IT'S ALIVE!

The beta site for the Million Dollar Body Game is alive, pretty much mostly.

With a ton of work, patience, and rework, by the Million Dollar Body team, they saw the project through to launch yesterday.

Today we are wrestling with the many surprises and glitches that happen when you fast track a technology overhaul like this.

It's actually a great week for it since so many people are away, eating, drinking, not thinking about fitness this week. And the pressure is on to get all the functions working as well.

But here's the real point: The Game IS ON! Get out your DVD's and meal planner and rev up your transformation! (And help other people achieve theirs!)

That means:

1) Make sure you surround yourself with support to workout in WOWY every day for your chance to win $300, or $1,000 on the WOWY mystery day. (Inviting people to workout is the best way to add a little pressure to yourself to "push play" instead of the snooze button!)

2) Club members, if your before and afters and success story is all in place on your profile page, make sure to submit it on January first 2007!!!! We're giving away $26,000 to the best transformation stories in four age groups, including $10,000 to the best male and female success stories of the month!

Like I said, a lot of the links are still being activated while the site is still in its "beta" format. But I can already tell you from the feedback this morning, people are excited to workout and play this game! It's on!

Don't forget to enter your success story by the end of the day January 1st!

The Miracle CEO Weight Loss System

These are my personal before and after photos from July 2000 when we created Power 90. It's literally the first time in my life I stayed consistent with a fitness and weight loss program and got in REAL shape.

Besides being a great program that made it simple for me to get results, what helped me stay consistent was the additional factor that, as CEO of Beachbody, my results could help inspire a lot of other people.

If the CEO did it, potential customers could see that they could achieve the same with this program. And they have, by the thousands with Power 90 and our other programs.

My CEO motivation was to become a "walking billboard" for the business, and it occurred to us that my CEO-motivation to succeed could be replicated by other customers if we created a "business opportunity" model making customers the CEO of their own fitness and weight loss store. The result is The Million Dollar Body Network - where customers become coaches, with their own storefront, a steady flow of prospects, and the best pricing on the most visible fitness systems on television.

What is exciting about that is, there is no shortage of prospects. We hear a lot about the growing epidemic of obesity. 60 Million people in the US qualify as "obese", and tens of million more as overweight. Now with your participation on this new level, by finding your inner CEO-motivation to succeed, we might have enough incentive to replace the epidemic of disease and debt with an "Epidemic of Fitness, Health and Wealth".

The Million Dollar Body Network (MDB) is an exclusive peer-to-peer business opportunity giving coaches a commission for helping us keep new customers on track and for generating sales of Beachbody's products. It is a bold initiative in an industry that is hypnotized by its thinking the only marketable solutions are gym memberships, equipment gimmicks, and diet fads. In this way, I hope MDB will represent a redistribution of millions of dollars of wealth from gyms and fad brokers to the people who do the REAL heavy lifting of motivation; To the customers-turned coaches who help people to keep pushing play and eating right each day!

That's how MDB is the first network marketing business of its kind - rewarding members for getting results through the Million Dollar Body Game, and rewarding coaches for helping every individual stay with it, to stay true to their desire to get lean and healthy!

The only people that lose in this scenario are the ones who still don't get it, who continue to chase every miracle pill or diet fad expecting to get different results. The MDB Network is about encouraging participation in what works: Fitness, proper nutrition, and peer support. That's the combination that has lined the walls of Beachbody with incredible success stories.

Peer support works. Whether you are trying to change how you eat, get active, quit smoking or change any stubborn habit, by surrounding yourself with people who help you stay on track your odds of success are a lot better than if you try to go it alone. And MDB was borne from a desire Beachbody co-founder Jon Congdon and I share to increase the role the community plays in helping people find those like-minded people. We've seen over and over again that the customers who have the most dramatic transformations tend to be those that seek and provide real peer support within the message boards, WOWY, and the MyBeachbody Club (soon to be Million Dollar Body Club.)

Imagine how the momentum of real lifestyle change could build if more people were helping each other achieve their goals, and this simple and effective model really catches on! If you see more people around losing weight, and earning a substantial paycheck each week for doing so, wouldn't you be motivated to become a coach, keep pushing play, and become your own walking billboard too? Now you can see the epidemic I'm talking about!

The management team of MDB, led by experienced network marketer (and now Power 90 enthusiast) Chris Simonian knows the important balance between business opportunity and the legacy of non-judgmental support within our community.

Nobody wants to be out of shape or overweight. But a closet full of meal replacement powder is not the answer to long term weight loss. That's why our solution is so marketable where people are otherwise suspicious of peer-to-peer marketing. We know our model actually works. And if you've done it, the proof stands undeniably right in front of you.

That's an easy sell, and a healthy, worthwhile sell.

Here's a note I got from Anne Dovel, an incredible Power 90 and P90X success story and her reaction to the Million Dollar Body concept:

Dear Carl,

I have so much to say, but know you are really busy. So, I'll try
to keep it short! We've been in networks before and the last time, I just
said....never again.

But then MBD comes along and it's something I've been doing for years now. And finally a network has a product that I can and do believe in with all my heart. I can be myself and do something I find truly rewarding for my family and for others around me. What's really cool is I know the product. I know the struggle and the rewards.

Deciding to be a part of this was like putting on a nice pair of running shoes. The fit just feels right.

Thanks.

Anne Dovel

We are committed to making the pursuit of fitness, proper diet, and peer support more interesting and rewarding than ever. And the people that help us build this into a national, and then international revolution, are the people who deserve to be rewarded; a legion of coaches, helping people stay on track.

When was the last time you participated in a real revolution? It only happens if you participate, on the individual level. If you keep pushing play. If you pursue good nutrition. And if you help others use these tools to do the same.

As Beachbody continues to attract millions of customers in 2007, we're asking MDB coaches to help those new customers set their start date in WOWY, and then to follow through to achieve their goals. No hard selling. No inventory. We're rewarding coaches just for getting their own great results and helping new customers get the most from the program. That's the win here, for everyone. And that's the point of the Million Dollar Body Network.

Whether it's to earn a few extra bucks (or a lot of extra bucks), or to give you the discipline to lose a few extra pounds (or a lot of extra pounds), I really do hope you get involved. We need you. This trend of weight gain needs you.

Of course, the message boards, WOWY and club are still available without engaging in the network. But from my CEO perspective, I know the prospect of creating a scalable business opportunity was exciting enough to push me to get me in shape. I bet it could do the same for you and millions of others.

We'll be publishing the first group of coaches soon, and hopefully kicking the doors open to the business opportunity by January 1st to see a bunch of new "CEO's" make the health of their community, their business. 2007 is gonna be fun... let's watch dreams come true.

"It is one of the most beautiful compensations of this life that
no man can sincerely try to help another without helping himself."
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Great Vendors, Run By Great People

Product Partners, the parent of Beachbody.com, is lucky to not only have exceptionally professional vendors supplying us with state of the art service, but some of them are the nicest people you can meet.

That fact is demonstrated by the effort made today by our West Coast fulfilment vendor, Imagine Fulfillment Services (IFS), a company which has been loyal, reliable, and which has acted more like a partner than vendor since we got started with them in 2002.

IFS founders Andy Arvidson and Jim Heffernan proved that not all vendors are created equal today when, in response to our holiday card (shown left) asking vendors to donate to Tunahaki instead of giving us a basket of cheese, chocolate, wine or other gifts, donated $1,000 to help the kids of Tunahaki build their new orphanage in Tanzania!

That's truly significant, because corporate holiday giving can be a nuisance, and most companies have carefully budgeted and spent their money to acknowledge the companies they work with.

I appreciate all our vendors, but this gesture was "above and beyond", and truly demonstrative of how lucky we are to be working with these kind of people.

To the extent others of our team have donated, I will add their names and information here, because we are so grateful to them for their service and their acknowledgment of our goal to help these kids. Of course, if YOU want to give, feel free to click here. It's good for a healthy jolt of holiday spirit that you can't get from egg nog, without a doubt!

Hip Hop, Beachbody Style

If you want a fun way to get incredible abs, we gotta hot one!

I hinted about a program in development at the company beach party last summer, and now its almost here: Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs... our first comprehensive aerobic/dance dvd system completely committed to shrinking and tightening your waistline without a single crunch or sit-up!

We discovered Shaun a few years ago when he would substitute-train during the Project: YOU! test group. He is a regular instructor at one of LA's premier gyms where the line to get in on one of his classes starts forming as early as an hour before it starts. When Shaun teaches, people show.

Shaun also is one of the most in-demand dancer/choreographer/instructors in the world, appearing in a different country on a new stage every month.

In the last few years, Beachbody has experimented with the fitness and music combination, and learned from masters like Teigh and Gillian and their mind-body-spirit sweatfest Yoga Booty Ballet and Chalene Johnson and her calorie torching Turbo Jam. Music, combined with the right kind of movement can help neutralize your resistance to exercise because it's just plain more fun. Add to the that the constant desire people have to achieve great abs and it clicked. Shaun was the right guy at the right time, because when you see what he can do with his simple "Tilt-Tuck-Tighten" foundation for moving in a way that strengthens your core and abs, you'll feel like we did; like getting out of your chair and trying it for yourself! It's THAT fun, and you really will feel it in your abs like no other program!

At the test group we ran last summer, people who didn't think they could dance, much less get great abs, lost as much as 58 pounds (yes, for real, 58 pounds in a test group!). Good stuff!

Shaun T's Hip Hop Abs is going to (finally) make getting great looking, tight, ripped abs, FUN! If the test group was any indication, it might even make exercise addicting! And each DVD has a chapter on it where they take the exercise moves and put them into dance form.

We welcome Shaun to the Beachbody team, and look forward to launching the product in the next couple weeks!

Honestly, It's Not Easy

This morning, as so many mornings, I contemplated blowing off my workout, and blowing off those members I had committed to join in WOWY.

I hadn't slept well. My ankle, still healing from the summer tragedy on the kite tube was tight and painful, and the bed was alarmingly comfortable.



"What's one day?"
"Who's gonna miss me in WOWY?"
"I deserve the day off."
"Exercise in the morning just plain hurts."

That fricking inner voice is never exterminated. Lucky for me, I have the financial incentive of running the company to get me out of bed, because it's easier for me to promote fitness if I am walking the talk. Plus I have a stubborn/rebellious streak, that once I give in and really give myself permission to blow it off, my ego reverses on me and says "oh no you won't, you promised those people you'd workout this morning. Get up".

Once in my shorts and logged in, the momentum to make the workout count builds, but staring at the TV, there's still an inner fight going on.

"Screw it, let's watch the news.
"You're logged in so nobody will be the wiser."

Then I retort "Hit play you shmoe. You like feeling fit more than you like feeling lazy."

Over and over. Every morning.

As I get about a quarter into the workout, the bickering in my brain is so annoying that I funnel that energy into the workout, and by the last half I am generally cruising. But MAN it is not easy to get there.

I know I have shared similar experiences here, but as we contemplate some announcements in the coming weeks to help people get more motivated and to support each other, and as we look forward to the launch of the Million Dollar Body Game January 1st, I just wanted you to know that, even for me, it's the community and the desire to keep my end of the bargain to myself and you guys that gets me into that gym on the hard mornings. Thanks for being there for me.

Plug Into Pure Humanity

If you are ever overwhelmed by the demands of work/family/life and want to plug into some perspective, find a way to witness humanity so pure and substantial that the pettiness of daily life falls away. That was my experience Thursday morning.

Scott Fifer brought a troupe of Tanzanian children, who are on a fundraising tour on behalf of their Tunahaki orphanage, to perform for the children of Juan Cabrillo Elementary school in Malibu.


300 Malibu kids were transported into reality by a group of kids who have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic in Africa. This was not an exposition of victims, but a celebration of what is possible when people focus on human dignity, and the potential of every single individual.

In return, these performers whose hardships we cannot begin to imagine were applauded and awed like rock stars.

The exchange of appreciation was so pure that it moved every teacher, administrator and parent that was lucky enough to see the smiles shared between these children. As Principal Barry Yates said, "We have just experienced a once-in-a-lifetime moment."

The presence of Mason Bendewald and his documentary crew validated that what we had just experienced was indeed worth documenting.

Just based on the reaction of those gathered, I think both the African orphanage and this seaside school will share an active bond that will go far beyond this one performance.

Scott and his team are on their way to raising funds to build a safer and more acceptable orphanage for these children. And this morning was a powerful reminder that, as good as it feels to live a comfortable life, there is nothing more rewarding than that sense of real contribution to improving the lives of other people.

You can plug into that very same feeling right now, by clicking here, and helping Scott fulfill his quest of providing a better circumstance for these kids.

And in other news, Turbo fans...

YES! Two all new Turbo Jam workouts are finally here!

Chalene, her crew, and the Beachbody development team have really done it this time, combining Chalene's energy and kicking music with a unique approach to using the core/thigh/bun tightening swiss ball.








The Turbo Jam library keeps getting better!

All the info should be available on the web within the next 24 hours, but I'll let you in on the best part here: In case you were wondering whether you HAD to buy a ball with these workouts (and you know who you are)... you won't -- because we're giving the ball away free with the workouts during the introduction!

Thanks for your patience, and enjoy the new videos! (And don't forget to take your before/after photos, MyBeachbody members - the Million Dollar Body Game is coming.)

A Million Reasons To Get Fit In 2007

If you are a Beachbody success story, or even thinking about submitting your photos and story for consideration, this post is for you!













Let's imagine you were visiting the Beachbody headquarters in the next couple of weeks, and I see you in the hall while you admire the hundreds of customer before-and-after photos lining the walls...

Carl: "Welcome to Beachbody!"

You: "Nice to be here. I was just looking at all these people. Amazing!"

Carl: "You should be on these walls too. We're going to start adding eight a month at least."

You: "Eight new people a month? You think it's time for me to submit my success story to you guys, or should I wait until I'm done with P90X?"

Carl: "You're a subscriber to the MyBeachbody club right?"

You: "Of course."

Carl: "Starting January 1st we're going to choose a male and female MyBeachbody success story in four age groups, and pay $1,000 to six of them, and $10,000 to the BEST male and female submissions of the month!"

You: "Wait... You're picking the best eight in four different age groups, and giving ten grand to the best male and female submission each month? That's incredible!"

Carl: "But wait - here's where it gets really interesting: Once you win a monthly prize, you're automatically one of the finalists of the year in contention for the annual Grand Prize - $250,000 to the best male and female success stories of the year!

You: "A quarter of a million bucks?!"

Carl: "And it's called..."

You: "What?"

Carl: "Wait for it... "

You: "Tell me!"

Carl: "The Million Dollar Body Game!"

You: "The Million Dollar Body Game! So you're choosing eight winners a month, all who get at least $1,000, and the two best get $10,000. And all eight winners qualify for the annual $250,000? Just one person a year gets that, right?"

Carl: "No! $250,000 to the best male, and $250,000 to the best female success story. We're giving away over one million dollars a year! So based on how well you have done and your great story, I think you should submit your success story when the new submission system is launched at the end of December, and no later than JANUARY 1st. The submission process will be handled straight through your MyBeachbody member page -- no mail-in submissions will be accepted. Of course, of all the months, I imagine that this first one will get the fewest submissions because so few people will know about the game. But it doesn't matter if you don't submit yours by January first because you can submit every month as your results get better and better."

You: "Tell me more!"

Carl: "The Success Story contest is for MyBeachbody members only. In fact, as of the first we're going to change the name to the Million Dollar Body Club. But we also want to encourage everyone to participate. So you know how we've picked a few days a year to select someone in WOWY to win $300 bucks right?"

You: "Yeah a friend of mine won the last time you did that. I wish you did that more often."

Carl: "Starting Jan 1. we will be choosing someone at random every day from WOWY to win $300 in cash or prizes, just for entering their workout in WOWY! As long as they have a photo uploaded to their WOWY profile. Oh - but one day each week we'll give away $1,000 - THAT'S THE $1,000 WOWY MYSTERY DAY!"

You: "That way everyone gets motivated - That makes it more fun!"

Carl "What I enjoy most about being CEO of this business is seeing and celebrating customers who achieve their goals. And the more people who achieve real, visible transformations, the more customers we attract. Success Stories become walking billboards for us, and that's how everybody wins."

You: "I guess I better keep working out!"

Carl: "And make sure you are taking your photos. I cannot stress enough how important that is. And stay focused on your intent to succeed, because now you have the added incentive that, as of Jan 1, you could win ten thousands bucks, and get
yourself in the running for a quarter of a million bucks!"

You: "I can't wait to talk about this in my next chat. How will we submit our stories?"

Carl: "As soon as we turn the MyBeachbody club into the revamped Million Dollar Body club, your member page we'll have a Success Story submission button. So the before-and-after pictures plus your "about me" transformation story you feature there will get sent to the submission center. As long as you send your story on January 1st, you have a chance at the first round!"

You: "Do you have anything else up your sleeve?"

Carl: "Plenty. But I'll let you in on that in January."

The age groups we'll choose winners from are: 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, and 50+
MyBeachbody members shouldn't submit until you get more information.

Note: If you have already been acknowledged as a success story - YOU ARE STILL ELIGIBLE TO SUBMIT! Submissions will be accepted using the before/after photos and transformation stories which appear on your MyBeachbody member page. Those submissions will start being accepted around December 27th, and the first month deadline is January 1st.

PS: Turbo Jam ball workout video release announcement coming next week!

From the "YES - Finally!" Department

As of yesterday, Beachbody.com, also known to some as Product Partners, LLC, began shipping orders from a second fulfillment facility, located strategically in Columbus, OH so as to expedite delivery to our East Coast customers!

We will still fulfill from Torrance, CA, where our vendor Imagine Fulfillment has done a terrific job of responding to growth for the last four years. But with the aid of a logistics study by UPS, we determined that Columbus was one of the three spots in the U.S. where we would get the best delivery time to the entire contry if we added a shipping location.

Ops V.P., Neil Evans and his team selected in Columbus, OH is operated by Innotrac, not chosen just by location, but for their incredible automation. We're excited to see how this improves operations overall, and create a faster delivery time for customers who want it NOW! Here are some pictures taken by the team as they prepare for launch!

This is their continuity shipping machine. It will ship 2,800 - 3,800 packages per hour, crewed by just two or three people! It sets up the box, drops the product(s) into the box, stuffs the inserts, seals the box! It's a MONSTER which should drastically improve speed and accuracy of orders!
















I think they have space for our stuff, and still room for flag football, which is important.
















Operations' Ken morris checking a sea of packages, ready to get 'em sealed and get gone!
















Innotrac staff on the left, Beachbody standouts Kenny Morris, Robert Kimura, and six-year veteran Heather Hanson all on the job, seeing to this massive expansion project. From what I hear, this team has done some heroics to launch this facility!
















And by the way, this project would also be nowhere if it weren't for the round the clock attention of our IT/development staff. I swear, we'd probably be running the business off spreadsheets if not for this crew, and I tuly appreciate their tireless attention to the details to make us better.

Happy Halloween

New weightloss program to lose
five pounds in two seconds...


















Seriously though...
Big announcement later this week!

Tunahaki AFRICA Orphanage - UPDATE!

Just one month until the kids from Tunahaki get on a plane for the first time in their lives, headed to Los Angeles to visit Beachbody, perform for schools in the area, and tour multiple locations that will inspire them to reach new heights with their acrobatics thanks to Cirque Du Soleil and others.

The photos below were sent to the organizer of the fundraising efforts (including Beachbody and some of it's community of incredible customers) to build a new orphanage for these kids. You can still give too at Tunahaki.org!





David with Freddy (a helper at Tunahaki) on their new land you've helped them purchase by giving at Tunahaki.org!




"Asante Sana Fifer! Asante Sana!"

(They'll being saying the Swahili 'thank you' to everyone who helps them achieve their dream of helping these kids by giving at Tunahaki.org)

Dear Scott,

What a site the land is! The view and fresh air are magnificent and David couldn't be happier. The cement posts around the perimeter are the beginnings of a fence on the property line - the tree, which will remain, is right in the middle of the land. The space is huge and I can only imagine how many new children will be able to live there safely when it is complete. You've done good my friend. - Mason

Mason will be Podcasting from Tanzania, Africa from
Oct. 8th - Nov. 4th at Tunahaki The Film

Get the kids! Time to get scared straight

One of the fun things about having a blog is breaking the conventional expectations of what a "CEO Blog" is supposed to be about.

How about a little dentistry?

8AM... Nice and numb -- five novacaine shots to start the morning in preparation to replace three teeth that I neglected as a kid. I think I picked the wrong day to wear white.

Between drilling sessions, I ask the dentist whether it's really THAT important to floss your teeth every day. His reply confirms my suspicion: "Actually no! Only floss the ones you want to keep."

11AM and molding of new teeth begins... 3 innocent neglected teeth, now drilled and dug and molded and then drilled and filed again. Kids, when your parents tell you that brushing two times a day matters, BOTH before bed and in the morning, believe 'em.

5 hours later and it's finally done. Exhausting, but done. Until the permanent teeth are ready that is, and I then go through this again to finish the job.

I started to feel sorry for myself when the novacaine wore off, and then realized how silly that was, as in fact, these are my teeth. I was the one that ate the junk and didn't floss when I was a kid. So there's no victim here but my bank account.

Taking responsibility helps the pain go away.

The Power of Intention, YBB, and Success

For those of you looking for such a thing as clarity in directing your life in a way that will make you happy, there's a book by Dr. Wayne Dyer called The Power of Intention which I want to recommend.

I especially want to recommend the book to anyone who understands that weight gain is as much a factor of habits due to underlying emotional challenges and the mentality that leads to those habits as it is the superficial physical consequence of poor diet and lack of exercise.

So often I see people lose a lot of weight, focusing on the prize of attending a camp or submitting their success story to Beachbody, and then, once achieved, the underlying habits creep back in because they were never explored. More often than not, the relapse can be traced back to the intentions (or lack thereof) which cold have guided a person's conscious and subconscious choices to transform inside and out. This book can go a long way to helping you understand how to rewire or manage your intentions, and steer your life by what really will give you 'a life you'll love to live' for the long term, not just at the next meal.


That's one of the impressive things about the Yoga Booty Ballet series, frankly. With the very first program, Gillian and Teigh don't just plow into the workout assuming you are getting started with your mind focused on your true intent, they take a moment and ask you to set your intent. Whether it's weight loss, happiness, health, relaxation, or simply a firm booty (hello!), they open the first workout with a moment to stop, and they ask you to "set your intention."

It's a powerful step to add to exercise, or even to type into the comment box as you log into WOWY, because it will literally change your demeanor as you focus not just on the work of the workout, but the benefit that YOU want to achieve on a deeper level.

Of course it doesn't have to be exclusive to exercise either. You can take a moment to set your intention "Yoga Booty Style" before any meal or activity. Imagine if you stopped to set your intention before you walked into a restaurant or went grocery shopping! The outcome would be consistency and honor of your commitment to yourself. String enough concerted intention-motivated actions together, and you achieve the success you want, on your terms!

"You're late...Drop and give me 20"

It was so nice to visit with everyone at the Chicago camp this weekend and watch many of the success stories who I've met in the past who have maintained, improved or completely surpassed their former results by living the lifestyle.
Just as fun was meeting the new people who will no doubt soon be framed for display on the walls of fame at the Beachbody offices in Beverly Hills.

I spent Saturday morning taking photographs and giggling quietly at the groans during P90X Yoga... But I must say, this group, with all levels represented, was very flexible and zen-like.
I showed up a few minutes late to the 11 Laws seminar, and Traci Morrow made sure I did my 20 push-ups. Tony made sure I did them X-Style.

I wasn't the only one -- anyone who as much as mouthed the phrase "I can't" had to knock 20 out (Phyllis!).

We have plans for other get togethers in 2007 which are going to be even more exciting, and I am hoping to talk about those plans here in the next few months.
Great job to Tony and the Beachbody team (Anna, Philippa, Heather and Lara). And special thanks to Traci Morrow for helping us organize this year's camps in a way that was professional, friendly, and in a way which helped us exceed expectations.


And by the way, when Traci wasn't working, I discovered she was secretly working out in her own little world behind the table... That's why she's the host of Mybeachbody!

Friends? Freinds?

I've been travelling this week, and am about to head to Chicago to meet the group attending this weekend's fitness camp with Tony Horton. I'll add some photos to the blog when I get back, but in the meantime, since it's back to school time I wanted to share something exceptionally exciting and relevant with you:

I learned a trick this week at the annual Electronic Retailing Association convention that's trivial to some, but based on the reactions I am hearing from many people, also quite a relief... Ok. here it is:

The correct "I-before-e-except-yada-yada" order of "i" and "e" for the word "friend", is, in fact, "i" before "e". As in "friends".

You may have known that, but I have had such a hard time remembering if that word falls into the "sounding like A" category, that I actually avoided using the word (and my social calendar reflects as such.)

The breakthrough though is this memory trick; "friend to the end"... the "e" goes at the end to spell it - "fri - end"!

Do you get it? I swear, I feel like I got a new puppy.

Now if I could just remember how many "L"s in "traveling". (one)

Turbo Charge Your Inspiration

We are launching a new WOWY group called "MySpacers" thanks to some poking around Myspace.com to see how Beachbody folks are using that application.

I've already met a bunch of our customers and old friends, and started to see how important (and, um, addicting) networking can be to the whole fitness/weight loss experience.

While promoting a Saturday workout (7AM PT!), I met Meredith (seen here with Chalene). She can't make it to the WOWY, but when I read her email below, I asked her if I could post her comments so I can brag about it to everyone I know. We are proud of Meredith. We are proud of Chalene for this incredible program that gets real results. This is why we love being in this business!

Thank you Meredith!

My screen name there is "TurboMerr". I saw the infomercial for TJ when I was in the hospital 3 months ago. I was there for diabetes- I am 37- and decided that day that I wanted to live and not die- since then I have been doing TJ every day.. and I LOVE IT! Chalene and the whole crew are so amazing and inspiring. I have lost over 40 pounds and want to lose another 100- when I do, I am going to send in my info so that maybe I can be on one of your infomercials. I just wanted to tell you my story! Oh and I am totally off insulin now- I left the hospital on 95 units. Hope you have an amazing weekend!!!

Meredith

"But Wait, There's More"

When I helped launch a direct marketing company called TelAmerica Media in the mid-'90's, it was my first foray into the world of so-called "Short-Form Direct Response TV". To succeed in our new venture, we wanted to work with the most successful writer/directors in the business. The true patriarch of this art form was Arthur Schiff, owner of a company called Direct Response Associates, a legend I was lucky enough to work with, who passed away this summer at age 66.

The guy was not afraid to make us laugh while he sold us some of the wildest gizmos TV had to offer. Yet he basically "wrote the book" on what fundamental sales elements need to be present to get the phone to ring.

Arthur coined the omnipresent catch phrase "But wait, there's more!" If you look at the product shot in a Ginsu knife offer, you learned how powerful "But wait, there's more" can be.

I will miss running into Arthur at trade conventions, and will allows remember him fondly as "one of the good guys" in this business. Below is a note from Arthur's website.

In the spring of 1978, I was asked to write a direct response commercial for a set of knives. At that time in my career, I had written no more than a half dozen DR spots, but I just couldn't get excited about this project.

"They're knives," I stated with no enthusiasm whatsoever. "Every woman in America has at least three kitchen drawers full of them. What's the big deal?"

"But they don't have drawers full of these knives," came the retort. "It's your job to turn them into something special. Make them sing and dance."

I went to sleep that night, still wrestling with the problem. And then it happened! I bolted out of bed at three o'clock in the morning and yelled, "Eureka! I've got it. Ginsu!" I wrote the bizarre word down on a piece of paper and went back to sleep. When I got up again four hours later, the paper was still there and that strange word was still on it. I stuffed it into my shirt pocket and headed off to work.

Within six weeks, "Ginsu" was a household name throughout the country, and I was pretty much established in my lifelong career. By giving that set of knives a Japanese identity, I somehow managed to convince people that no matter how many knives they already owned, these were something special. Of course, I neglected to mention that the knives were manufactured in Fremont, Ohio.

Times change, products change. Audiences have become more sophisticated and the science of marketing has grown tremendously. Yet, there is a timeless art in creating winners that demands a certain mix of creativity, intelligence and marketing savvy.

Since those early years, I've written and produced over 1500 direct response commercials, most of them through my own company, Direct Response Associates. I've surrounded myself with some of the best DR production people in the industry, and have most of the major direct response TV marketers as clients.

So what can we do for you? We can help you market your product by looking beyond the obvious. By finding the unique approach that makes it stand out. By never forgetting that hidden somewhere in that product may be another Ginsu Knife. We call it The Art of Creating Winners(SM) and we'd like to create one for you.

Arthur Schiff, Direct Response Associates

World Peace Starts Between Your Ears

People who struggle with weight are in hell, a constant battle. The urge to enjoy a deep bite into a cheesey piece of pizza or a late night bowl of ice cream is a missile fired at the ego.

The next morning, staring at the in the mirror, the ego fires a missile back at that desire for instant gratification. So you decide to work it off. Later that day, you're exhausted, and the last thing you feel like doing is working out. So you launch a brigade of promises back at the ego that you will start "soon" with the exercise program. Then with that defense in place, you see the ice cream container, and reach for it, knowing you made a promise to the ego that you would start "soon".

Two weeks go by. The ego gangs up with a lack of energy to criticize the lifestyle. So maybe you do a little workout. The next morning you look in the mirror and still see the gut from the last couple weeks of eating, and the amount of work it will take to lose the gut seems like a huge commitment of hard work - too huge. You promise the ego that, instead of a big workout program, you will walk every night. Meanwhile the kids didn't finish their mac and cheese and in order to "feel" like they ate an entire dinner, you take the last few bites. The hell of the battle rages on in your mind. "What are you doing?" You ask yourself. It's impossible to understand. But the cookie jar is full, and they will go stale if they aren't eaten. So you eat them.

This is why I am never above the plight of the Beachbody customer, because that is the same hell that is between my own ears. Plus there's the added pain of being CEO of a fitness company, and the pressure to "live right" gets even more intense. (I've even found myself managing my exposure to our trainers when I am feeling extra out of it.)

So if this is familiar, you are not alone. I am in it too. We both have our own little unresolved battle within our minds. Self-loathing, unforgiveness, guilt, shame, anger and a yearning for gratification in a world that is loaded with pressure, judgment, and relentless expectations.

We expect the war in Iraq to be resolved by politicians and a polarized group of native citizens with various agenda and beliefs while we alone can barely control the war in our very own minds. As trivial as it seems, I think it's all related. If you can't find a way to foster "PEACE" in your mind about this issue, or that grievance against yourself, how can we expect entire peoples to quickly snap into a new mindset? Patience is key. Patience and intent, real commitment. Intent means, we need to get our own houses in order -- the house between our ears, where the primary battle ensues. And that is a constant process of listening to your own thoughts, exploring you unconscious choices, and the real discomfort that lies just behind the self-defeating choices you may be making.

Next time you seek that giant piece of cake, think of it as an end to a cease fire. When you are reaching for the fourth slice of pizza, consider how you are disrupting the potential for your own peace of mind. And then reconsider it.

I am not advocating a diet where you can't enjoy the foods you love. I am saying, we need to be careful with a little self-indulgence can upset the situation. Stay in control. Have an agreement with yourself. Keep the agreement. Maintain the peace of mind.

And maybe then we might have an easier time maintaining the peace with the neighbor who hasn't returned your grill since July 4th, and so on.

Where does peace start? Between your ears.

That is how I am approaching the process of lifestyle in my mind these days. Let me know if that's helpful to you in any way.

POW! They're Baaaack!

By popular demand, for anyone who wants a little extra "pow" in each Turbo Jam punch, we just put back up the weighted hand gloves for sale at Beachbody.com.





And for anyone who missed it (like, the three people in the world who didn't actually attend her Turbo Kick camp), the reviews are in and Bret and Chalene hit the ball out of the park as it relates to throwing an awesome event. Something like 150 Turbo Jam grads signed up to become Turbo Kick instructors. I pitty the fool who tries to take on these fit Turbo Junkies.

The Amazing Flying Jonathan

A couple weeks ago we hired Dane Sanders, Power 90 grad and professional photographer to take some photos of our company party as well as Tony's LA fitness camp.

We found Dane when he sent me a link to a site where he was encouraging wedding photographers across the country to get in shape and track their progress along with him.


Both events were great, as were the photos. In particular, this one of Jonathan Gelfand, general counsel of Product Partners. Jonathan started with us just recently, and was an instant/perfect fit with the culture of the company. He has a great sense of humor, and clearly great form of superman banana. We call this one "Come on, come to Daddy, Sophie. Closer. Closer."

Helping Kids, circus-style

A few months ago I was contacted by Scott Fifer, one of the first-ever P90X success stories, who had just returned from a soul-searching mission to Africa. He spent a while there helping at an orphanage, and came back a changed man, a Hollywood writer on a new mission: To help raise money in order to build these kids a proper facility, so the orphanage doesn't just house these kids, it cultivates them.

But this no common cultivation, these kids gain confidence and learn that they are entitled to love and respect just like the rest of us, through personal achievement in acrobatics.

Scott was calling me to ask if Beachbody wanted to get involved in helping the kids organize a tour through the US. Stop one would be to Los Angeles where they would perform at area schools in special events for big shots with fat wallets. Stop two would be Las Vegas where the kids will get to learn from the superstars of acrobatic performance, Cirque du Soleil. Stop three would include a few talk shows, and perhaps a trip to New York before their return home. It took all of a minute for him to convince me to commit some money and resources to his venture. Soon after Power 90's Tony Horton held a fundraiser at his house. More commitments of support followed.

Thanks to the Beachbody design team, the bright red Tunahaki t-shirts are designed, the seed money is in the bank, the logo is being plastered all over their tour van, and miraculously Scott succeeded in getting all twelve kids visas. for their November trip.

Then the other day I am sitting in a meeting with Kathy Smith, discussing the latest in Project: YOU land, including some interesting progress about Kathy visiting companies to motivate people in corporate wellness programs. In the midst of the conversation, Kathy starts talking about her recent climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro, a volcano in Tanzania. The climb itself is an enormous feat. Then making a small world seem smaller, it turns out that immediately prior to her ascent, Kathy and her team were entertained by a troupe of children who perform acrobatics in order to support a nearby orphanage... the kids of Tunahaki!

It appears Beachbody was meant to participate, not just at the corporate level, but its success stories, vendors, experts, and even community are jumping in.

Look for WOWY events and other announcements as we track the progress. And look forward to a full length documentary produced by P90X director Mason Bendewald. See what I mean? We're into this from all angles... now all we need is you!

Click here if you want to learn more about what Scott is doing, especially if you have the means to join Beachbody in support of this very worthwhile cause!

Click here to donate now!

This just in from Scott:
There are actually 9 kids (plus one adult) coming from Africa, (and 2 American chaperones, hence the need for 12 people in a van). And they are also going to San Francisco to study circus arts during their trip here.

What else might you want to know….? I am planning on bringing them to the beach their first morning in the U.S. to join Tony & I for his infamous ‘Sunday Workout’… Disney has invited them to see The Lion King stage show which will be in Hollywood at the same time they are here (set in their homeland, uses Swahili – “Hakuna Matata” – it will be the kids’ first live theatre experience)… and we are making a point not just to perform for fat cats, but also at schools in South Central, LA, and at a shelter for homeless teens in Las Vegas.

Also, they practice their exercises every day - in sweltering heat, with no running water, no plumbing, no refrigerator or stove to keep or cook food – yet they work at it every day. So it seems to me that if they can do it in those conditions, anybody can. Maybe Traci can use that to motivate people when she promotes WOWY.

I still can’t get over the Kathy Smith connection. That really is something.

Click here to help these kids now!

The power of T Morrow

If you're a member of the MyBeachbody community, you may have seen the new icons promoting the fact that Traci Morrow is now the "host" of the site. (seen here with another Beachbody success story, her husband KC)

She's our own Julie McCoy, tasked with helping newbies and veterans get the most from the feature-rich weight loss and motivation club. Specifically, Traci will help members navigate MyBeachbody, introducing the unique tools available to maximize results. She will also organize challenges for members to keep everyone motivated.

Traci will select Success Stories to inspire and challenge us to overcome obstacles. She has her own Message Board thread and is active on the other MyBeachbody boards, answering questions and helping members interact, while gathering feedback from the community to help us continually improve the site.

She has a chat today at 5PM PT in the VIP chatroom, where I am sure the topic will be the Tony Horton Fitness camp in LA this weekend which Traci also helped organize and host.

Traci is an absolutely terrific person, and truly cares about everything she does and everyone she comes into contact with. We are lucky to have her on our team, and as a community, she will help motivate us all to get the best results possible!

Malibu Beach Party!

Today was the second (sort of) annual Malibu Beach Party for the Beachbody team plus the early arrivals to Tony's Fitness Camp this weekend.

Before more photos, and I'm sorry I don't have a lot more, let me say that this year it was Shawn T (with me here) who stole the show with the reveal of his "Hip Hop Hustle", a dance that he created as part of a new fitness program we're developing for release later this year. Danny from operations won the grand prize for his showmanship as virtually the entire company got jiggy on the sand. (Special thanks to my exec assistant Philippa, one of the judges, who left me in the running up until the very end so I could demonstrate my not-so-subtle lack of coordination as long as possible.)




Lara and Heather from the production team and a little Tony.
Natasha (who is our very own success story having lost 60 pounds!), Ken (the runner up in the Hip Hop Hustle) and me.

And below, the Tony Horton faithful, (plus Debbie Siebers and Beachbody guide Traci Morrow) discussing how the customers are going to "bring it" at the camp starting this evening!



Notable is customer Michael Kucko in the blue shirt looking toward Sarah in the second photo of this set) (Akron in MyBeachbody) who looks great, and who deserves a special note as one of our first 100 pound weight loss success stories, and who has managed to cope with the ups and downs of weight maintenance with poise and determination to never let it get out of control! Nice work Michael!