Happy Monday, friends!

So I want to give a recap of the Beachbody events I attended this weekend. I'm NOT joking when I say the leadership training I receive through Beachbody is exponentially more valuable than the $100K doctoral degree in Educational Leadership that I am paying for! This is a long post, but definitely worth the read!

Here's what I learned:

Friday Night:

I had the privilege of attending an exclusive training with the Executive Vice President of Global Sales, Jeff Hill.

He started by stating that:
Leaders understand principles.
Followers understand practices.

As a leader, one must understand the underlying principles of a practice.

For my coaches:

1. What is the underlying principle of Success Club?
Is it just to reach a certain number of points each month?

NO! It's about HELPING OTHERS.

Jeff shared that they regret naming it "Success Club" and wish they would have named it something along the lines of the "Helping Others Club." In fact, there is a group of coaches who refer to Success Club as "The 3 Lives Club." I just love that!

Focus on changing 3 lives a month, NOT earning a certain amount of points.

Furthermore, our job is NOT to sell. Instead, we are charged with being "sense-makers." Our responsibility is to pull all of the information and the context of the individual's life together in order to help him/her make an informed decision. Our job is not to immediately suggest the 21 Day Fix just because it is on sale that month, but rather to build a relationship with that person, to identify his/her specific needs, and make a sound recommendation.

2. What is the underlying principle of "Speed of the leader, speed of the pack?"
It's the power of EXAMPLE!

As a leader, ask yourself: Am I leading my team from the front? Am I doing what I ask them to do on a daily basis? Am I being consistent in my vital behaviors and continually changing lives? If not, you can't expect your coaches to do it either.

3. What is the underlying principle of The Law of the Harvest?
You reap that which you sow.

The Law of the Harvest

We watched a video on potato farming and drew parallels between that {fascinating} business and Beachbody coaching.

Here were the major takeaways:

Farmer: We have to prepare the soil by planting a less lucrative crop, wheat, before planting our potatoes.
Beachbody Parallel: We have to develop a solid foundation.

Maybe it's pouring 9 months into your blog. I recently presented on a team call and shared that it took 9 months of blogging before I saw any results or payouts. Guess what Melanie Mitro, the TOP coach of Beachbody, shared?! It took her 9 months of blogging too!

Building your Facebook Like page is a slow and tedious process, but it's creating the foundation of a new market for your business.

Hosting free groups offers no immediate benefit, but builds your credibility and customer base.

Here's a little exercise for you:
I want you to draw the following parallels yourself. How do these principles relate to your coaching business?

Farmer: You can't take shortcuts or try to cheat.
Farmer: We can't control the elements.
Farmer: We must make the necessary sacrifices or lose 3-4 years of our work.
Farmer: This life builds character in people.

Choose to Make this the RIGHT Time.

Lastly, what really hit home was a story Jeff shared about his own family. He was being recruited to a job in Idaho just as one of his daughters was entering her senior year of high school. Of course, it wasn't an ideal time for her to pick up and start at a new school, but she told her father, "I will choose to make this the right time in my life."

How incredibly wise and mature for a 16 year old to say!

I have so many coaches and challengers who tell me they WANT to change their lives, but they just have SO much going on... they don't have the time, they don't have the energy, they don't have the money, blah, blah, blah.

Here's the deal: You HAVE to CHOOSE to make this the RIGHT time in your life. It will NEVER be the right time. Mother nature will never cooperate. You will always be busy, be broke, be stressed, be juggling a million responsibilities. So you need to CHOOSE to make it work right NOW or continue to endure your current circumstance indefinitely.

Saturday:

Super Saturday is a quarterly event held in hundreds of locations across the US and Canada. Beachbody announces upcoming program and product releases, has local coaches present trainings on the business, and ends with a live group workout.

Not only does Pittsburgh have Top Coach, Melanie Mitro, but Jeff Hill and Beachbody's newest celebrity trainer, Jericho McMatthews joined us!

Success Stories

The day started with success stories from a challenger and from a coach.

Challenger:

The first woman who took the stage has lost almost 100 pounds by participating in Challenge Groups and completing the 21 Day Fix, T25, and now the 21 Day Fix Extreme.

She said, "If you think people aren't watching you, they are." She followed her coach for SIX months on Facebook before finally reaching out to her.

Coach:

The next woman who took the stage was Regan Long.

She had 3 small children, was pregnant with her 4th, was a 2nd grade teacher, was taking grad classes, was working as a columnist and photographer on the side to earn extra cash, and was still not making ends meet. Her car was repossessed and her husband was hugely skeptical of Beachbdody. But despite how BUSY she was, she took the plunge and became a coach at 7 months pregnant.

And guess what? She's only been in the business for 14 months and is a 3 Star Diamond Coach! She was able to QUIT her teaching job and give her family financial stability.

So if you are sitting there telling yourself that you are too busy, I want you to think of this woman. Do you have 3 kids and one on the way? Do you work 3 jobs? Are you taking grad classes? Because she was doing ALL of those things WHILE building her coaching business! Sorry, but I don't want to hear your excuses!

Her advice:
1. Follow the 4 Ps:

Passion
Persistence
Patience
Prayer

2. Be so good, they can't ignore you.

When you start, you will be ridiculed, you will be doubted, you will be questioned.
KEEP pushing...and that's how you WIN.

Master Splinter's Words of Wisdom

Several other coaches spoke, but I want to jump to 10 Star Elite Coach, Katy Ursta.

She quoted Master Splinter from the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles:
"We choose what holds us back and what pushes us forward."

Are you choosing to let the holiday season, other people's judgement, or the hard work hold you back? Or are you using those tribulations as motivation to propel you forward?

Bringing it All Together

Are you seeing a common theme here?

Choose to make this the right time.
Keep pushing and you WILL win.
Choose what pushes you forward.

So my advice to all of you reading this is:

Ditch your excuses.
Make the sacrifices.
Prepare the soil.
Choose to win.

Join my team

Surviving the Live Workout!

Jericho gave us a 30 minute preview of a new martial arts-inspired workout being released next year. It was high intensity interval training, but since she just had a baby, she offered several modifications for each move. I was super nervous to workout with a venue full of Beachbody coaches (because I'm pregnant), but everyone so was supportive and encouraging, high fiving neighbors and cheering one another on. It was an incredible experience and really reinforced my belief in coaching!