Michael Cunningham, Jr., local franchisee for fitness studio FS8, is on a mission to make wellness experiences more inclusive for the Atlanta community. He is planning to open his first location with the franchise — and the first in Georgia — in the Terminus 100 building in Buckhead at 3280 Peachtree Rd, Suite 155, in late October or early November.
Cunningham recently emerged from a long, successful career in the cybersecurity space, in which he worked for major companies including Home Depot, Lowes, Bank of America and, most recently, Fortune 500 company Graphic Packaging International. However, he felt the need for a change, and as he pursued his own wellness journey, he saw an avenue forward in that space.
“I needed to build something else, so I started looking at what brands made sense,” Cunningham told What Now Atlanta. “I interviewed four different wellness brands. FS8 was the brand that was most welcoming to me. It was more inclusive, not just to me, but also when I look at its employee base [and] its desire to hit different types of audiences.”
FS8 incorporates multiple workout types into one, combining yoga, Pilates and functional strength training into one studio. The offerings are designed to provide customers with high-intensity, low-impact workout experiences. Cunningham sees FS8 as a strong competitor in the fitness industry nowadays because it fulfills two of the major aspects people are seeking in the wellness market: community and tension exercises that lessen strain on joints.
“When you look at where the market is going, people want more than just a place to work out,” Cunningham said. “They want a place where they can meet up with their friends on a regular basis. They want to be able to socialize there after. They want a community. I didn’t realize that until I started going down this wellness journey — the thing time and time again I’m hearing through every conversation, for every employee that I’m interviewing, for every customer that I’m interacting with — they want a community.”
FS8 also minimizes the need for multiple fitness memberships, as it combines different fitness approaches and offers on-site recovery amenities such as a sauna and cold plunge.
For Cunningham, this venture into becoming a franchisee in the wellness industry is larger than just turning a profit — he is also looking to find ways to connect people with wellness opportunities. Boutique fitness studios often can be unaffordable for many people, a gap that Cunningham is looking to help bridge.
As a result, Cunningham also is rolling out a nonprofit — the Dixie R. Cunningham Foundation — in tandem with his for-profit studio venture. Designed to honor his late mother, the nonprofit will provide wellness grants to those who cannot afford them. The wellness fund currently has the capability to provide three months of wellness to 25 people, and that is just the beginning. Once FS8 opens up in Buckhead, about 3-5% of the revenues from the studio will go to the nonprofit, as well. He plans to build up the nonprofit heading into 2026, allowing people to access wellness and fitness either through his own studio or through another fitness provider. He hopes to provide people of all skill levels and all backgrounds with access to wellness.
“This brand that I’m building is not only about helping those who can afford it, but also helping those who can’t afford it but also have a need for it,” Cunningham said.
Eventually, Cunningham would like to own 10 FS8 studios in the coming years, with about three or four in the Atlanta market, starting with a second studio in Decatur. He then plans to expand to Savannah and to other states like South Carolina, Florida and North Carolina.
“I think I’m most excited that between the for-profit studios in nonprofit, I get to influence the conversation on inclusivity,” Cunningham said.
