You’re Not Overworked — You’re Doing the Wrong Work

Female emPOWERED Podcast with Christa Gurka

If you feel exhausted, behind, and busy all day but somehow not moving forward, this episode is for you.

In this episode of the Female emPOWERED Podcast, Christa Gurka breaks down the real reason so many boutique fitness, Pilates, and private-pay PT owners feel burned out — and it’s not because you’re lazy, bad at business, or not working hard enough.

You’re overworked because you’re doing work that no longer belongs to you.

This episode is a mindset shift and a practical wake-up call for owner-operators who are stuck in the weeds, micromanaging their teams, avoiding delegation, and confusing “busy” with actual progress.

In This Episode, You’ll Learn:

• Why working harder isn’t the answer — and why working higher is
• The difference between operator work vs. true CEO work
• How micromanaging your team is quietly stalling your growth
• Why avoiding delegation trains your team not to think
• The hidden cost of being the bottleneck in your own business
• How “fake CEO work” (busywork) keeps you stuck
• Where boutique fitness and PT owners waste the most energy
• Why systems, structure, and financial clarity matter more than motivation
• The 5 core responsibilities of a CEO in a boutique service business
• How to reclaim 5–10 hours a week without working longer days

The 5 Core Responsibilities of a True CEO:

If you’re working outside of these five areas most of the time, that’s why you feel busy but not productive:

1. Vision & Direction – Where the business is going and why
2. Financial Oversight – Understanding revenue, profit, capacity, and pricing
3. Leadership – Right people, right seats, clear expectations
4. Systems & Structure – Designing processes (not running them)
5. Strategic Growth Decisions – When to hire, expand, cut, or say no

Answering emails, fixing schedule issues, running the front desk, and rescuing staff are not CEO work.

If This Sounds Like You…

• You’re still client-facing more than 50% of the time
• You approve every decision
• Staff come to you instead of following systems
• You “just do it yourself because it’s faster”
• You’re busy all day but unsure what actually moved the needle

…this episode will hit home.

Key Takeaway:

You don’t need another planner, another framework, or more hustle.

You need intentional structure, clearer delegation, and the courage to step out of the minutiae and into leadership — on purpose.

You don’t need to work harder.
You need to work higher.

🎧 Listen now and start auditing where your time, energy, and focus are actually going — and what needs to change so your business can grow without burning you out.

If you want help reclaiming your time, building systems, and becoming the CEO your business actually needs, this episode is your first step.

Busy but Broke? How to Calculate True Profitability in Your Studio

Podcast: Female Empowered Podcast
Host: Christa Gurka, PT, Founder of Fit Biz Strategies

Episode Summary

Are your classes full, your schedule packed, and your studio constantly busy—yet there’s still no money in the bank?

In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, Christa Gurka breaks down why utilization does NOT equal profitability and walks studio owners through the exact math needed to understand their real revenue quality. If you’ve ever said, “My studio is busy, so why do I still feel broke?”—this episode is for you.

Christa shares simple, real-world studio math (no MBA jargon required) to help you calculate profit per class, profit per hour, and profit per room, so you can quickly identify which services are making you money—and which ones are quietly draining it.

You’ll also learn why unlimited memberships often crush margins in boutique fitness and Pilates studios, how to spot profit leaks in your schedule, and what changes you should make in the next 30 days to protect your business.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode

• Why high utilization can still result in low (or negative) profit
• The difference between revenue and revenue quality
• How to calculate profit per class step-by-step
• How instructor pay and operating expenses impact real margins
• What happens financially when classes aren’t full
• Why unlimited memberships often destroy profitability in Pilates studios
• How to identify your minimum viable class attendance
• When to raise prices, cut classes, or restructure memberships
• How to think like a CEO using real data—not emotions

Key Topics Covered

• Revenue vs. revenue quality
• Gross margin vs. operating costs
• Profit per class and per hour calculations
• Membership pricing guardrails
• Unlimited memberships and margin erosion
• Utilization metrics that actually matter
• Strategic pricing for intro offers
• Making fast, data-driven business decisions

Action Steps from This Episode

After listening, take these steps:

1. Calculate your profit per class or per hour
2. Review your memberships—especially unlimited options
3. Identify one service to raise, cut, or restructure in the next 30 days
4. Stop relying on “busy” as a success metric and start tracking profit

Want Help Running the Numbers?

If you want support breaking down your studio math and making smarter pricing and scheduling decisions, you can work directly with Christa through her coaching programs and strategy calls.

Learn more at christagurka.com and visit the “Work With Me” tab.

Listen + Watch

Listen to the episode on your favorite podcast platform
Watch the full whiteboard walkthrough on YouTube for a visual breakdown of the math

Remember: Busy doesn’t pay the bills. Data drives decisions—and decisions drive dollars.

Your team member just resigned… now what?
In this episode of the Female Empowered Podcast, Christa Gurka breaks down exactly how to off-board staff professionally, legally, and without drama—whether someone quits or you need to let them go.

Most studio owners spend a lot of time perfecting their onboarding systems, but almost no one talks about off-boarding until something goes wrong. And when it’s handled poorly, it can damage your culture, client trust, team morale, and reputation.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why off-boarding is a leadership responsibility, not just an HR task
• The non-negotiable steps every studio should follow when a staff member resigns
• What to include in a resignation confirmation and separation agreement
• How to protect your clients, intellectual property, and business systems
• Exactly what to say to clients and staff (scripts included)
• How to manage the emotional side of staff exits without taking it personally
• Why exits can be a powerful opportunity to realign and strengthen your business

This episode is especially helpful for:

• Boutique fitness studio owners
• Pilates and yoga studio owners
• Physical therapy and wellness practice owners
• Service-based business owners managing small teams

If you’ve ever felt blindsided, anxious, or destabilized when a team member leaves—this episode gives you a clear, repeatable off-boarding framework so you’re never scrambling again.

🎯 Next Steps Mentioned in the Episode:

• Create a written resignation and off-boarding process
• Audit access, passwords, and systems
• Communicate clearly to clients and staff
• Document everything in your HR or payroll system

💬 Want support implementing this?
Join the Fit Biz Community for just $99/month and get coaching, templates, and real-time support from Christa and other studio owners.
👉 https://www.christagurka.com/community

📩 Questions? DM Christa on Instagram—she personally replies. @christagurka.com

Busy isn’t the goal.
Stable, professional, and sustainable is.