Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Monica Marder. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Monica, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
I’ve always been someone who moves. Growing up in Chicago, staying active wasn’t just something I did. It was part of who I was. When I moved to New York City, that didn’t change, but my relationship with fitness did. I tried everything the city had to offer. Boutique studios, gym memberships, group classes. And I kept running into the same frustration. I was working hard, I was showing up consistently, but I wasn’t seeing the results I expected. And more than that, I was getting hurt. My joints were taking a beating, and I could feel the long-term cost of high-impact training starting to add up.
That’s when I discovered reformer-based training. For the first time, I felt like I was working smarter, not just harder. The spring resistance, the low-impact format, the full-body engagement. It clicked immediately. But even then, I felt like something was missing. The studios I was going to were incredible, but they weren’t quite hitting the intensity I was craving. I wanted the burn. I wanted to feel strong, not just stretched. I wanted a workout that respected my body and challenged it at the same time.
I couldn’t find that place. So I decided to build it. Launching FORM50 wasn’t just a business decision. It was personal. I wanted to create the studio I had been looking for my entire fitness journey. A place where the science was real, the programming was intentional, and the results were undeniable. Where you could walk in at any fitness level and walk out feeling like the strongest version of yourself. Where low-impact didn’t mean low-intensity. It meant smarter intensity.
What got me most excited was the gap I was seeing. So many people were stuck in the same cycle I had been in. Grinding through workouts that were either too easy, too hard on their bodies, or just not delivering. Nobody was combining the precision of spring-based resistance training with the metabolic demand of true interval work in a format that was accessible, sustainable, and genuinely fun. That was the opportunity.
That was FORM50. And the response confirmed everything. From our very first studio, clients were telling us they’d never felt stronger. That their joints weren’t hurting for the first time in years. That they were seeing changes in their bodies they hadn’t seen from anything else they’d tried. That’s when I knew. This wasn’t just a worthwhile endeavor. This was exactly what people needed.
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.
At its core, FORM50 is a boutique fitness brand built around a simple but powerful idea: that you shouldn’t have to choose between a workout that’s intense and one that’s sustainable.
FORM50 is built around our proprietary machine, the FORMFormer, and our signature training method, LIIT, or Low Impact Interval Training. Every class combines spring-based resistance with high-intensity interval structure, so you’re building real muscular strength and driving serious cardiovascular demand at the same time, without a single jump, sprint, or moment of unnecessary impact. Our signature Total Body Sculpt class trains every major muscle group in 50 minutes, with an afterburn effect that lasts up to 36 hours post-session. That’s not marketing language. That’s the science of how the method is designed.
What sets us apart is the combination. There are low-impact studios. There are HIIT studios. There are strength studios. There is no one else doing all three at this level, on this machine, with this kind of coaching. Our coaches don’t just lead a class. They cue your form in real time, adjust your resistance, and build a relationship with your body over time. That continuity is part of what makes the results real.
The problem we solve is one a lot of people know personally: working hard and not getting where you want to go, or getting there at a cost your body can’t sustain. FORM50 is for the person who is serious about their fitness but done with the wear and tear. The marathon runner whose knees are finally asking for a break. The new mom easing back into movement. The executive who has 50 minutes and needs every one of them to count. The athlete who wants to perform better, not just look better. We are built for every body and we mean that.
What I’m most proud of is the community we’ve built. We call them the FORM Fam, and that name isn’t an accident. Walking into any FORM50 studio feels like walking into the best party in town. DJ-curated playlists, an energy that’s genuinely infectious, coaches who know your name and your goals. People don’t just come back because the workout works. They come back because it feels like their place.
What started as one studio has grown into locations across New York and Florida, with more on the way. And every time we open a new door, the same thing happens. People walk in curious and leave converted.
If there’s one thing I want people to know about FORM50, it’s this: we are not here to be another fitness option. We are here to be the last one you need.
Okay – so how did you figure out the manufacturing part? Did you have prior experience?
We do — and honestly, it started with something as simple as socks.
When you’re training on the FORMFormer, grip matters. The carriage moves, the springs create constant tension, and your feet are working in every position. From the moment we opened our doors, we knew we needed a grippy sock that could actually keep up with the workout. Something that would hold, last, and feel good on your foot through an entire 50-minute session.
We went all in on it. We partnered with TAVI Active to develop a private label sock exclusively for FORM50, our now-famous mini crew. TAVI is known for producing some of the stickiest, most durable grip socks on the market, and that reputation matched exactly what we needed. We wanted our clients to be able to grab a pair at the studio and know they were getting something genuinely worth it. Not a throwaway accessory but a product they’d reach for every time they packed their bag.
What I’ve learned through this is that when you’re growing a brand, the details matter as much as the big decisions. The sock is a small thing on paper. But it’s one of the first physical touchpoints a new client has with FORM50. They put it on before their very first class. That moment matters. Everything that carries our name should reflect the same standard we hold in the studio: high quality, intentional, and built to last.
We’ve had our TAVI partnership since we first opened, and it’s one I’m really proud of. When you find the right vendor who understands your brand and your standards, you hold onto them.
Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?
Two thinkers have shaped the way I lead more than anyone else: Simon Sinek and Robert Greene.
Simon Sinek fundamentally changed the way I think about leadership and purpose. Start With Why hit me at exactly the right moment as a founder. The idea that people don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it — that reframed everything for me. It’s the lens I use when I’m building the FORM50 brand, developing our team culture, and thinking about how we show up for our clients. When your why is clear, every decision gets easier. It becomes a filter. I come back to his work constantly.
Robert Greene is a completely different energy but equally powerful. The way he writes about strategy, mastery, and human nature is unlike anything else I’ve read. Mastery in particular resonated with me deeply as someone who has built something from scratch. The idea that true mastery comes from obsession, from going deeper than anyone else is willing to go, from putting in the time even when no one is watching — that speaks directly to the entrepreneurial experience. Building FORM50 has required that level of commitment, and Greene gave me the language and the framework to understand why that dedication matters.
Together they represent two sides of how I try to lead: with a clear sense of purpose and the strategic discipline to execute on it. I’d recommend both to any founder, at any stage.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://form50fitness.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/form50fitness
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/form50-fitness
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@form50fitness
- Other: tiktok – @form50fitness
Image Credits
Mahlissa Gomez