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.