Why I require Shakeology for my Challenge Groups

I get this question just about every time I run a Challenge Group. Why is it that I require Shakeology?
Well, I believe in Shakeology and what it can do for you. It has been CLINICALLY PROVEN to help promote weight loss. There have been real actual clinical studies that have PROVED it. I want my challengers to have the BEST results, so guess what- I am going to make sure that they are doing everything that they can do to make sure that it happens.

I have found that the challengers that have committed to drinking Shakeology have actually pushed harder in their workouts and stayed engaged in the challenge groups longer. Now that is not a clinical study- but just something that I have personally found to be true in the Challenge Group culture.

Shakeology is also FULL of good for you ingredients that are REAL. No chemicals. It is something that I drink daily and feel good about fueling my body and I want others to have that feeling as well.

I KNOW Shakeology is not cheap. I fact Shakeology is the whole reason that I became a Beachbody coach. I was looking for a protein powder or a protein shake that was whey free and soy free that I could take while completing P90X. I found my coach Kati, signed up as a discount coach, and never looked back.

So there you have it. I require Shakeology for my Challenge Groups. I drink it, I stay on track- I want you all to as well :)

How I found my confidence

Many people have made comments to me about how they couldn't possibly be a good Beachbody Coach because they are not as confident as I am. I am always SO SHOCKED when I hear this, as would anyone who grew up with me be. I was that shy kid. That little blonde girl that the preschool actually wanted to have her hearing tested because she must be deaf. They would ask me questions, and I would just ignore them. When asked why I simply stated, "I don't talk because I have nothing to say to you." Looking back at that now, words cannot express how sad that makes me. Because I truly believed that I had nothing of value to add to anyone else outside of my immediate family at the age of four. 

I can vividly remember going to school, not making eye contact with anyone, LITERALLY folding my body into itself to take up the least amount of space possible. Then I remember always feeling left out, always feeling like the butt of the joke. Thinking back on it now, I realize that most of the time people probably didn't even notice me. At the time though, I always felt like I was on display, like everyone was always judging me.

 I didn't really have a big group of friends. Actually I think that I had one good friend through elementary school and if I remember correctly, we mostly spent time together outside of school. At least until fifth grade, when she became "popular" (I use that term loosely because I viewed anyone with friends "popular.") When I was about to go into my eighth grade year, my parents got the opportunity through my school to send me to a motivational Tony-Robbins Camp. 

I do not think that I can accurately begin to tell you how I felt when my parents DROPPED me off at a hotel in Squaw Valley, California. I was terrified, but not for the reasons most kids that age would be terrified. If my parents had simply left me at a hotel for a week by myself, I would have felt fine. They were leaving me to spend the time with thousands of strangers. THAT was what terrified me. I would be rooming with three other girls... strangers. 

Discovery Camp 2001 was literally a life changing experience for me. I learned to believe in myself. To come out of that shell. To take risks. To speak up. To believe in myself. I gained self worth. When I got to high school, I joined DECA. Which was basically a club where you took tests and role played with judges based on different scenarios. It taught me about confidence. As long as you walked into a place acting as if you owned it, as if THEY were seeking YOU for help, then you would do just fine. 

When I got to college, I became an RA. Some of the best advice I have ever received was from one of my RA advisors. We were all a bit nervous about speaking to an entire floor worth of students only a year younger, and basically laying out the rules and expectations for them. The advice they gave me was: "THEY do not know what is supposed to be said. THEY don't know if you are doing it right or wrong. THEY see you as a leader, because THEY have been told you are a leader." Basically if I messed it up, it was okay. No one would judge me based on it. That was really a huge turning point for me. As long as you say things with confidence, people tend to believe your message. 

Now, I am not saying lie, because that will discount anything that you say in the future, but spread your message with confidence.  Believe in yourself and the importance of what you have to say because to someone, your story is important. It WILL HELP someone. Someone who is just like the person you used to be. So who am I now? I am someone who isn't afraid to shake the hands of those people I meet. Someone who can look a stranger in the eye, smile, and strike up a conversation. 

Do I still sometimes get uncomfortable and go back to my old ways? OF COURSE. But I give myself 3-5 minutes as that person- THATS IT. Then I buck up, and put a smile on my face. I let my weird silly side show and make new friends. I am Cassandra, hear me ROAR. 

Tips for being a Great Beachbody Coach and Mentor for YOUR downline

These are just some tips that I have put together from what I learned at Summit this year from some of the top Beachbody coaches in the company.

Accountability is the responsibility to someone for some activity. The definition of a goal is the accountability and mentorship you provide is meant to help your coaches move closer to their goals.

The Fundamentals of Accountability and Mentorship:

-       Know your coaches why- when they are not on track you can say something like “you have big dreams, if you want to achieve them you need to step it up!”

-       Help your team dream- you can ask them questions like- what would your ideal life look like? And then help them dream bigger!

-       Consistently share your vision with your team (individually and group) and with individual coaches.

o      Be transparent with your vision and goals!

o      Look for leaders in your down line

Communicating with your TEAM!

-       Facebook groups allow you to share yourself with many people, save time, identify those who have earned your one on one time. Allow coaches to learn form one another

o      Receive structured guidance

o      Share what is/isn’t working for you

o      Coaches can see and feel that they are not alone.

-       Skype/inperson: makes it more real, allows you to read body language.

-       Email: Allows you to get a higher volume of information to your team at the same time- do not overuse this or your emails will be ignored!

-       Text: A quick and easy way to communicate with your down line.

o      Determine your “hours of operation” – otherwise you will always be on your phone!

o      Remember that you set the tone of your texting relationship.

o      Text is best for giving encouragement, support, and “quick issues”

-       Phone calls: Great to connect with your coaches!

o      Set, communicate, and stick to a timeline with calls

o      Agree on the purpose of the call

o      Listen during the call to WHAT you coach is saying

o      End each call with a call to action or assignment

-       What did we discuss

-       Action plan

-       Schedule a follow up

Follow the Pareto Principle when it comes to one on one mentorship.

-       20% of the people in your organization will be responsible for 80% of the results

-       Choose which people to spend most of your time with based on this.

-       You don’t give time to people that ask for it, you give it to the people who earn it. - Jim Rohn

No matter which form of communication you shoes to work with, be clear with your boundaries and don’t hold hands! This is THEIR business, THEY can choose to succeed or not. YOU can HELP them succeed, but THEY have to make that choice first.  Tell you coaches, “If you run, I will run, If you walk I will walk.”