26 | MARCH 4 • 2021 

BUSINESS

W

ith the COVID-19 pandemic 
presenting a need for many 
businesses to pivot their opera-
tions to survive, one industry rethinking its 
services is the world of fitness.
For Jewish-owned boutique gym studio 
Fuse45, which has physical locations in 
Royal Oak and West Bloomfield, this meant 
taking their services online. Now complete-
ly digital, the gym studio offers Fuse Live, 
an online workout program available via a 
mobile app.
Rather than holding classes onsite, own-
ers and mother-and-daughter duo Karen 
Kelman and Samantha Kelman-Friedman 
polled their clients to gauge how they felt 
about safety in the pandemic. The results 
spoke for themselves: There was an interest 
in attending virtual classes and an opportu-
nity to make it happen.
Working with a software development 
company, the Kelmans rolled out the Fuse 
Live app last year, which includes their 
trademarked workout in a version that can 
be completed at home. This has allowed 

Fuse45 to branch out from beyond the 
Metro Detroit area, now seeing people 
sign up for their classes from as far away as 
Israel.
Their latest digital addition to their busi-
ness is Fuse Bride, a six-week program for 
brides-to-be. Launched in early February, 
the idea was born to help new brides feel 
confident for their big day. The Kelman 
mom and daughter have partnered with 
New York-based wedding expert Sara 
Greenberg of Forever Young Events to 
develop a multi-faceted approach that 
includes support, tracking and coaching, 
and of course, Fuse45’s trademarked work-
outs.

WELLNESS STRATEGY
“She has the bridal expertise, and we have 
the fitness expertise,
” Karen Kelman says of 
the partnership with Greenberg. Together, 
they collaborated for many months to final-
ize how the program would look. Brides 
who sign up for Fuse Bride begin by receiv-
ing individual consultations with both the 

Kelmans and Greenberg. They then work 
together to develop a custom health and 
wellness strategy for the bride to practice 
during the six-week program.
The goal is for brides to feel confident 
from the inside. “We don’t believe in fad 
diets or anything like that,
” Karen Kelman, 
57, explains. “We believe in making little 
changes in your world that create much 
larger changes, like drinking more water 
and getting more sleep.
” 
She calls it “strategies to live your life,
” 
tools that brides can use both during and 
after the program to lead healthy lifestyles.
Each week, brides check in with Fuse45 
for accountability. They receive both a wed-
ding planning and health planning checklist 
that they can use to meet their goals. For 
an additional layer of accountability, Fuse 
Bride also includes a complimentary plus-
one so brides can invite a guest to the pro-
gram for free. This can be the groom, the 
bride’s mother or even the maid of honor. 
In total, the six-week program costs $445.
For a time when wedding planning is 
more challenging than ever, with many 
brides having to reschedule or postpone 
their weddings (and some multiple times), 
the Kelmans hope their program can offer 
encouragement for brides-to-be and make 
the process a little less stressful.
“It’s aggravating, and it’s taking this very 
special time in their lives and making it 
challenging,
” Karen Kelman says of brides 
planning a wedding during the pandemic, 
“We’re trying to help them smooth that out 
and create a different path that they can 
hopefully do [with their plus-one].
”
While the program is brand new, Kelman 
says it’s gaining traction and they’ve 
received a lot of interest both in- and out-
of-state. “I think it’s a great transition into 
our business,
” she explains. “We’re really 
about starting from the inside-out and com-
munity. It’s about having camaraderie.
”
Now with Fuse Bride, Kelman believes 
the business, which often partners with 
different local Jewish organizations like 
Friendship Circle, can reach a new group of 
people who can then become a part of the 
larger Fuse45 community. 
“I think it’s going to be extremely power-
ful,
” she says. “This is something that’s miss-
ing in this industry. I’m excited to see how 
this takes off.
” 

Boutique gym studio goes online,
adds new program for brides-to-be.

Preparing for
the ‘Big Day’

ASHLEY ZLATOPOLSKY CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Samantha Kelman-
Friedman at her 
wedding with her 
mother, Karen 
Kelman.

COURTESY OF SAMANTHA KELMAN

