Jason Worthy joins Stronger Wellness as strategic advisor

Jay Worthy has joined the advisory board of equipment supplier Stonger Wellness to help set the strategic direction of the business, while also providing the team with coaching and mentorship.

A former president of Life Fitness and CEO of Anytime Fitness UK, Worthy is building a new portfolio career as a high performance coach and non-exec having stepped off the corporate treadmill on 6 September this year for personal reasons.

Commenting, Worthy told HCM 'I'm hugely excited to work with Elena Lapetra and Steve Shaw at Stronger Wellness as a strategic advisor. I've know them both for many years and have been incredibly impressed with how much they've achieved with the business so far.

"Together we'll be working to develop a growth strategy, so they can provide best-in-class products and services to more operators across the industry.

"Working directly with passionate founders such as them is such an energising experience.''

In addition to working with Stronger Wellness, Worthy is also supporting ice bath specialist Plunge in developing an international growth strategy, while planning their entry into the UK market.

He has also taped an episode of the Escape your Limits podcast, which is due to be broadcast soon, saying it felt good to "talk openly about his struggles since leaving [Anytime Fitness]" and also to "discuss how we can all build resilience and take better care of ourselves.

"I wasn’t sure how easy I would find it to drop the corporate facade and be truly authentic, vulnerable and transparent about the lows in my career," he shared on LinkedIn, "But in many respects it was the easiest interview I’ve ever done.

"It’s time to speak up – too many leaders are burning out and we are losing people who don’t know how to ask for help. If being vulnerable helps lead the way for even one person asking for help then it was worth it."

Worthy has a history of senior positions in the industry.

Earlier in his career, he helped build and scale an internet-based fitness startup and secured investment for its growth.

He worked for LA Fitness and was then head of sales at Technogym, moving to Fitness First in 2011 to become head of operations for the launch of Fitness First's budget concept, Klick Fitness. He was responsible for rolling out the first phase of the new brand which started in Q3 of 2011.

In April 2012 he joined Life Fitness as GM for EMEA, being promoted to MD of the UK business in May 2013.

Life Fitness again promoted Worthy to the role of MD for direct business EMEA in January 2016 and by May he had been made MD of Cybex International, supporting the integration of Cybex with the Brunswick Corporation’s family of brands, following its US$195m (€179m, £138m) acquisition at the start of that year.

His ascent through Brunswick continued with a new role in 2018, when he was made president of Life Fitness ahead of the spin-off of its fitness division.

Worthy moved within Brunswick in July 2019, doing a stint as VP International of its Boating Services division, before taking on on the role of CEO at Dallaglio RugbyWorks in March 2020.

The role as CEO of Anytime Fitness UK followed in January 2023.