Debra Strougo laughing while holding her child outdoors on a sunlit street

Health, Wellness, & Fitness Advisory Services

Our mission is to build brands (and businesses) that help people live a fitter life.

Read our mission and philosophy ➝

fitizen

noun|fiti • zen

Definition of fitizen: a citizen who is fit

FITIZEN = FIT + CITIZEN

We relentlessly pursue the task of bringing great fitness to more people

Only 20% of Americans set foot in a gym. Finding a wellness prescription that actually sticks is the industry's hardest problem — and it's the one we work on. We build and back brands and businesses that bring great fitness to more people, and every project we take on has one authentic aim: more Fit Citizens.

Let's Work Together!

1 → 100+Row House studios scaled
6 YrsFrom single studio to triple digits
#1066Inc. 5000, 2020 & 2021
20 YrsBuilding and scaling businesses

Featured in:

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What we do

Entrepreneurship + Investing

Debra founded Row House and led it as CEO — scaling the brand from a single studio to triple digits in six years, landing at #1066 on the Inc. 5000, and taking it from bootstrapped to a strategic partnership with Xponential Fitness. She continues to advise the company today.

Generated triple digit growth for Row House
Featured Inc. 5000 list two years in a row (2020 and 2021) due to growth
Went from a bootstrapped brand to participating in the Xponential Fitness IPO

Row House — one studio to triple digits in six years.

Let's Work Together ➝

Debra Strougo in a pink dress beneath the Xponential Fitness NYSE IPO banner outside the New York Stock Exchange

Debra Strougo in an orange dress descending a modern staircase

Consulting + Advisory

Debra grows brands across health, fitness, and wellness. She keeps her finger on the pulse of the market — what's working, what isn't, and what's coming next — and works hand-in-hand with the companies she partners with to sharpen their value proposition and open the connections that amplify growth.

Helping consumer brands strategically grow
Helping B to B companies connect with the right partners
Helping brick and mortars ensure success
Helping founders and CEOs anticipate what's to come

Business Development ➝

Speaking + Advocacy

Twenty years across business development for established brands and founding her own in health and fitness have given Debra a working view of how profitable businesses actually get built, scaled, and exited. She brings that to stages, panels, and podcasts.

Trends in the fitness & wellness space
What it takes to grow a business (and exit it)
The importance of really knowing your user if you want to scale a brand
The path to attaining a passion-driven career
Achieving work-life balance as a career-driven mom
Lessons learned in business growth

Book Debra for speaking engagements ➝

Debra Strougo seated on stage with a microphone, mid-talk, in black and white

Cover features

Proudly featured in the Fitness Business Insider (Issue 7) and Club Business International Magazine (March 2022 issue). Click images below.

More press & features ➝

Fitness Business Insider Issue 7 cover featuring Debra Strougo

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Club Business International March 2022 cover, Passion in Action, featuring Debra Strougo

Read the feature ➝

Debra Strougo in black Row House athletic wear seated outdoors stretching her leg among red kangaroo-paw flowers

Debra Strougo laughing with hands on her face, seated outdoors in Row House athletic wear

Debra Strougo seated outdoors with arms raised, in Row House athletic wear

Debra Strougo seated on a ledge outdoors smiling at the camera in Row House athletic wear

What people say

“Debra is one of the rare ones. Sharp, creative, capable and driven. She's always a step ahead and has the kind of infectious energy that raises the bar.”

— Adam Tuttle

More references available on request — [email protected]

Debra Strougo on stage with a microphone during a fireside talk

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