From Boardroom to Circuit Floor: The Decision to Own My First Curves Club

By Kim McQueen – Part One of My Story

I’m Kim McQueen, President and CEO of Curves across North America, Australia, and New Zealand. When I look back over almost 25 years with Curves, people often ask how I ended up here: starting as a franchisee and eventually stepping into leadership.

Honestly, my story isn’t that unique. In fact, that’s one of the things I love most about Curves. Many women who purchase a Curves franchise arrive at that decision through very similar experiences. They’re accomplished. They’re capable. They’ve built careers and families and full lives. But somewhere along the way, they start looking for something more meaningful.

Every time I tell my story, I’m reminded how often women come up to me afterwards and say, “That sounds exactly like my journey.” And I think that connection is what makes this company so special.

The Moment Everything Shifted

I was 32 years old. I was a Creative Director in advertising, working on a major account. I loved my career. I had worked incredibly hard to get there, built strong friendships across the industry, and I was genuinely proud of what I had accomplished. Advertising is fast-paced, competitive, creative, and intellectually challenging — all things that energized me at the time.

From the outside, it looked like I had everything figured out. And in many ways, I did. I was successful, respected, and doing work I was good at. But sometimes success and fulfillment aren’t the same thing, and I didn’t fully understand that yet.

Then something unexpected happened.

I was sitting in a very long, all-day meeting with multiple brand managers. We were deep in discussions about shampoo and body product campaigns — important work, but the kind of meeting where your mind can occasionally drift. At one point, I found myself looking out the window. We were overlooking Lake Michigan, and I noticed a single sailboat out on the water.

I remember thinking, “Wow… who gets to sail in the middle of the week? Because it’s definitely not me.”

And then, almost out of nowhere, I had this very clear message in my head: You need to do something that helps people.

It wasn’t dramatic. There was no lightning bolt. It was quiet. But it was powerful. It felt steady and undeniable. The kind of thought that lands so deeply that you can’t ignore it, even if you want to.

Looking Back to Move Forward

I sat there in that meeting, still listening, still participating, but internally I started walking through my entire work history. I had been working since I was very young. By the time I entered advertising, I had already held 17 different jobs, and I had spent nearly 13 years building my career in the industry.

I started asking myself one simple question: Which job actually meant something when I showed up?

Surprisingly, the answer came very quickly.

It was my high school job at a nursing home. It certainly wasn’t glamorous. Most people wouldn’t have considered it a dream job. But it was incredibly meaningful. The residents would light up when we arrived for the dinner shift after school. They remembered our names. They asked about our lives. And we looked forward to seeing them just as much.

There was connection there. There was appreciation. There was a sense that my presence made someone’s day better.

And sitting in that conference room years later, I realized… that was what I was missing. I didn’t need to abandon creativity or business or challenge. I just needed to reconnect with people in a more direct, human way.

The Search for Something Tangible

Once that thought planted itself in my mind, I couldn’t un-hear it. But I also didn’t immediately know what it meant for my future. I wasn’t specifically looking for a franchise. I just knew I wanted something that would allow me to help people more directly and see the impact of my work in real time.

I started researching small business opportunities. I had always had an entrepreneurial streak in me, but entrepreneurship is a big leap, especially when you’re already in a stable and successful career. It requires risk, vulnerability, and a willingness to start over in many ways.

For about nine months, I explored different possibilities. I talked to people. I read. I evaluated industries. I tried to imagine what kind of business would align with both my skills and my heart.

Then, completely by accident, like it happens for so many Curves owners, I walked into a Curves.

Walking Into Curves

A girlfriend of mine had been working out at Curves for several months and invited me to join her one Saturday morning. I walked in not even realizing Curves was a franchise opportunity. I simply went to try the workout.

I’ll be honest… I was shocked.

At that point in my life, I had tried almost every fitness trend imaginable. I grew up during the Jane Fonda aerobics era. I had gotten deeply involved in strength training, which I genuinely loved. I had experimented with nutrition trends, diet pills, walking programs — you name it, I had probably tried it at some point.

I even walked into Curves wearing one of those Polar heart-rate monitors under my sports bra because I was carefully tracking my fat-burning zone during cardio workouts. And if I’m being honest, I never really loved cardio. I just believed it was something I was supposed to do.

When I first walked into Curves, my initial reaction was that it looked easy. Almost like a jungle gym for adults. It was unintimidating. It didn’t have the harsh or overwhelming environment that many traditional gyms had at the time. But I also didn’t quite understand how it worked.

Then I started the workout.

Within five stations, my heart-rate monitor started beeping, telling me I was already in my fat-burning zone. I remember thinking, “What is happening right now?” Because it felt like strength training (which I loved!) but I was achieving cardio benefits simultaneously.

That combination was something I had never experienced before. And it immediately made me curious.

The Science Made Sense

Earlier in my career, I had worked with Tanita body composition scales, so I had a solid understanding of the science behind muscle mass, metabolism, and visceral fat: the dangerous fat that surrounds our organs.

I had seen data showing how people who relied solely on restrictive dieting or excessive cardio often lost muscle along with fat. And losing muscle can actually leave someone metabolically unhealthy, even if they appear thin on the outside.

Strength training changes that equation. It helps protect muscle mass. It improves metabolic health. It helps women build sustainable, long-term strength rather than chasing short-term weight loss.

When I experienced Curves firsthand and then read the founder’s book explaining the philosophy and science behind the program, everything clicked for me. I remember thinking, “This company has really figured this out.”

But what struck me even more than the science was the atmosphere. Women were encouraging each other. They were laughing. They were showing up consistently. It felt supportive and welcoming in a way I hadn’t experienced in fitness before.

The Decision That Happened Fast

I tried Curves on a Saturday.
I thought about it all weekend.
I made the phone call and bought my first club on Monday.

It sounds sudden (and it was!) but it was also the result of nine months of searching and years of experiences leading me to that exact moment.

I often describe that feeling as being “nerve-cited”: nervous and excited at the same time. It was terrifying to walk away from a career I had spent more than a decade building. But it also felt incredibly right.

My colleagues in advertising were stunned when I resigned. I had mentors who tried to talk me out of it because, from their perspective, I was leaving at the height of my career. Even after I gave my notice, they called me later asking if I was coming back.

I told them no. My new business was already growing quickly, and more importantly, I felt aligned with my work in a way I never had before.

Learning Through Ownership

Becoming a franchise owner changed me in ways I never expected. I wasn’t just running a business. I was building relationships with members who trusted us with their health, their confidence, and sometimes their emotional well-being.

I saw women walk through the doors feeling intimidated or discouraged about their fitness. I watched them gain strength, energy, and self-belief. And I saw how those changes extended into every part of their lives: their families, careers, and communities.

I also learned how to lead differently. Entrepreneurship teaches you resilience very quickly. It teaches you to solve problems, adapt, and trust your instincts. But it also teaches humility. You learn that success is built through people, not just strategy.

Over time, I expanded from owning clubs to supporting other franchisees, and eventually, I stepped into leadership roles within the organization. Each step forward felt less like climbing a ladder and more like widening my ability to serve others.

What Curves Became for Me

Looking back now, Curves allowed me to combine everything I cared about: helping people, building a business, and promoting women’s health in a way that felt empowering rather than intimidating.

My career in advertising didn’t disappear. It simply evolved. It gave me the skills I needed to communicate, build brands, and think strategically–all of which became invaluable as I grew as an entrepreneur and later as a leader.

What started as a single decision inside a Saturday morning workout became a 25-year journey… centered around helping women become stronger, healthier, and more confident in themselves.

Today, when I meet franchise owners or members who are standing at their own crossroads, I often think back to that sailboat on Lake Michigan. That quiet moment reminded me that sometimes the most important changes in our lives don’t arrive loudly. They arrive as a small, persistent voice asking us to listen.

For me, listening led to Curves. It led to a career that feels meaningful every single day. And it showed me that sometimes the bravest decision isn’t chasing success, it’s choosing purpose.

And it all started with a sailboat I saw from the boardroom… and a quiet moment where I chose to listen.

Interested in following in Kim’s footsteps and starting your own Curves Club?

Find out how this could be you here!

Curious to see what Kim saw in Curves for yourself?

Get a free Discovery Consultation at your local Curves!