We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Kelsey Royston a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Kelsey, appreciate you joining us today. Can you share a customer success story with us?

Logan has been a member at Dissent Athletics for a year and a half. When he started with us he was experiencing lower back pain, elevated blood pressure, mild anxiety, and had goals of losing some weight. He attends our group classes 4-5 times per week and completed a year of nutrition coaching with Coach Jonathan. In that time, Logan decreased his back pain and blood pressure. Logan has lost 20 pounds, shed that anxiety, and just became a dad! Logan is a shining example of health and life balance!

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

My name is Kelsey Royston and I run Dissent Athletics along with my husband Jonathan. We are right off I-20 and 287 in the big red barn! I am also a Licensed Therapist so in the closed hours during the day, I get to see my clients via telehealth. The connection between mental and physical health has always been extremely important to us. We don’t believe ourselves to be just a gym. We are in the business of helping people be happier and healthier and the way we can deliver that is through group fitness, personal training, and nutrition coaching.

We got into owning the gym for a few different reasons. I was a collegiate athlete who dealt with mental health issues after an injury that took me out for a year and Jonathan used his mental focus to perform during shooting tournaments along with having family members who struggle with addiction. We realized so many people are only getting one aspect of health guidance and we wanted to be the place people reach out to when they are trying to get more fit or having a bad day.

The problem we solve for our clients is taking the pressure off of them. Our members show up for their selected 60 minute class with a workout on the board and a coach that leads them through the workout and to make sure they are using proper technique for safety. You don’t have to think once you step into the gym for the day. You get to leave your troubles at the door.

We are most proud of the environment we have created at Dissent Athletics. New people can walk in and see someone who looks like them in our staff and on the workout floor. Working out in a group of people puts you in a vulnerable spot. It can be challenging to overcome but once you see that first smiling face or someone you don’t know asks how you are doing and they truly care, you feel right at home.

We want potential clients to know that we understand change is hard. Even if it is something you really want there is going to be resistance. That is what we are here for. After the newness starts to wear off and you are feeling discouraged about the amount of work it takes to be healthy, we are here. Continuing to push and encourage you to reach the goals you started out with.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

“If you build it, they will come”. I truly thought that if we had a great building with fantastic coaches and a community that was excited about health and wellness that people would be knocking down the doors to get in. Safe to say, this is not true. Just because you exist does not mean people know about you or want to participate in your services. The behind the scenes work was a lot more than anticipated. You don’t know what you don’t know.

Since realizing this we have been creating our web of connections. We have vastly improved our online presence by avidly posting on our Facebook and Instagram business pages, our free Facebook group to provide resources and advice (DFW Fitness and Nutrition), created a new website, content for our YouTube channel, and produce weekly blogs. The number of reviews that are left on google have also gone up by us just asking members to share their experiences. We have also just started a patreon page!

We have also been a better part of our local community. We host the Phoenix every Friday night for a 60 minute class free to anyone with 48 hours of sobriety. We host quarterly nutrition seminars and free mobility workshops. We are also going to be a part of Kennedale’s 75th anniversary on June 25th.

We now understand the importance of being a part of the community you are in and letting people know who we are and what we do.

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Any business where you are providing a service to people can be difficult. First, we have chosen staff members who display specific values we are looking for. They are easy to talk to, kind, knowledgeable, coachable, and have a passion for health and wellness. Second, we have a team behind us that isn’t afraid to ask questions, provide feedback, or bring us new ideas. If your team does not feel heard or thinks their ideas don’t matter, they won’t stick around for long. In the end you still decide what is best for you and your business but your team is on the front lines. Last, let your team know your mission and vision early and often. Our team knows we are the happy and healthy gym. That is our goal and focus and that is sometimes different than their personal health and fitness goals. If your team knows the mission and vision, then they are able to more freely do their job within those guidelines.

Maintaining high morale of our team is extremely important. We treat them with respect and celebrate them. Notice what your team does well and let them know!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://dissent.fit/
• Instagram: @dissentathletics
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/dfwfitness/?ref=share_group_link
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/kelsey-royston-774716157
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5vrYJ9-miY2r9bk4jkQC7Q?sub_confirmation=1

Image Credits
Logan Moore