In this episode of the Fitness + Technology Podcast, Bryan O'Rourke welcomes Steve Barrett, an educator, product developer, and specialist in fitness experience design. Drawing on three decades of global experience, Steve helps the fitness industry understand the science of exercise, the psychology of behavior, and the future of fitness. His practical insights challenge conventional thinking and have helped shape how coaches, facilities, and technology work together to build confidence, improve performance, and create lifelong participation in exercise.

Steve currently leads Global Fitness Programming for Matrix Fitness and Johnson Health Tech. In that role, he helps shape the future of commercial fitness through product innovation, programming, education, and emerging technologies such as AI and machine learning.

Over his career, Steve has worked in more than 50 countries. He has partnered with operators, instructors, product teams, and global brands to turn exercise science and consumer behavior into experiences that deliver measurable commercial value.

Today, Steve joins Bryan to discuss the trends shaping the fitness industry and what many may be overlooking, the opportunities and challenges of fitness technology, how hyper-personalization connects to motivation and the psychology of training, and why being fit is no longer optional.

Check out Beyond Activ Americas: https://beyondactiv.com/events/americas/

Check out FIT-C's 2026 Digital Pulse Report: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GTV2QT18

One Powerful Quote:

28:20: “Being fit is not optional.”

4-10 Bullet Points (w/ timestamps) - Highlighting key topics discussed:

4:57: Bryan opens the interview by inviting Steve to share his background and career journey.

11:17: Steve shares the trends he's seeing and what people might be missing.

17:26: Bryan asks Steve for his insights on technology and its challenges.

22:53: Steve explains how hyper-personalization technology relates to motivation and the psychological side of training.

26:51: Steve offers his best advice to listeners.

Bullet List of Resources:

https://www.johnsonhealthtech.com/en