Hello friends,

Before anything else, thank you.

Thank you for trusting Yellow Rose Fitness with your health, time, and in many cases your entire families. Thank you for showing up on hard days, busy days, and days when motivation was low but commitment was high. Thank you for being a part of this pretty phenomenal community. We’ve been in Oak Forest for 9 years now, and we couldn’t be more grateful for this neighborhood and all of its people.

As 2025 comes to a close, I wanted to take a moment to reflect on the year behind us. What we built, what we learned, and where we’re headed next.

2025 Was The Year We Strengthened the Backbone

If I had to sum up 2025 in one phrase, it would be this: 

2025 was the year Yellow Rose really grew up.

Not in a flashy, overnight way… but in a way that actually lasts.

This year was about structure. Systems. Documentation. Leadership. Identity. Doing fewer things better. Making decisions that weren’t always easy, but were necessary if we wanted Yellow Rose to be strong for 9 more years and beyond.

When we first started, Yellow Rose ran on passion, caffeine, and bright yellow duct tape. That got us moving, and we refined along the way, but 2025 was the year we built something that’s going to last.

The Work You Did See.

From the outside, Yellow Rose looked busy in 2025.

This year, our coaching team led 2,250+ classes with over 19,000+ attendees. The training studio hosted 4,500+ personal training and semi-private sessions. More people consistently trained with us through our different program offerings than ever before.

Basically, we advanced a ton of health and happy.

Not only that, in 2025 we expanded and strengthened our programs:

• The Happy Mama Movement Club continued to grow.
• Happy Legends became a weekly staple.
• We shut down Local Cove (boooo), and transformed that space into one of Houston’s premier personal training and semi-private training studios (yayyyy).
• Semi-private training rolled out and found its footing.
• Our youth program solidified its identity.
• We signed a third lease to build an educational content studio.

Events like Summer Rose Games, blood drives, challenges, and bring-a-friend days were more consistent than ever before.

And while I’m proud of what you saw, I’m even more proud of what happened behind the scenes.

The Work You Didn’t See, But You Felt

The work behind the scenes this year was intense. This is where the backbone of Yellow Rose was truly strengthened.

This was the year we:

• Built a real leadership structure
  • Chief of Cool, Calm, and Collected – Tiffany Mensing
  • Chief Experience Officer – Pam Gagot
  • The Campaign Cowgirl (Chief Marketing Officer) – Gracie Brown
  • A proper Organizational Chart for all coaches and trainers to follow
• Overhauled systems like PushPress, scheduling, cleaning protocols, signage, and communication
• Created consistent rhythms: staff development meetings, annual and quarterly planning, and increased investment in staff

So many other things that I’d love to list, but I’m trying to keep this short…er. 

Strong gyms aren’t built on vibes alone. While our vibes are immaculate, strengthening the behind the scenes work will keep this gym going the distance. I’m so proud of the systems we built this year that will support people doing meaningful work, day after day.

The Next Generation Matters

I really wish I would have had something like our Youth and Teen program when I was a kid, and I’m sure you do too. 

Why?

Because strong, confident kids become resilient adults.
Because movement, fun with exercise, and a sense of community at a young age changes lives.
And because building a gym that serves families, not just individuals, is very important to me.

A strong and healthy relationship with health/exercise is going to serve these kids forever, and I’m proud of the impact that Yellow Rose is going to have for the rest of their lives.

Looking Ahead to 2026

I’m excited about 2026.

Not because we’re chasing something new, but because we’re doubling down on what works and staying focused.

Next year is about refinement.
Depth, not just width.
Quality, consistency, and care.

We’ll continue to invest in our coaches.
We’ll continue to have fun while protecting our culture.
We’ll continue to build up programs that actually improve lives, not just fill schedules.

And most importantly, we’ll keep showing up for the people inside these walls.

A Personal Note From Me

On a personal level, 2025 was a big and challenging year.

This was the year I attempted to leave my “Coach Clark” era and step into being a true leader for the company. I didn’t handle this well early on. The honest truth is that I’m still struggling with this a bit, but I’m getting better each week.

I learned that being needed everywhere isn’t leadership, it’s a true bottleneck.
I learned that saying no is often the best thing you can do.
I learned that being “the hero” doesn’t serve anyone except my ego.

I learned, well, a lot.

Personally, this year was tough. It stretched me in every aspect of my life, and forced me to face down and tackle some demons rather than avoid them like I have been. It forced me to think longer-term, how to show up for my wife and kids better, and let go of more control at the gym. Afterall, we have an incredible team… might as well let them run the show more.

I’m grateful for that growth, even when the growth felt like 10 sets of 1:00 max air-bike sprints.

Here’s to 2026 being one full of wellness, health, and a calendar full of boundaries.

Thank You

Yellow Rose Fitness is still here because of the people who choose to walk through the doors.

Thank you for choosing a gym that prioritizes consistency and the long game over short term fixes.

Thank you for trusting our process.

Thank you for being part of something that values health, community, and happiness.

I’m proud of what we built from 2016 to the present…

And I’m incredibly grateful to be building what comes next, with you.

Here’s to another year of Advancing Happy.

-Clark