Brian Vahaly: From Top Ranked Tennis Player to CEO - a podcast by TBX Digital Inc.

Brian Vahaly is Chief Executive Officer, YouFit Gyms, the nationwide chain of affordable, personalized fitness clubs. He brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his more than 10 years in the fitness industry as a successful private equity executive and former professional tennis player. Prior to YouFit, Vahaly was CFO for the boutique fitness group [solidcore], where he grew the business from ten studios to eighty in just over two years.   

He served as COO for venture capital firms, Venturehouse Group and NextGen Venture Partners, and began his finance career with McLean Capital, a private equity fund.   

A lifelong athlete, Vahaly was an internationally ranked professional tennis player, retiring in 2007, with wins over several top ten ranked players such as French Open champions Michael Chang and Juan Carlos Ferrero.    

He is currently the only gay player in history to ever come out on the ATP tour and serves on the board of directors for the United States Tennis Association. He earned his BS degree in Finance and Business Management from the University of Virginia, where he was a three-time All-American. Vahaly lives with his husband and two children in the Washington D.C. area.  

In this episode, we dive into: 

 - Brian's love for tennis, and how he managed school and tennis at the same time 

- Brian talks about how he handled failure as a player, and how he handles it now as a CEO  

- Brian discusses how playing in the Australian Open against Andre Agassi - the pressure - actually prepared him to take on business roles in uncertain and high-pressure environments  

- Why sleep is a great remedy to shaking off failures 

- How to focus in distracting environments and why Brian turns his phone away from time-to-time 

- Brian talks about being the only gay player in the history of the ATP tour, and the work that he is doing today in his business and with the US Tennis Association  

- How Brian manages his team, especially in the health and wellness space during the pandemic  

- Why it's important to surround yourself with great people - a recipe for success in Tennis and as a CEO

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Website of TBX Digital Inc.