Living The Red Life - How She Built a Wellness Empire Before It Was Trendy

Episode Date: June 24, 2026

Twenty years before wellness became a global movement, Shane Evans was already building a business around recovery, longevity, and member experiences. Today, as Co-Founder and CEO of Heights Wellness Retreat, she is leading a major evolution that combines cutting-edge wellness technology with human-centered therapies to create a scalable franchise model for the future.In this episode of Living The Red Life, Shane reveals how she transformed a membership-based massage business into a wellness franchise brand with more than 100 locations, why consumer behavior is reshaping the industry, and how entrepreneurs can build profitable businesses by staying ahead of trends. She also shares lessons on franchising, leadership, culture, wellness technology, and creating lasting impact through business ownership.Key Takeaways • Why successful entrepreneurs anticipate trends before the market catches up • How franchising helps owners stay in business for themselves but not by themselves • The importance of combining technology with human connection • Why culture fit and shared values determine long-term business success • How wellness, longevity, and recovery are creating major business opportunitiesNotable Quotes • "Consumers don't want single modality locations anymore." • "Franchising gives people the ability to be in business for themselves but not by themselves." • "I don't ever give up. I don't back down." • "You don't have franchisee profitability, you have nothing." • "The robots can do work that humans cannot do and more work than humans can do."Connect with Rudy Mawer:LinkedInInstagramFacebookTwitter

One of the things about our brand that makes it stand out is we are the only one in the space that is hybrid. This combination of both technology and hands-on therapies. And the hands-on therapies create that feeling of loyalty and just that feel-good feeling, right, in that sort of social club environment. But the robots can do work as well, right? And they can do work that humans cannot do and more work than humans can do. Shane Evans is a visionary, resilient, and influential wellness entrepreneur, serving as the co-franchine, founder and CEO of Heights Wellness Retreat. She is best known for pioneering a membership-based

wellness model in building a leading health and wellness franchise brand. To found a brand 20 years ago, over 20 years ago, in a space that was literally not really known at the time, and then to rebrand it, take it through a big evolution, and become something different for the next generation of wellness consumers and for the next generation of entrepreneurs, I think that's what makes me a legacy maker.

But the big one is truly... My name's Rudy Moore, host of Living the Red Life podcast, and I'm here to change the way you see your life in your earpiece every single week. If you're ready to start living the Red Life, ditch the Blue Pill, take the Red Pill, join me in Wonderland and change your life. Welcome back to another episode

of the Living Your Legacy podcast, the Red Life Edition. For Insight Success, I am Ray Gutierrez. Joining me today is another amazing legacy maker, and that makes me happy because legacy makers here at Insight Success is one of our retro shows now. But Shane Evans, there's nothing about you that is retro. You are all about the future.

Oh, I'd like to think so. Right on. Welcome to the show. Thank you. You literally just finished filming your episode for Legacy Makers. What will we learn about you? Oh, well, you're going to learn that I grew up with a pretty simple life, great family, and that ultimately my own personal challenges led me to found what is now today,

Heights Wellness Retreat. Heights Wellness Retreat. I got to be honest, I get a lot of folks here that have their wellness centers. And they all have their twist because it really comes from the embodiment of the entrepreneur, the CEO, the founder. What is different about your establishment of your wellness center? Yeah, I think what's really cool. So when I started the brand 20 years ago, I started it as massage Heights, membership-based

massage and skincare company, which I eventually evolved and grew to over 120 locations. And recently, we announced the brand evolution to Heights Wellness, Rich, and it's really based on consumer demands, right? And consumers don't want single modality locations anymore. Consumers are really looking for a place where they can kind of get it all done. But an environment that's really cool and social, and that's what Heights is. So now we do not just massage and skincare, but complementary more technology-based services like cryotherapy and fred sauna, red light therapy, and more with a really cool kind of social

club environment. So it's just great to be. And I think wellness is something that has to be regular and accessible in order to be, in order to see results, right? So you've got to have that consistency. What do you tell folks that are watching or listening? They run their own wellness center, but they don't understand that you need to budget for these set technologies, like red light therapy and these other new age ways of medicine, but they actually do work. And customers, clientels want this. What do you tell folks that are kind of don't understand? understand how tech and wellness work together? Well, how tech and wellness or how the economics of a business work, right?

All of the above, sure. Yeah, all of the above. I think a lot of people start a business and they don't have enough cash really to do what they want to do. They don't have the marketing dollars, number one, right? And it's the thing that a lot of entrepreneurs pull back on too, so they don't account for it. And we know in order with, you know, a brand new business, whether it is a single location

founded by, you know, whomever, or if it's a franchise, you still have to get the name and brand out into the market. And so marketing dollars. So, you know, what we do at Heights is we're able to help entrepreneurs know in advance exactly how much it's going to take to start the business and account for the equipment, account for the marketing, account for, you know, when you don't have cash flow because your membership hasn't grown yet and all of that. So, you know, I think, look, I bootstrapped a business, didn't know how much it was going to cost. I wish I'd had, a little more direction back then. But, you know, that's what we teach business owners to do.

Yeah, there's a lot of uncertainty and a lot of uncertainty and a lot of doubt when it comes to like, wow, now I've got this runway. What do I do with it without making mistakes? Because mistakes will be made, but I feel like your job is to prevent those mistakes and help your clients ascend. What's a feel good story of folks that you've transformed literally overnight? I love that you said the word ascend. This happens to be our ascension year at heights.

So that's awesome. So, you know, personal stories. I have seen, so when I started the business, I worked in retail basically, right? So I started that business. We had people coming in for massages. I saw a lot of people coming in pain that were able to walk, you know, standing upright, that had headaches that were gone, you know, TMJ, all kinds of things. And so there's a lot of personal transformation stories on the consumer side of it. People just living their lives better, feeling good when they walk out. And on the business side of it, though, what I love about what we do is we get to help people be the best versions of themselves as consumers through Heights Wellness Retreat.

But with the business ownership, that is helping people elevate their communities, right? So becoming an entrepreneur, becoming a franchisee with us, we give you the tools to be able to touch your communities in ways that you might not have imagined and to touch a lot of people, jobs, right, gas and members. And so I don't know. It's the best mental business model in the world because it's healthy and it's helping other people achieve their dreams of business ownership. Would you say you're trying to elevate the subconscious mind of the world? Well, yeah, in a lot of ways. Absolutely. Look, I think if you can find ways to ground yourself, if you can find ways to heal internally, to recover faster from whatever.

it is, if you're a weekend warrior, or if you're doing things on a regular basis, I think definitely, you know, it elevates your mind for sure, right? And we do believe, I mean, we do technology-based meditations and vibroacoustic therapy, things that help really reset the vagus nerve and, you know, get you into deep, deep relaxation. And we all need that to recover. So you said the vagus nerve, you said a lot of these fancy terms. And I was like, oh, cool, the Vegas nerve. Like, where does that knowledge come from? Are you trained? Did you go to school? or did you just wake up one day you just knew Kung Fu? Yeah.

No, I've done a lot of research. Right on. A lot of research. I'm very passionate about the industry. I'm super passionate about where it's going. The brand evolved because of a personal story. And it was my daughter, actually, who's now 19, started experiencing some neuromuscular symptoms.

And I just did a deep dive, went down a rabbit hole on all the things that I thought might be able to help her. And I learned a lot. And, you know, this world of wellness continues to expand. I think people over the last five years have become far more in tune with their bodies and their minds and also with holistic wellness, things that can be preventative and help you just live better longer, right? And so, yeah, it's, no, I'm not a professional. I am just very passionate about the benefits and how the industry is evolving. It's funny you mentioned the word evolving.

A lot of folks are listening or watching this. this is the first time they're hearing about this industry. How does one break into this industry? Is it one massage at a time? How does one know they're meant for this industry? It's a feeling. It's passion. Like, are you passionate about people?

That's number one because what we do is help people feel better, right? And the people that work for us, meaning for our franchisees and their retreats, they are all about elevating people's lives, right? And so I think it's a passion for people. I think definitely it helps to have a passion for wellness and longevity to be curious about the things that can help you improve your life and the life of others. And then just in business, right? And so, again, I think through us, like with franchising, a lot of people don't know what that is. They just know that they want to own a wellness business or whatever.

And so we help them break through into that. Yeah. Shout out to Greg Moore. He's our franchise maven. He franchised Taco Bell. Oh, yes. And he's a legacy maker as well. All set of the same career.

Oh, that's awesome. So you're all part of that alumni class. I love that. Well, I saw some awesome legacy makers. And so I was like, ah, legacy makers. I'll check that one. Yeah. I love it.

I love it. It's amazing. Some entrepreneurs make their first billion. They're like, ah, ha, ha, all this information, all this data is for me. But you're about, you know, private labeling, but then franchising and helping other entrepreneurs not have to go through the stumbles and the tribulations that are required, but also not absolutely necessary. Yeah.

How does that feel to know that you're giving back? But now you're not just giving back a check. You're like, no, no, no. Here's the fishing rod. Here's the bait. Here's the schedule. Here's the SOP. Yeah.

How do you inform entrepreneurs of today that this is the way to do it? Yeah. I mean, well, I mean, a lot of education, right? So when it comes to heights, that obviously, I mean, you said all the things. We're giving the SOPs and, you know, the, this is, here's the pro forma, basically. Here's what you need to account. for, but I think just education. So I'm on the International Franchise Association's Board of Directors. Right on. That is one of the ways that I... Quite the acronym. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

It's one of the ways I get back, right? And so you mentioned, you know, Taco Bell, like, there are so many great brands out there, and there is a franchise on almost every single corner. A lot of people may not know it, but almost every hotel here is a franchise to some degree, right? I mean, and so I think it's just education. So with the IFA, we actually do a lot of education. on Capitol Hill, a lot of things like this, where we're just educating people about small business ownership, even if it's a franchise, it is still owned by a small business owner. Just because it's part of a bigger umbrella doesn't mean it's a big business.

And so franchising gives people the ability to be in business for themselves, but not by themselves, have all those systems, processes, support, and all of that. But, you know, to not do it on their own, but still own it, still be able to own it, still be able to own it and give back to their communities in the way that they want to. So it's education and educating the general public that, hey, these are small businesses owned by people in your community. Wow. I always like to ask, how do you hire your first employee? For your case, like, how do you onboard your first entrepreneur? Do you hire the company or do you hire the entrepreneur that's running set company? Yeah. Well, so we're always, you know, we look for

people that either want to work on the business, not necessarily in the business. Most of our franchisees are multi-unit owners. We have some singles as well. But we're looking for people that really want to grow the brand in a market for us, right, and partner on that. And so onboarding employees, our onboarding franchisees, it's all about culture fit. It comes down to values. We're going to get married for the next 10 years because that's what a franchise agreement is. It's 10 years, generally speaking, in almost every system. And so we've got to be able to live together, and we're going to have challenges because business is challenging.

To your point earlier, it's never easy, right? You still got to do the work. There's going to be challenges. So how are we going to deal with those challenges? So regardless of whether it's that employee or it's a franchise partner or a business partner, in any business, what are our values? Are they connected? Are they aligned?

And, you know, when they are, dreams happen, right? I was just going to say it's such a, I love that. A red on brand. I was just going to say it's such a great SOP for life because you sound a lot like George Lucas when he made Star Wars. I'm like, well, there's these, there's, I basically designed a way for folks to eat and jobs. And it so happens that I created this fantasy reality. But there's that SOP where it's like, I just want to have a good fit with these folks so we can create this tribe together. So it was really well said.

What makes you, what do you believe makes you a legacy maker? Since you are on the legacy maker show, that's always the tough cookie question. Like, what makes you feel like you are truly a legacy maker? Yeah. Look, I don't ever give up. I don't back down. And some people would say that that's not a good quality. And I don't mean it in like the rude kind of way.

I just mean in the diligence kind of way. And my passion has always been, and the reason I do everything is my daughters. Wow. And so, you know, to found a brand 20 years ago, over 20 years ago, in a space that was literally not really known at the time. and then to rebrand it, take it through a big evolution and become something different for the next generation of wellness consumers and for the next generation of entrepreneurs, I think that's what makes me a legacy maker. But the big one is truly my daughters. I am doing this to create a legacy

for them. Wow. So what's next for you? What happens next? You walk off for a set and you grab a nice mimosa and enjoy the sun. But what happens after that? I wish. I'm actually going to get on phone calls back to back until I go to the airport and head back to Dallas and do it all again, right? So, but what is next from a big picture? I'm focused on growth right now. We're taking the system through a big evolution. We've got over 100 locations that we're converting over the next year and a half from massage heights to heights wellness retreat.

We're growing in all kinds everywhere across the U.S. in different markets. And so I'm focused on franchisee's success. I'm focused on making sure that they're profitable. It means a lot to me. Look, you don't have without. franchisee profitability, you have nothing. They've got to be able to make money. It's got to work for all stakeholders. So my focus is continue to evolve in the sense of be on top of things before they become a trend. And that is my job is to know the market, right? And to also make sure that we are

implementing successfully with our franchisees in each of their individual businesses. So that's my focus the next at least several years. Right on. And then, you know, who knows? This is a guff question. We don't have to use it in the edit, but do you foresee any optimist prime machines or robots giving massages in the next decade? Yes.

Okay. I wasn't expected that answer. I absolutely do. All right. Well, bring on. I absolutely do. I think, look, I mean, we would all be silly to think that with as far as the AI tools that we all use and know every single day, as far as they've come the last two,

three years, right? those technologies, artificial intelligence, already have had a pretty significant impact on the world of science and medicine, wellness, and longevity. And I think things are going to move rapidly. And so for those of us that are healthy, how amazing, because there are going to be preventative measures that we can take. There already are measuring your biometrics, right? You know exactly what you need, hopefully, right, by going through these processes. but I think that, yeah, definitely, I'm not saying we should take the place of humans at all. I think that's really, really important.

One of the things about our brand that makes it stand out is we are the only one in the space that is hybrid. And what I mean by that is this combination of both technology and hands-on therapies. And the hands-on therapies create that feeling of loyalty and just that feel-good feeling, right, in that sort of social club environment. But the robots can do work as well. Right? And they can do work that humans cannot do and more work than humans can do. So I see a lot of change in the course of the next couple years that I think is really, really positive. Yeah. And to the point of technology and wellness, a lot of folks just need to be educated that you can return to the fun human things of life.

Yeah. Let the computers compute now because now they can just sit there in a cycle and they can do your emails. They can create your content for you. And you just basically checked off the list of what entrepreneurs desire to do. create many versions of themselves so they can stay out of the business and create and continue to create. You're so right. So, so with AI, it's really about mental health. I love that. It's about mental health. Yeah, it's about mental health. Like they don't expect SkyNet robots, well, not in the near future, eventually, but in the near future, you really need to embrace

that these devices are appliances. You're not going to hold a piece of toast next to fire and wait for it. No, you've got a toaster. You're not going to grab ice cubes and wait for your, no, you've got a fridge. You're not going to have a computer. You're not going to have a computer. you have AI. So this is where we're going. Yeah. So it's amazing that you, you basically said,

hell yeah, we're going to have the future. Yeah. So good for you. Where can folks learn more about you and jump on the wagon that is you? Yeah, so follow me on Instagram.

Shane Evans is official or LinkedIn Evans. To learn more about our brand, it's heights, wellness retreat.com. Right on. Shane of Evans. Thank you so much. I always want to confuse you with Captain America.

Isn't he in Evans as well? Anyways, I'm not a Marvel guy. With that, this is a shit. Are you thinking of Linda Evans? Superwoman. Oh, is that, is that, but that's OG.

Wonder Woman. That's OG Wonder Woman, right? Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's my favorite Wonder Woman as well. Anyway, that's a different podcast. This is Shane Evans. I am Ray Gutierrez, not Wonder Woman, and we are inside success.