May 15, 2017

Meet Beth Bishop of The Phoenix Effect in West Hollywood

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Bishop.

Beth, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
I began my fitness journey when I joined the local YMCA swim team at the age of 11. I swam throughout high school and college and on master’s teams after graduating. During college, I started my career as an endurance athlete. To date, I have run 12 marathons and completed an ironman triathlons. I have always been drawn to exercise. When I was three, my favorite outfit was a zip up suit that said “workout” on the pocket. I used to run up and down the stairs and then put my hands on my waist and scream “WORKOUT!!” for fun.

I got into fitness as my career during my quarter life crisis. After completing a Fulbright Scholarship and working as a project manager at a microfinance company, and being extremely underwhelmed and uninspired by the traditional desk job life, I decided that I needed to make a big change in my life. I knew that I needed to be an entrepreneur and I couldn’t think of anything that I wouldn’t rather do than help others through some serious fitness empowerment.

I started working at Boston Sports Clubs in Davis Square and I loved every second of being a personal trainer there. I got to learn from other really smart fitness pros, who I still keep in touch with today. After about a year, I decided that winter needed to be optional, and moved to LA with my now wife, Kristin Vallacher. My first job in LA was a trainer at Equinox in West Hollywood. It was intimidating, challenging, amazing, and I learned and grew so much during my year stay. After I left Equinox, I started my own private training business. I also tried to start two other group fitness concepts– one endurance race team, another a HIIT class using heart rate monitors, which both failed.

After my second company failed miserably, I decided to switch things up and rent space from a new personal training gym. I met my former business partner at Mansion Fitness, where I started coaching at the then, Max Phoenix Effect. After owner Max Phoenix tragically ended his life, I became a partner in the business along with a friend and fellow trainer, Jovin. We rebranded Max Phoenix Effect into the Phoenix Effect and started growing it into what the Phoenix Effect is today. This was February of 2014. We rented a room in Mansion Fitness. Back then, we had 1-2 classes a day– all the same format, which eventually evolved into one of our top-class formats, BURN. We were SO TINY! Jovin unexpectedly and tragically passed away while visiting friends in NYC that spring. It was one of the saddest and most gut-wrenching times in my life. After he passed, I put my heart and soul into everything TPE. We grew and grew and grew and by January 15th, we opened our studio on Melrose. My friend from college, Alexis, invested in our business and is our COO. I couldn’t have asked for a more amazing business partner. Now we have at least 7 classes a day, 7 different class formats, and a TREMENDOUSLY INCREDIBLE community. I am so grateful for all my coaches and friends and athletes who have supported us through this insane ride. We overcame a lot to be here, and it has been worth every step of the journey. I am so blessed to be living my dream.

When I started fitness, I promised myself that I would never sell out and that I would make sure I could give back however I could. I trained for my ironman with Team and Training, a sports-based fundraising arm of cancer charity, Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, which later inspired me to create the Phoenix Effect Spartan Race team. Our Spartan Race team completes several obstacle course races every year– two of which are done for charity. Anyone can join our charity teams and participate for free in exchange for fundraising. Last December, our Spartan Race team raised $97,358 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. Right now, we have a team who is aiming to raise the same for the Alliance for Housing and Healing this June.

Next step is to open our second location and keep going!

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Deaths of Max Phoenix and Jovin Raethz.

LA is also a highly competitive fitness market– I have dozens of competitors in a one mile radius.

We lost a significant amount of revenue due to Class Pass in 2015. Suddenly all of our customers decided to buy the class pass unlimited package which was $99 then. Our unlimited at the time was double that. ClassPass allowed users to take 3 classes at an unlimited number of studios every month. Needless to say, it was a sweet deal for the consumer and the market followed. We lost a lot of money initially, but we did get to welcome a lot of new faces to our studio, many of which, eventually became members after ClassPass raised its prices and got rid of the unlimited option.

People who followed our program really saw the value of having a balanced strength and conditioning program that gets you serious results and gives you help with nutrition.

Memberships started growing as word of mouth of our success stories spread like wildfire.

The Phoenix Effect – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
The Phoenix Effect is a strength and conditioning gym offering group classes taught by LA’s top coaches. We specialize in safe and effective functional athletic training.

What sets us apart:

– Effective, fun and safe programming: We spend about 10-15 hours programming every week’s workouts. A lot of bootcamp style places, the coach just shows up and creates a workout– not us. We take the time to ensure every single movement you to at TPE will make you move better, be injury-free, and make you look damn good.

– Creative classes: We have a lot of interesting equipment that you won’t see at any other gym. You will never be bored.

– Something for all ages and ability levels: We have 7 class formats that challenge different aspects of badass fitness. Some classes are for all levels, while others are reserved for more advanced athletes. Every new athlete (member) who comes into TPE, gets a 1 on 1 goal setting session with a coach. During this time, the coach builds the athlete a class program based on their goals. You could have a 55-year-old male executive looking to lean out and get rid of knee pain, and a 24-year-old female who wants to gain strength and lean muscle. and they can achieve results at TPE. For example, our 24-year-old could do mostly LIFT (strength building class) and Barbell Party class and gain some serious size and shreddedness, while our executive would take more FIX (mobility and flexibility class) to alleviate her joint pain, and BURN class to achieve strength and conditioning at the same time.

I am MOST proud of the community we have created. It is supportive. Non-judgmental. Welcoming. And all of our athletes GIVE A SHIT about each other and their community. I am also extremely proud of our Spartan Race team, which raises hundreds of thousands of dollars for Charity every year, but again, that’s the kind of community we have.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
Success is being happy and present in the journey. I don’t define success by my things. Wealth is just a by-product of a lot of smart work, focus, and passion for what you do.

With that being said, I’m learning to be more successful. Being an entrepreneur has definitely aged me and has tested everything I have, but it has been worth it. I’m starting to step back more and more and really appreciate what I have going on right now and all the incredible people around me.

Pricing:

We can do a special for you guys! 50% off first month of unlimited + free 1 on 1 goal setting session with coach
Regular price unlimited- month to month $245/mo, 6 month commit $225/mo., 12 month commit $199/mo.
8 Class month- $129/month

Contact Info: