As you may know back in October I ran my first ever 21 day
fix challenge group as a coach. I signed
up as a Team Beach Body coach in September of 2016 and ran challenge groups up
until April of 2017. I’ve recently
decided to walk away from being a TBB coach. This is on good terms of course. This wasn’t due to any negative experiences, it just wasn’t for me, and
my blog has been keeping me extra busy. Hence the happy walking away picture above! No,
this will not be the deciding factor on shutting down my Shape Up Saturday
Series. That will still be going
strong! I wanted to take the time today
to tell anyone aspiring to become a coach what you should know before you start
(not meant to be discouraging just useful information) and what I learned/can
take away from being a coach. Even if my
coach or team don’t read this post because I wasn’t really active in all of the
Facebook groups they had added me to (which I should have been more active,
that was my mistake) I want to give a huge thank you to all of them especially
my coach. She was so helpful and
inspiring and I feel terrible that I let her down and had to walk away from
coaching but the team was great. They were
always there when you needed help and I always felt so inspired by all of these
amazing coaches. They truly are lady
bosses. I never had a negative
experience with my team or Team Beach Body as a whole. First I’m going to start out with what I have
learned and then I’ll move into what you should know. Just as a disclaimer this post is entirely my opinion, and just because I was not a successful coach doesn’t mean you won’t be. Every single person is different and it depends on how much time you invest in your business.
What being a Beach Body Coach taught me.
I’m stronger than I think
I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to post some of the
personal struggles I posted. I wasn’t
sure if I was going to be able to post videos (eeeekkkk) of me working
out. I actually got ridiculed for those
videos which is probably why I only uploaded like 2 or 3. I even put a disclaimer saying “I know my
form is off bla bla bla” and even with that I had people contacting me. A few of the Facebook posts that I uploaded I
was really nervous about because I had literally spilled my guts out. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to
handle those posts. There were a few
where I actually cried while writing them because they were that
emotional. People don’t understand that
health and fitness journeys aren’t just physical, they’re mental too and having
to write about it made it even more emotional for me.
personal struggles I posted. I wasn’t
sure if I was going to be able to post videos (eeeekkkk) of me working
out. I actually got ridiculed for those
videos which is probably why I only uploaded like 2 or 3. I even put a disclaimer saying “I know my
form is off bla bla bla” and even with that I had people contacting me. A few of the Facebook posts that I uploaded I
was really nervous about because I had literally spilled my guts out. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able to
handle those posts. There were a few
where I actually cried while writing them because they were that
emotional. People don’t understand that
health and fitness journeys aren’t just physical, they’re mental too and having
to write about it made it even more emotional for me.
I’m actually a pretty good motivator
I had so many challengers tell me I was a great coach and
really inspiring. I even had people who
weren’t challengers message me and say I was the reason they got their bums
back in the gym. It made me so happy to
read those messages. In my mind I was
thinking, how could I have possibly changed so many lives and those feelings
and those lives that I changed made this entire experience worth it! I used the motivational skills I learned
through my challenge groups in real life, my full time job, and my blog. So I guess in a sense Beach Body did change
my life and how I perceive it.
really inspiring. I even had people who
weren’t challengers message me and say I was the reason they got their bums
back in the gym. It made me so happy to
read those messages. In my mind I was
thinking, how could I have possibly changed so many lives and those feelings
and those lives that I changed made this entire experience worth it! I used the motivational skills I learned
through my challenge groups in real life, my full time job, and my blog. So I guess in a sense Beach Body did change
my life and how I perceive it.
My challengers helped me
I thought being a coach and running challenge groups was
going to be all about me teaching my challengers how to take care of their
bodies, what I didn’t know is that they were going to be my extra push
too. When I got into my car accident and
was going to physical therapy for months, they were the extra push I needed to
make sure I stayed on track with my meals and didn’t go back to emotionally
eating because that’s my problem. I’m an
emotional eater. They were there for me
when I was having hard times and they helped me stay on track not only with
their support but because in the back of my mind I kept thinking I have to be
their role model, how can I do that if I don’t follow the same program?
going to be all about me teaching my challengers how to take care of their
bodies, what I didn’t know is that they were going to be my extra push
too. When I got into my car accident and
was going to physical therapy for months, they were the extra push I needed to
make sure I stayed on track with my meals and didn’t go back to emotionally
eating because that’s my problem. I’m an
emotional eater. They were there for me
when I was having hard times and they helped me stay on track not only with
their support but because in the back of my mind I kept thinking I have to be
their role model, how can I do that if I don’t follow the same program?
How passionate I am
When I truly believe in something I’m extremely passionate
about it. That’s why it was such a hard
decision for me to step away from Coaching.
I truly believe in Team Beach Body and the 21 day fix. It’s not a get fit quick program, it teaches
you how to change your lifestyle. It
teaches you the fundamentals and gets you back on track if you put in the
work. If you buy the program and don’t
do the work then I don’t know what to tell ya lol. I will always stand by the 21 day fix and
Shakeology because they worked for me.
Thanks to those two products I lost 40+ lbs. Thanks to those products I feel better about
myself and have goals. Thanks to those
products I have my confidence back. Now
that I have some time back, I can put my passion where I truly want to put it
and that means here, on my blog.
about it. That’s why it was such a hard
decision for me to step away from Coaching.
I truly believe in Team Beach Body and the 21 day fix. It’s not a get fit quick program, it teaches
you how to change your lifestyle. It
teaches you the fundamentals and gets you back on track if you put in the
work. If you buy the program and don’t
do the work then I don’t know what to tell ya lol. I will always stand by the 21 day fix and
Shakeology because they worked for me.
Thanks to those two products I lost 40+ lbs. Thanks to those products I feel better about
myself and have goals. Thanks to those
products I have my confidence back. Now
that I have some time back, I can put my passion where I truly want to put it
and that means here, on my blog.
Why didn’t I start sooner?
Being a coach made me question why I didn’t start my health
and fitness journey sooner. Why didn’t I
take my health seriously way before becoming a coach and way before starting my
first group as a challenger. The years
that I was unhealthy I will NEVER get back.
The weight that I gained that affected every aspect of my life and
wasted precious time I will never get back.
and fitness journey sooner. Why didn’t I
take my health seriously way before becoming a coach and way before starting my
first group as a challenger. The years
that I was unhealthy I will NEVER get back.
The weight that I gained that affected every aspect of my life and
wasted precious time I will never get back.
Being healthy was/is the best thing I could have ever done
Finally, this program taught me both as a challenger and as
a coach that being healthy is the best thing I could have done for myself and
my life. I’m no longer barely making it
through a work day. I’m no longer barely
making it home because I have a long drive from my full time job. I’ve become one of those health and fitness
freaks, but at least I know that taking care of my body is important. It’s not just for the physical and mental
portion, but because I just feel healthy.
I feel invincible. I take on more
challenges in my everyday life. I push
myself more than I ever did before. I
even got my mom to sign up to go to the gym with me because she too started
taking care of her health.
a coach that being healthy is the best thing I could have done for myself and
my life. I’m no longer barely making it
through a work day. I’m no longer barely
making it home because I have a long drive from my full time job. I’ve become one of those health and fitness
freaks, but at least I know that taking care of my body is important. It’s not just for the physical and mental
portion, but because I just feel healthy.
I feel invincible. I take on more
challenges in my everyday life. I push
myself more than I ever did before. I
even got my mom to sign up to go to the gym with me because she too started
taking care of her health.
What you should know about Coaching
The Amount of Work
My coach had told me that this has a lot of work that comes
along with it, but I honestly didn’t expect THIS much work. If you work full time and have some spare
time then it’s perfect for you, but for me, I have a full time job, a full time
blog (which most people don’t understand is a full time job), and I rarely have
any personal time. My relaxation time
ended up being dedicated to TBB which is great if you’re a workaholic but for
me I need that time to regroup. I wanted
and needed that time to spend with my boyfriend and our two fur babies, along
with our families. I was CONSTANTLY on
my phone. It basically felt like I was
running another blog and the amount of extra work I had to do was actually
negatively impacting my blog. My blog
which all of you know is my baby, was put on the backburner. I still posted but not as much and I love
this blog more than anything in the world.
Along with running your challenge groups, you have to post 3-5 times a
day on Facebook mostly health/fitness related along with some things you love
so like your family, anything that interests you etc. You have to set all of your social media to
public which was weird for me because I didn’t want people knowing that I was
coaching, and I mean people who weren’t my friends on Facebook so I switched
everything back to private. Which you
can argue that it shouldn’t be weird for me because I have this blog where I
publicly announce things, but not many people think to look for me as a
blogger. You have to go on team calls
which I honestly could not because I was usually either too tired (they held
them either at 8:45 or even later) and my brain was fried or I was busy
catching up on everything with my blog. You
aren’t a salesperson, however you do need to learn how to invite people which
was the hardest part for me. Every time
that I did message someone they just didn’t respond AT ALL. I didn’t know the best way of contacting
someone when I saw that they posted something about wanting to lose weight I
didn’t know how to talk to them without sounding like I’m trying to sell
something because I honestly started coaching to help people, not for the
money. Which brings me to my next topic;
compensation.
along with it, but I honestly didn’t expect THIS much work. If you work full time and have some spare
time then it’s perfect for you, but for me, I have a full time job, a full time
blog (which most people don’t understand is a full time job), and I rarely have
any personal time. My relaxation time
ended up being dedicated to TBB which is great if you’re a workaholic but for
me I need that time to regroup. I wanted
and needed that time to spend with my boyfriend and our two fur babies, along
with our families. I was CONSTANTLY on
my phone. It basically felt like I was
running another blog and the amount of extra work I had to do was actually
negatively impacting my blog. My blog
which all of you know is my baby, was put on the backburner. I still posted but not as much and I love
this blog more than anything in the world.
Along with running your challenge groups, you have to post 3-5 times a
day on Facebook mostly health/fitness related along with some things you love
so like your family, anything that interests you etc. You have to set all of your social media to
public which was weird for me because I didn’t want people knowing that I was
coaching, and I mean people who weren’t my friends on Facebook so I switched
everything back to private. Which you
can argue that it shouldn’t be weird for me because I have this blog where I
publicly announce things, but not many people think to look for me as a
blogger. You have to go on team calls
which I honestly could not because I was usually either too tired (they held
them either at 8:45 or even later) and my brain was fried or I was busy
catching up on everything with my blog. You
aren’t a salesperson, however you do need to learn how to invite people which
was the hardest part for me. Every time
that I did message someone they just didn’t respond AT ALL. I didn’t know the best way of contacting
someone when I saw that they posted something about wanting to lose weight I
didn’t know how to talk to them without sounding like I’m trying to sell
something because I honestly started coaching to help people, not for the
money. Which brings me to my next topic;
compensation.
Compensation
Of course everyone wonders how do BB Coaches get paid, it
has to be a decent amount of money since they are always talking about it,
right? Well, for me, it wasn’t as much
as I was hoping for which again is my own fault because I didn’t grow my
business. You get a certain percentage of commission (which
I won’t disclose) off of your challengers, but only if they buy something. So if you are running challenge groups and
they aren’t purchasing anything you’re basically working for free. BB Coaches don’t get paid for their challenge
groups. Since I wasn’t a coach who was
inviting people and really pushing the products I didn’t make much. I was basically one of those coaches who was
working for free, which can get extremely discouraging ESPECIALLY if your
challengers aren’t even active in the group.
My last challenge group was just me posting every day and no interaction
with anyone else. It actually impacted me
negatively and made me feel like I wasn’t doing a good job and I wasn’t a good
coach.
has to be a decent amount of money since they are always talking about it,
right? Well, for me, it wasn’t as much
as I was hoping for which again is my own fault because I didn’t grow my
business. You get a certain percentage of commission (which
I won’t disclose) off of your challengers, but only if they buy something. So if you are running challenge groups and
they aren’t purchasing anything you’re basically working for free. BB Coaches don’t get paid for their challenge
groups. Since I wasn’t a coach who was
inviting people and really pushing the products I didn’t make much. I was basically one of those coaches who was
working for free, which can get extremely discouraging ESPECIALLY if your
challengers aren’t even active in the group.
My last challenge group was just me posting every day and no interaction
with anyone else. It actually impacted me
negatively and made me feel like I wasn’t doing a good job and I wasn’t a good
coach.
Social Media/Private Life
Honestly, I felt like nothing in my life was private. Everyone knew my every thought. I posted 3-5 times a day and 90% of the time
it was health and fitness related, but since I was telling my story and my
struggles since well, I mean, I’m human, I was basically spilling my heart out
about how I hated my body a year ago and made this change. It’s extremely hard to put yourself out
there. Yes, I had great responses to my
posts, but the amount of personal information I was giving was sometimes a lot
for me to handle. You have to constantly
be checking your phone and constantly on your phone because not only do you
have to be checking in with your challengers and uploading your daily
inspirational posts, you have to check in with all of the groups you’re a part
of and keep up with Team Beach Body.
it was health and fitness related, but since I was telling my story and my
struggles since well, I mean, I’m human, I was basically spilling my heart out
about how I hated my body a year ago and made this change. It’s extremely hard to put yourself out
there. Yes, I had great responses to my
posts, but the amount of personal information I was giving was sometimes a lot
for me to handle. You have to constantly
be checking your phone and constantly on your phone because not only do you
have to be checking in with your challengers and uploading your daily
inspirational posts, you have to check in with all of the groups you’re a part
of and keep up with Team Beach Body.
Loss
Ok, I put just one word as a general topic. The reason why is because you will definitely
lose friends on Facebook when they see how much you’re posting. Also, people sometimes don’t like to see
other people happy or doing something they love. Within my first two months I think I lost a
total of 10 friends. A few of the
coaches in my group told me that they had family members, best friends, etc,
tell them that they are annoying on Facebook and need to calm down with the posts. You’ll see people talking about how annoying
you are whether it’s directly to you or they’re being passive aggressive and
making a “general Facebook status.” Personal
Trainers and Nutrionists/Dieticians will not take you seriously but what these
groups of people don’t know is BB Coaches aren’t taking your jobs. They do not call themselves PT’s,
Nutrionists, or Dieticians because legally we are not allowed to, nor do BB
Coaches like myself have the proper education and certifications to call themselves
that, although some actually do have the proper education and certifications. BB Coaches are professional friend
makers and professional motivators. BB COACHES
AREN’T TRYING TO TAKE YOUR JOBS SO TAKE A SEAT AND CHILL OUT! Unfortunately a lot of people out there don’t
know where to start and they don’t have the finances to go get professional
help so they go to the next best thing.
lose friends on Facebook when they see how much you’re posting. Also, people sometimes don’t like to see
other people happy or doing something they love. Within my first two months I think I lost a
total of 10 friends. A few of the
coaches in my group told me that they had family members, best friends, etc,
tell them that they are annoying on Facebook and need to calm down with the posts. You’ll see people talking about how annoying
you are whether it’s directly to you or they’re being passive aggressive and
making a “general Facebook status.” Personal
Trainers and Nutrionists/Dieticians will not take you seriously but what these
groups of people don’t know is BB Coaches aren’t taking your jobs. They do not call themselves PT’s,
Nutrionists, or Dieticians because legally we are not allowed to, nor do BB
Coaches like myself have the proper education and certifications to call themselves
that, although some actually do have the proper education and certifications. BB Coaches are professional friend
makers and professional motivators. BB COACHES
AREN’T TRYING TO TAKE YOUR JOBS SO TAKE A SEAT AND CHILL OUT! Unfortunately a lot of people out there don’t
know where to start and they don’t have the finances to go get professional
help so they go to the next best thing.
Other BB Coaches In Your Area
Oyyy, this was a major problem for me. Once there is one other coach in your area (I’m
from a really small town), this grows, and it grows RAPIDLY, sooner or later
having mutual friends becomes a curse because you’re all trying to help people
and you don’t want to step on people’s toes but you also don’t know for sure if
another coach contacted said person. My
coach and I have A LOT of mutual friends.
Well, she ended up having two people become coaches who were a lot
stronger than me at what they were posting and I’m sure they are more
successful than I was so I ended up hurting my own business in the end because
I psyched myself out. My coach and I had
actually contacted one person (not knowing) multiple times ( I ended up asking
if she had contacted her because I didn’t want to be annoying and turns out I
had contacted her first but I told my coach to go ahead and pursue because I
was ghosted *insert sad face* ) and said person signed up with yet another
coach. It hurt a little bit that this
person I had spent so much time on ended up going with someone else (that’s one
thing DON’T TAKE THINGS PERSONALLY), but I’m glad that she is doing something
to change her life and her health. In
the end that’s all that really matters, at least to me, I don’t know about how
other Coaches in the industry would react but I’m pretty sure 90% of them would
think the same way I do that at least this person is changing their life.
from a really small town), this grows, and it grows RAPIDLY, sooner or later
having mutual friends becomes a curse because you’re all trying to help people
and you don’t want to step on people’s toes but you also don’t know for sure if
another coach contacted said person. My
coach and I have A LOT of mutual friends.
Well, she ended up having two people become coaches who were a lot
stronger than me at what they were posting and I’m sure they are more
successful than I was so I ended up hurting my own business in the end because
I psyched myself out. My coach and I had
actually contacted one person (not knowing) multiple times ( I ended up asking
if she had contacted her because I didn’t want to be annoying and turns out I
had contacted her first but I told my coach to go ahead and pursue because I
was ghosted *insert sad face* ) and said person signed up with yet another
coach. It hurt a little bit that this
person I had spent so much time on ended up going with someone else (that’s one
thing DON’T TAKE THINGS PERSONALLY), but I’m glad that she is doing something
to change her life and her health. In
the end that’s all that really matters, at least to me, I don’t know about how
other Coaches in the industry would react but I’m pretty sure 90% of them would
think the same way I do that at least this person is changing their life.
Disappointment
Yea, there was a lot of disappointment for me. The scary part was, a lot of it wasn’t from
complete strangers or people that I had reconnected with through social media,
but it was from people who were closest to me.
I had a few people who said they were ready to sign up and I had sent them all
of the information. I checked up on all of these people multiple times to see if they had received the email because they never finished their enrollment or bought what they had ordered and they responded, but never purchased. I also allowed a few people closest to me into the challenge groups to see what they were all about and a few of these people said yea I’m totally going to buy something so that at least you get some kind of commission, and crickets. Another issue I had was when I would get ghosted. The
one thing I won’t ever understand whether it’s in a relationship or when
someone wants to purchase a product or service is why they just ghost you. Honestly, why? I know you feel bad, but I mean instead of me
contacting you when you asked me to contact you only to NOT respond, just tell
me “hey I’m not interested anymore.”
Boom, you will be left alone from that point forward. Also, don’t feed excuses to coaches, we go
through extensive training (and are also human beings who also made excuses in
then beginning) and know EVERY excuse in the book so just be flat out
honest. Don’t feel bad because you will
be saving us time and you annoyance from us contacting you every once in a
while.
complete strangers or people that I had reconnected with through social media,
but it was from people who were closest to me.
I had a few people who said they were ready to sign up and I had sent them all
of the information. I checked up on all of these people multiple times to see if they had received the email because they never finished their enrollment or bought what they had ordered and they responded, but never purchased. I also allowed a few people closest to me into the challenge groups to see what they were all about and a few of these people said yea I’m totally going to buy something so that at least you get some kind of commission, and crickets. Another issue I had was when I would get ghosted. The
one thing I won’t ever understand whether it’s in a relationship or when
someone wants to purchase a product or service is why they just ghost you. Honestly, why? I know you feel bad, but I mean instead of me
contacting you when you asked me to contact you only to NOT respond, just tell
me “hey I’m not interested anymore.”
Boom, you will be left alone from that point forward. Also, don’t feed excuses to coaches, we go
through extensive training (and are also human beings who also made excuses in
then beginning) and know EVERY excuse in the book so just be flat out
honest. Don’t feel bad because you will
be saving us time and you annoyance from us contacting you every once in a
while.
I know this was a super long post, but a few people have
actually asked me why I haven’t posted about health and fitness stuff and
people who know I already left Team Beach Body as a coach have asked me
why. I figured it was easier just to put
it all in one post for people to read.
As I said in the beginning of this post my experience with TBB wasn’t negative. My negative experiences were because I didn’t
do a good job putting myself out there and building my business. Some people are extremely successful with TBB
and have actually been able to make 6 figures along with doing this as their
full time job, but that just wasn’t for me.
I wasn’t strong enough to make it, which is fine. When I told my coach that I had officially
decided to leave and sent out my farewell email to my challengers I felt as
though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I don’t like feeling like I gave up on
something, but this just wasn’t for me.
It was time to let it go.
actually asked me why I haven’t posted about health and fitness stuff and
people who know I already left Team Beach Body as a coach have asked me
why. I figured it was easier just to put
it all in one post for people to read.
As I said in the beginning of this post my experience with TBB wasn’t negative. My negative experiences were because I didn’t
do a good job putting myself out there and building my business. Some people are extremely successful with TBB
and have actually been able to make 6 figures along with doing this as their
full time job, but that just wasn’t for me.
I wasn’t strong enough to make it, which is fine. When I told my coach that I had officially
decided to leave and sent out my farewell email to my challengers I felt as
though a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. I don’t like feeling like I gave up on
something, but this just wasn’t for me.
It was time to let it go.
