MAGGY AWARD WINNER: Best New Business
“I wanted to build a place where people could come together, feel supported, and enjoy the process of getting fit,” says Jody Donaldson, owner of Alloy Personal Training Cary. After moving to the area from Northern Virginia five years ago, Jody wanted to continue to pursue his passion for fitness, explaining, “I’ve enjoyed fitness personally for so many years, and when I moved here, I realized I hadn’t found that sense of community I was used to. I had tried other gyms and workouts, and nothing gave me the feel of what I wanted and was used to.”
The InBody machine provides precise body composition analysis in a Starting Point Session and along the member’s journey, offering insights that extend well beyond weight.
So, the entrepreneur decided to create it. After exploring various fitness concepts, Jody found a perfect match in Alloy, a franchise that is licensed worldwide and since 1992 has emphasized small group personal training. He also found a gap in the market and an underserved demographic that is often overlooked in the fitness industry: clients aged 40 and over.
At Alloy, clients work out in small group sessions of four to six people, a size that fosters the intimate and supportive atmosphere Jody is aiming for. “There are so many high-energy boot camps out there,” he explains, but he wanted to focus on functional fitness in an environment where everyone feels like they belong. We all lose muscle mass after age 30, but Jody shares, “For folks over 40, strength training is the most effective thing you can do to help with longevity and also to have a better quality of life in your later years.”
Functional fitness conditions the body for the daily activities that can become challenging or downright dangerous as we age. “It’s not just about lifting weights,” Jody says. “It’s about building strength that translates into everyday life.” The training approach is designed to empower individuals who may have been sidelined by life or health challenges or who are prioritizing their fitness for the first time or after a long break. Established athletes like runners and triathletes can also incorporate Alloy’s full-body strength sessions into their existing program.
Trainer Jon Elliott demonstrates a resistance band stretch for Alloy Personal Training class
members Lisa Carden, left, and Amanda Jones.
“It’s about meeting people where they are and helping them progress,” Jody says. Everyone begins with a Starting Point Session that involves a conversation about goals, past injuries, and any mobility concerns. The InBody machine functions as an initial metric and measuring device, capturing data such as skeletal muscle mass and body fat percentage. This body composition analysis is then paired with a functional movement screening that reveals how the body is functioning. “We’re not just throwing people into a workout,” Jody explains. “We’re building a profile of what they can do.”
Alloy Personal Training Cary owner Jody Donaldson, center, knows that fitness is fun when you’re part of a community.
Sessions last 45 minutes to an hour and include a warm-up, workout, and high-intensity finisher to increase heart rate. The music is upbeat, the laughter is shared, and the absence of mirrors supports Alloy being what Jody refers to as a “judgment-free zone” in which people of all levels improve their functional movement and build muscle at their own pace. An old shoulder injury might mean a participant can’t do a full push-up, but modification might allow them to push off a bar and still strengthen their upper body. At Alloy, although everyone does the same workout, they do it at a level customized for their individual needs.
Clients receive individualized attention from supportive trainers with sub-specialties such as geriatric support (Jody describes the oldest member, at 83 years old, as “amazing” and “motivated”). The small group model is also cost effective: Whereas private personal training sessions can run $110–$150 an hour, with Alloy’s highest program — three times a week, 13 sessions a month — each session costs less than $35. In addition to the community-building aspect of training groups comprising four to six people, the small size adds an element of accountability. As Jody explains, Alloy is “not a gym that’s going to expect you to pay your money and never see you.” People choose Alloy because they want and need the support — so if they don’t show up for a session, they can expect a call from their trainer to check on them.
In addition to Alloy Personal Training Cary, Jody Donaldson is the host of The Progress Zone Podcast: “The place where mindset meets action and progress turns into momentum.”
Evolving from his book, The Progress Zone: Unlocking Your Full Potential, written for anyone who feels “stuck” and is in need of what Jody refers to as “stackable wins” in the areas of health and fitness, mindset, financial literacy, emotional intelligence, and more, the podcast is “about how to be a little bit better every day.”
Jody interviews entrepreneurs and business leaders and emphasizes the importance of mindset and continuous improvement, supporting the notion that “small, consistent steps will get you the momentum you need to carry you through and show up better as a parent, a friend, a spouse …” As he asserts: “It’s all about moving forward, whether in the gym or in life.”
@theprogresszonepodcast
The atmosphere between sessions makes that easy to believe. Members’ conversation goes beyond casual, and it’s clear that connections have been formed. “It was great working out with you today” is a commonly heard refrain, and Jody’s check-ins at the door make it evident that unlike big-box gyms, which will gladly accept dues whether people commit to their fitness or not, consistency at Alloy will bring about change, and connection will make it that much easier and more enjoyable to achieve.
“I will tell you, the results that we see, even from folks who have been doing it 30 to 45 days,” Jody shares, “the skeletal muscle mass is up, and their body fat is down.” Clothes fit better. Participants have more energy at night. Their sleep is sounder. They’re getting off their medicines.
“That’s really what it’s about,” he continues. “We’re helping people find ways to feel better and live longer and healthier, and then the byproduct is building a little community and providing a place they like to come to.” About winning the Maggy Award, Jody says, “I’m glad that we got some support from folks … I’m just really proud of the team and the efforts we’ve made.”
And if exercise teaches us anything, it’s that effort brings results.
cary.alloypersonaltraining.com
- 2026 Maggy Awards: Shopping
- 2026 Maggy Awards: Services
- 2026 Maggy Awards: Lifestyle
- 2026 Maggy Awards: Restaurants
- The 2026 Maggy Awards
- Garden Adventurer: Voodoo Gardening
- Recipes from Readers: Apple Cinnamon Crumb Cake
- Liquid Assets: Small Town Charm
- Catch the Smoke: Lawrence Barbecue Comes to Cary
- Game On!
- Pay It Forward: NeighborUp
- Small Business Spotlight: Alloy Personal Training
- Things to Do: March 2026
