I have been a coach for almost 10 months. During that time, I have advanced in rank to 1 Star Diamond and have made over 10 thousand dollars. I have over 20 wonderful personally sponsored coaches in my downline. I am in great shape, healthier than ever.
Why did I become a coach and how was I able to jump in and make over 1000 a month? I became a coach for 2 reasons and I became successful for a handful more. My decision to become a Team Beachbody coach was in part born from desperation and in part totally logical. Half frantic, half calculated.
My family was in a financially desperate place when I heard about the opportunity. We had not paid our mortgage for a year. We were in foreclosure, pleading with the bank to modify our mortgage to something we might be able to afford, and we had liens on the property that needing clearing up. We were consulting a bankruptcy attorney. We were being sued for my daughter’s $14,000 medical bills, we had credit card debt, we had tax debt, and we never saw any child support from my 3 children’s father. My husband was struggling to find employment and the ailing economy was not kind to him. I worried about losing the home all the time. I stopped answering the phone when I didn’t recognize the number because it was always a debt collector. I had to clear their voicemails out of my phone every day with a sick feeling in my stomach. I despaired of the life I could provide for my children. At ages 12, 13 and 15, cars and college were right around the corner. I hated being jealous when my friends would talk about their exotic vacations and cruises and I hated fielding questions like “Ellen, what is your family doing for spring break?” or “so what are your getting your kids for Christmas?”
Becoming a coach was logical because God only gave me talent and passion for a few things and one of those things is helping others become the healthiest version of themselves. I have been in the fitness industry for 13 years now teaching Group Fitness classes. I genuinely care about people and their health. I love being involved with triumphs people experience on their weight loss journey or athletic endeavors. I would say next to being a mom, it is my “calling” in the world. Beachbody’s products and programs, I knew, would add to my arsenal of helping tools and widen my reach beyond the doors of my gym and allow me to touch more lives. It was the perfect fit for me.
I attribute my success with Beachbody to God. It was His way of answering my prayers and coming to my aid. I have probably told all of my team that I was thrown a life raft. I did not take the opportunity for granted though. I was motivated and fully committed. I dove into the online training academy, a PUSH group right away and went after emerald rank like my life depended on it…like my kids had a bright future attached to that shiny green thing. I listened to calls, I ran challenge groups, I followed protocol. If Beachbody said it worked, I did it. I allowed myself to be mentored but at the same time, if I needed an answer I found it myself. Exercise is ironically the perfect metaphor for my business habits: My head is in the game, and I work hard and when I want to quit, I just don’t, because I see the big picture…I can look forward and know my work will pay off. I do not make excuses. I manage a Group Fitness program at 3 locations. I teach about 2 classes per day. I home school my 12 year old son Geography, English and Science, I have a fledgling art business, I go to church and Bible study, and I have to cook, clean, be a wife. I fit Beachbody into a non-stop schedule. How? I cut back on sleep, I used travel time, I take shorter showers, I get up earlier and stay up later, I do whatever it takes.
It is too soon to say that we are totally out of the woods financially because I haven’t even been a coach for a year. But I can say because of my Beachbody income we are very likely going to be able to keep our home. I can say that I actually feel hope in the future. I don’t feel like I am drowning; I feel like I am swimming. The debt collectors have stopped calling and we have been able to pay off some things. The lien on our home has been lifted. I was able to pay for my extremely talented son to take private sax lessons. I still cry every time I drop him off, because he has deserved this for so long and I was not able to help him with his dream.
And this tornado of hope has come my way and left in its wake people who are realizing their physical potential. I get to sleep at night knowing I am not just helping people in my little gym, my little spec on the globe, but I am helping people all over the country.
10 months ago my future felt so bleak and shameful. Today, because of Team Beachbody, it feels like hope mixed with the good kind of pride.
