Bruce Edwards just became CEO of CrossFit. Two-Brain founder Chris Cooper thinks it’s the right call, and he has a very personal reason for saying so:

Bruce fired him. Personally.

In this episode of “Run a Profitable Gym,” Two-Brain CEO John Franklin sits down with Chris for an unfiltered reaction to the April 28, 2026, appointment, following Don Faul’s resignation in March.

In 2018, when Bruce trimmed the CrossFit Media team, Chris learned everything he needed to know about the kind of leader Bruce is.

“Bruce could have delegated the job. He didn’t,” Chris said. “He picked up the phone himself and did the hard thing the right way—head-on, with clarity and respect.”

Chris explains exactly why Bruce is the right person for this moment, from his time as CrossFit’s COO during the brand’s biggest growth phase to his experience as a CrossFit affiliate co-owner himself.

He also traces Bruce’s career since CrossFit—leading growth at In-Shape Health Clubs, barre3 and one of the largest Planet Fitness franchise groups in the country—and says that experience makes him even more qualified for the job.

Chris opens up about why he quietly ended his own affiliation in 2022 after 14 years, what it would take to bring him back, and the three signs he’ll be watching for in the next year to know whether the ship is actually turning around.

Then Chris and John tackle the bigger questions: why affiliate counts keep declining, how Greg Glassman fits into this transition and what Bruce needs to do first to rebuild trust with the affiliate community.

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0:55 - Why Chris left CrossFit in 2022

5:26 - Bruce’s role in CrossFit’s growth

7:29 - Bruce’s post-CrossFit career

9:46 - Why affiliate counts keep declining

18:42 - What’s sacred and what has to change

27:48 - Chris' message to affiliates

29:36 - How Greg Glassman fits in