Kevin van Gent: “At Happy Bodies it feels like coming home”

What started as a single sports club in Amstelveen has grown into no fewer than 27 locations throughout the Netherlands in ten years. Even during the corona crisis, when countless gyms had to close, Happy Bodies survived. What is the secret behind this success? In this blog, Kevin van Gent, club manager of Happy Bodies Heemstede, explains what makes the sports club so special and why he returned to his great passion after a detour into another sector.

How it all started

My Happy Bodies adventure began in 2016. I started as an intern at the very first location in Amstelveen. Not long after, Heemstede opened, and soon after that, Happy Bodies Overveen. Collin Schouten, at that time club manager of Happy Bodies Heemstede, took me under his wing and trained me for the Overveen branch. There my adventure took serious shape: no longer as an intern, but as a professional lifestyle coach.

What makes Happy Bodies so special

What makes Happy Bodies so special? The way we interact with each other. As colleagues, we create a friendly, social atmosphere and that reflects on the athletes. That mutual contact is the best thing there is – both between us as a team and with the people who come to train. I notice that it gives me energy when an athlete really goes for it. If someone genuinely wants to work on results, then I put in an extra effort. Their motivation is infectious, and that makes working here so much fun.

Sometimes you have to leave to find out where you belong

After eleven years in the sports industry, I decided to try something else. Besides sports, I have another passion: motorcycling. I made the switch to the motorcycle clothing industry. I did that for three years, exactly during the corona crisis. But I kept wondering: how are things going at Happy Bodies? That whole corona period seemed like a bad position for sports clubs.

Just before the last lockdown, I was called by Collin. Asking if we could sit down together. I was amazed at how Happy Bodies had survived that corona crisis. In early 2022, they even opened their 26th branch in Aalsmeer! The clubs had become busier, but the concept and vision had remained the same.

It started to itch seriously. Wasn't it time to go back? Ultimately, this was the place where I could do what I like to do most: coaching people, coaching athletes, literally putting someone to work to achieve results.

What coming home means to me

In 2021 I returned and a year later I took over the position of club manager of the Heemstede branch. It felt like coming home.

What makes that feeling so special? When I cross the threshold and I see athletes doing well, they know what to do. You walk around, talk to athletes about their results. And of course the feedback from the athletes. "How nice that you helped me with my nutrition last time." Or "How nice that you coached me about the correct movement execution of the machine." And "You really helped me achieve my results." Isn't that great? A compliment for what you do. I feel at home here, among nice people, nice athletes.

On to the next ten years

Now that Happy Bodies is celebrating its tenth anniversary, it is a good time to look ahead. On to the next ten years! With all the positive changes that are still in the pipeline, I hope that Happy Bodies can continue to grow and flourish. My wish is that more and more people will find a sports location with us where they feel good. A place where they are seen, where they achieve results that matter, and where they enter with a smile every time. That feeling of coming home, I want everyone to have that.