Lindora’s New President Discusses Franchise Growth and the Future of Health and Wellness

Martin Balcaitis, recently named president of Lindora, brings years of expertise in marketing and operations to lead the health and wellness brand into its next phase of growth. Part of the Xponential Fitness family, Lindora specializes in weight management and metabolic health, offering personalized programs that combine clinical guidance, innovative technology and a holistic approach to wellness.

In a conversation with 1851 Founder and Chief Growth Officer Nick Powills on his “Franchisor Hot Seat" podcast, Balcaitis shares how his background in the restaurant industry and franchising have prepared him to drive Lindora’s nationwide expansion.

Balcaitis highlights the brand’s focus on improving metabolic health through cutting-edge services, such as personalized care plans and data-driven strategies, while maintaining a supportive culture. With a focus on transforming lives, Lindora empowers franchisees to build sustainable businesses and bring meaningful change to their communities.

A transcript of Powills’ interview with Balcaitis has been provided below. It has been edited for brevity, clarity and style.

Nick Powills: Martin, I'd like to start with your story, then we'll get into the brand because I think it positions things nicely. As simple and scripted as this question is, how did you accidentally fall into franchising? What's your franchise story?

Balcaitis: I'm never allowed to leave. I waited tables all through college and fell in love with the restaurant industry. But I got my degree in marketing, so I thought, why not combine these two passions?

I tried to find a marketing gig in the food industry and was living in Los Angeles at the time. I ended up doing marketing for the largest Krispy Kreme franchisee. We had 22 locations in Los Angeles and grew them to 31.

I fell in love with marketing and franchising. We fought with the big corporate meanies — those "evil" guys from corporate marketing. Then I became one of those corporate marketing guys.

I stayed in food and beverage for most of my career, working in franchise marketing for about 15 years. I worked for some iconic brands, both in the field and at the corporate level. Eventually, I found my way here to Xponential. I love it.

Powills: There are a few things I want to unpack there. Going back to your Krispy Kreme days, at that point, did you understand the relationship between franchisee and franchisor? Obviously, you're reporting to a franchisee. Were you aware of the differences, or how did you become aware of them?

Balcaitis: I learned really quickly. We’d get visits from corporate and I didn’t understand franchising at first. I was fresh out of college and thought I was working for Krispy Kreme. I didn’t realize the locations were independently owned or what that meant.

It was a great training ground to work for franchisees. I began to understand the different cost structures and how critical driving sales is to operations. I also saw how franchisees lean on and trust their franchisors — but with validation.

In franchising, there’s a naturally adversarial relationship. The franchisor pushes for results and the franchisee pushes for support and resources. Working for a franchisee for a couple of years helped me understand the unique struggles and intricacies of that side of the business.

Powills: I think that's deeply important. I’m going to make two comments, and then you can add your thoughts if you’d like.

First, I think franchisors who haven’t walked a day in the life of a franchisee — even by working for one — don’t fully understand that the value of the dollar is 90 cents or less to the franchisee. For that same dollar, where the franchisor gets to maximize the extra 10%, it’s already gone for the franchisee — that’s part of the value of paying a royalty.

In my opinion, royalties are greatly undercharged for what franchisees receive in return.

Second, I’ve shared this story many times and I’m sure it will resonate with you. I was at a conference where the top three franchisees were on stage. The franchisee who ranked number three had jumped from number 50 to number three in just 12 months. When asked how he did it, he said, “I spent ten cents of every dollar on marketing.”

The franchisee sitting next to me elbows me and says, “That guy’s an idiot.” I responded, “He’s on stage, though.”

That disconnect might be tied to the franchisor-franchisee relationship and the need to set better expectations. It takes money to make money — you don’t just magically open your doors and start profiting. At least your franchisee had the foresight to hire someone like you to focus on local-level marketing.

Any thoughts on that?

Balcaitis: You’re absolutely right — investments are essential. Franchisees need to follow the franchisor’s playbook while maintaining a collaborative mindset. It’s about saying, “I’m going to try this” or “I’m going to invest more,” while understanding that the franchisor’s recommendations are the bare minimum.

We always applaud franchisees who go above and beyond when they do it smartly, with clear goals and intent behind their investments. Engaging with the franchisor is key. There’s not a franchisor on this planet who wouldn’t welcome a call like, “I want to spend more on marketing. How can I do it better? Can we partner to manage these KPIs [key performance indicators]? Can you guide me?”

Some of the best ideas in my career have come from franchisees, but it requires openness, adaptability and a willingness to improve.

As someone with a marketing background, it pains me to see franchisees doing things on their own without using the materials we provide. That signals either a lack of trust in the resources we offer or that they’ve come up with something we should have thought of first.

We take those instances as learning opportunities to ask, “How can we make this better for you?” It’s not about reprimanding them — it’s about recognizing that their actions indicate a gap in the support we’re providing. That’s when we need to pivot and improve our strategy.

I love approaching it that way.

Powills: I think of the analogy of the devil and the angel on the shoulder. I imagine marketers blame operations and operations blames marketing. When you’re at the crossroads of transitioning your career into the operations side, you have one side saying, “I drove the customer in,” and the other side responding, “Yeah, but you didn’t drive enough customers — or you drove the wrong ones.”

At the end of the day, I believe an operationalized marketer ends up being the best. You’re clearly leading the company now, but how did you leverage that perspective as you transitioned into a more traditional operational role?

Balcaitis: I’ve always been a marketer by trade, but an operator at heart. Working in the field helped solidify that. Early in my career, as a field marketer, I spent a lot of time in units — whether it was Denny’s, Baja Fresh or other brands. I saw firsthand what was happening with my marketing materials: how they were driving traffic and how they were executed at the unit level.

It gave me a deeper understanding of the connection between marketing and operations. I realized that creating marketing materials is just one part of the equation. You have to think about how it translates within the four walls of the business and how to communicate effectively so it reaches everyone, from franchisees to general managers and even servers.

For example, in the restaurant industry, it wasn’t just about communicating with franchisees — it was about motivating servers juggling huge sections. They don’t have time to read lengthy implementation guides, so it became crucial to simplify communication and focus on the benefits of marketing plans for every level of staff.

When I transitioned to Xponential, I started as chief marketing officer at StretchLab during its infancy. At the time, there were only three locations in Los Angeles, opened by the founders. I partnered closely with the national sales director and we operated as true partners — not as “I drive leads and you close them.”

That partnership was crucial. He’s now the president of StretchLab and I’m now the president of Lindora. Our collaboration drove StretchLab’s success. We understood that leads don’t pay the bills — members do — so we focused on conversion, aligning sales, operations and marketing to ensure we were all working toward the same goals.

Verdine [Baker] — who led sales at StretchLab and is now its president — and I had some heated discussions. But those conversations always came from a place of wanting to make our franchisees wildly successful. It was that collaboration and shared purpose that made all the difference.

Powills: Let’s get into the brand. I’ll start with a comment and then let you take it from there. What you were just talking about was culture.

When I think about the problem Lindora solves and what’s built around it, it’s culture, right? I have the unique perspective — both privilege and challenge — of having an intimate relationship with this. I weighed 305 pounds in high school and had to fight through it.

If I had to pinpoint what makes a weight journey successful, it’s culture. You mentioned culture in the operations and marketing context, and it’s clear the brand has a strong cultural foundation as well. Tell me, from your perspective as a visionary in this new role, what does the brand represent?

Balcaitis: Thanks, and congratulations on your weight loss. I can relate — I stopped weighing myself in high school when I hit 250, so I was likely right there with you.

Lindora has a unique story. It started in 1971, which means it’s a “new kid on the block” in franchising but with over 50 years of history. Initially, it was focused on helping people lose weight through a clean ketogenic diet, but we’re not an extreme, all-meat and no-carb approach like Atkins. Instead, it’s about lean proteins, healthy grains, fruits and vegetables.

What sets Lindora apart is the focus on education and customization. Every consumer gets a ketogenic diet-based program tailored to their needs. Over time, we’ve expanded beyond weight loss to support overall metabolic health. If someone achieves a healthy weight, the question becomes, how do we continue to improve their well-being?

This has allowed us to introduce additional services like hormone replacement therapy and testosterone replacement therapy, which address weight gain issues, especially in perimenopausal women. We’ve also added IV hydration therapy, which has been hugely popular, and Zorona, a cold laser fat-reduction technology. All these complementary services align with our mission of improving metabolic health.

Our approach combines diet and nutrition counseling with data-driven insights. Personally, as someone passionate about business and data, I was drawn to the body composition analysis we offer. Many people know their body fat percentage or BMI but don’t understand what those numbers mean.

Lindora partners with clients to educate them. We break down what the data means, analyze blood panels, inflammation markers and more, then create a customized plan to improve those metrics over time. We continually review progress and adjust the plan to ensure clients are moving in the right direction.

In essence, Lindora is for anyone who wants to lose weight or improve their overall metabolic health.

Powills: I love every bit of that. I think — though it might be too big a term for what you’re currently doing — it really encapsulates the essence of your work.

If I think about your journey or mine, there’s a significant mental health component tied to this. It’s about how I feel when I look in the mirror, what I’m telling myself internally and the confidence boost that comes with progress.

Everything you just described — using data, educating clients and analyzing how the body processes different foods — is about so much more than just weight loss. You’re genuinely addressing mental health.

Balcaitis: You’re empowering someone to take control. When someone first walks into a Lindora, it’s an incredibly vulnerable moment. Taking that first step is often hard, like waving a white flag and admitting, “I can’t do this alone.”

We want to ensure that every client is met with grace and dignity when they walk through our doors. But even more importantly, we want them to leave with confidence, equipped with the tools and knowledge to succeed.

It’s not an easy road — it’s an uphill battle at times. But we’re there to hold their hand, support them and help them reach their goals.

Lindora wouldn’t have lasted over 50 years if we weren’t delivering results. It’s deeply rewarding work to see lives change.

Powills: I’m going to frame my next question. Honestly, all of these are off-the-cuff thoughts as we’re talking — there’s no script here.

I often think about this: In senior care, 99% of franchise owners have had a personal experience with an aging parent. They’ve seen the challenges firsthand and decided they wanted to take control of their career while making a difference.

In restaurants, the multi-unit operators you’ve worked with often start as fans of the brand. They love the food, the product, the experience — and they feel passionate enough to invest their money into it.

But with gym or StretchLab franchise owners, my perception is that the initial draw is more business-driven. They see an opportunity in the numbers and invest because it makes sense financially.

For Lindora, the data shows that many potential franchisees are people with financial means who’ve also dealt with weight challenges. Do you see the future Lindora franchisee as someone guided by a personal passion — either from their own experience or that of a family member? And how does that passion connect with the financial responsibilities of being a franchise owner?

Balcaitis: We’ve absolutely seen that, but more often than not, our franchisees are drawn to this opportunity because they genuinely want to help people. At their core, they’re committed to the hospitality industry.

That’s where Lindora sets itself apart — we’re not just in the service industry and we’re definitely not transactional. We’re in the hospitality business. Our franchise owners share this ethos. They want to help people.

It can feel intimidating, especially for those without a medical background, to think about hiring nurses or running a medically guided weight loss and wellness boutique. But that’s the beauty of franchising — we provide the tools, support and resources to overcome those hurdles.

Our owners are fantastic people who deeply care about helping others. Many have had personal success with GLP-1 medications or dealt with weight challenges themselves. They understand the power of Lindora and fall in love with everything we stand for, from our mission to our execution.

Even the design of our locations reflects this passion. While we honor Lindora’s history, we’re rethinking our design moving forward. I never want a Lindora studio to look like a medical office. The last place someone struggling with weight wants to visit is a doctor’s office or urgent care.

Instead, we’ve created a space that feels like an extension of your living room — warm, welcoming and approachable, but still authoritative. We took a similar approach with StretchLab, designing spaces that are inviting and non-clinical — places where consumers feel comfortable and supported.

Powills: What I love about your answer is how it highlights the marketing lens. You’re right — the product and experience have to resonate with the user or they won’t continue engaging with it. You’ve mirrored that understanding with the operational side, focusing on what you’re trying to achieve. I love that direction.

Let’s shift to the vision. You’re three months into this role, but your career has been all about solving challenges for people — whether they need food, coffee or a way to stretch their body. This moment seems like the culmination of all that experience. What’s the vision for Lindora in terms of growth and the impact you want to make?

Balcaitis: Great question, thank you. The vision is to expand Lindora nationwide. We’ve already sold in 16 states and more are coming soon. It’s incredibly exciting, especially given the opportunity in the weight loss space.

Right now, 40% of the U.S. population is obese, and 60% is overweight or obese. The demand is undeniable. But beyond weight loss, I see Lindora moving further into the anti-aging and longevity space. How can we expand our reach and draw more consumers into the Lindora ecosystem?

We already have the foundation in place — dedicated nurses, skilled staff and clinicians who are excited to work in a space that’s not senior care or end-of-life care. Instead, we’re focused on what I call “start-of-life care.” It’s about truly helping clients and building long-term relationships.

For weight loss members, Lindora involves a 12-month commitment, so it’s essential to offer additional services that support anti-aging, longevity and metabolic health. For example, we’re exploring peptide injectable therapies, red light therapy and other complementary treatments.

Everything we introduce must align with Lindora’s brand. While I don’t see us moving into the aesthetic space with Botox or neurotoxins, we’ll focus on injectable therapies that enhance our mission of improving health and helping people live better, longer lives.

Powills: Not that I need to tell a marketer this, but what you just said — “start-of-life” — is incredibly powerful. If I were you, I’d play that back and listen to yourself say it because that message is profound. Right now, it’s not reflected on your website, but “start-of-life” opens the door to tremendous opportunities in health and wellness.

It’s also what happens when someone decides to become a franchisee. As a North Star, that concept feels impactful.

I want to shift to the business investment side. Here’s my opinion: The category is booming and there are all these one-off brands entering the space from a franchise standpoint. Lindora has been around a long time and has a significant leg up with its data and history.

If I’m an operator comparing opportunities, I see these one-off concepts — whether it’s men’s health or female-specific health and wellness — that focus narrowly on biological needs. But when I compare those to Lindora — which has the backing, systems and multi-brand franchise support — paying the same royalty and investment, why wouldn’t I go with the brand that offers all these resources instead of chasing the new shiny thing?

One of the advantages is being able to tap into the entire system.

Balcaitis: Absolutely. That’s exactly what we’re here for as a franchisor: leveraging the power of Xponential and gaining economies of scale.

You mentioned other franchises with standalone offerings. Yes, you can start a testosterone replacement therapy franchise, an IV hydration franchise or a weight loss franchise. But why not combine all three into one Lindora?

Those standalone businesses can be great and they might excel at what they do. However, we don’t want to fall into the trap of being a jack of all trades and master of none. We’re intentional about maintaining a limited scope of services, ensuring we execute each one incredibly well.

We won’t expand to the point of offering everything under the sun — like providing IVs, therapies, programs, memberships and then changing your oil while you’re there. Instead, we focus on a mix of services that make sense within our four walls. These services are designed to enhance results, drive referrals and increase the lifetime value of our clients.

With the support of Xponential behind us, it’s a win-win. Honestly, it’s a no-brainer.

Powills: I’m not comparing you to McDonald’s — one builds customers while the other sustains them — but if you think about early McDonald’s, their core offerings were burgers, fries and shakes. The innovation came later — what toppings to add, how to expand the shake flavors.

What you’re saying is similar: You’re not trying to be everything to everyone, but you’re focusing on your core and selectively adding services that fit within your framework.

Balcaitis: Yeah, and what’s great is that we have 30 open locations, each with a robust history. We know what’s been tried before and we have the data to show what works. Plus, we’ve got a great testing ground where we can introduce additional services, evaluate their success and refine them.

With our ability to control marketing and drive traffic, we gain key insights. At Xponential, we’ve built an incredible team that partners with us on initiatives like these, constantly testing and innovating within this dynamic landscape.

That’s one of the unique aspects of Lindora. Unlike some of our other brands — where there aren’t as many innovations in cycling or Pilates beyond new classes or techniques — Lindora operates more like a medical playground.

For example, we recently brought on our new chief medical officer, Dr. Kamelia Kashani. She has 20 years of medical experience, is board-certified in obesity medicine and is deeply passionate about what we do. Her role is to explore supplemental offerings that make sense and implement them strategically.

We also have fantastic partnerships with pharmacies and other support systems. This is what a franchisor should do: constantly push for innovation and develop new products and services that benefit franchisees.

Powills: And that innovation also protects the franchisee’s investment. If cultural trends or consumer preferences shift, Lindora can pivot quickly.

For example, a cycling franchise can innovate, but if class preferences or the way people engage in that environment fundamentally change, it’s harder to adjust. With Lindora’s model, the flexibility to adapt is built into the system.

Balcaitis: Exactly. We’re focused on building the Lindora of 2035. It’s not just about chasing the latest trends or turning on something new right now — it’s about getting ahead of the game.

We know things will shift. Yoga, cycling and Pilates have been around forever but the GLP-1 landscape, for example, is going to evolve significantly in the next six to 12 months. Our goal is to prepare for those changes, shore up our business model and continue driving both innovation and revenue.

Powills: Martin, I love your enthusiasm, your background and your story. You’ve won one for the marketers — congratulations on that!

Balcaitis: Thanks, Nick. I made it through!

Powills: You did it. Thanks for sharing your story — I’m grateful for your time.

Watch the full interview above or on YouTube.

For more interviews with those influencing the franchise industry, check out these stories on 1851 Franchise:

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•  From Franchisee to Franchisor: Founder and CEO Hansel Lynn’s Journey to Building theCoderSchool