survival.""You survived the exact thing you're terrified of, and you're still standing.""A belief is just a thought you've practiced so many times it feels true."Work with Jackie Murphy Say Hi on Instagram @studioceoofficialThe Studio CEO Ads Agency: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/agencyJoin The Studio CEO Program: https://www.jackiegmurphy.com/studioceo

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About

Welcome to The Studio CEO, the only podcast that empowers yoga and Pilates teachers and studio owners to step confidently into their roles as CEOs. If you're ready to take your business seriously, show up with passion, and scale your studio to new heights without burning out, you're in the right place. I’m your host, Jackie Murphy, an award-winning, certified business coach with 12+ years in the yoga industry I’ve seen firsthand what it takes to turn your passion into a powerful, scalable business. Join me as we dive into strategies, insights, and real-world advice to help you grow your revenue, build a thriving team, and create a business that serves you as much as you serve your clients. It's time to embrace your CEO mindset and make more money without working more.

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