My story and why I chose to become a Beachbody Coach – it’s simple really!

My story is pretty simple really.

Summer 2009. I saw a very fit couple on the beach and slugged my husband “I bet you they do P90X!” since we’d seen and been mesmerized by the infomercials!

Both of us were a bit lazy and did not work out. I was 40 pounds overweight (and come from a family history of morbid obesity), Andy was one of those skinny-fat guys who had always been lean but out of shape.

We researched P90X when we got home that afternoon and saw that we could get a discount if we became Beachbody Coaches. Sweet! Reading a little further, we saw that Beachbody would actually SEND us customers if we did a good job with the business part of things. My banker brain kicked in: a business where I would not have to work hard to get clients? Yes please! Sounded too good to be true. But I figured we’d just jump out on this limb and worse case, we’d flop on the business side of it yet still get physically fit together!

So we signed up as coaches and started P90X.

After two full rounds, we were officially ripped. Friends and co-workers started asking us what we did, we told them and some of them bought theirs from our website. We made money.

In fact, we paid off all of our debt. I quit my job 8 months in and am a full time mommy to two pre-schoolers. My husband was able to take a year and a half (a YEAR and a HALF!) off of work so we could travel while our kids were still young. Yep, it’s that kind of lifestyle since your business goes where your laptop goes!

It seems like, over the past 4 years being a Beachbody Coach, that it’s been simple and easy this entire time. The hardest work I’ve ever done is in sitting down to read through a training manual or a personal development book!

I’ve found that, if we keep it simple, the business works. I just keep sharing my fitness journey with others publicly, and asking about their lives. If they are looking for a fitness solution, I direct them to my Beachbody website where they can get the best tools out there. I check in on them. Repeat.

Plus, Beachbody has given me over 800 customers since I became a Coach, and it sure is nice to meet new people and make money by just sending helpful emails every now and then!

Truth is, I care a lot about my mission as a Coach: to help people get fit and enjoy a healthy, fulfilling life.

I now have an international team of coaches who are doing the same thing, and I so enjoy mentoring them! Together, we’re better!

Sometimes I think about what my life would look like if I hadn’t said YES to being a Coach. I could have overcomplicated it and spent too long in the “what if”s. I could have whined and complained about learning new things. I could have accepted my initial complacency and laziness (so and so’s not fit, why should I be?). But I sure am thankful I didn’t do those things!

My name is Katy Gillis. I’m an accidental Beachbody Coach who jumped in just in case this could be what I thought it was. It’s blown my expectations out of the water.

They say there is always a catch – not here. Beachbody is awesome – whether it’s helping people get fit, or helping people get paid so they can help those people get fit!

Beachbody has won my diehard loyalty.

That’s my story. Have you begun yours?

I’d love to hear your story. Shoot me a message. Or if you’re inspired to get fit and get paid, research what it would look like to join the Beachbody team!

The photos:

Andy (hubby): before and after!

Katy (me!): before and after!

For Beachbody Coaches: 90 Days to Excellence Leadership Training with Craig Holiday

90 Days to Excellence Leadership Training with Craig Holiday:

I am just jazzed to have found these mp3s for each of Craig’s training and share them with you!!!

In 2010, my time and energy was split between my Beachbody Business, taking care of my baby girl Livy, running a personal training company in two states, overseeing the fitness programs for the women’s ministry team at church, and taking  courses in nutrition and health! Needless to say, I was a busy woman!

Enter Craig Holiday, a business consultant Beachbody hired to work with some of their leaders. My coach, Traci Morrow, made sure that I was one of them. I am so blessed to have been able to learn firsthand from Craig, as his strategies helped me gain clarity in my Beachbody business as well as how to properly manage my time.

Following the same system Craig lays out in this very mp3 series, my Beachbody Business gained 30 new Coaches in 3 months and I learned what it meant to be a leader coach! Truly, his teaching is inspirational as well as applicable, and I hope you find it as valuable as I have being the BEST Coach you can be is a requirement if helping people is your mission!

Craig Holiday and Katy Gillis at the Beachbody Coach Summit

TAKE THIS TRAINING WEEK BY WEEK and spend time applying each into your business. You may also benefit from having an accountability buddy, and your own coach is always available to you for that!

Here we go:

Week 1: Getting started right.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/recording/craig_call_080310.mp3

Week 2: Why Relational Marketing?

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/recording/craig_call_081010.mp3

Week 3: 10 Points to a Great Leader.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/recording/craig_call_081710.mp3

Week 4: Managing Your Time.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/recording/craig_call_082510.mp3

Week 5: How to Start a New Coach.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/recording/craig_call_083110.mp3

Week 6: Passion- The Defining Difference.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/recording/craig_call_090710.mp3

Week 7: The Glue- What Holds this Business Together.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/recording/craig_call_091410.mp3

Week 8: Self Esteem- “Hand Me Downs” and Overcoming the Past.

http://www.beachbodycoach.com/uploads/fckeditor/mdbody/File/recording/craig_call_112010.mp3

I would love to hear what you experienced in your Beachbody Business after applying these strategies, share in a comment below:

How to Prospect: the 50-5 Formula

Last night I had a conversation with one of the Beachbody Coaches on my team. We were discussing her goals for her Beachbody Coaching business, which included growing her own team. This includes finding the right people for the job, recruiting them, and providing the right training to help them start off right in their first 90 days on her team. We had a conversation about “50-5,” the time-proven formula for recruiting. If you are a Beachbody Coach who realizes that a team will help you do more than what you can do alone, then you’ve probably been recruiting and may be well aware of this formula:

The 50-5 Formula:
One must reach out to 50 people to book 10 in-person or phone interviews. From those 10 interviews, only 5 of the candidates will be the right fit for the opportunity you present to them.
Summary: 5 will be right for the job we do, and 45 will not.

The key point is that: one must go through 50 to get 5!

It may appear that doing all of that work prospecting for such a small numerical return is a waste of time. It’s not. Personally, I have found that the 5 that are the perfect fit for my team are worth every moment spent trying to find them, because they end up to be incredible Beachbody Coaches!

And another reason why those 45 “no’s” are so valuable is that, without them, it’s impossible to get our 5 perfect fits.

In the time spend prospecting, we are able to meet many people along the way who, in ways we may not know, will either help us or us help them. Sometimes they may not be the right fit, but they know someone who is and are happy to refer them to you. Other times they are perfect for an opportunity you know about and you can help refer them. My point is, every meeting with another person could go beautifully. We just have to be open to all of the possibilities.

Connecting with and staying in connection with everyone we come into contact with it essential for Beachbody Coach leaders who believe that no appointments are accidents. Everyone who is meant to be in my team will be, and I believe that wholeheartedly. This gives me a sense of peace as I do the diligent work of prospecting.

Here are a few tips to mastering the 50-5 formula:
- View every connection as an opportunity.
- Review all of your current connections and book appointments with them.
- Treat the person as a valuable connection, and no mater the outcome, stay connected with them.
- Schedule your work time accordingly, basing your activities on the 50-5 formula.
- Ask for referrals! People may not think about it until you ask, and be prepared to describe the perfect fit (this is the BIGGEST reason why Beachbody Coaches don’t get referrals, because they do not adequately describe who it is they are looking for).

Remember – there is only so much we can do alone…not only in business, but in life as well. Alone, we can only go so far. Together, we are able to lift each other as we climb, serve thousands of people versus a few hundred, and reach our goals in business much quicker. Plus, it’s just gosh-darn fun to have a Beachbody team of active, caring Coaches to do life with!

Trust me – the prospecting is not only essential, it’s worth it.

Happy prospecting!

My Peace with Depression

I used to blindly say I was depressed without giving it much thought. When I got that feeling of sadness or lacked any motivation to get up out of bed, I would think in a matter-of-fact way: “I’m depressed,” and would move through my day in a funk. And where I was experiencing symptoms of depression, I never thought about the cause of it or what to actually do about it when it hit me.

It’s a gift.
Through some research, I’ve come to the opinion that depression is a gift from God, as it is a sign that something is not right inside of us. It shows up whenever we are fighting change. Change is the “dying” of something old to make room for something new…much like the seasons. We may not like it, but we must say goodbye to Summer in order to say hello to the Fall. Dr. M. Scott Peck says that, in order to evolve and grow spiritually as human beings, we must constantly be replacing old, outdated, and unimportant information with new. Depression set in when we choose to either fight the new information or season, or when we choose to ignore it altogether.

I agree with Dr. Peck that depression is not a bad thing – in fact, since it is a byproduct of growth, and because personal growth is a very healthy (and in my case, sought-after) event, depression is expected and in a way, should be welcomed.

Peace.
When I learned this information it gave me peace knowing that my various bouts with the seemingly-bad depression was in fact a part of everyone’s life and more so the life of one who seeks a higher level of personal growth. As long as I take the time to be fully aware of it and work it out, depression is a good thing.

So how does one actually turn depression into a “good thing?”
Answer: by swiftly dealing with it. Nipping it in the bud. When it hits (and it will) take time to sit down and think through why it is happening to you.

My personal example: last week I had a phone call with Traci Morrow (my upline sponsor at Team Beachbody) and she shared with me that Instagram was the new big thing in the social media world and it had replaced Facebook and Twitter in popularity. As she spoke I felt dread “Another social media outlet to learn and use?” I thought to myself.
Later that same night, I began to feel depressed. After the kids were in bed I sat on the couch in my foyer with a cup of hot tea and began to think my depression through. After some time, I realized I was depressed because of what Traci had shared with me about social media. I knew in my spirit that if I was going to grow as a business owner, I would need to phase out of my outdated social media tools and learn to master this scary, brand new tool. And this is what caused me to become depressed. I said a short prayer thanking God for my depression and for the wisdom to overcome the fear that caused it, and went to bed at peace. The next day, I awoke depression-free and was mentally ready to begin learning the new tool.

How long will it take you to figure out why you are depressed?
Start working on it as soon as it hits you because the longer it sits unattended the bigger the depression monster becomes and the more life it steals from you. In my example above, it took only a few minutes to discover the cause, but depending on your personality and the issue at hand it may take a few hours or even a few days. If it takes longer or if the thought of facing it is so daunting you don’t want to even want to begin, it may require you to seek the wisdom of a trusted friend or a professional therapist.

Unfortunately we all know someone who has spent years in that miserable pit. Don’t turn into that person. One cannot begin the healing process unless they discover why they are depressed. When they know why, they can begin to move forward and onward.

Grow.
Resolve along with me to deal quickly with depression, because life is too precious to stay stuck in the pit for too long and the growth that we’ll experience after the depression has been overcome is going to take us far!

A mother sets an example

Mothers come in two forms – biological is one, and the other in the form of mentor: the woman we look to as an example and regard their character and the way they live their life with high esteem.

Personally, following my mentor “mothers” even from a distance is helping me make better decisions in my life. I thrive on simply watching their examples. The women I seek out live with grace, humility, and self-discipline. Not perfect women – but women who are purpose-driven and far above the average tier.

Whether we have children or not, we are still able to impact the lives of others by being a “mother” – a role model – to them. In fact, we all have people who review our lives and are either inspired by our example, or not.

Throughout my day I repeat the question: am I the kind of woman who is worthy of her following?

When we women live out our lives knowing that people are watching and being inspired by our actions, it usually prompts us to live at a higher level. I know for me, knowing people are watching and reviewing my example has made a big difference in how I live out my daily life…not because I want to impress them, but because I want to serve them. I believe God placed me in this season for a purpose, and I don’t take my roles lightly.

May I challenge you to view your healthy lifestyle through the lens of affecting other women?

If you are a Christian woman, your calling is to help the younger women make wise and healthy choices through your own example. If you are a leader in your home, if you have a key role in any organization, or if you own your own business: this is just as important for you my friend.

Your physical body is a testimony of your personal self-discipline, the respect you have for what you’ve been given, and the honor and value you place on yourself as a woman.

When your body is in tip-top shape, you have the ability to serve everyone better…and I’ve heard it said that it’s through serving others better that we are lifted up higher.

Here’s a quick inventory check for you to run through:

-          Are the daily decisions you are making shaping your life to be one that is highly esteemed by others?

-          Is your physical health “example” worthy of a following of younger women?

-          Is your example inspiring greatness in the lives of the people closest to you?

No matter your role, the life you live and the priority that you place on your health is affecting someone else right now, either positively or negatively.

So what actions can you begin doing today to bring your health to a higher level so that those who watch you are positively inspired?

Go deeper: If you would like a little guidance on eating healthier, please accept my free gift to you: Best Healthy Meal Guide. This meal guide will allow you to create your own meal plan, and since eating is 80% of your health and wellness, it will prove valuable to you no matter what your goals are.