Reflecting on 15 Years of CORE57 with Founder Kolleen
Fifteen years ago, CORE57 started in the most unexpected place—Kolleen’s basement. Fast forward to today, and it’s become so much more than just a fitness studio. It’s a lifestyle, a community, and for many, a place that feels like a second home. To mark this big milestone, we sat down with Kolleen, the founder and driving force behind CORE57, to reflect on the gym’s incredible evolution, the challenges she’s faced, and most importantly, what makes CORE57 so special. Here’s what she had to say:
Humble Beginnings
When we asked Kolleen what inspired her to start CORE57, she traced it back to her beginnings as a stay-at-home mom with a passion for fitness.
She shared, "It started in my basement." At the time, she was a stay-at-home mom with a lifelong passion for fitness. But it wasn’t until her neighbor, who had gone through eight knee surgeries, asked for help that the wheels really started turning. Kolleen shared, “She told me, ‘I don’t want physical therapy. I want someone who understands my limitations and can help me train.'"
That request was a wake-up call. While Kolleen had already been certified as a trainer, she realized she needed more knowledge to help people with a wide range of needs. "I thought I was going to train athletes. Never did I imagine that I would be training people that want to be athletes, but may have limitations in making them athletes. So, that was my inspiration. It was her," Kolleen shared.
After that point, Kolleen centered her methodologies around training people who needed accommodation to reach their goals safely. That's where CORE57's emphasis on personalization was born.
From her basement, Kolleen moved her workouts to a community parking lot, hauling equipment in and out of her Suburban. “It wasn’t a mom mobile anymore—it was a fitness mobile,” she joked.
After two years of teaching four classes a day in the community lot, Kolleen was ready to open her first location, the original Core Physique in Milton. From there, the dream kept growing.
Building Something That Lasts
It's no secret that the fitness industry can be brutal. Gyms open and close constantly, and that's what makes CORE57's longevity special. Kolleen recalled, “I’ll never forget when I started, a gentleman told me, ‘Stay-at-home moms want to do this all the time, but they don’t last.' So I said, 'oh, heck no.'"
Fifteen years later, she's proved them wrong in the best way possible. Not only has CORE57 survived, but it's survived in a mostly male-dominated industry. She shared, “What makes me proud isn’t just that we’ve stayed open, but that we've gained respect as a brand in the community. We take our members seriously. We listen to their needs and to their goals and we deliver. We've built a team of trainers that are able to deliver a great service, and I'm most proud that in a world where gyms don't stay open, not only have we stayed open, but we're thriving."
Since opening the original Milton location, the gym has expanded into a second location, and during the process, changed from Core Physique to CORE57. Kolleen explains that this was for a specific purpose. "The 5 and 7 have significant meaning. I envisioned my clients not only thinking about the gym when they walk through the doors of CORE57, but when they're out on vacation, or when they're going out to dinner, or when they're depressed. Our clients are meant to think about our 5 Steps to Success and our 7 Foundations of Fitness outside of the gym. I wanted to educate beyond strength training, beyond cardiovascular training. I really wanted to educate my clients on total being."
Kolleen highlighted her team as one of the reasons for CORE57’s success. “Gyms are notorious for high turnover, but we’ve retained an amazing staff,” she said. “They keep challenging themselves to learn and grow—and because of that, they’re able to give so much back to our clients.”
What Sets CORE57 Apart
We asked Kolleen what makes CORE57 different from other gyms, and she didn’t miss a beat. “It’s our personalized approach,” she said. "We are very much about the personalized client. Each client matters. They're not just walking into a class, and they're not just a number. They are an individual."
Kolleen explains that CORE57 is able to accomplish this high level of personalization because of its unique approach to onboarding and communication. CORE57 starts every client off with a goal-setting session, and it's during this time that Kolleen and the staff take the time to truly get to know them.
"We are unique. I don't know of another gym that does it like us. Other gyms do assessments, but our assessment is at a deeper dive," she explained. "I want to get to know everything about you in that first meeting. How many kids do you have? What is your job? All of that matters to your goals. And if I don't look at the full package, then I can't give you a workout that challenges you in a way that's safe and going to get you to your goals. It's different for everybody."
Beyond the initial assessment, CORE57's trainers keep detailed, up-to-date notes and communicate behind the scenes to make sure every trainer knows what the client needs. "It's communication at the highest level to service our clients," Kolleen told us. She gave us an example: "Right now, I have a bum shoulder. If I were to tell one of our trainers, it would go into my notes. And then when I walk into the gym next time, my trainer is going to have something for me to do to accommodate that. A lot of gyms will just push through those types of injuries. We help our clients make modifications and address the issue."
Milestones that Matter Most
Over 15 years, there’s been a lot to celebrate—and a lot to learn from. When we asked Kolleen to reflect on some of CORE57’s biggest milestones, she paused. “I don't celebrate milestones enough. I probably should,” she admitted with a laugh.
One major highlight, though, was opening a second location in Alpharetta. “The landlord there was super selective about who they allowed in their space, and being chosen was a proud moment,” she said.
But the truest milestones for Kolleen are the moments when she sees how deeply CORE57 has impacted someone’s life. She recalled one client, a close friend battling cancer, who was intimidated to start training. Kolleen worked with her step by step, from learning how to get down on the floor and back up to rebuilding strength and confidence.
These are the moments that remind Kolleen why she started CORE57 in the first place: to help people reach their goals and feel empowered in their own bodies. "We've always been a gym that can handle anything, from somebody with cancer to a knee replacement to a high-level athlete."
A Place That Feels Like Home
For Kolleen, what makes CORE57 truly special isn't just the programs or the services–it's the people.
"The members and staff. It's their community. It's their love. It's special. I'm happy that I get to be part of it," she said. "Truly, the magic happens down on the floor between the members and the staff. The community is because of every single person that walks through the doors of CORE57."
Kolleen told us that the one thing she wants every client to take away from CORE57 is the level of care. "I hope everybody feels cared for, heard, and seen in our gyms. I hope they understand this is a journey, not a sprint. There's never an 'end result.' I would like for people to understand that how we look on the outside is not always how we feel on the inside. Fitness and health are a lifestyle."
Looking to the Future
Fifteen years is just the beginning for CORE57. Kolleen’s always keeping an eye on what’s next, but her focus is firmly on evolving from a fitness studio to a full-scale wellness studio. "We’ve already started expanding nutrition coaching, and we're excited about where we're expanding with that. We're introducing biological hormone therapy, we're going to be able to draw blood. We're taking it to another level. Now we’re looking into things like cupping therapy and myofascial stretching," she said.
"In four to five years, I would love to have a full-scale wellness center–red light therapy, cold plunges, and more medical advancements for taking care of your body and improving longevity. We want to be a one-stop shop where we look at nutrition, we do health coaching, and we do personal training."
A Family Affair
The numbers 5 and 7 don't just represent CORE57's Steps to Success and Foundations of Fitness. According to Kolleen, they represent her roots and her inspiration for it all – her family: 5 kids making a blended family of 7.
Kolleen reflected on her family’s role in building CORE57. “Without my husband and without my children, I couldn’t have done this,” she said. “They’ve all helped me in one way or another—building, talking through ideas, and just being there to listen.” She shared how her family’s differing perspectives challenged her and shaped how she communicates about fitness. “They’ve listened to me talk about fitness their entire lives, but they’re not passionate about it like I am. They’d ask things like, ‘But mom, if we don’t love it, how are you going to communicate that to someone else?' Or, 'How do we know you're different from every other gym?’ So they've challenged me and pushed me to look at things in a bigger way.”
Join the CORE57 Family
CORE57 is built on passion, purpose, and community. It’s more than just a gym; it’s a place where people come to grow stronger—not just physically, but emotionally and mentally too. Over the past 15 years, Kolleen and her team have worked together to create something truly unique, and it shows in everything they do.
Why not stop by CORE57 to experience it for yourself? Whether you’re looking to get stronger, find balance, or simply be part of a community that truly cares, we’d love to show you what makes CORE57 so special. Come take the first step toward becoming the best version of yourself—we can’t wait to welcome you to the CORE57 family!