Meet George Shami of Sandcastle Fitness, the guy building a gym people actually want to go back to

If you’ve ever signed up for a gym membership with the best of intentions, only to ghost the place two weeks later while still paying for it every month, this one’s for you.

I recently sat down with George Shami, CEO of Sandcastle Fitness, and our conversation was one of those reminders that some businesses are built very differently from the rest. George isn’t just in the fitness business. He’s in the business of helping people actually follow through on the goals they keep promising themselves they’ll get back to “next Monday.”

And honestly, that’s a very different thing.

From being bullied as a kid to helping other people build confidence

George’s story starts in a place a lot of people can relate to, even if they don’t talk about it much. He was bullied growing up, struggled with confidence, and started going to the gym as a teenager to make a change. At 18, he did something most 18-year-olds probably aren’t doing, he paid out of pocket for a personal trainer because he knew he needed help and wanted a roadmap.

That decision changed everything.

What stood out to me most was that George didn’t just fall in love with fitness. He fell in love with what happens when the right person helps you believe change is actually possible.

That eventually led him into personal training, then management, and ultimately into ownership.

The problem with most gyms, and why George wanted to build something different

One of the more interesting parts of our conversation was hearing George talk about the traditional gym model. You know the one. Low monthly fee. Tons of members. A business model that quietly depends on a huge chunk of people signing up, feeling guilty, and never actually showing up.

George saw that world up close. He worked in it. And the more time he spent in it, the more obvious it became that a lot of gyms aren’t really designed around helping people succeed long term. They’re designed around volume.

That didn’t sit right with him.

What he wanted was a gym where people weren’t just sold a membership and left to fend for themselves. He wanted a place where the goal was actual progress. Not a six-week crash diet. Not a quick fix. Not “good luck, the treadmills are over there.”

Actual progress.

The part of the interview I kept thinking about after

There was one idea George kept coming back to that I think is worth repeating, especially if you’ve ever felt like you “just don’t have the discipline” to get in shape.

He said the biggest difference between people who succeed and people who struggle often comes down to consistency. Not perfection. Not motivation. Not some magical 5 a.m. warrior mindset. Just consistency, and a willingness to keep going even when it’s hard.

His phrase was basically this, something is better than nothing.

That sounds simple, but I think that’s the point.

George has seen what happens when people try to overhaul their entire lives overnight. Six meals a day. Zero sugar. Workout every day. Never look at bread again. And then, three days later, someone eats one cookie and decides they’ve ruined their life and might as well take down a family-size bag of chips while they’re at it.

His approach is the opposite of that.

Start with the lowest hanging fruit. Build a few habits that actually fit your life. Get a few early wins. Build momentum. Then stack from there.

In other words, stop trying to become a fitness robot by Tuesday.

He learned this the hard way, which is probably why it works

One of the most honest parts of the conversation was George admitting that he personally lost 50 pounds multiple times in his life. Not once. Multiple times.

That matters, because it means he’s not coaching from some ivory tower where fitness has always been easy and natural. He’s lived the frustration of making progress, losing it, starting over, and trying to figure out why the old approach didn’t stick.

That experience shaped how he coaches now, and how he trains his team to coach too.

Instead of forcing every client into the same plan, the focus is on behaviour change and sustainability. What works for the person in front of you? What can they realistically do? What fits their schedule, stress, family life, and energy level? What can they keep doing a month from now, not just for the next eight days?

That’s a much smarter question.

The hotel breakfast story that changed how he runs Sandcastle

Every now and then, you hear a story in an interview and think, yep, that explains a lot.

For George, one of those moments happened on his honeymoon.

After leaving his previous company, he and his wife were travelling and stayed at a boutique hotel in Venice where the owner was literally downstairs making guests eggs for breakfast. Not because he had to. Because that’s how seriously he took hospitality and service.

George told me that stuck with him.

The owner knew guests by name. He was present. He cared. He was involved in the experience.

And George came back thinking, that’s the kind of business I want to build.

Not just a gym with equipment. A place where people feel known. A place where the owner isn’t hiding in an office pretending the business runs on autopilot. A place where service actually means something.

Sandcastle Fitness was already a local institution. George helped turn it into something bigger

When George took over Sandcastle Fitness about seven years ago, it already had a loyal community. What it needed was fresh energy, reinvestment, and a clearer vision for where it could go.

Since then, Sandcastle has grown from roughly 900 members to around 2,200, and that doesn’t happen by accident.

It happens when people actually like being there.

It happens when the business invests back into the space.

It happens when members feel supported instead of sold to.

And it happens when the people leading it care enough to keep improving it.

Today, Sandcastle has become much more than a “go lift weights and leave” kind of gym. It’s built around community, coaching, and giving people different ways to get support depending on what they need. George and his team have also continued expanding the experience and the services around it, all while trying to keep the culture that made the place special in the first place.

That part matters too. Growth is easy to talk about. Preserving the feel of a business while it grows is a whole different challenge.

What really stood out to me about George

The thing I liked most about George is that he doesn’t talk like a guy who wants to impress you with how much he knows. He talks like someone who genuinely wants people to win.

That comes through in how he talks about members.

It comes through in how he talks about staff too.

He was very clear that if you want members to have a great experience, your staff need to feel supported first. They need to feel valued. They need to believe they’re building a career, not just clocking in at a gym and hoping for the best. That mindset shapes the culture for everyone who walks through the door.

And it also explains why Sandcastle doesn’t feel like a faceless corporate operation.

It feels local because it is local. George lives here. He’s raising his family here. He wants the business to be part of the community, not just parked in the middle of it collecting monthly fees. Whether that’s supporting local events, collaborating with nearby businesses, or simply building a place where people feel comfortable showing up, that community piece is clearly important to him.

If the gym has ever felt intimidating, this part is for you

I also appreciated George’s message for people who feel anxious walking into a gym, because that’s real for a lot of people.

His take was simple. He’s been there. It wasn’t always his identity either. But if you can make that first step and get in the door, things can change faster than you think. You stop feeling like the outsider. You build confidence. You start seeing progress. And eventually, you might even become one of those people who actually likes working out.

Weird concept, I know.

But that’s the whole point of what he’s building. Not a place for perfect people. A place for real people who want help, structure, accountability, and a shot at actually sticking with it.

Check out Sandcastle Fitness

If you’re in South Surrey or White Rock and you’ve been looking for a gym, or you’ve been wanting some support with your fitness but haven’t known where to start, Sandcastle Fitness is worth checking out.

George and his team have built something that feels a lot more thoughtful than the standard gym experience, and that came through loud and clear in our conversation.

You can learn more or get in touch here:

Sandcastle Fitness
📍 200-1938 152 St.
Surrey, BC
📲 604.337.0074
🌐 https://sandcastlefitness.com/
Instagram: @24hrsandcastlefitness
George’s Instagram: @gpshami

And if you do reach out, tell George that Darin sent you. At minimum, maybe he’ll make you do burpees with extra kindness.

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