Walla, the studio performance software focused on accelerating profitability for boutique fitness studios, today announced three strategic hires to its customer experience and coaching team: two CX leaders and a dedicated business growth coach.
The expansion directly supports Walla’s recent repositioning as an AI-powered performance engine, moving beyond traditional studio management to deliver prescriptive, growth-focused solutions. This strategic investment in customer experience infrastructure reinforces Walla’s commitment to pairing cutting-edge technology with exceptional human support, a combination that sets Walla apart from software-only platforms.
The addition of CX leaders Cait Espe and Elizabeth Wendling, combined with Business & Marketing Growth Coach Joshua Poole, signals Walla’s commitment to establishing a comprehensive customer-first performance ecosystem. Together, they ensure every customer receives operational excellence and proactive support while maximizing the platform’s performance-driving capabilities.
Building Scalable, Outcome-Driven Customer Experience
Cait Espe joins Walla as Director, Customer Experience, bringing over 20 years of leadership spanning luxury service operations and high-growth SaaS, with deep expertise in post-sales strategy and operations.
In her previous role as VP of Customer Success and Support at SQUIRE, Cait built and scaled global teams, achieving a record-high retention rate of over 95%, driving a 2.5x increase in expansion revenue, and maintaining CSAT consistently above 90%. Recognized three times as a Global Top 200 Customer Success Leader by SuccessHacker, Cait is building scalable, outcome-driven experiences that ensure high adoption of Walla’s performance tools.
At Walla, she focuses on integrating customer success, onboarding, and support into a cohesive, experience that drives adoption and delivers measurable business results.
“Our team is deeply committed to creating an exceptional customer journey, from rapid support response to proactive partnership,” said Cait. “We’re building the systems, processes, and team structure to ensure every customer not only succeeds with Walla but grows because of it.”
Elizabeth Wendling joins as Manager, Customer Support, with over eight years of experience in Customer Support, Success, and Operations at high-growth SaaS companies, including SQUIRE and Totality. Elizabeth leads the charge in operationalizing support for scale, ensuring customers receive timely, accurate, and empathetic assistance while continuously driving efficiency.
“Walla is in a transformative stage, and I’m excited to build a best-in-class support organization that grows alongside our customers, delivering both speed and quality in every interaction,” said Elizabeth.
Expert Coaching Completes the Performance Ecosystem
Joshua Poole joins as Business & Marketing Growth Coach, bringing proven fitness industry expertise to Walla’s customer experience strategy. With a track record that includes leading a 40% revenue increase at [solidcore] Maryland post-pandemic, Joshua provides studio owners with actionable, high-impact guidance on marketing, operations, and growth strategy.
“At their core, all people want to be seen, heard, valued, and loved,” said Poole. “That philosophy drives everything we do, whether it’s onboarding, technical support, or business coaching. When studio owners feel genuinely supported, they’re empowered to make the bold decisions that drive profitability.”
The Collaborative Growth Engine: Software, Service, and Strategy
Together, these three leaders power Walla’s unique Collaborative Growth Engine, which combines AI-driven software performance with expert human guidance. The approach addresses three key pillars of studio profitability: Software Performance, Operational Excellence, and Strategic Execution.
By fostering tight collaboration between the customer experience team and Poole’s coaching practice, Walla offers an unprecedented level of support that ensures studio owners feel supported at every stage—from initial onboarding to complex technical challenges to long-term business growth.
Walla’s holistic approach empowers studio owners to stop managing and start performing.
Walla is the only studio performance software purpose-built for boutique studios and emerging fitness franchises looking to become more profitable. By offering a comprehensive suite of tools for management, sales, marketing, client retention, and industry-first AI capabilities, Walla helps fitness businesses streamline operations and make more informed decisions with actionable data. Walla is cementing its position as an AI-powered performance engine that drives profitability to be the standard—not the exception—for boutique fitness studios nationwide.
brittany@hellowalla.com
Walla
