Chrissy Gust hasn’t even held her grand opening yet, and she’s already expanding.
When she first discovered Special Strong through a Facebook ad, it felt like divine timing. “I could not have orchestrated any of this,” Chrissy said. “This is totally God directing me. It’s like everything is being handed to me on a platter. All I had to do was take the next step.”
Chrissy is the owner of the Mesa territory in Arizona and has now signed on to add a second, neighboring territory in Chandler. She and her husband, Ryan, didn’t plan on growing this fast. But the momentum behind the mission made it clear there was no time to wait.
“I’m a doer. I’m a go-getter. I don’t like to wait when I feel peace from God,” Chrissy said. “And I’ve had peace through this entire process. Every single day, I’m affirmed that this is exactly what I’m supposed to be doing.”
Daniel Stein, founder and CEO of Special Strong, remembers that feeling from their first meeting. “When we spoke, she already had gyms in mind for partnerships and trainers she wanted to hire,” Daniel said. “Before she had even signed on, she was thinking about the business like an owner. That’s rare.”
Chrissy now has a large number of athletes in her system and has hired a team of trainers to support the growing demand. One of her early goals was to find professionals who believed in the mission and felt called to serve. So far, every trainer she’s interviewed has told her the same thing: “I’m excited about this mission. I want to be part of it.”
Even more impressive, Chrissy has started building creative community partnerships that will allow her business to grow beyond the one-on-one model. She’s now working with the Special Olympics of Arizona to become a community fitness partner. The organization has grant money to help their athletes work with trainers, but they didn’t have the infrastructure. Chrissy has both the trainers and the locations.
“They want their athletes to train during the off-season,” Chrissy said. “They’ve got a big need, and we can fill it. Our programs are tailored. Our trainers know how to modify based on what each athlete needs. That’s what sets Special Strong apart. It’s like an IEP for fitness.”
She’s also in conversation with a local school district to explore ways to bring adaptive fitness directly into the schools. For Chrissy, it’s another opportunity to make a lasting impact.
Chrissy’s story is extraordinary, but Daniel says it speaks to something bigger.
“This opportunity can be as big or as small as you make it,” Daniel said. “Chrissy made a decision early on to go all in. She didn’t ask, ‘How little can I do?’ She asked, ‘How many lives can we impact?’ That mindset is what makes the difference.”
For Chrissy, the decision to expand wasn’t about ambition. It was about obedience. She spent time in prayer, asking God to open the right doors. On a day that started quietly, she received multiple confirmations that she was on the right path. Every conversation, opportunity, and introduction seemed to align at just the right time.
“I sat down at dinner with my family and said, ‘This was a good day,’” Chrissy said. “God showed me everything I needed to move forward.”
Daniel agreed. “You can’t deny it when you see something like that. We want people who are called to this work. Chrissy is called, and she’s ready.”
Chrissy is preparing to serve her first clients and begin building relationships in her new territory. Her heart is fully in the mission, and she’s already becoming a trusted resource in her community.
“I can’t wait to get going,” Chrissy said. “This isn’t just a business. This is what I was made to do.”
