Your Head Coach
Hi, I'm Christa Gurka.
When I opened my first Pilates studio in 2008, I didn’t plan on becoming a business coach for other Pilates studio owners, PTs, and wellness professionals. Heck- I didn’t even think I could break $300,000 in revenue. I just loved helping people move better, and I knew I didn’t want to work for someone else forever.
But a few years in, I found myself in the same place many health + wellness business owners end up — exhausted, overworked, and wondering why I thought this would give me money, freedom, and impact. I was worn OUT.
At the time, I was a mom of two young boys. My husband traveled for work, and I was managing a growing team while opening a second Pilates studio. From the outside, it looked like success, but behind the scenes, I was crashing out.
My team could feel it, our profit margins were showing it — and I was about to snap from the stress of it all. This period was probably the worst of my life, but it forced me to face the truth: I couldn’t keep operating the business like this.
"I think this coaching has been the most personal I’ve had. The advice you give is specific to each person's goals. It gives me trust that I know exactly what I need to be working on."
– EC
I made a decision in 2018: I would build my business so it could run without me.
That decision changed everything. I literally called it: Operation Christa gets hit by a bus
I systemized, delegated, and restructured everything from hiring to scheduling to finances. As a result, Pilates in the Grove grew into a multi-location, seven-figure business that generated well over $1 million a year…
…and in 2025, I sold my business and walked away with seven figures in my personal bank account.
Now I help high achieving owners like you fix what's actually broken in your business— not more marketing, not another hire, but the systems that turn a chaotic studio or clinic into a profitable, sustainable one.
EXPLORE SERVICES →
"Through Christa and her team, I have learned how to systemize my business, hire and delegate employees, set realistic financial goals, and understand how to market through social media. For the first time in six years, my business is making money beyond just me treating clients!"
– Alyssa
I’m a physical therapist, Pilates teacher, and business owner turned CEO and educator.
Over the past 18+ years, I’ve learned that building a successful business isn’t about working harder. (If that was the secret, you wouldn’t be here, right?) It’s about building smarter systems, creating real support and becoming a version of yourself that responds instead of reacts.
Since stepping out of the Pilates classroom and into full-time mentorship, I’ve:
- Built and sold a seven-figure Pilates and Physical therapy company
- Hosted the Female emPOWERED Podcast, with thousands of listeners tuning in weekly
- Created the Fit Biz Foundations community, a starting point for boutique fitness and wellness owners ready to grow sustainably
- Created a variety of mentorship programs for women at all stages of business ownership
But the most important thing I’ve done? Helped amazing women like you stabilize their businesses and change their lives.
FEATURED IN:
meet
Felicia Alexander
Felicia Alexander is an entrepreneur, investor, board member, and growth strategist known for helping founder-led businesses scale through strategic partnerships, strong people leadership, and disciplined operational execution. A connector by nature and an operator by experience, she has built her career at the intersection of brand, revenue, culture, and growth.
Felicia is the Co-Founder of BoxUnion, the boutique boxing brand she helped build from concept to cult favorite, and a Board Member of BoxUnion Holdings. In 2021, she helped lead one of the most significant transactions in boutique fitness by orchestrating the acquisition of TITLE Boxing Club, a legacy franchise with more than 100 locations.
Following the acquisition, she served as Chief Revenue Officer of TITLE Boxing Club, overseeing partnerships, retail, and people operations, and later stepped into the role of Chief People Officer. In both roles, she helped guide the organization through a pivotal stage of integration and growth, with a focus on leadership, organizational design, talent strategy, and culture.
Having worked nearly every role from the front desk to the boardroom, she brings a rare operator’s perspective to scaling consumer businesses, building high-performing teams, and creating cultures that support sustainable growth. Her ability to bridge brand strategy with commercial execution was built long before BoxUnion. Felicia began her career at Sun Microsystems and went on to hold sales and marketing leadership roles across globally recognized brands and high-growth consumer businesses.
At Accenture, she developed multi-channel sales and marketing programs for the company’s worldwide e-commerce sales organization and helped implement a $300 million enterprise partnership. At Mattel, she served in Barbie Marketing, managing product launches across multiple sub-brands and developing the go-to-market plan for a new $50 million Barbie sub-brand. At Sony, she grew the Los Angeles market for Sony Cierge, the company’s white-glove VIP service, became a top performer, and was promoted into leadership roles where she managed teams across multiple markets, led national sales strategy, and oversaw the P&L.
Across every chapter of her career, from Fortune 500 consumer brands to media and technology to boutique fitness, Felicia has been drawn to businesses where brand, community, customer experience, and people matter. That throughline defines her work today. She advises founders, leadership teams, and emerging brands as they navigate growth, scale, and organizational evolution, helping them clarify strategy, strengthen leadership, structure teams, build repeatable systems, unlock partnerships, and create the kind of culture that makes success sustainable.
Her professional path is also shaped by personal resilience. After losing her home in the Pacific Palisades fire, Felicia made the intentional decision to travel the world with her family, spending time in more than 20 countries and immersing herself in fitness communities and entrepreneurial ecosystems across the globe. That period sharpened her perspective on what matters most: people, resilience, adaptability, and meaningful work.
Felicia is a graduate of Stanford University and the UCLA Anderson School of Management. She is also involved with organizations such as Defy Ventures, which supports individuals impacted by incarceration in becoming the CEOs of their own lives. Whether she is helping founders scale, connecting leaders across industries, or building businesses from the ground up, Felicia is driven by the belief that extraordinary growth happens when the right people, ideas, and opportunities come together.
meet
Darcy Smith
Hi, I’m Darcy. I’m the Operations Manager at Fit Biz Strategies, CEO and Founder of Behind the Brand LLC, and I’m passionate about creating the systems that help businesses run smoothly behind the scenes.
While Christa is helping studio owners build thriving businesses, I’m making sure everything that supports that mission is organized, efficient, and running as it should. From project management and operations to marketing, client experience, and team coordination, I love taking big ideas and turning them into clear, repeatable processes.
Through my work with Fit Biz Strategies, Behind the Brand LLC, and my husband’s local service business, I’ve gained hands-on experience building systems, streamlining operations, managing teams, and creating processes that support long-term growth. Along the way, I’ve also homeschooled our 11 children, which has taught me that flexibility, organization, and problem-solving are some of the most valuable skills you can have.
My goal is simple: help create an incredible experience for every Fit Biz member while making sure our team has the tools and support they need to serve studio owners at the highest level.
Behind every great business is a strong foundation, and I love helping build it.
Want to work with us?
Fit Biz Community
Your best first step. Get coaching, business foundations, and a supportive community—month to month, no big commitment.
Fit Biz Accelerator
For established owners ready to stop DIY-ing and scale smarter. Weekly teaching, mentorship, and accountability built in.
Elevate to Exit
1:1 support to streamline systems, strengthen your leadership, and step away from daily ops in 12–18 months.
