Why I Am a BODi Partner
Jul 05, 2024
I'm a BODi Partner because I believe in the products, business model, and mission of the company.
That's the short answer.
The longer answer is more complicated and, of course, there's a story to it.
I'll break it down in the sections as follows (if you don't want the story, just jump to a section):
Mission
Business Model
Products
So here's the story...
When I was in my twenties, I was physically lazy, partied like a rock star, and was too embarrassed to be seen at a gym as a scrawny and weak guy. Enter the home fitness craze. This was about the time P90X first came out and I remember borrowing someone's DVD's to give it a whirl. Ab Ripper X made me a believer.
Throughout medical school I would sporadically use the random videos I borrowed.
Then, I stumbled upon the business opportunity as a "Beachbody Coach" -- Beachbody (as BODi was previously known) was transitioning to a network marketing or multilevel marketing business model.
As someone about to graduate medical school, this seemed to be a good opportunity. First, I could spread the word about some very basic preventive care and health promotion stuff that didn't require clinical experience. Next, I could be paid for spreading the word, which would also motivate me to use the products and pay more attention to my own health (you know, be a product of the product, as they say). Lastly, with the multilevel marketing model, I could recruit others to join in the benefits and be rewarded financially for their efforts as well. It just made sense, so I signed up.
Then I blinked and I was done with residency. Then I got married and blinked and I have four kids, a beautiful and loving wife, as well as an awesome career as a physician and healthcare leader. After over a decade as a BODi Partner, I was never consistent with outwardly speaking about how important the building blocks of health are to me, how I struggle to stay consistent with them myself, and how BODi helps me constantly get better.
So now I'm going to do those things and try to be a better outward example of the healthy changes I'd like to see in my own patients.
Mission
The mission is simple: Help people achieve their goals and enjoy a healthy, fulfilling life.
From the beginning, it seemed Beachbody was focused on the right things: healthy nutrition, physical activity, and a supportive community... and there's nothing wrong with making a handsome profit promoting those things.
In March 2023, when CEO Carl Daikeler penned an open letter announcing a name change to BODi, along with advances in its approach to helping people, I welcomed the change. Although the name change itself is a bit complicated, the complete picture of the company's new approach to health promotion is very consistent with my professional and personal values.
The company branded this new approach as Health Esteem. According to his letter and the messaging, Health Esteem embraces fitness, nutrition, and mindset in a whole person approach to health. That sounds straight out of the playbook of osteopathic medicine -- wholistic care that embraces the body, mind, and spirit. As an osteopathic physician, I'm thrilled to see a health company take this approach.
Business Model
I want to help medical students and early career physicians get what they want in their personal and professional lives, because I believe this will have a compound effect to more substantially impact the health of the general population.
Similarly, the business model of Network Marketing or Multilevel Marketing companies adopt the same concept. Robert Kiyosaki has a great book on the topic, so I won't go into a lot of detail, but here's the gist.
The thought behind these companies is that when people are a product of the product, they are great advertisers and advocates for those products. Paying commissions to proud advocates of the products is a common sense way to encourage them to tell other people. Then, paying them smaller financial incentives for the successes of other partners they recruit to the company encourages them to bring in more partners to grow the business and spread the word.
In my mind, this isn't much different than insurance or real estate brokers earning commissions on their own sales, while also making a small cut on the sales of agents who work under them.
I believe this business model has the following key benefits for partners:
- Low cost of entry
- Low cost of exit if things don't work out
- Great hands-on education about business
- Great hands-on education about sales
For me, it comes down to a simple question: if I personally use the products, believe in the products, and talk about the products, why the heck wouldn't I welcome the opportunity to make some cash doing those things? Further, if I think this business model has many benefits for the people I want to help, why the heck wouldn't I want to share financially in their success as an incentive to continue to support them?
It's a no-brainer to me.
Products
To be clear, I'm not here to 'sell' any products as a BODi partner.
I'm going to give my opinion as an educated consumer about why I like the products I use and why I think they can help others.
There are a handful of products I use regularly and/or that help me get back on track when I fall off the wagon with my health. Sure, I buy shakes, bars, supplements and the like from time to time, but you won't see me talk about that stuff much. The following 2 products though are fairly universally beneficial, and I use them regularly (daily when I'm at my best!).
This is the tried and true platform that houses everything Health Esteem. It's a 'checks all the boxes' product encompassing 3 domains that are the staples for helping me be as healthy as I can be.
- Nutrition
- Fitness
- Mindset
This takes mindset and personal growth to a new level. Anyone who knows me or follows my work knows I constantly try to grow and improve as a person, and I try to pay those lessons forward. Brendan Burchard is one of the best in the business and I love how his growthday platform takes the guesswork out of personal development. The platform leverages 4 tools to keep you growing in a positive and healthy way.
- Life assessment and habit tracker
- Digital mindset journal
- Goal setting system
- Live and on-demand classes and coaching
Key Message
I don't view BODi as the end all be all for my health or my financial success, but it's an excellent foundation for my health and a pretty good synergistic side hustle for my financial plan.
Click here if you'd like to try BODi for free
Click here if you'd like to learn more about joining me as a BODi Partner
