We were lucky to catch up with Caroline Jones recently and have shared our conversation below.

Alright, Caroline thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Was there a moment in your career that meaningfully altered your trajectory? If so, we’d love to hear the backstory.

It was the year after Covid and I had started staying home with my 5 girls but I wasn’t feeling fulfilled. I started teaching fitness classes after being a client for many years and realized that I had a true passion for teaching. I taught for a couple of years before my family had to move. This move changed our whole lives and is where my story begins with the opening of McClure Fitness Bentonville

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

I began as a client in 2017 at McClure Fitness Benton after I had had my 4th baby. I fell in love with the different modalities they offered but spin and barre were my favorite.
In 2021 I decided to take the leap and got my group fitness certification. I taught barre and Piyo at the Benton location until my family moved to NWA.

Marietta McClure announced that she wanted to bring MF to NWA and I jumped at the opportunity to partner with her. Being a mom of five, I knew how important fitness was for moms and the fact that MF offered free childcare, I knew it would be something amazing for the area. Another thing that sets MF apart from other gyms in the area is the variety of workouts we offer. We love to cross train and we have the ability to offer that to our clients with classes like Bootcamp, Lift, Cycle, Barre, Pilates and more!

We opened our doors in Dec of 2023 and I’ve been living the dream ever since. I’m committed to make sure our clients get the best workout possible and with over 50 classes available each week, I’m certain they do!

We solve the problem of having multiple gym memberships all over town by providing our clients a one stop shop for all your fitness needs!
We also are proud to say we don’t make our clients sign any contracts.
Those are icky and we don’t want anyone to be sucked into something they can’t get out of. We believe this transparency keeps our clients happy and that they matter.

I am so proud of my staff who work so hard behind the scenes to provide the most fun and challenging workouts around!

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When I decided to start staying home with my kids, I was sure that I was going to love it as it was all I had ever dreamed of doing. While I was also teaching fitness classes, I still yearned for something else to give me purpose. I started working with watercolors as a way to help me process my feelings after my father died and accidentally started a painting business. I painted for several years and created a successful businesses called The Brushed Home. When we decided to move to NWA, I knew painting was something I could continue doing, but then the opportunity to partner with Marietta came up and I knew I couldn’t pass it up. My painting business is on pause right now, but I always have it to fall back on if I need and I still try to find time to paint time to time

Any advice for managing a team?

My best advice for managing a team is to treat them with respect and kindness. Understanding goes a long way and making sure you lay out clear and concise expectations. I have learned that I have not always done that, and it’s no one’s fault but mine if they don’t understand or know what is expected. We treat each other like family and expect that our relationships with each other to inspire relationships and community within our walls.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://bentonville.mcclurefitness.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mcclure_fitness_bentonville?igsh=MXVremFudGllMHVkeA%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/1A2mBc7j7j/?mibextid=wwXIfr

Image Credits

Morgan Blake Photgraphy
K. Bullard Photography