Affiliate Ownership, Risk-Taking, and Resilience With Myles Lewis (EP. 006)
The CrossFit Podcast
CrossFit LLC
4.3 • 757 Ratings
🗓️ 18 March 2025
⏱️ 68 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Myles Lewis is a father, husband, longtime CrossFit affiliate owner, coach, and member of CrossFit’s Seminar Staff. Since opening CrossFit Avalanche in 2008, he’s navigated the challenges of running a business in a competitive, high-cost environment while staying true to the fundamentals of CrossFit.
In this episode, Myles joins Denise Thomas to discuss his journey — from professional snowboarding to discovering CrossFit and becoming a coach. He shares lessons learned over 16 years of affiliate ownership, including how he adapted his business during the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of taking risks, and why simplicity and consistency are key to building a strong community.
Topics Included:
- Myles’ passion for snowboarding and how it shaped his mindset
- The story behind opening CrossFit Avalanche in 2008
- Navigating affiliate ownership during the COVID-19 pandemic
- How Myles brought some perspective to CrossFit’s executive team
Resources Mentioned:
- CrossFit Avalanche → https://www.instagram.com/crossfitavalanche
- The Tahoe Throwdown: A look back at classic CrossFit events → https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kB0QEKJ9od4
- Influx Mini-Series: Showcasing how fitness translates beyond the gym → https://journal.crossfit.com/article/influx-bonus-content-heli-safety
Community Highlight:
This week, we’re highlighting Ashley Cullen, the owner of Big Gratitude CrossFit in Richmond, Virginia. A mother of six and wife to a military veteran, Ashley founded her affiliate in July 2024 with a mission rooted in service. Not only does she run a thriving CrossFit gym, but 100% of its profits go directly to support a nonprofit she created for disadvantaged youth and military veterans.
Want to follow Ashley’s journey? Check out @biggratitudecrossfit to see how she’s using CrossFit to make a meaningful impact in her community → https://www.instagram.com/biggratitudecrossfit
Know someone you think deserves to be highlighted? Nominate them here → https://crossfit.surveysparrow.com/s/CrossFit-Community-Stories/tt-PrkSJ
Share Your Thoughts:
Let us know what you think about the podcast and how we can improve here → https://crossfit.surveysparrow.com/s/The-CrossFit-Podcast—Feedback-Survey/tt-lf9Gf?ep=006
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Hello everyone, I'm Denise Thomas and welcome to the CrossFit podcast. |
| 0:07.2 | This is where we welcome guests who dedicate their lives to making the world healthier. |
| 0:12.1 | We're going to dig into the unique expertise, motivations and all the experiences |
| 0:17.2 | that our community and like-minded people share. |
| 0:20.6 | And our guest today is Miles Lewis. |
| 0:23.6 | Miles is a father, a husband, a 16-year CrossFit affiliate owner, a coach and a member of CrossFit |
| 0:30.7 | seminar staff. He's awesome. His life has been marked by this willingness to take risks that many would shy away from, |
| 0:39.4 | whether it's jumping out of a helicopter on a snowboard, being an early adopter of some crazy |
| 0:44.6 | new fitness program, or school in a group of top CrossFit execs. You know, at face value, |
| 0:50.8 | Miles is just one of the most laid back and easy to talk to guys you will ever have the |
| 0:56.3 | pleasure of hanging out with. But as you dig a little deeper into what really makes him tick, |
| 1:01.4 | it becomes clear that he's driven by a kind of passion and courage that is really rare in this |
| 1:06.6 | world. In this episode, Miles shares his highs and his lows and all the special moments that |
| 1:12.9 | have helped define who he is today. And now without further ado, here is Miles Lewis. |
| 1:22.5 | Miles, welcome to the show. Hi, Denise. Thanks for having me. Thanks for being here. |
| 1:27.8 | Truly. |
| 1:29.4 | It's interesting. |
| 1:32.8 | I mean, you've been doing this thing CrossFit for a long time. |
| 1:35.1 | So have I over 15 years. |
| 1:37.2 | We work for seminar staff. |
| 1:38.9 | But I don't think we've ever worked together. |
| 1:40.3 | No, we haven't. |
... |
Please login to see the full transcript.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from CrossFit LLC, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of CrossFit LLC and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2026.