Wellness leaders reveal their 2026 goals from scaling physiotherapy clinics responsibly to helping women build strength at midlife
What’s happening: Five CEOs and founders in the health and wellness sector are setting ambitious goals for 2026, ranging from business expansion and systems-building to personal wellbeing and industry transformation.
Why this matters : Australia’s health and wellness industry is experiencing rapid growth, but leaders are increasingly focused on sustainable expansion rather than growth at any cost.
The health and wellness sector is experiencing explosive growth, but the leaders driving that expansion are taking a more measured approach than ever before. Five CEOs and founders have shared their top priorities for 2026, revealing a shift toward sustainable growth, personal alignment, and filling critical gaps in how Australians approach health.
Dorry Kordahi, CEO and Founding Partner of Swanky Socks
My top goal for 2026 is to simplify and focus on what genuinely matters. I’ve learned that time is a valuable asset we shouldn’t take for granted, focus on connections that have meaning and things that matter. Over the years, I’ve built businesses, brands, and teams across multiple industries, and while growth has always been a constant goal, clarity has become the real driver. I’ve learned that simplicity brings strength in decision-making, creativity, and wellbeing.
I want to create more space for the things that keep me grounded: health, family, and perspective. Success for me this year isn’t about how much more I can do; it’s about how deeply I can connect with the things that truly matter. Simplifying allows space for better leadership, sharper thinking, and more meaningful experiences both personally and professionally. That’s where I want to operate from.
Laith Cunneen, Managing Director at Peak Physio
2026 is all about growth through the rollout of new Peak Physio clinics and achieving our goal of becoming one of the state’s largest physiotherapy providers. Expansion will allow us to help more people move and live better, but it must be achieved without compromising on quality.
To support this, we’re investing heavily in internal training programs to strengthen clinical excellence and leadership. We’ll be focused on further enhancing our own professional development platforms to ensure we maintain the highest standards across a growing team.
We’ll also continue to diversify operations, offering more specialised services, elevate our digital presence, and embed continuous improvement into everything we do. It’s essential that each new clinic carries the same values and evidence-based approach that have shaped Peak Physio from the start.
By the end of 2026, we want Peak to stand out not just for its scale, but for setting a benchmark in how healthcare organisations can expand responsibly, empower teams, and deliver lasting impact to communities across NSW.
Shaun Krenz- Co-Founder of AusFitness Expo
My top goal for 2026 is to have the business scale without me being involved in every detail. For years, I’ve been in the trenches building the AusFitness Expo and AusFitness Industry into the Southern Hemisphere’s largest fitness events. Now, the focus is on creating systems, people, and partnerships that allow the brand to keep expanding while I move into a more strategic role.
This isn’t about stepping back, it’s about levelling up and positioning in a way that I can build and launch new adjacencies. To get there, I’m codifying the playbook that built the business: productising our processes, empowering staff to own key outcomes, and formalising our growth pathway. On a personal level, I’m doubling down on health, family, and mentoring others in the fitness industry to build their own scalable ventures.
The goal is to build a machine that runs on rhythm, not me – scalable, profitable, and built to create a lasting legacy that continues shaping the fitness industry for years to come.
Jackson Gray, Owner of Flow Athletic
Flow Athletic has some huge milestones ahead of us in 2026:
- The launch of our new Basic, Signature and Premium memberships
- New class types
- Expanding on our teams already depth of experience
The goal is to have a year of improvement and iteration on a product that people already love and enhance it to a place they can’t live without. Our new memberships are aimed to deliver a more personalised service to our customers giving them what they need in a package that suits them. New classes we have coming back are yet to be announced but think of a throwback to the 90’s with a new spin and you might be able to picture it.
We pride ourselves with having some of the best trainers in the industry – expanding on that knowledge is a must to stay on the forefront.
Justin Babet: Co-founder of Chief Nutrition
Our top goal for 2026 is to win in retail by strengthening Chief Nutrition’s presence in major retailers like Woolworths, Ampol, and 7-Eleven, while still supporting our smaller retailers and expanding distribution into new channels across Australia (including pharmacy) and beyond. It’s a delicate dance of looking after our smaller retailer partners who helped to get us where we are, while continuing to build our brand awareness and loyalty through a mix of online and physical distribution.
We’ve proven that clean, real-food products can outperform ultra-processed competitors, and now we’re focused on scaling that success through smarter merchandising, deeper retailer partnerships, and stronger in-store visibility. This means investing in data-driven insights to understand shopper behaviour, driving trial through sampling and promotions, and executing marketing campaigns that link in-store sales with digital engagement. By building stronger velocity in existing doors and expanding into new ones, our goal is to make Chief the leading real-food snack and supplement brand in every major convenience and grocery store across the country.
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