Meet Sean Harris: Doctor of Physical Therapy and Co-Owner of RISE Gym

We had the good fortune of connecting with Sean Harris and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Sean, can you share the most important lesson you’ve learned over the course of your career?
I’ve always been a big believer of investing in people. One of my first jobs in college was working as a sports supervisor at my University’s gym. I was 19 or 20, but I remember my boss taking the time to meet with us and discuss our visions and goals. He would have us open up, talk about our passions, and give us feedback on how we were going to make them a reality. If I’m being honest, I thought it was mostly a waste of time…what 20 year old doesn’t have everything already figured out, right? It wasn’t until I was in graduate school several years later that I realized what he was trying to do. He was investing in me and his other employees. Investing his time, effort, and advice into our future lives and careers. Over the years I’ve been extremely blessed to have many friends, family, mentors, and complete strangers invest in me. I’ve also had the opportunity to invest in other people, and I’ve made it part of one of my core principles. I’ve found that when I invest my time, energy, or knowledge in other people, both parties reap the dividends. Starting RISE in the midst of a pandemic, while still working my full-time day job as a Physical Therapist and researcher, has been extremely stressful. My wife and I have had to lean on each other, lean on our friends and family, and lean on complete strangers. Throughout this process, many people I’ve invested in over the years have come back into, or taken new roles, in my life and are now investing in me. Though it has been stressful, I have learned that times of great stress can also be times of great learning and growth. The biggest lesson I’ve learned, without a doubt, is that you never go wrong investing in people. Michael Scott said it best: “A good manager doesn’t fire people. He hires people and inspires people. People, Ryan. And people will never go out of business.”

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
RISE Gym is a gym for everyone. We have over 10,000 square feet of gym space with open areas, cardio machines, cable machines, pin machines, plate loaded machines, and free weights. We offer an array of personal training, group training, and physical therapy services from MoveitB, LLC–all within the gym. I am most proud of the gym atmosphere and being one of the only gyms in Houston with open gym, personal training, a nutrition shop, and physical therapy under one roof. We opened RISE in early July, right in the midst of the COVID pandemic, so things have been difficult from the word go. The ethos at RISE is all about rising to the occasion and overcoming obstacles, so that is exactly what we did. When COVID cases started rising, we added extra safety measures with mist cleansers and UV-C radiation in our ventilation systems. When we lost power with a freeze, we kept our doors open and provided members with water, shelter, and showers. Our motto is “We RISE together” and we really mean it. If our members, trainers, and contractors are happy and successful, then we will be too. I want all of north Houston to know that we genuinely care about them, their community, and their health. RISE gym will be the beginning of a new way of looking at physical health, and everyone is invited to RISE with us!

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
If my best friend was coming to Houston, the first thing we would probably do would be drive around the city. Mostly because he likes driving (especially when it is a rental Prius), but also because Houston is an exciting city to drive around in. Anyone who knows me knows I’m pretty pro meat and pro eggs. So here is my list: Breakfast: Hot Bagel, Top Donut, Just Love Cafe Lunch: 2 Guys 1 Put BBQ, Burger Ranch Dinner/drinks: The Rustic, Soma, Gianna’s Italian Kitchen We would definitely get a work out in at RISE gym and visit the Houston Zoo. Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Too many people to mention, but Ricky Mupier stands out. As RISE Gym’s Director of Operations, Ricky has been the glue holding our team together and we wouldn’t be as successful as we are today without him. All of our great personal trainers that stayed on with us at RISE have also been instrumental in our success. Their feedback and support early on helped us tremendously.

Website: https://www.risegymtx.com/

Instagram: @risegymtx

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/risegymtx

Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/rise-gym-tomball