Fitness is no longer just about burning calories or building muscle; it’s about belonging.

Whitney White Kozlowski is the founder of The Beau Collective, a hybrid fitness studio and curated retail space in Park City that reimagines what the gym experience can be. 

A decade ago, Whitney brought her bold vision to life, creating a “third place” where challenging workouts meet genuine connection and curated experiences. She leads by example, fostering a community rooted in consistency, inspirational messaging, and daily delight…bringing others along for an ever-evolving ride of growth and good vibes. 

Whitney’s career is defined by vibrant vision and a relentless heart for impact, making her a recognized powerhouse at the intersection of collaborative community and wellness. 

In this episode, Whitney shares how women are reshaping fitness culture, why accountability fuels consistency, and why the future of fitness is rooted in energy, connection, and mental well-being.

What you will learn from this episode:

  • Define what a “third place” is and why it matters for women’s leadership and well-being.
  • Learn why group fitness creates deeper accountability than working out alone.
  • Discover how to build fitness into your life as a non-negotiable appointment.

“Start to treat fitness like it is an appointment and you will unlock a lot of the dread of trying to figure out how to get over there and get it done.”

– Whitney White Kozlowski

Topics Covered:

01:46 – Reinventing fitness through a hybrid model of workouts, retail, and community.

06:29 –  What a “third place” really means — and why connection fuels consistency.

10:33 –  How to find your third place and build accountability that actually sticks.

14:35 –  Treating fitness like a non-negotiable calendar appointment.

17:31 –  The future of fitness: energy, mental health, and belonging over aesthetics.

Key Takeaways:

“Strong is the new black. I think that community women are able to say this is like a new daily vitamin.”  — Whitney White Kozlowski 

“Real growth happens when you have time under tension, and the same is for a lot of these powerful women in business.” — Whitney White Kozlowski 

“I think we are refocusing on so much of mental health and connection as a commodity and that people are really realizing we are better together.” — Whitney White Kozlowski

Ways to Connect with Whitney White Kozlowski:

Ways to Connect with Sarah E. Brown:

 

Full Episode Transcript:

(AI helped us put this together, so if you see any weird grammar or missed words—just know we nailed it during the actual chat.)

Whitney White Kozlowski

It’s the place where you’re not at work, but you’re not at home. It is where else do you find community, where else do you gather, where else is important to you to find connection.

[Intro] 

Hello, everyone. Welcome to the KTS Success Factor Podcast for Women, where we talk about challenges senior female leaders face in being happy and successful at work. I’m your host, Dr. Sarah E. Brown. 

Sarah E. Brown

My guest today is Whitney White Kozlowski. She is the dynamic founder and visionary force behind the Beau Collective, a concept that has redefined fitness, retail, and community in Park City and beyond. A decade ago, Whitney brought her bold vision to life, creating a third place where challenging workouts meet genuine connection and curated experiences. 

She leads by example, fostering a community rooted in consistency, inspirational messaging, and daily delight. bringing others along for an ever-evolving ride of growth and good vibes. Whitney’s career is defined by vibrant vision and a relentless heart for impact, making her a recognized powerhouse at the intersection of collaborative community and wellness. Welcome, Whitney. 

Whitney White Kozlowski

Thank you. I’m so happy to be here.

Sarah E. Brown

So tell us a little bit about your business in Park City. 

Whitney White Kozlowski

Definitely. The Beau Collective is a hit fitness studio, but also a curated retail center. So it is a hybrid model where you would walk in and it’s one of the most adorable shops you’ve ever seen. But then behind this shiplap wall is a full killer gym setup. So you know people have called it a mullet where it’s retail business up front and a fitness party in the back. People have called it just a new way to engineer real estate and really make the use of square footage as many hours as we can in a day. 

So it’s a really captivating space and it’s been something that we have really crafted for the last 10 years so this is a version of it that is the most recent one is from what we call a pandemic pivot to stay alive as a fitness community we had to get really creative because we couldn’t just put all of our ducks into the gym basket. It was, what else can we do? How else do we bring value to our people when they feel safe to be together again? 

And so I got a bunch of smart moms together to really curate this retail experience. And so now we actively run classes in the morning, if you can imagine, from 6 a.m. till 11. then that concludes for the day. And then it turns into a shop from 11 to 6. And then we do all sorts of activations that we call after hours of people and leaders and different groups renting the space and really having the ability to gather their audience, their people in a way that’s outside their home, outside a hotel, outside a restaurant.

Sarah E. Brown 

Wow. So how on earth did you get into this line of work?

Whitney White Kozlowski

Well, 10 years ago I started working as a fitness instructor in a hotel concierge at the same time. I was a new mom in Park City. We had just moved from San Diego and I think I just needed, as most moms listening could relate, I just needed something that felt like it was mine and it was a way to kind of connect to other people. 

So the concierge, I loved doing this at a hotel nearby. And then the fitness, I just was ready to kind of get myself back into a routine and a rhythm. And so I did both. And I think I just kind of had this vision of, I really think these could be blended together. You could really get people that count on fitness on a daily, you know, that’s something that people seek daily. 

And then the concierge making it that it’s so hospitable and folding in local businesses and really making it an experience versus what a lot of us know is going to the gym is like a box you check or sometimes people even dread it. And I really aim to redefine that and make it joyful and make it something that became a highlight to someone’s day. And now it is.

Sarah E. Brown 

Well, you’re obviously making a change to the fitness culture. Do you believe women are contributing to this change as well?

Whitney White Kozlowski

Definitely. I think strong is the new black. I think that community women are able to say this is like a new daily vitamin. No more do I want to just try to go after something just myself. I kind of want a squad. I want people to raise me up. I want to raise other people up. I want to take action as my new flex versus just feeling like I need to shrink and I need to dim my light. I want to go after things. And I think a lot of what is represented in a gym is true in real life. 

You know, real growth happens when you have time under tension, and the same is for a lot of these powerful women in business, the more that they are persevering through situations and handling stress and really finding solutions, the more growth and the stronger they become professionally as well. So I love seeing how women are really stepping into getting a group together and saying, I actually want people that value their fitness and their wellness and their health more than maybe late nights or big, you know, days that their health isn’t the priority. And I definitely see that. I definitely do.

Sarah E. Brown 

Well, when I read your bio, there was a phrase that caught my attention called third place. So what is third place and how have you incorporated that into your business?

Whitney White Kozlowski

It is a term that goes way back to, it’s the place where you’re not at work, but you’re not at home. It is where else do you find community? Where else do you gather? Where else is important to you to find connection? And lots of people can find it at church or they can find it at other group gatherings that are consistent in gyms. In the past, of course, there’s always been a place where you would find people and kind of find that third place. So it is away from home and away from work. 

Sarah E. Brown

But where you find community. 

Whitney White Kozlowski

Yes, and where you feel that people notice when you’re there and when you’re not there, or where you feel connected. And these days, I think people are really committed to finding places that not only do they feel like they belong, but they feel uplifted. And they feel like they don’t walk into that space. It kind of drains them. It feels like a bummer. Or if they actually are looking for places that they leave, they’re saying, gosh, what a recharge. I got to be with these people that are on a frequency that just make me feel no matter what the news is saying or what might be going on, like there’s hope, there’s connection, there’s goodwill and there’s fun.

Sarah E. Brown 

So for me, that’s the boathouse where I go to row, but I have never experienced that at a gym. So tell me how you are developing that so that you have that experience at a gym. 

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Whitney White Kozlowski

Great. I love this. And the boathouse, you know, your people speak your language there. And I think there’s so much of its culture. It is from the minute you walk in the door, say there’s 20 people in class, they all have different social circles, but everyone there knows the goal, knows that they all value taking care of themselves, know that they all do this consistently. 

It’s very rare to have a gym routine that is just once every now and then. These people are seeing each other multiple times a week, in most cases. So they all can hear the music and it will take them to different places. They all can, you know, maybe they were part of a sports team in high school or in college, and right when college ends, all of that ends. 

And so for old athletes or former athletes, we miss having teammates and having people that say, hey, you’ve got this no matter what it is. And as we get older in life, it all has different meanings. But just down to hearing people clapping or cheering or things that just as you get into adulthood and professional life, it’s just not very common. But it does really root in some neat serotonin and dopamine in your system, in addition to what you’re physically doing.

Sarah E. Brown

Mm-hmm. I can see that. And it does contribute to your wanting to stick and stay. 

Whitney White Kozlowski

Yes.

Sarah E. Brown

So what advice would you give to women who have not found a third place and maybe are not really committed to their own physical conditioning? How would you suggest they get started? How would you suggest they find a third place?

Whitney White Kozlowski

Right. I think sometimes most people feel like, well, I’m doing it on my own. It’s OK. I’ve got kind of a routine. What I’m doing isn’t a delight, but it’s getting done. And I would say there is in the search for a third place, it starts with one person. I really think an accountability person, someone that you can meet at a gym or can go for a walk with or can just hold you accountable and know that you want to get more into taking care of yourself. You, I think, will do so much more for other people than we will for ourselves. 

So when you set that alarm to get up extra early in the morning, you’re really doing that to go meet other people most times. It’s very rare that it’s only done successfully, consistently for ourselves. So in this third place seeking advice for people, I would say just see if you can strike up a conversation, anyone in your world that can help hold you accountable. Because it does make it more fun. And of course, just going into a new gym or a new place with one other person or being brave to go alone, you might see that you have so much more in common with people just on the wellness side. They could have different social beliefs, they could have different jobs, but just if they are there ready to do the work, sometimes it’s all you need to feel connected to someone. 

Sarah E. Brown

So, can a personal trainer play this role to get you started? 

Whitney White Kozlowski

Definitely. Again, that’s the accountability piece where most people could hear this and say, well, I have a trainer and there are many times that I don’t want to go, but I still go because I know they’re going to follow up with me. I know I’ve already financially invested in it. 

And that is accountability in action. Do they love it? Is it so much fun? Sometimes it’s hard to tell. There’s a real energy play that happens with groups that are size 4 to 8 people, and then 8 to 12, and then 12 to 20. There’s just different energies at play. So one-on-one personal training is a great start, but there’s more to actually get out of the experience if you have more people with you. 

Sarah E. Brown

Do you think home gyms are dead? 

Whitney White Kozlowski

I don’t. I don’t think they’re dead, but I will say I think the group fitness is way back, more back than people gave it credit for. I think people deemed it dead five years ago and said, everybody get a Peloton and everybody set up your home gym. This is it. We’re never coming back. But we are hive wired, not just hardwired, but we are humans are hive wired meant to be together. 

So it is so natural that people are craving that inner personal connection, even just a couple days a week. So the home gym, I think, still has a place for convenience. Because it is so nice to get the task done and not have to go anywhere. But to get the most benefit out of being a part of something bigger, that’s where the gym or a small group fitness or something like that, something like we do, is so beneficial. Everybody in our group, I mean, of our membership, 200 plus members, they all have Pelotons. But three days a week, they got to be with other people to get the most out of them.

Sarah E. Brown 

OK, so you’ve mentioned the community aspect and you’ve mentioned the importance of accountability. Is there anything else that women should keep in mind when they’re thinking about their physical fitness routine?

Whitney White Kozlowski

I think something that’s really important that I see often is it’s so important to treat it like an appointment. And I say that because many people will say, well, I try to work out every day. I just don’t exactly know when it’s going to get done in my schedule. And I think oftentimes that’s setting up people for failure because as we know, days can kind of spiral and they just take turns. 

However, if we win the morning, we win the day, meaning if you can check it off on the earliest part of the day so it’s free from tons of distraction and really treat it like it is an appointment in your calendar just like we would show up to the dentist or we’d show up to the eye doctor then it almost eliminates the weight of, oh, I just don’t feel like it. 

I think when you have it scheduled a week at a time or it’s consistently, I go every Monday, Wednesday, Friday, I go every Tuesday at 7 a.m. There’s just a real power play there. And I know this. I know well enough to have it all scheduled on the days that I say, I’m just going to figure out when I can get over there. It doesn’t work. So my suggestion is start to treat fitness like it is an appointment and you will unlock a lot of the dread of trying to figure out how to get over there and get it done. It’s just an appointment. It’s what you do. It’s a non-negotiable.

Sarah E. Brown 

That’s the way I am with rowing. It is non-negotiable.

Whitney White Kozlowski

Yes. And how powerful is that? And do you miss it? 

Sarah E. Brown

Terribly. 

Whitney White Kozlowski

Okay. Yeah. So when I say, do you miss it? I meant, are there days you don’t go? But I think what I heard was that I actually miss doing that. Were you a competitor? 

Sarah E. Brown

I do. And I miss the people. When I don’t go.

Whitney White Kozlowski

Yeah. 

Sarah E. Brown

And they miss me, which is even more to the point. I did not go yesterday, but when I went down to the boathouse this morning, the first thing they said was, where were you yesterday? You know?

Whitney White Kozlowski

Yes. And how important is that? And how different are the conversations that you all have? You know, I have a friend that says, if you want to really know what’s going on in my life, ask the people that I work out with in the morning. They know, they know the real bits of you. The people you go out to dinner with on Saturday night, they know some of your story, but your fitness squad knows the real you. 

Sarah E. Brown

That’s very interesting.

Whitney White Kozlowski

Yeah, to some degree. They know the bits the others will not.

Sarah E. Brown 

So Whitney, what questions should I have asked you that I didn’t?

Whitney White Kozlowski

I think maybe what does the future of fitness look like? 

Sarah E. Brown

So what does the future of fitness look like? 

Whitney White Kozlowski

I think we are refocusing, and I’m so happy to see this, on so much of mental health and connection as a commodity and that people are really realizing we are better together. So I see the future of fitness being that it becomes the activity that you want to do more than just lunch with friends. It is something, how can we stay well together? 

And I think that means even in leadership, which I could attest to. Our business, our instructors maybe aren’t the most technical fitness people out there, but we’ve got a great energy about us that keeps people just so happy that they are coming and they stick to it and they’re delighted. I think we’re entering into energy being the new big thing in fitness where you just wanna be around people that make you feel great. 

And if you can lift your weights and your body can look one way, awesome. but it’s how you feel when you are around that energy. I think you’ll see a lot of enthusiasm. I think you’ll see a lot of leaders trying to get creative and just get people moving and connected. It’s how we bond. It’s how we’re meant to be. 

Sarah E. Brown

Very cool. Well, Whitney, thank you so much for being with me today.

Whitney White Kozlowski

Yeah, thank you. 

[Outro]

Thanks for listening to the KTS Success Factor Podcast for Women. If you like what you are hearing, please go to iTunes to subscribe, rate us, and leave a review. And if you would like more information on how we can help women in your organization to thrive, then go to www.sarahebrown.com. You can sign up for our newsletter, read show notes and learn more about our podcast guests, read my blog, browse through the books, or contact us for a chat. Goodbye for now.

Sarah E. Brown
Sarah E. Brown