Anthony Geisler, the CEO of Sequel Brands, was invited to the White House on Thursday to represent the fitness industry in a high-level discussion on improving national health outcomes alongside a select group of health leaders, innovators and policymakers.
The gathering aligned with the release of the Presidential Commission’s Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) Report, a sweeping call to action addressing the root causes of declining health in the United States, including the pressing need to increase physical activity among American children.
The invitation signals a significant moment not only for Geisler but for the entire fitness sector, bringing the voice of physical movement and preventive wellness into a forum long dominated by medical, policy and academic institutions. For the first time, fitness leadership is recognized as a critical stakeholder in shaping the nation’s health trajectory.
“The fitness community has waited a long time for this moment,” Geisler said. “Physical movement isn’t optional anymore. It’s essential to the nation’s health. I’m honored to be part of this important conversation.”
As the founder of several of the fitness industry’s most forward-thinking franchise brands, Geisler contributes a distinct perspective to the broader health conversation – one shaped by decades of experience scaling fitness brands and delivering tens of millions of workouts to Americans.
In recent months, Geisler has advocated making physical movement more visible in public health policy in discussions with health leaders, including U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., Administrator for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Dr. Mehmet Oz, and special advisor Calley Means.
While in Washington D.C., Geisler hit media row alongside top journalists and podcasters, raising national awareness about the growing crisis of youth inactivity. He called for bold, industry-wide action to make physical movement central to the country’s health priorities.
In these conversations, Geisler tackled urgent issues head-on, from childhood inactivity and sedentary habits to the cultural trend of outsourcing movement. He emphasized the fitness industry’s critical role in reversing these patterns, pointing to stark realities: American children now spend less time outdoors than those in maximum-security facilities, while the world’s longest-living communities prioritize daily physical activity.
The urgency is clear, he believes: without a deliberate strategy to reintroduce movement into everyday life, the nation’s health outcomes will continue to decline.
This was further reinforced by the newly released MAHA report, which revealed that more than 70% of children aged 6–17 (rising to 85% in teens) did not meet the federal minimum recommendation of daily moderate-to-vigorous activity, signaling a critical opportunity for the fitness industry to play a larger role in national wellness outcomes and reverse the troubling trends that threaten the future public health.
“These stats are a serious wake-up call,” Geisler emphasized. “When kids and teens aren’t moving enough, we’re setting them up for serious health issues down the road. The fitness industry has a real role in making movement simple, accessible and part of everyday life. That’s the only way we change the game, for them and for all of us.”
“The last few months have consisted of very productive conversations. I look forward to continued collaboration to bring the industry together and support the mission of Make America Healthy Again through physical movement,” he added.
Earlier this month, Geisler officially unveiled Sequel Brands, a new boutique fitness franchisor that aims to not only lead the next era of fitness franchising but also help shape the larger conversation around public health, policy and the power of movement. The company launched with four boutique fitness and wellness brands, more than 100 locations in key U.S. markets, and a team of top executives. Sequel plans to expand significantly in the months and years ahead.
