Thursday, August 21, 2008

Beachbody Beijing

I'm away from the office for the week. But if you want to see what some of the rest of the team is up to, you gotta track fitness guru Steve Edwards and co-founder Jon Congdon as they work the Olympics with some vendors and see what sort of talent is looking for the best in fitness programs.


The commentary is memorable. Check it out!

The Simple Things, like "Killer Abs"

As complex as life can be, it's the simple things that add the color. I look forward to my Saturday morning with the latest issue of Business Week. I know that every night I get "my time" with the baby he's going to give me his laugh when I hold him upside down by his feet. And I love the monthly anticipation of what's going to show up on my doorstep with the next One-On-One issue. (And yes, I get it mailed to me just like everybody else)

I know the title, I've seen the promo, but until you put one of these babies into the player and take Tony on as he's goes through his personal routine, you're just collecting workouts. The last shipment was Road Warrior, an intense twist on Power 90 3-4 with some abs that made me cry like a 3 month old. (Oh, wait, maybe that actually was my 3 month old.)

September it's "Killer Abs". Killer Abs?... Killer? Will it just hurt or will it actually kill us? Or will my abs look so fabulous they shall simply end anyone who dare to gaze upon my six-packiness? Maybe a combo of all that.

Tony, Mason, and rockmaestro Jason Scheff are creating something special with these routines. If you have yet to subscribe, you don't know how close you can feel to America's #1 trainer until you get on his monthly program.

And I understand that in an upcoming shipment we're dropping a free preview DVD of Chalene's new extreme program which takes a cutting-edge approach to monthly phasing to get super-cut. You're only getting that preview if you're a One-on-One subscriber.

Like I said, it's the simple things right? I doubt we can classify Killer Abs as simple. But, it's wondering just what Tony's going to do and if I can keep up that adds a layer of fun to my workouts which keeps me interested. Nice work Tony!

And when they bring it, it shall get brung.

Monday, August 18, 2008

Manic Monday and Super Tuesday

Wow! Once again I am blown away at the energy and passion of our coaches. I feel like I am sitting on a powder keg watching the fuse burn away as it approaches the barrel and this baby is about to explode! "5...4...3...2..."

"Everybody Gets One" kicked off with calls all day Monday and most of Tuesday.
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We got started a little after 8AM when Milan Jensen brought in Marvin, who used to love fitness, fell off, and then five years ago decided to get back into shape with kickboxing and martial arts. He started coaching people, became and instructor, and then found P90X. Marvin is helping celebrities and the regular Joe alike, considering now making fitness and health his life’s work as a coach.

Richard Dafter brought along super star Mike Bent and his fiancee Ronda, and Brian. We talked about how great this opportunity is for students. Richard, a single father, loves how this is a great opportunity to give him flexibility to earn an income and still spend time with his young kids.

Dee McClanton is determined to help motivate people as she is on her way to both losing over 120 lbs and making the coach opportunity her way to build the family income. She knows her “why” and is determined to make this healthy business a success!

Tammie Fitzgerald and Clarissa (missmac) had a great call where we talked about the importance of not “selling” but instead finding out what a person wants to achieve. Selling “fitness and healthy eating” is an uphill battle. But when you simply talk to people about what they want to achieve, there is a way to get them to WANT to participate. It's not about the product or the program, it's about having a life you love to live!

Anne Anderson and I talked about motivation. The tough part of being a coach is being misunderstood, where some people just don’t get the vision. That’s when we discussed how when you transform your body, everyone around you wants to know how you did it. When they find out it was with a fitness and eating plan that cost less than $200, they’ll want to do it to. If that results in sales, don’t you deserve your share of the income? We think you do, and that’s we launched this network; to give the people who do the hard work of pursuing fitness and health the reward for inspiring others.

Steve Thorson is fired up about the program, and brought John, a “Chicago” fan from Virginia Beach on the line to get a bunch on board during the “Everybody Gets One Week.” These guys are getting out there to spread the word, and getting themselves in position to make big things happen when the concept of the Beachbody Revolution reaches its tipping point. Beachbody customer complaints about fitness disappear when people see the kind of results they can get with these programs in a matter of weeks and for less than the price of a couple personal training sessions.

Kristy McLean is all about turning her $10,000 prize into a groundswell of enthusiasm for results and opportunity. She gets it that success sells, and whenever one of her contacts buys a Beachbody program, she knows that will inspire tens if not hundreds more to do what it takes to enjoy an energetic and healthy life.

Mary is a new coach in Georgia under powerhouses Linda and Vince. Mary is already ready to “get one” this week, which I appreciate so much! And since the southeast of the US needs this program the most statistically, coaches like Mary will be key to turning things around. No one said it would be easy, but when it happens, it’s going to be big!

Mike Bent, Wayne brought on four prospects Melissa, Whitney, and Robert and John. They simply get it. These are busy people, who like the idea of helping people. I love that. These are the kind of people who will continue the solid foundation of “people helping people” that launched the Beachbody coach network.

Suzy Stauffer brought YMCA trainer Johnny to a call. Here’s a guy who is already helping people get fit and healthy, and now he has the chance of turning it into a real cash-flow generator by scaling his business into something that doesn’t limit his income by the hours he works. Instead, his income is only limited by the people he helps.

Sharon Walker in Austin is working on bringing the owner of a country club in Austin that has a huge fitness program into the fold. They are looking at incorporating what we do into their club to expand their influence outside of their geographic audience and giving their internal trainers an additional source of revenue.

Jared Keo called to get questions answered. In week 10 of P90X, he’s getting noticed by personal trainers who are learning from him that it’s less productive counting reps for a few clients a day than it is to help hundreds of customers by motivating them to use proven Beachbody programs that work in the comfort of your own home!

Chris was invited to the call by Howard Garcia. Timing matters to Chris, but he is determined to get to the top of the compensation plan if he gets involved. Both these guys see how marketing a product that helps people like fitness and portion control can have a dramatic, if not game-changing potential (and the customer-lead program doesn’t hurt in the process!)

Kim Hopkins has been in network marketing, and been hesitant to talk about this opportunity with friends and family. She got fired up along with her friend Della, both nurses, who now see that for the first time, they can get compensated based on how many people they help a week, versus how many hours they worked.

A solid contingent from Las Vegas got on the phone both the remember the great work Tom Harper did for Team Beachbody, and to look for ways to recapture their enthusiasm. One thing I know is, Tom was about going for it with absolute enthusiasm to help people and make things happen. I could sense that Denise, Paula, Larry and Juan have what it takes to get friends, and friends of friends to tap into this healthy lifestyle. Now is the time. You have incredible potential to help so many people and enjoy the rewards of an incredible organizational position as we battle our way to the tipping point. Don’t squander this guys, Tom would expect more from everyone – so now is the time to ramp it up!

Annie and Carrie braved the traffic in Orange County over the weekend, and came back for more today. Sounds like they get the importance of momentum, and they’ve got what it takes to take their passion for fitness and spread the word.

Kim Haru was wondering about advice for new coaches. She’s a nutrition major in a perfect position to get incredible results with P90X, and inspire all those students who want to have a body to show off at Spring Break that she’s got the answer.

MySpace friends Elizabeth and Carrie called to find out how to get their coaches pumped up. We discovered together that the LAST thing we need to do is pump people up. Getting excited about being successful is like a Vegas wedding – the commitment fades with the excitement. REAL commitment comes with deciding you want to achieve something, and directing your energy at achieving it. We are all busy. If you want to be successful in fitness or in earning an income, you need to "get unbusy" with the stuff that is not moving you toward your goal, and commit to action that will absolutely lead you toward your goal, inch by inch, day by day.

Yvette and Christine a new coach got on the phone to ask what steps a new coach should go through to get off on the right fit. I gave the same answer to them I gave to Meredith Gelfand and then Kri’stina Kyle: Instead of handing out cards and talking just about your results, you need to find out what your prospect wants to achieve, and discuss whether Beachbody and/or being a coach might be the answer to get it. Ask questions, and you will hear how you can help people. There’s no convincing necessary, just real caring and problem solving!

Also, there was a question about whether this business is a pyramid scam. That one always makes me laugh because we couldn’t be further from it. When you work your butt off for 90 days to get results and those results inspire people around you to buy the program, does Beachbody deserve to keep all the money or do you deserve a reward for being the inspiration in the first place? And if that friend you inspired becomes a coach and starts selling tons of product because they got great results, does Beachbody deserve to keep all the money for that effort, or do you deserve a share of the revenue since you brought your friend in first? I think if we kept all the money for your effort, THAT would be the scam. This is people helping people get healthy, and that’s the most productive and fair business model I have ever heard of.

Anne Dovel sent Ron to get some inside tips on signing people up, and it looks good that he’ll sign up some coaches from the local school district.

Leo is a Turbokick instructor and called because he was encountering a road block.

Richard Dafter invited coach Bernie Smith to a call, who told me how he knows tons of doctors, which led to the description of how Kathy Smith’s “Project: You for type 2” diabetics is the perfect product for the medical community to treat diabetes beyond medication. If I were a coach I would be speaking to as many doctors and nurses as possible!

Randy Watson is part of the Fitzgerald-Dovel juggernaut, and has turned up the heat this last month, signing up almost 20 coaches in the last two weeks – that’s in a town of just 13,000! His secret: Just reach out to people and help them solve their problems. This guy is so on board that he is giving a box of peanut butter bars to any of his coaches who sign up a coach during Everybody Gets one Week! Love that teamwork Randy!

Rachel, Matt and Laran, asked how to be a coach, and then Michelle Moy and prospective coach Sherri asked what being a coach means. I think it’s a three stepped responsibility: You help people be accountable to their goal to get healthy and fit; be compassionate if they struggle and help them get back on track; and if they need extra motivation to succeed, show them how the financial incentive of being a coach can help keep anyone on track to stay interested in getting results with the Beachbody programs.

Those were all the Monday calls. Tuesday started at 9AM, and talk about going for it -- Judy Rangel brought Rochelle Guriba to the phone while she was sitting in the dentist chair! That fit right into my premise that at one time in our history, using a tooth brush every day was a new concept. Now every body brushes (I hope). Same thing now for exercise; It may be a completely new concept to most of the US, but my goal is that within the next couple years we’ll change all that, so the people who don’t work out are the rarity.

Next were P90X graduate Michael, new coach Cass, Perry, Joel (May 2007 success story), and MMA fighter Brad who is training over 60 clients. Brad offered his clients the option of working out with DVD program at home and the option of building an income from it. This group is going places!

Beachbody standout Maria Nevarez is back on track with her own Play, Shake and Share program, and using the bulk emailer tool to get things started with customers who may have given up. And while she dislikes pushing people (who doesn't?), she's another coach who can see a huge opportunity with trainers struggling in her area who would like an additional source of income.

Jeff Dostal and Van Coker like the fact that they can get in better shape, make some money, and not have to buy a lot of inventory. Van wants to have his energy back and enjoy his grand kids. With our annual advertising budget, we’re out there spreading the message, and the coach's job is to talk it up. Jeff told me a story of a guy who runs 3 miles a day who was a convert to the Ten Minute Trainer after just one workout!

Kelly Ryan and Ali called from Bakersfield. They both have friends who would be interested in the kinds of results that Kelly and her husband have gotten. She continues to inspire everyone around her, and I think Ali will be the next to inspire many people if she signs up to be a coach!

Mike Beinlich, Rick Haggard and Bob Raypole from Florida got on the phone to get some input on how to maximize the business. Rick has lost over 40 lbs with our programs and is a walking billboard for the potential of these programs, and Bob is an experienced network marketing looking for an opportunity which is a solid long term bet. I know he found it in the Beachbody Revolution!

Joseph Petri brought Heidi in as a prospect from upstate NY, a college professor who is going to continue to build on the powerhouse that is starting to bubble in the Rochester area.

And the last call of the morning was Lisa MacAnespie-Tucker, part of a new coach in a leg that is picking up momentum. She is a former gymnast who wants to coach at the same time that she works on her own transformation. That’s the best time to be a coach I think, because she’ll have all the more accountability to herself if she is also helping others stay consistent. She has the same motivation to enlist people she’s supporting to become coaches – as everyone who has some accountability to someone else has a better chance of success. That’s a success link, and that’s the power of this network!

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The bottom line is: Thank you all for helping us get the word out. When you talk to people about this opportunity, ask them what they want to achieve. Explore with them how being a coach can help them achieve their success. And know that this business model is a real service to people, rewarding them for their hard work and inspiration by paying them when their results create demand for Beachbody programs.

The Beachbody Revolution is here. The momentum is exciting. And it’s only happening thanks to your hard work and care for getting people healthy and fit. I'm getting my signing pen ready to sign those certificates of achievement for coaches who signed up someone this week. Everybody Gets One that gets one!

Sunday, August 17, 2008

Everybody Gets One!

This is the week for bringing in more people to help us get the word out about the revolutionary system of health and fitness that is Beachbody. If you're a coach, it's time to mobilize -- EVERY COACH BRINGS IN ONE COACH!

My motivation this week to spread the word is more intense than ever... I spent the weekend learning how to surf with a friend from college and his family. All I can say is - "THANK YOU TEAM BEACHBODY!" If it weren't for Beachbody and the people who help keep us all motivated to do the hard thing of pushing play, no way would I have been able to not only learn how to ride the waves, but catch 14 of them in a day! More than that though -- as sore as I was the day after, I would have been a complete dish rag if my body didn't have a foundation of fitness first.

Life is so much more amazing when you try new stuff. Sure TV can be very entertaining, and there is always something tasty waiting to be eaten. But when something new and incredible like riding a wave or boogie boarding with my daughter presents itself, having the fitness to enjoy it for five solid hours is worth every WOWY workout, every disciplined food choice.

I know many of you coaches get what I am talking about. And that's why I hope you turn up the heat this week, and help someone you know get into this too! The Beachbody Revolution starts now. We need you to find someone who has the drive to spread the word with us this week! And there's a trip to Mexico up for grabs if we hit our numbers! (See below)

Let's do this, and let's spread the word that there's a lot to life if you have the health and fitness to enjoy it!

Tuesday, August 12, 2008

10,000 Coaches and counting!




We have reached a very significant milestone: Yesterday we recruited the 10,000 coach in the Beachbody Coach Network! Congratulations to all our coaches who are driving this initiative forward, and capitalizing on the incredible demand for helping people make health and fitness a priority.

My goal is to build a network of one million coaches within five years. We needed to get to 10,000 first - and here we are ahead of schedule!

But this no time to sit back and celebrate, it's time to "hammer down". Monday the 18th starts “Every Body Gets One Week”, where we're asking every coach to reach out aggressively and do what it takes to recruit one coach that week. And if we recruit over 1,000 coaches by the 24th, every coach who participated by bringing in a coach will have a chance to come with us on the Top Coach trip to Mexico to the Riviera Maya next March. And if you recruit a coach and one of YOUR personally sponsored coaches wins that trip, you will be invited on the trip as well. (That means to have the best chance to win you want to do two things: (1) Make sure you recruit a new coach the week of the 18th, (2) motivate all your personally sponsored coaches to recruit at least one coach next week.

And in the spirit of "Every Body Gets One" week, I will be hand signing this certificate of achievement to everyone who supports this promotion by bringing in a coach between the 18th and 24th.


So let's take a moment, feel good about hitting this big 10,000-coach milestone, and then it’s back to work to push toward "Every body gets one" the week of the 18th!

Monday, August 04, 2008

Manic Monday

What a day! 40-something calls between 8AM and 7PM!

Thanks to everyone who took me seriously and rallied the troops to sign into WOWY for our workout this morning and hit the phones on our first Manic Monday!

It didn’t hurt to start the day by reading a story in the paper that the Philadelphia Eagles are using P90X to prepare for the 2008 football season. That pumped everybody up, and then we hit the phones.

I hope to see everybody in WOWY at 6AM PT Tuesday morning, and then again at 6PM PT for the brand new webinar.

In the meantime, check out the sizzling action our coaches stirred up today. (I apologize in advance for any deletions or misspellings in what is probably my longest blog post ever.)
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We got started right at 8AM with Anjanette Bonham, who is on her way to Emerald by showing other stay-at-home moms that Beachbody has the programs that deliver real body transformation. She knows that Beachbody holds the prospect of an additional income for anyone willing to put in the work to make it happen.

Then I met Dennis Jones, a new Diamond coach who has signed a whopping twelve - count 'em, twelve - new coaches and opened a new center in Las Vegas with three meetings a week! WOW!

A Beachbody customer, Tricia Stanton called while I was on with a coach, Sheryl Oeftering, so she ended up speaking with Kevin Sherman. He got her so pumped she called back later ready to sign up!

Efren from Jason Scheff's organization called and told me he's down from 380 lbs to 240 lbs! Talk about inspiration. That's the kind of coach that prove it's possible!

Tammie Fitzgerald brought Menach from New York via conference call. He's tearing it up in week six of P90X and seriously considering the coach opportunity. (If you're going to inspire the people around you with your transformation, why not reap the rewards? That’s the point of this thing – (1) transform your health and fitness, (2) people around you want to do it too, (3) you deserve to earn the revenue!)

Mirdzah Hayden called to discuss how to kick her business into a higher gear, and hung up ready to motivate people to get in shape and earn an extra income.

Shawn Marie called while I was on with Entrepreneur Charles Mui and rolled over to Kevin. What a story she had, losing 54 pounds in 90 days to avoid gastric bypass surgery! Now she has a WOWY group of 65 and inspiring more people on Capital Hill to get involved every day! Meanwhile, Charles had called to “kick the tires” and learn more about what this thing is all about after hearing Mark McDermott speak over the weekend (clearly Mark is making things happen out there!)

Redfield Baum brought two prospects to his call, Paul and Daniel. (Sorry if I didn’t let you guys talk, but I was pumped at this point!)

Robert Hudgens introduced me to Iowan Tom Bord who is looking at the opportunity with patience and care. I totally support that, but also know that you never know how good the water feels until you actually jump in the pool! This opportunity is going to be big, and timing matters.

They’re “thinkin' in Lincoln”, as Doug Fitzgerald introduced me to marketing-wiz Jeff Dostal. They're signing people up, and no doubt those two are going to hatch a plot that will really expand the momentum in the heartland as they sounded like they were not going to let anything get in their way.

Haston Lowman achieved Emerald today, and is putting his heart into being a Beachbody coach with his upline Dennis Jones and uber coach Pete Pena. Haston says he has never had this much confidence talking to people to "help people get motivated to get paid to workout" since he got in shape.

Jake Hayes lost 30 pounds with P90X with the help of his wife and is working a breakthrough coaching idea for parents, kids and teens with the help of his upline, Traci Morrow.

Russ Herman, an exercise physiologist and coordinator for a corporate wellness company found P90X to get himself in shape and went from there to become a coach and spread the word when appropriate! There's a guy who's heart is in the right place.

Mike Bent called (while I was enjoying my chocolate Shakeology for the day). He brought in heavyweight Wayne Dorband, a consummate entrepreneur with a quite a bit of experience in network marketing and a ton of experience "doing well" by "doing good".

Monica Vargas is a huge Turbo Jam fan, and is also looking into how the Beachbody catalog might be of value to corporations, trainers, and chiropractors. Love that.

Brian Tass brought in wrestling coach and teacher Matt Prinz. These guys have unreal opportunity staring at them with the economic woes of teachers and labor in the Michigan area. They have the answer!

Marty Hughes, another teacher in Nebraska, went from 232lbs to 181lbs using P90X. And his wife went from a size 16 to a 4! He’s a former runner who just ran his first 5k in 13 years. He uses the Fit Kids Club program to get the kids moving in his school once a week. His goal is to bring in 100 coaches to help me achieve my one million coach goal. Thank you brother!

Current Top Coach, Milan Jensen called with Emily, Lisa, Elizabeth, Carrie, Maggie, and Kimberly – doing a six week push to "develop diamonds". They are stepping out of their comfort zone to talk to people. What’s driving them is an exercise called a “perfect day in my life” which was amazing to hear. Stay-at-home moms, people with dreams, excited to get their bodies back, and earn the income that will give their families the financial freedom they have always wanted... When we talk about what's "Revolutionary" about this, these women should be on the poster.

$250,000 Million Dollar Body winner Earl Broughman brought in sports retailer Todd Crawford who’s going to expand his business, get fit, and be a “product of the product” to get his body back. Can you say "no-brainer?"

Topeka, KS was represented by Emerald coach Alison Clayton and prospective coach Sandra Haines. One thing is clear, the obesity trend and the rough economy has little hope of hiding from the power of Team Genesis.

Fresh from Chalene Johnson’s Camp Turbo, Lynn Swanger put a call together with Meredith and Michael, three coaches who are in the right place at the right time as ChaLEAN Extreme gets ready to launch this fall. You three deserve success, so don't accept anything less!

Michelle Sweetland and I had a great conversation about how to rev up results, and then Amy Shaw described how she intends to work this business for the long haul in Ohio as fitness and helping people fight obesity is her true passion.

2007 Top Coach Blake Warrington showed he has an eye for talent by attracting Jim Smalley, a P90X customer-turned coach in Florida who is leveraging the combination of the tough economy and the 30-day money back guarantee to make the decision easy for people. These guys are a powerhouse.

Founding coach David Martin and Mary Jo Blackburn invited prospective coach Chris, a nurse and trainer, to become a coach. Could there be a better prospect to both help people understand the importance of health and fitness PLUS earn an income appropriate to the work she does by helping people? Teachers and health care workers all the way.

John Watson picked Scott Rupp to be his coach when he bought P90X. And now that the NY real estate market’s in the tank, John’s seriously considering turning his own doctor’s shock at his health results into a business opportunity for them both. That’s what I am talking about! Leverage your success into YOUR own opportunity! Then Scott brought David Goldsmith, an IT professional to the table who has the prospect of motivating both teachers and students in his area to get the kind of hardcore results he’s getting, first with Power 90, then with P90X.

Mike Graham is blazing his own trail in St. Louis, a market that can use both the health benefits of our program, plus the earning potential. Mike – I hope you lean into it and make things happen. Wesley Revels is doing the same thing in Kansas City, turning his enthusiasm for Ten Minute Trainer and P90X into a business that helps people. Great attitudes.

Chad Brake is a reading teacher and ruby coach under Angie McDonald who has found that at last, his desire to help people can be compensated in proportion to results. This opportunity seems to be exceptionally compelling to teachers for that very reason.

Cheri and Kyle and then Shawn, a mother and her sons are teaming up to leverage her degree in exercise science to promote this business opportunity and help college grads get healthy and pay down debt. (Apparently the fact that the Philadelphia Eagles and other pro teams are using our products to get in shape got Kyle’s attention).

The prospect invited by Wendy Tompkins (under Amy Hildreth of Biggest Loser fame) couldn’t make the call as planned, which was ok because it gave us a chance to talk tips and strategy.

Then I found out that Audrey Nichelson from Doug Couch’s organization is just three coaches from diamond, and is focused on turning her victory in the June Million Dollar Body Game into a run at the grand prize, and a huge motivator for her organization.

Judy Zavislak called to talk strategy and get specific updates on features and product development. She’s got six personally sponsored coaches, is on her way to diamond, and intends to get there by end of summer. (Ok... I sort of made her promise that part. But she can do it!)

Pat Schrader and Josh are working Georgia hard, attending job fairs, handing out DVD’s to prospects, and working hard to focus potential coaches on the importance of both retailing product and recruiting coaches. Remember – the products you represent are made famous on TV. Your job is to help people you know succeed with them, and get them to inspire others to do the same!

Clarissa McIntosh is working with school PTA’s to set-up online fundraising using the Beachbody Coach opportunity. I suggested health fairs where the parents learn about the products, where the school is the beneficiary. As we buy more and more advertising to promote the product line, we know people are going to buy these products; they might as well buy them in a way that benefits the PTA! (Better than another candy drive right?)

Raghee Horner, author and for/ex trader is working the Beachbody Revolution into her mix of stay-at-home business advice and maybe even a new book!

I got a great call from Lori Jantzi in Canada who has been a loyal Beachbody customer with no complaints since 2003. She’s not a coach (it’s not available in Canada yet) so she just snuck in to say hi. I like that.

And to cap it off, Tiffany Porter in Virginia asked how to help a trainer she knows who has been burned by other network marketing concepts, find her "go for it" with the coach network. My advice; When someone wants something bad enough, and they see all this proof around us that these programs work, and this business is working for people too, they either connect that to achieving their goals or they don't. There is so much demand for what we are offering, because the fitness and diet programs work every time they are applied as they were intended. Exercise, portion control, and the right supplements to help you. And once you succeed, people around you notice. That creates demand. People want to succeed. Our job is to keep pushing play, and keep sharing the opportunity.

So we're going to keep driving it. We're going to keep helping people. And with that, more people's lives will be transformed.

I'll see you in WOWY!