Connecting the Dots by The Collective

AI is no longer a side conversation in fitness. It’s a leadership decision.
In this episode of Connecting the Dots, Jennifer Halsall and Rachel Young sit down with Karl Foster, Head of AI at Sport Alliance and keynote speaker at the Women’s Leadership Summit at FIBO.
Karl started his career on the gym floor and now works at the intersection of AI, operations and strategy. Together, we unpack what actually separates AI leaders from laggards in the fitness industry — and why most operators are still earlier in the journey than they think.
We cover:
Why over 70% of operators still don’t have a defined digital roadmap

What an AI strategy really looks like (and why it’s not a 12-month project)

The “J-curve” effect — why you may lose before you win

How to measure AI performance before the financial ROI shows up

The cultural side of AI: fear, change management and leadership responsibility

Practical use cases — from AI sales agents to retention modelling and member experience

This isn’t about replacing people. It’s about augmenting teams, improving decision-making, and building commercially fit clubs in a rapidly shifting market.
If your competitors started 12 months ago, the clock is already ticking.
🔗 Learn more & connect:
Women’s Leadership Summit (FIBO)
https://www.wearethecollective.world/fibo-womens-leadership-summit-programme
Karl Foster on LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/karlfosterdxb/
Karl’s “Leaders vs Laggards” post
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/karlfosterdxb_part-2-what-actually-separates-the-5-who-activity-7427967591471616000-lf5A
Karl’s J-Curve / Gartner Hype Cycle post
https://www.linkedin.com/posts/karlfosterdxb_ive-been-studying-the-ai-market-for-the-activity-7419620516942200832-4cb3
Sport Alliance
https://www.sportalliance.com/en/
🎙 Connecting the Dots explores leadership, longevity, health and performance through a female lens — bringing together operators, researchers and innovators shaping the future of our industry.
If this conversation resonates, subscribe and share with someone who needs to hear it.

In this episode of Connecting the Dots, we sit down with Fabrizio Colciago, founder and CEO of Uptivo, to explore what happens when deep tech experience meets one of the world’s most under-digitised industries: fitness.
Fabrizio’s journey starts well before the internet went mainstream — from early networked systems and video analytics to building and exiting a surveillance technology company acquired by a global enterprise. That background shaped a clear belief: technology only matters when it connects people, simplifies complexity, and scales human impact.
That belief led him to fitness.
We unpack why Uptivo was built to solve three persistent operator problems: low engagement, fragmented data, and limited coaching capacity. Fabrizio introduces NATE, Uptivo’s AI-powered coaching engine, designed to support every member — not just the top 5% who access personal training — while reinforcing, not replacing, human coaches.
The conversation dives into heart-rate-based training, wearable-agnostic data integration, real-time gamification, and why “AI at scale” only works when it’s grounded in physiology, behaviour, and operational reality.

Connect with Fabrizio Colciago on LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/fabrizio-colciago-58b488/
Learn more about Uptivo:
https://www.uptivo.fit/en/
📍 Meeting Fabrizio at Beyond Activ, Riyadh?
Book a meeting here:
https://www.uptivo.fit/en/
❓ Not attending Beyond Activ?
Talk to an Uptivo expert to learn more:
https://link.delera.co/widget/booking/a6GAIkmiIkIYdPWhynpd

This episode is a practical look at how operators can:
Scale coaching without burning out teams

Increase retention through effort-based engagement and community

Migrate from legacy systems without ripping out infrastructure

If you’re thinking about AI, retention, or the future of coaching in fitness — this one connects the dots.

In this episode of Connecting the Dots, Jennifer Halsall is joined by co-host Dr. Lou Atkinson and psychotherapist and author Anna Mathur to talk about the “H-word”: asking for help.
For high-performing women, asking for help often isn’t about competence — it’s about identity. Many of us have built careers on being capable, calm, and reliable. The same traits that get rewarded, promoted, and praised can also quietly drive burnout, reduce creativity, and strain relationships.
This episode is a keynote reveal for the FIBO Women’s Leadership Summit (17 April 2026, Cologne), where Anna will speak on The Case for Slowing Down. Together, the conversation explores why rest feels undeserved, why support feels risky, and how leaders can ask for help in ways that are practical, human, and sustainable.
This is not about doing less because you can’t cope.
🔗 Links
Women’s Leadership Summit programme
https://www.wearethecollective.world/fibo-womens-leadership-summit-programme
Anna Mathur — Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/annamathur/
Anna Mathur — Website
https://www.annamathur.com/
The Collective — Instagram
https://www.instagram.com/wearethecollective_/
FIBO
https://www.fibo.com/

It’s about doing less alone — and leading in a way that lasts.
00:47 – Welcome + why this episode matters
Introducing the episode, the FIBO Women’s Leadership Summit, and why asking for help surfaced as a critical leadership topic.
02:04 – Anna Mathur’s journey: high-functioning, high-achieving, burned out
Why over-functioning women are often applauded — and quietly exhausted.
05:30 – Dr. Lou Atkinson on behaviour change and burnout
Why knowing what to do and being able to do it are not the same thing.
08:59 – The case for slowing down
Anna outlines the themes of her keynote: perfectionism, control, productivity, and rest.
12:11 – “Do I deserve rest?”
The worthiness question that keeps many leaders stuck.
14:28 – What burnout actually looks like
Early warning signs, loss of joy, and why pushing harder backfires.
17:18 – “There is no beyond”
When the nervous system finally forces a stop.
20:31 – The superwoman problem
Gendered expectations, mental load, and modern leadership pressure.
25:47 – Hustle culture vs sustainable leadership
What leaders model — and how coping cultures get passed down.
27:00 – Why asking for help feels threatening
Identity, control, competence, and nervous system safety.
31:54 – The cost of not asking for help
For leaders, teams, and organisations.
34:26 – The ripple effect
Why leaders who don’t ask for help teach others not to either.
36:37 – What space really gives you
A real example of how stepping away unlocks clarity and creativity.
41:41 – Learning to let go (awkwardly, then better)
Anna on practicing trust and releasing control.
44:52 – How to ask for help (without apology)
Practical language shifts and scripts that actually work.
47:43 – When help feels awkward or gets refused
Why one “no” doesn’t mean asking was wrong.
49:46 – Final reflections
Why asking for help early beats needing rescue later.
51:17 – Anna’s closing message
Doing less alone, protecting energy, and leading for longevity.
53:11 – The listener challenge
Ask for help once this week — deliberately and without overthinking it.
⏱ Episode Timestamps

Conflict is unavoidable. Silence is optional. Skills are learnable, but only if leaders seek them out.
In this episode of Connecting the Dots, Jennifer Halsall is joined by Pinky Ghadiali, conflict resolution practitioner, mediator, and leadership coach, to unpack why conflict continues to damage culture and performance and why most leaders were never taught how to handle it.
They explore how avoidance turns toxic, how power dynamics quietly shape behaviour, and why “open door policies” often fail in practice. This is not about fixing everything in one conversation. It’s about learning the skill.
Pinky Ghadiali works with leaders across healthcare, pharma, and fitness to help them manage conflict without drama or avoidance, using mediation, coaching, and facilitation.
Website: ⁠https://www.bypinky.com/⁠LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/bypinkyg/?originalSubdomain=uk⁠

🎯 Small Steps Leaders Can Take Today
Conflict doesn’t improve overnight, but behaviour can change immediately.
Start here:
Use the three-minute listening rule: listen without interrupting, fixing, or defending.

Thank people for raising difficult issues — even when it’s uncomfortable.

Ask “What am I missing?” to reduce defensiveness and surface blind spots.

Notice your signals under pressure: tone, body language, phone use.

Name tension early: “We’ve hit a tension here — let’s slow this down.”

Shift from managing to serving: leadership is about creating safety to speak.

Books Referenced:
Difficult Conversations — Douglas Stone, Bruce Patton & Sheila Heen

Getting to Yes — Roger Fisher & William Ury

Episode Overview:
00:01 – Why conflict is still taboo at work
02:49 – The leadership burnout caused by avoidance
04:21 – Safety, trust, and walking on eggshells
08:59 – Why one-off conflict training doesn’t work
09:52 – Formal vs informal power in organisations
13:51 – “Conflict isn’t the problem. Silence is.”
16:05 – Listening under pressure
18:01 – Empathy, curiosity, and judgement
22:38 – Managing expectations in hard conversations
24:27 – How power shapes communication
27:13 – Informal influence and culture change
31:05 – Do people feel smaller or stronger after you speak?
36:47 – Emotional regulation and reactive leadership
39:08 – The three-minute listening challenge
46:06 – Promotions, promises, and negotiation
53:25 – Conflict tools and practical frameworks
55:06 – Book recommendations
57:25 – Closing reflections

Leading Digital Strategy for Fitness Operators in MENA: How F1T Cloud Empowers Studios and Transforms the Member Experience
This week, Jen welcomes co-host Rachel Young and founder Inaze Fatima Sarang, who takes us behind the scenes of building FitCloud—a platform designed to solve real operational pain for fitness operators across the Middle East.
From running Virgin Active clubs in South Africa to launching new concepts in Oman, Dubai, and Kuwait, Inaze shares how her lived experience as an operator shaped a digital solution built for the region’s reality, not a global template.
The conversation dives into localisation, cultural nuance, gender-segregated operations, pricing misunderstandings from global suppliers, and why “Sunday support” matters more than most people realise.
We also explore digital leadership: how smaller operators can build an omni-channel strategy without a dedicated tech team, and how FitCloud’s roadmap integrates AI, CRM, ERP, NPS, POS, loyalty, and more into one unified experience.
Along the way, we hit honest reflections on entrepreneurship, stereotypes in tech, and the legacy Inaze wants to leave for future female founders in the region.
00:00 — Intro
00:50 — Jen welcomes Rachel and introduces Inaze
01:18 — The journey across South Africa, Oman, UAE, Kuwait
02:32 — Learning operations without heads of department
03:57 — Cultural expectations and luxury markets
05:16 — Systems and processes that make or break a club
06:01 — Understanding regional nuances in the UAE
06:31 — Entrepreneurship “on an island” in Kuwait
08:48 — The moment she realised the tech gap
12:07 — Supplier hunting: listening vs selling
13:44 — Why localisation isn’t optional
14:43 — Sunday operations and non-negotiables
15:55 — When onboarding becomes impossible at scale
16:50 — Suppliers asking but not hearing
18:17 — What makes the MENA fitness market different
19:30 — Payment behaviours and shifting models
20:25 — Gender-segregated classes and legal realities
21:52 — Market differences across the GCC
23:09 — Introducing FitCloud
23:45 — Localised support + Arabic/English dialect
25:04 — Dashboards, analytics, and system-prompted commissions
25:38 — Built-in NPS for feedback
25:49 — CRM, ERP, POS, inventory—one system
26:19 — Entrepreneurship with a toddler on your lap
27:23 — Lead-to-sale journey and Meta integration
28:50 — Why CRM must include sales data
29:53 — Building from the operator’s perspective
30:28 — Pushback from developers and fighting for UX
31:23 — White-labelling and user-first design
32:22 — Designing for simplicity
33:26 — The bias she’s faced as a female founder
34:14 — Using industry experience to guide dev
35:38 — Ideal FitCloud customer profiles
37:20 — Loyalty and rewards partnerships
38:43 — Integrations and collaboration philosophy
41:33 — Helping operators build digital roadmaps
42:21 — FitCloud’s AI roadmap
44:03 — Why digital expectations in MENA are rising fast
44:30 — Hard truths: what global suppliers get wrong
46:18 — Pricing misconceptions in affluent markets
48:26 — The importance of localisation and humility
49:01 — Regulatory barriers global suppliers overlook
50:32 — Inaze’s personal “why” and the legacy she wants to build
54:44 — Shout-outs to regional leaders
57:10 — Closing reflections and gratitude