Lessons in fitness

Rachelle Reed (M.S. ’12, Ph.D. ’16)

• Degree program: Exercise physiology  
• Current position: Global senior director of health science and research, Orangetheory Fitness
• Lives in: Athens, Georgia

Everything Rachelle Reed (M.S. ’12, Ph.D. ’16) learned on her journey through graduate school and later as the manager of training development for a fitness franchise equipped her with the skills and knowledge to develop innovative solutions for the fitness science industry.

From conducting research on wearable fitness devices to delivering health intervention methods for young women, Reed’s passion for movement and health promotion eventually led her to Orangetheory Fitness (OTF), where she currently serves as the global senior director of health science and research.

“I’ve always loved movement and sport, and when I realized as an undergraduate student that exercise science was actually a field of study, it just seemed like such a natural fit for me,” says Reed, who received both her master’s and doctoral degrees in exercise physiology from the Mary Frances Early College of Education. “I’m so interested in prevention and how our behaviors can really impact the health-related quality of our lives.”

Like so many others, Reed’s plans were uprooted by the COVID-19 pandemic after she moved to Boca Raton, Florida, where OTF is headquartered. When studios across the world shut down at the start of the pandemic, Reed—who manages a team of 12 health science professionals—helped create, test, and launch several alternative fitness products for members to access from the comfort and safety of their homes.

OTF is a heart-rate focused group workout that combines science, coaching, and technology to help members meet the physical activity guidelines created by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. During a single class, members use a variety of machines and equipment, including rowers, treadmills, as well as weight and floor exercises, to improve both endurance and strength.

With nearly 200,000 people performing the same workout per day, the wealth of performance data recorded by their heart rate monitors provides Reed and her team with the necessary information to ensure OTF coaches deliver the best experience possible to their members. In addition to launching new class formats and conducting research projects, Reed develops continuing education opportunities for more than 6,000 OTF coaches to help them better communicate the science of exercise to the public.

“Another part of my role is what I like to call science communication,” says Reed. “In addition to educating coaches, we also educate members through content served through our mobile app, website, and social media. My team, along with the marketing team, work to make sure everything we’re saying is as science-backed as it can be, that we're giving advice that we are really comfortable standing behind, and that we’re always citing our sources.”

One of these sources is OTF’s Medical Advisory Board, which Reed manages and meets with at least twice a month to ensure OTF is using the best information possible to inform important business and health-related decisions, especially during the pandemic. Comprised of six scientists, including a cardiologist, a registered dietician, a physical therapist, an exercise physiologist, a public health researcher, and a neuroscientist, the board not only analyzes the latest research studies, but also works closely with the American College of Sports Medicine and the National Academy of Sports Medicine to ensure OTF coaches are answering questions from a scientific perspective and relaying information in a way that is accessible to the community at large.

Reed is adamant that the lessons she learned while attending the College of Education prepared her to succeed as both a researcher and mentor in the exercise science industry. While she enjoyed conducting research under the guidance of kinesiology professor Michael Schmidt and defending her dissertation as a doctoral student with associate dean and kinesiology professor Ellen Evans, Reed felt drawn to the fast-paced environment that comes with working in the industry.

“I’m always so thankful when looking back at my time at UGA,” says Reed, who also completed her postdoctoral research at UGA with kinesiology professor Patrick O’Connor. “As a student, you feel like you’re being put through the wringer since you have to do all these presentations in front of faculty, and they’re asking you a million questions. But I do feel like those skills have directly helped me get to where I am now in 1,000 different ways.”

Today, Reed is focused on growing and training her OTF team, which she helped build from the ground up. The mentoring experience she received as both a graduate student and later as an instructor in UGA’s College of Public Health—where she taught undergraduate students for a year—transferred directly over to her current role with OTF.

“I know that all of the skills I learned at UGA equipped me very well to be successful and to speak up and have the right amount of grit to hold an industry role,” says Reed. “It’s a different vibe, but it’s a lot of fun. I’m always so thankful that all of the pieces sort of fell into place for me.”

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