Why This Tech Exec Traded Silicon Valley for Float Tanks & Cold Plunges | Justin Kennington

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In this episode of the Owner Seat podcast, host Albert Ramos is joined by Justin Kennington, a former high-performance tech executive (with experience at Google and Crestron) who transitioned into the wellness industry as a franchise owner of Altered State Wellness in Houston’s Vintage Park. Justin shares his journey from managing global technology alliances to launching a modern recovery studio that blends science-backed modalities with a clean, retail-focused consumer experience. They discuss the "unit economics" of wellness, the shift from fitness to recovery, and the logistical hurdles of building out a premier studio in record time.

Key Takeaways

• The Leap from Tech to Wellness: Justin explains his career pattern of "blowing things up" to take bigger risks, moving from semiconductor manufacturing and neuroscience studies to the emerging recovery market.
• Multimodal Recovery: Altered State Wellness focuses on an "integration of science and wellness," offering services like float therapy, red light therapy, infrared saunas, cold plunges, and compression boots.
• The "Peak State" Model: Justin breaks down a tiered membership structure, ranging from modality-specific unlimited passes to the "Peak State" tier, which offers unlimited access to all services.
• Data-Driven Wellness: The studio is pioneering the use of nervous system scans (via BrainTap) to measure a client's sympathetic vs. parasympathetic state, allowing for customized recovery plans based on real-time neuroscience.
• The Realities of Build-Out: Justin shares the "good, bad, and ugly" of retail construction, including the 2,000-mile challenge of managing a Houston build-out from Cape Cod and the importance of having a trusted general contracting team.

Episode Timestamps

[00:00:00] – Introduction: Meet Justin Kennington, tech executive turned wellness entrepreneur.

[00:04:00] – The Transition: Why Justin decided to leave the corporate world and dive into franchising.

[00:06:17] – Discovery Process: Conducting due diligence on the Altered State Wellness brand.

[00:10:11] – The Altered State Experience: A tour of the lobby, lounge, and recovery atmosphere.

[00:14:30] – Unit Economics: Breaking down the credit-based and unlimited membership tiers.

[00:18:28] – The Future of Neuroscience: Using BrainTap for nervous system scanning and bio-customized recovery.

[00:21:44] – Build-Out Speed Bumps: Managing a construction project 2,000 miles from home.

[00:27:00] – Real Estate Strategy: The "million-dollar commitment" of a commercial lease and the importance of financial modeling.

Connect with the guest Justin Kennington:

👉🏼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-kennington/

Connect with Host Albert Ramos:

👉🏼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/albertramosjr/

More From the Owner Seat:

👉🏼 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/stratego-intel-consulting/

👉🏼 Apple Podcast: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-owner-seat/id1853608387

👉🏼 Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/78jWN8OnnBLGpGpRfhWutl?si=9604f4493acd4dcb

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