On Episode #170 of the PricePlow Podcast, we had the opportunity to sit down with GNC CEO Michael Costello at the 2025 GNC Global Conference in Orlando, Florida, for an eye-opening conversation that reveals why this supplement-using industry leader truly is “one of us”. Michael’s journey from a volleyball-playing creatine customer in the 1990s to chemical engineer at Clorox to CEO of America’s most iconic supplement retailer represents one of the most authentic leadership stories we’ve encountered.
GNC CEO Michael Costello shares his journey from volleyball-playing creatine customer in the 1990s to leading America’s most iconic supplement retailer with a renewed consumer-first focus on Episode #170 of the PricePlow Podcast.
The GNC CEO Who Takes Creatine and Understands GLP-1
This episode, part of our ongoing four-part podcast series that began with Episode #169 featuring Jack Sehgal and Ben Benedict of Nutralabz, showcases how Michael’s consumer-first philosophy and science-driven approach are transforming GNC’s relationship with both franchisees and customers. From his early days buying “suspect” creatine when people thought it might be “steroids” to his current mission of refocusing GNC on consumer needs, Michael’s story demonstrates the power of authentic leadership rooted in genuine industry passion.
The conversation explores GNC’s unique franchise-corporate hybrid model, the strategic positioning around GLP-1 medications, and Michael’s vision for making GNC the trusted destination for personalized supplement guidance. His insights into ingredient trends, consumer education, and the critical importance of knowledgeable staff reveal why GNC remains essential in an increasingly crowded marketplace.
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https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/gnc-ceo-michael-costello-170
Video: GNC CEO Michael Costello Shares His Consumer-First Vision
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 22:45 — 23.0MB)
Detailed Show Notes: Michael Costello’s Mission to Refocus GNC
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0:00 – Introduction: Meeting GNC’s CEO at Global Conference
Mike and Ben welcome listeners from the 2025 GNC Global Conference in Orlando, Florida, introducing Michael Costello, CEO of GNC, for what promises to be an enlightening conversation about leadership, industry evolution, and the future of supplement retail. This interview represents part of an ongoing four-part podcast series that began with Episode #169 featuring Nutralabz leadership.
Mike sets the context by acknowledging Michael’s valuable time and expressing excitement about covering both the conference itself and Michael’s unique background. The energy of the Global Conference is immediately apparent, with Mike noting the enthusiastic atmosphere and the value of bringing together corporate leadership, franchisees, and industry partners under one roof.
The introduction establishes two key discussion tracks: exploring what the Global Conference means from a leadership perspective and diving into Michael’s distinctive journey to the CEO position. This dual focus provides insight into both GNC’s current strategic direction and the personal experiences that shaped its leader’s vision for the company’s future.
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1:00 – GNC’s Unique Franchise-Corporate Hybrid Model
Michael explains GNC’s distinctive business structure, revealing that the company operates with approximately two-thirds corporate stores and one-third franchise locations. He emphasizes that this hybrid model is relatively unique in retail, noting that most companies separate these channels either geographically or completely, while GNC integrates both approaches to maximize different strengths.
The strategic value of this model becomes clear as Michael describes how corporate stores provide standardization and operational efficiency, while franchise locations offer deep community connections that corporate operations struggle to replicate. Franchisees live in their communities, understand local customers personally, and can build relationships that span years or even decades with individual customers.
Michael highlights how this combination allows GNC to capture both the operational benefits of corporate standardization and the community engagement that makes franchise owners so effective. The personal connection between franchisees and their customers – knowing that “Joe’s walked in every day for the last twelve years” – represents a competitive advantage that pure corporate operations or big-box retailers cannot easily duplicate.
Ben adds context from his corporate GNC experience, noting how the franchise show has evolved into a true global convention that brings together the entire GNC community. This evolution reflects the company’s commitment to treating franchisees and corporate operations as parts of a unified whole rather than separate entities with different priorities.
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4:15 – Personal Journey: From Volleyball Courts to Corporate Leadership
Michael shares his fascinating personal journey, revealing how his relationship with supplements began in the 1990s as a competitive volleyball player purchasing creatine from GNC stores. His story provides crucial context for understanding his consumer-focused leadership approach, as he experienced the industry’s evolution from the perspective of an actual customer rather than just a business executive.
Jack Sehgal & Ben Benedict discuss Nutralabz’ brand house strategy, Basic Supplements & GR8 Lifestyle success in Episode #169 of the PricePlow Podcast
During the Wild West era of supplements in the 1990s, Michael was buying creatine when many people suspected it might be an “illegal drug”. This period, which we explored in detail with Jose Antonio in Episode #137, represents a time when supplement science was less established and regulatory frameworks were still developing. Michael’s personal experience navigating this uncertain landscape gives him unique credibility with today’s consumers.
His competitive volleyball career included playing sand, grass, and indoor volleyball, participating in six-person doubles tournaments where he and his teammates would take B12 supplements for energy during multi-day competitions. Other teams would sometimes accuse them of cheating because of their sustained energy levels, not realizing that B12 was simply available for purchase at GNC. This anecdote perfectly illustrates the knowledge gap that existed between informed supplement users and the general public, especially before social media and educational channels like PricePlow.
The transition from athlete to business executive included earning a chemical engineering degree, which explains Michael’s science-focused approach to supplement evaluation and his ability to understand research papers and ingredient mechanisms. This technical background, combined with his personal supplement experience, creates a unique foundation for leading a science-based supplement retailer.
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8:00 – Professional Evolution: From Clorox to GNC
Michael’s professional journey took him through Clorox, where he developed crucial consumer-focused marketing and business skills that would prove essential for his eventual role at GNC. The experience at Clorox provided world-class training in understanding consumer behavior, market research, and the fundamental principle that “if you win with the consumer, nothing else matters.”
This consumer-centric philosophy, developed during his Clorox tenure, directly translates to his approach at GNC. Rather than focusing primarily on operational efficiency or financial metrics, Michael emphasizes understanding what drives consumer decisions and ensuring that every business decision serves consumer needs first. This perspective shapes everything from product selection to staff training to store operations.
The personal passion for supplements continued throughout his corporate career, with Michael staying current on ingredient research and supplement science even while working in completely different industries. He describes how his understanding of ingredients like creatine evolved as research expanded beyond muscle building to include impacts on gut health, brain health, and overall wellness.
This combination of consumer marketing expertise from Clorox and genuine personal passion for supplements created the perfect background for leading GNC’s transformation. Michael could apply professional-grade consumer insights to an industry he genuinely cared about, bringing both business acumen and authentic enthusiasm to the CEO role.
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10:15 – The GNC Turnaround Strategy: Refocusing on Consumers
When Michael joined GNC as CEO in November 2023, he identified a fundamental problem that he presented directly to the board during his interview process: GNC had lost focus on the consumer. The company had become operationally focused on internal processes and metrics while losing sight of why those operations existed in the first place.
GNC associates have the training to steer consumers towards the right protein for them, such as Beyond Raw Dynamic Whey
His diagnosis was straightforward – GNC needed to return to its consumer-focused roots while maintaining operational excellence. This wasn’t about abandoning business fundamentals like margins, pricing, and product mix, but rather ensuring that all these operational decisions served consumer needs rather than existing as ends in themselves.
The turnaround strategy centers on rebuilding GNC’s reputation as the destination for personalized supplement guidance and education. Rather than competing purely on price or product selection with big-box retailers or online stores, GNC’s competitive advantage lies in providing knowledgeable staff who can ask the right questions and recommend appropriate products based on individual needs and goals.
Michael’s approach represents a return to GNC’s historical strengths while adapting to modern consumer expectations. The focus on consumer education, personalized recommendations, and scientific backing aligns with both his personal values and his assessment of market opportunities in an increasingly complex supplement landscape.
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12:00 – The Power of Personalized Guidance vs. Big Box Retail
Michael articulates a crucial distinction between GNC’s approach and that of big-box retailers or online stores, using protein supplements as a perfect example. When someone walks into a big-box store and says “I want protein”, they typically get directed to a wall of similar-looking products with little guidance on which might be most appropriate for their specific situation.
At GNC, the goal is to ask deeper questions:
- “What do you want protein for?”
- “Are you trying to build muscle, add protein to your diet, or take it at night?”
- “Are you working out six days a week or just trying to meet basic nutritional needs?”
These questions lead to dramatically different product recommendations, from basic protein powders to specialized formulations with enhanced digestibility or specific amino acid profiles.
This consultative approach extends beyond protein to pre-workout supplements, where timing, caffeine sensitivity, and workout schedules all influence optimal product selection. Someone working out at 6 PM needs a different stimulant profile than someone exercising at 6 AM, and GNC’s trained staff can make these distinctions while big-box retailers cannot.
The education component becomes even more critical as ingredient research evolves. Michael notes how creatine research has expanded from basic muscle building to include gut health, cognitive support, and other applications. Dosing recommendations have also become more sophisticated, with different amounts appropriate for different goals — 3 grams, 5 grams, 10 grams, or 20 grams all serve different purposes that require explanation and specialized training.
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13:45 – Strategic Positioning Around GLP-1 Medications
Michael provides insights into GNC’s strategic response to the GLP-1 medication trend, demonstrating how the company identified opportunity rather than threat in this major market shift. When medications like Ozempic and Wegovy began gaining widespread adoption, many industry observers worried about negative impacts on the supplement industry.
Instead of viewing GLP-1 users as lost customers, Michael recognized that these medications create specific nutritional needs that supplements can address. People on GLP-1 medications often experience reduced appetite and may struggle to maintain adequate protein intake, vitamin absorption, and energy levels – all areas where targeted supplementation provides genuine value.
The strategic positioning focuses on new customers who may not have previously shopped at GNC. Someone starting a GLP-1 medication represents an opportunity to introduce them to appropriate supplements that can enhance their success while on the medication and help maintain results long-term. This requires education about the lifestyle changes necessary for sustained success beyond medication alone.
Michael emphasizes that GLP-1 medications work best when combined with broader lifestyle modifications, including proper nutrition and increased physical activity. GNC’s role becomes helping customers understand how supplements can support these changes and maintain nutritional adequacy while adapting to reduced appetite and changing eating patterns.
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16:45 – Ingredient Trends and Science-Based Decision Making
Michael reveals his hands-on approach to ingredient trends, explaining how he stays personally involved in evaluating emerging compounds while maintaining scientific rigor. His strategy involves careful distinction between genuine science-backed trends and temporary fads that lack substantial research support.
GNC Pro Performance Creatine Monohydrate
Berberine serves as an example of an ingredient with strong historical backing that has experienced renewed popularity. Rather than jumping on every trending ingredient, Michael looks for compounds with solid research foundations, even if they’re experiencing cyclical popularity rather than representing genuinely new discoveries.
The challenge with social media-driven trends is separating legitimate ingredients from products that include multiple compounds at ineffective doses just to capitalize on trending keywords. Michael’s scientific background and ongoing research habits help him evaluate ingredient claims critically and focus on formulations that deliver actual benefits rather than marketing appeal.
This science-first approach extends to GNC’s product development and selection processes. The company works closely with product development and merchandising teams to evaluate new ingredients, but maintains standards that prioritize efficacy over trendiness. This approach protects both GNC’s reputation and customer trust by avoiding the “sprinkle” approach of including small amounts of trendy ingredients without therapeutic doses.
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18:15 – Daily Routine and Leadership Philosophy
Michael shares his daily routine, which begins with checking sales performance before getting out of bed. This immediate connection to business results reflects his hands-on leadership style and commitment to understanding performance patterns across different regions and store types. The routine demonstrates how he maintains direct connection to operational realities despite his executive responsibilities.
His leadership approach centers on the “Five C’s” strategy framework, with each executive team member responsible for one strategic pillar. (The 5 C’s are Company, Customers, Collaborators, Competitors, and Climate [sometimes Context]). Rather than micromanaging successful initiatives, Michael focuses his attention on projects that get “stuck in the mud” and need executive intervention to move forward. This approach allows teams to operate independently while ensuring that obstacles receive appropriate leadership attention.
The combination of data-driven monitoring and problem-solving focus reflects Michael’s engineering background and consumer marketing experience. He maintains awareness of overall performance while dedicating time to the specific challenges that prevent teams from achieving their objectives. This targeted approach maximizes leadership impact while avoiding unnecessary interference in well-functioning processes.
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19:45 – Healing the Corporate-Franchise Relationship
When asked to name one thing that had gotten “stuck in the mud”, Michael explains that one of his most significant accomplishments since joining GNC has been repairing the relationship between corporate leadership and franchise owners. He acknowledges that this relationship had become contentious, with franchisees feeling unsupported in various ways that impacted their ability to compete effectively.
The most important change involved equalizing online order attribution between corporate and franchise locations. In an omnichannel retail environment, consumers expect to shop both in-store and online, but the previous system didn’t properly credit franchisees for online orders from their market areas. This created fundamental unfairness that undermined franchise profitability and damaged trust.
Resolving this issue required extensive work on both systems integration and policy development, but the results have been dramatic. Franchisees are now experiencing approximately seven percentage points of comparable growth specifically attributable to this change, demonstrating the financial impact of equitable treatment between corporate and franchise operations.
Michael emphasizes that the goal is unified operation rather than separate corporate and franchise strategies. The consumer experience should be consistent regardless of whether they interact with a corporate store, franchise location, or online platform. This unified approach requires cultural alignment and shared objectives across all channels.
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21:30 – The Global Convention Philosophy
The evolution from a franchise-only event to the GNC Global Convention reflects Michael’s commitment to unified culture and shared objectives across all parts of the organization. Rather than maintaining separate events for corporate staff, franchisees, and international partners, the combined convention reinforces the message that everyone represents the same brand to consumers.
This unified approach addresses the fundamental reality that consumers don’t distinguish between corporate stores, franchise locations, or international operations — they simply experience GNC as a brand. Maintaining consistent culture, training, and consumer focus across all channels requires bringing everyone together regularly to align on objectives and share best practices.
The energy and enthusiasm visible at the Global Convention demonstrate how this unified approach has improved relationships and created shared momentum. Corporate employees, franchisees, and vendor partners all benefit from direct interaction and mutual understanding of each other’s challenges and opportunities.
Michael’s vision extends this unity beyond just events to everyday operations, with the goal of creating seamless consumer experiences regardless of how or where customers interact with GNC. This approach requires ongoing communication and cultural reinforcement, but the Global Convention serves as an annual focal point for recommitment to shared values.
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22:00 – Future Vision and Call to Action: Give GNC Another Chance
As the conversation concludes, Michael issues a direct invitation to consumers who may have given up on GNC in the past to give the company another chance. He acknowledges that some customers may have had disappointing experiences during periods when the company was less consumer-focused, but emphasizes that significant changes have restored GNC’s commitment to customer service and education.
The message reflects confidence in the transformation that has occurred since Michael’s arrival as CEO. Rather than making broad promises about future improvements, he’s inviting customers to experience the changes that have already been implemented. This approach demonstrates accountability for past shortcomings while expressing confidence in current capabilities.
Michael’s active presence on LinkedIn (profile link below) provides a direct connection point for industry professionals and consumers who want to engage with GNC’s leadership. His willingness to respond to messages and share relevant content demonstrates the accessibility and engagement that characterizes his leadership approach.
The overall vision centers on returning GNC to its position as the trusted authority for supplement guidance and education. In an increasingly complex supplement landscape, the combination of knowledgeable staff, science-based product selection, and personalized recommendations provides genuine value that distinguishes GNC from pure price or convenience competitors.
Where to Follow Michael Costello and GNC
Thank you to Michael for sharing his remarkable journey and vision for GNC’s future. His combination of personal supplement experience, scientific background, and consumer-focused leadership provides a blueprint for retail success in the modern supplement industry. The authenticity of his story – from athlete buying creatine in the ’90s to CEO of America’s most iconic supplement retailer – demonstrates how genuine industry passion can drive meaningful business transformation.
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