Meet the KC fitness guru selling out pop-ups on rooftops & under disco balls
Kansas City transplant Gianna Ferrante has called the metro home for a few years. In that time, she has built a fitness app, sparked a following for her pop-up workout classes around the metro and fostered a wellness community.
To Ferrante, it’s symbolic of a change in how young people are looking to connect and spend time when they go out.
“It’s just been a lot of growth in the past few years,” Ferrante told The Star. “People are really showing up for things that are maybe not based around alcohol and more about connecting over movement.”
Ferrante, who founded TheFirm by Gigi, went from fearing no one would show up to her pop-up classes, which she calls networkouts, to now consistently selling out and having a waitlist. Her Instagram account, @thefirmbygigi, has over 2,500 followers. The account is carefully curated and centers around Ferrante’s spin on a corporate aesthetic in both her photography style and content.
Originally from New Orleans, Ferrante studied journalism in college and worked as a freelance social media manager before finding her drive to pursue fitness full-time. When she travels to other cities, Ferrante looks for fitness classes to try, and noticed years ago a growing popularity of pop-up fitness classes at local businesses.
“I wanted to create something like that in Kansas City, or at least expand on it if anyone else was already doing and kind of make it accessible here…,” she said.
Eventually, Ferrante took the leap and made fitness her full-time job. In 2024, she launched her app, originally called The Method, now called TheFirm.
It was not an overnight project.
Ferrante remembers, in the beginning, teaching anywhere from 20 to 25 classes a week.
“It is a lot on the body. I’m happy to be transitioning a bit out of that, but it was definitely like two years of saying yes to every request that came through and working 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. and just kind of terrorizing my body in hopes of making it a full-time thing,” she said.
In June, Ferrante was set to post her networkouts, only to find out they were almost all at waitlist status.
“I think I’m more shocked than 2015 me when Zayn left 1D,” she said in an Instagram post. “Seriously, I love what I do so much and wouldn’t want to spend my summer any other way than sweating it out with you on a rooftop or holding a plank under a disco ball. Thank you for always bringing your energy to your mat and this space, I love cheering yall on (even when you want to roll your eyes at me mid squat-pulse).”
Where the name TheFirm came from
The name TheFirm was inspired by Ferrante’s attempt to go to law school after graduating with a journalism degree. She opened the LSAT book and read three pages before deciding it wasn’t for her. But, the idea of centering a fitness business around a law and corporate aesthetic sounded cool to her.
A lot of the terminology she uses is pulled from the corporate jargon, like calling an ab workout, COREprate Burnout, and saying you can build your ASSets around your “9 to 5” with the app.
“I love a brand, I love marketing , I love creating something, (I just) didn’t want to be the face of it,” Ferrante said. “I wanted it to be more of a brand and a community.”
TheFirm’s customer base has spread largely through social media and word of mouth, according to Ferrante, with Tik Tok specifically playing a big part.
Ferrante films two to three full length workouts a week and uploads them on her app, including pilates sculpt and strength training. TheFirm on-demand lessons don’t require equipment and range in difficulty level from beginner to more advanced.
Along with her on-demand videos, Ferrante has been consistently scheduling networkout at local businesses like Dear Society and the Crossroads Hotel.
“I feel like I’ve been able to just reach more of a demographic and see that this is something that people want and are showing up for... I went from being terrified that no one would come take a class to having a wait list, which is insane,” she said.
In-person classes with Ferrante typically start with a yoga sculpt inspired warmup, and then flow into a pilates inspired sculpt, sometimes with cardio.
“I think having these events and having an on-demand studio just provides people with an opportunity to make movement more accessible versus going to the gym,” she said. “They can really fit this into their schedule for whether they have five minutes a day to work out, or the full 60 minutes and they want cardio. There’s just a little bit of something for everyone.”
Ferante said her classes are a great place for people to make new friends.
“Everyone who comes is so nice to everyone… I joke the best connections are made mid squat or plank hold,” she said.
Memberships
Memberships at TheFirm range from being an intern to a Q1-Q4 Partner.
Becoming a “partner” for $19 per month unlocks unlimited access to the on-demand library of classes, as well as early access and discounts to networkout classes.
The “intern” is a seven day free trial that gives people the ability to try out being a “partner” before committing, and the “Q1-Q4 Partner” is annual membership of $150 that gives the same benefit as being a “partner” but breaks down to $12.50/mo.
So far, TheFirm has 100 “Partners” and 1,500 accounts total, many those have been to the networkouts, which continue to sell out.
“I’m speechless. Each time it happens.. I’m so grateful that people are enjoying the classes and wanting to come back,” Ferrante said.
Ferrante has recently joined forces with Grand Coffee Company in creating a healthy, high protein smoothie. The turnaround for the project was quick, according to Ferrante, who said it just took about two weeks.
“It’s been fun, it just tastes really good. It tastes like you’re out of office because it’s very hydrating. It’s a lot of coconut, pineapple and then 20 grams of protein,” she said.
TheFirm smoothie is available now until the end of October at both Grand Coffee Company locations.
