How Virgin Active is rethinking what healthy really means

It’s amazing how a simple shift in your purpose and your intentions can create such a huge ripple effect.  

It was wonderful to spend some time with Virgin Active’s CEO, Dean Kowarski, and team members based all around the world - from Australia to Singapore, Thailand, Qatar, Italy, the UK, and South Africa! It was so refreshing to hear how the business has shifted its focus away from helping people stay fit, to helping people live healthier and happier lives. It sounds so simple when in fact, Virgin Active with their roll-out of social wellness clubs, are revolutionising the whole industry – for the better.

It’s a shame the word ‘wellness’ has been corrupted by magic detoxes and unhealthy trends. Achieving a healthier and happier life, both physically and mentally, can’t be found in the latest fad on IG, YouTube or TikTok – it can be found in spaces that allow for true human connection.   Spaces that prioritise, not only how fit you are or how big your muscle mass is, but issues such as loneliness, chronic stress, burnout and adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes nutrition, rest and recovery in equal measures.   

Kami White / Virgin

It’s fantastic to see how Virgin Active is helping people access wellness in an authentic, holistic, and no-nonsense kind of way. For example, as Dean pointed out, loneliness a now a bigger health risk than smoking or obesity. To tackle this, Virgin Active is transforming its spaces from health clubs to social wellness spaces. Places where people can unwind, socialise, recover, catch up on work, eat fresh and healthy meals, and do some exercise (if they’d like!).  

As Dean said so well: “Wellness is an ongoing pursuit. It’s a journey for a better self that you continually strive towards.” And it’s a pursuit, Virgin Active is making great gains in too - opening stunning new clubs in Qatar and Sydney, transforming existing clubs around the world, and expanding its footprint across Europe. Watch this space! 

Kami White / Virgin

And when it comes to creating a warm environment that other gyms can’t replicate - it always comes down to people. From the moment you set foot inside a Virgin Active club, it's clear that the businesses greatest strength is its informed, friendly, bubbly, down-to-earth people. As Dean said so well: "In an AI-everywhere world, our edge is people." I loved hearing feedback from one member who said the team are “proof that a kind word can lift more than weights."

At Virgin, we’ve always believed businesses should make people smile and make their lives better. Indeed, one of our mottos at Virgin is: “Be the reason someone smiles today.” It’s an action I take home with me too. Every day I ask my kids: “What did you do today to make someone smile?” At Virgin Active, the question they ask themselves is:

“Do our members leave feeling better than when they came in?" 

 When a business understands its greater purpose in the world, things start to fall into place. The team at Virgin Active understands their impact goes far beyond fitness. It’s about changing people’s lives. I just love that!