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Bahram Akradi

Founder, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Life Time Group Holdings, Inc.

Search every verified Bahram Akradi interview, podcast appearance, and on-the-record quote — each transcript cross-checked by AI and human review to confirm speaker identity. Bahram Akradi, founder, chairman, and CEO of Life Time Holdings, discussed the company's expansion and operational strategy in recent interviews. In an October 2026 interview with KARE 11, he addressed rising membership costs and the company's move into luxury living, including a Maple Grove, Minnesota project slated for 2027 that will feature the first Life Time Living residences in the state. Akradi said the pandemic prompted rapid adaptations, such as digital class sign-ups and streaming, and described his focus on building organizational leadership pillars to ensure the business can operate independently. He also stated he does not currently plan to reduce his workload. In a September 2026 appearance on Fast Company's Office Hour, Akradi described Life Time's evolution from low-cost, large-format gyms to higher-priced "athletic country clubs," a branding shift he said occurred over the last six years. He noted strong demand, with waitlists of 3,000 to 12,000 people for new clubs, and said the company is exploring science-based wellness offerings, including peptides, while cautioning about the risks of unregulated use. Akradi also reflected on the pandemic's impact, saying he could not have personally laid off 700 employees and that furloughs led to a different operational approach upon reopening.

Recent appearances

  • Life Time CEO defends rising membership costs as Minnesota company expands into luxury living

    Longtime CEO Bahram Akradi discusses membership pricing, Life Time Living apartments in Maple Grove and the company’s evolution into a luxury lifestyle brand.

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  • EXTENDED INTERVIEW: Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi

    KARE 11’s Morgan Wolfe talks with Life Time fitness CEO Bahram Akradi about rising membership costs amid luxury living expansion.

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  • How Life Time Built the “Athletic Country Club”

    Bahram Akradi is the founder and CEO of Life Time, the Minnesota-based chain of upscale “athletic country clubs” – these are gyms you want to hang out all day in, basically. Akradi has always seen — and marketed — Life Time as more than a gym: a kind of lifestyle hub that brings together training, recovery, sport, wellness, food, work, and socializing. You can even get your GLP-1s there, if you’d rather lose weight the new-fashioned way. Life Time has been in rapid expansion mode of late, with around 200 locations nationwide. Its financial performance has been strong, with Q2 revenue up 14…

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  • Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi on his athletic country clubs, nixxing sales staff & more | Coffee Talk

    Even as revenue dropped to zero during the pandemic, Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi kept the "athletic country club" concept growing. Life Time now employs 44,000 people and has become a lifeline for developers looking for anchor tenants. Akradi explains why he nixed his sales staff and his approach to innovation and AI to TRD's Amir Korangy in the latest episode of Coffee Talk. With offerings like pickleball courts, spas, co-working spaces, and a growing digital platform, Life Time continues to redefine healthy living. Watch the video to find out how. . SUBSCRIBE HERE: https://therealdeal.com…

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  • Life Time CEO on state of the consumer: Seeing higher revenue per center per member

    Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi joins 'The Exchange' to discuss the company earnings, the state of the consumer, company expansion, and more.

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  • Rethink, Reimagine, Adapt: How Life Time Has Evolved With Life Time Founder Bahram Akradi

    The mission of Life Time to help people live healthier, happier lives has not wavered since the company’s start more than 30 years ago — and staying true to that value has influenced and shaped the trajectory of the company. Bahram Akradi, founder, chairman, and CEO of Life Time, was the featured keynote speaker at the 2024 Sea Otter Classic Summit, where he talked about how a healthy way of life has not only been good for his business, but is good for all businesses and relationships. He also detailed the role that focus has played in Life Time’s evolution. This episode is the recording o…

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  • Life Time Founder and CEO Bahram Akradi Reinventing And Captivating The Fitness Industry

    Bahram realized that something was wrong in the fitness and health club industry and set off to fix it. He started Life Time Fitness in 1992 with the goal of redefining the industry by employing a razor-like focus on the customer experience. With this founding principle, Life Time Fitness has grown to 140 locations across 39 major markets in the U.S. and Canada. Going beyond the confines of the traditional fitness club, Life Time is a "Healthy Way of Life" brand that has expanded into educational content, healthy food, fitness classes, sports competitions, and more. In 2015, Life Time was take…

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  • Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi on Q4 earnings and GLP-1 weight-loss drugs

    Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi joins 'The Exchange' to discuss trends at the intersection of fitness and GLP-1 drugs, consumer trends and more.

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  • Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi discusses fitness spending trends amid high inflation

    Bahram Akradi, CEO Of Life Time, joins 'The Exchange' to discuss building a gym membership, the unique offering that Life Time Fitness offers, and fitness spending amid inflation times. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi  » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide. Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news:…

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  • Life Time Group CEO: We will break all our records in 2023

    Life Time founder and CEO Bahram Akradi joins 'Squawk Box' to discuss the growth in pickleball for LifeTime, the surge in memberships at the beginning of the year, and more. For access to live and exclusive video from CNBC subscribe to CNBC PRO: https://cnb.cx/2NGeIvi » Subscribe to CNBC TV: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBCtelevision » Subscribe to CNBC: https://cnb.cx/SubscribeCNBC Turn to CNBC TV for the latest stock market news and analysis. From market futures to live price updates CNBC is the leader in business news worldwide. Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: http://www.c…

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  • Life Time in the News: Watch CNBC’s Jim Cramer’s Interview With Life Time CEO Bahram Akradi

    CNBC’s Mad Money host Jim Cramer sat down with Bahram Akradi, founder, chairman, and CEO of Life Time, at the new One Wall Street athletic country club in downtown Manhattan. They talked about the ups and downs of navigating the last few years, how Akradi’s vision for the company has remained consistent, and the culture of care that sets Life Time apart. Find a Life Time Country Club near you today! https://bit.ly/3n9wAAH 🖥 Life Time Website: https://bit.ly/3ne7GQa 🔎 Experience Life: https://bit.ly/3n9ZVe8 🛍 Life Time Shop: https://bit.ly/3bpd8NB   📱Social Links📱 Facebook: https://bit.ly/3O…

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  • Episode #38 - Bahram Akradi - Founder & CEO of LifeTime - Healthy Way of Life

    Join Bahram Akradi, Founder & CEO of Life Time and Jason Stella discuss.... 1. How he got started in the industry and when he came up with the unique Vision for LifeTime. 2. The evolution of LifeTime from its 1st club to today. 3. The obstacles he had to overcome over the years 4. How he used the concept "Think Big, Start Small & Move Fast" to continue to innovate the health, fitness & well-being industry. 5. How LifeTime has become an "Omni-Channel" business offering both brick and mortar facilities as well as the best virtual/online offerings in the world. 6. Life Time Live, Work, Play and S…

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The summary and quote tags on this profile are produced with AI assistance from verified, first-person interview transcripts, then checked by our team to confirm the speaker's identity and the accuracy of every quote. See how we verify →