Ellen Latham

She almost said no to the deal that made her a billionaire.

Ellen Latham was living her dream, running a luxury spa’s fitness program in Miami, when, out of nowhere, she lost her job.

A single mom with no safety net, she had two choices: give up or rebuild.

She focused on what she had.

A Pilates certification.

A passion for fitness.

A spare room in her house.

So, she started training clients one by one.

But they wanted more... fat loss, endurance, strength.

So Ellen got to work, spending months researching the science of an “ultimate workout.”

The result? A first-of-its-kind blend of heart-rate-based interval training, rowing, and strength exercises designed to maximize results.

The workout took off.

Her small studio had 10-person waitlists, and people were bribing the front desk just to get a class spot.

Then, a client’s husband (a franchising expert) told her: “Ellen, this needs to be everywhere.”

She brushed it off. “I know nothing about franchising.”

For months, she doubted herself.

Could she really turn this into a business? Was she too old? Did she know enough?

Then, she did what she had told her clients for years: she pushed through.

In 2010, Orangetheory Fitness was born.

By 2019, the company surpassed $1B in revenue, with 1,300+ studios across 23 countries.

Today, over 5M workouts happen every month.

Her advice? “Focus on what you have, not what you lost.”

The opportunity of a lifetime doesn’t wait until you feel ready.