Why I Quit Team Beachbody After Less Than A Month
A few days ago, I received an email from a reader asking why I quit Team Beachbody after less than a month of being a coach. Is Beachbody a pyramid scheme? Find out why I decided to stop coaching after just a few short weeks of Beachbody brainwashing. Onto the BB post!
If you have ever wondered why so many Beachbody coaches are quitting, if coaching is a joke, or why Beachbody coaches are annoying, this post is for YOU.
Hint: Beachbody brainwashing is a real thing.
I have been meaning to write this post for a long time, so when someone emailed me after reading some of my old posts about Team Beachbody, I knew I needed to.
As some of my readers know, my feelings for Beachbody as a whole started out pretty negative. I have been a fitness blogger for over two years and personal trainer for almost two years, so I have some biased opinions about fitness.
Whatever.
I’d done some research about Team Beachbody a few years ago, and pretty much everything I gathered was negative, so of course the thought of Beachbody coaching was off-putting.
Then, when I joined Instagram, I had a million-and-one coaches reach out to me feigning friendship.
They’d say some nice things to me and strike up a conversation, only to ask me to buy something from them a few weeks later.
You know how it goes with Beachbody Brainwashing, right?
I even wrote this post about all of the reasons I thought I’d never join Team Beachbody. It was a wildly successful post and literally thousands of women came over from my Pinterest account to check it out.
It was a pretty harsh post and a lot of people agreed with it. However, I have to say it was more of a “personal opinion” post than a, “personal experience” post.
But about a year after I wrote that post, curiosity killed the cat.
I was going nowhere with my biz and my fitness journey was basically at a stand-still. I’d continue to have people reach out to me telling me how, “good I’d be” at coaching and that it was such a good opportunity.
So I continued my research and eventually said, “Why not?”
I honestly think I was just desperate and fell prey to all of the promises of Beachbody income. I knew that most coaches never really ended up making a lot of money, since Team Beachbody publicly posts earnings.
But I thought that since I already had the blog platform and an audience of over 20,000 followers/subscribers across all channels, I might have a chance to make decent money. Maybe Beachbody reviews could help.
You can probably guess whether or not I did!
Anyway, after I joined Team Beachbody I wrote a series of blog posts about my experiences (during my coaching time) and they have seen a LOT of traffic.
As it turns out, people everywhere want to know all about Beachbody brainwashing.
I’ve decided not to delete them since they seem to be helping people, and I still stand by a lot of what I said.
In particular, a ton of other coaches wanted to know how to use blogging and Pinterest to build a Beachbody biz, so check that out if you’re currently a coach.
Anyhoo, whether you’re deciding whether or not to become a coach or you’re deciding whether or not to continue being a coach, I hope you remember that this is just one person’s experience.
Okay. Let’s talk about my reasons for quitting Team Beachbody after coaching for just about three weeks.
Why I Quit Team Beachbody After Less Than A Month
I want to give you some context so that you understand just how much I put into this. The reasons so many coaches are leaving Beachbody might be different than mind.
Anyway, I got started with Team Beachbody just after Thanksgiving (2018) and was “done” right before Christmas.
I’d hoped that the timing would help me build quickly, since people were doing Christmas gifts and New Year’s Resolutions.
That didn’t end up being the case, so don’t assume that you can make money quickly!
Tons Of Hours Put In, Nothing Paid Off
As soon as I started with Team Beachbody I jumped into training, writing, and looking for leads. I was seriously Beachbody brainwashed.
I took what was supposed to be a 30-day training in less than a week. I delved into webinars and podcasts, blog posts and spreadsheets.
I spent probably a few hours every day working on making connections and developing resources. I wrote blog posts that I’d hope would bring me leads (they did) and I followed tons of women on Instagram.
I invited a million and one people to my challenge groups, and even had about 40 express interest and a few joined.
The point is that I spent a LOT of time working on the biz.
And guess what?
Three weeks and tons of hours later, I had not one sale. (My blogging income is better!)
This would have been “normal” for MOST people, but this was especially discouraging to someone like me who had an existing following. (Hmm, maybe this why even top coaches are leaving Beachbody.)
I have 1200 email subscribers, 13,000 Pinterest followers, 2700 Instagram followers, some Facebook likes, and 6,000 Twitter followers.
And even though I’d spent time trying to market to ALL of these people, NOT ONE TOOK THE BAIT.
Turns out, people really do hate Beachbody coaches as much as you think.
Why are Beachbody coaches so annoying? Because they have to work SUPER hard to see any money.
(It’s hard in a sea of coaches, so if you’re looking for a self-made way to make money, I would consider setting yourself apart by starting your own blog.)
Honestly, I know that Beachbody is supposed to be a long-term business. But I just think about all of the time I could have spent on my existing business. What could I create and what success could I see if I’d put that same amount of time and energy into X?
Hundreds Of Dollars Spent, None Made
I went all in with a challenge pack, so right off the bat I think I spent $180 plus some more for the sample pack of Shakeology. Then I ordered chocolate Shakeology, which was almost $100.
Then I also got sucked into spending money on the Transform:20 launch, which was a huge mistake and total waste of my time. All-in-all, I basically did exactly what coaches want you to do. I gave the coaches above me a commission. Yey me.
Oh, and in case you didn’t know, in order to stay active as a coach, you have to spend about $90 per month in product. I hope it’s worth it. It wasn’t for me.
I couldn’t go through product fast enough to justify the monthly expense.
Chasing Beachbody Coach Income Took Away From Other Things
I have bigger dreams and goals than Beachbody. Sorry, but I’m a dreamer. I’d hate for my “dreams” of owning my own business to really be someone else’s dream that I’m helping to build.
That’s what Team Beachbody was for me. It was never truly mine. It wasn’t something that I felt 100% sure about selling.
It took away from the fact that I’d worked so hard to get certified as a personal trainer. That new core workout program I’d created? Totally took away from it.
It also took away from everything I’d learned on my own as a blogger. It just made me lose my focus on things I’d always wanted.
I was simply tempted by the promises made!
If you are someone who wants to sell someone ELSE’s dream as your career, go for it. I just felt like I was selling myself short.
I Couldn’t Sell Things I Don’t Believe In
Hmm, where do I start on this one.
First of all, can we just be honest? Shakeology is nasty. People say that you’re supposed to make it in a recipe with other ingredients, but no.
I can’t have bananas and avocados, which were the only healthy foods that could potentially take away the chalkiness that is Shakeology.
Also, when you add a bunch of other ingredients, you also add MONEY and CALORIES.
When you’re trying to sell Shakeology, you’re already pissing people off. Don’t lie to them and say it’s cheap or it’s good – ’cause it’s nasty.
It’s only cheap if you mix it with water/ice and don’t plan on eating anything else with your meal. And it’s only “good” if you like chalk.
Another thing – I am not a fan of Transform:20. So I had a VERY hard time selling it.
First of all, I like weights. (Click for my beginner upper body workout.) I think you need to lift at least 2x per week to really change your body composition.
Plus, twenty minutes is only enough time to burn calories – not obliterate fat. It’s science.
Now I’m seeing Team Beachbody coaches and participants admit that they haven’t had results from the program and I’m glad I trusted my gut on this one. (I’m now simply blogging and selling my own products / sharing my journey!)
HOWEVER.
Beachbody programs DO help a lot of people. They are a GREAT fit for a lot of people.
Their programs are mostly legit as far as the actual workouts. But I’m really talking about the business here – it wasn’t a good fit for me. You can still do Beachbody on Demand and see health benefits.
I’m Not Typically A Home Workout Person
The gym is where I discovered that I wanted to be a personal trainer. The gym is where I combat my history with depression. The gym is where I take a break from my kids. The gym is where I smile and chat with other moms.
Take that all away, and you have a slow-spiral down back into depression.
Plus, I am that person that performs 100x better at the gym. When I’m at home I am distracted, unmotivated, and lazy. It’s just a mental thing. (Oh and my kids annoy me when I’m trying to workout.)
I knew all of these things about myself but I thought I could change those things. Nope.
Stick to what works and be self-aware. If something feels wrong, it probably won’t turn out right.
There Were Some Things I Enjoyed About Coaching
All-in-all, I hope that you understand that this was mostly personal.
I felt a little boxed in and hated the business model. I also hated that it didn’t fit that well with my goals as a personal trainer.
Also, I felt that it kept me from getting out of the house and going to the gym.
However, Team Beachbody wasn’t all terrible. There were some fun parts.
I really did enjoy the “team” atmosphere, even though I felt that my “upline” was lacking in some areas. I also realllly enjoyed the personal development stuff.
There were always business and personal development articles, webinars, group chats, etc! I’d love to watch some of those videos while walking on the treadmill.
Related Reading: Side Hustles For Moms | 5 Things I Actually Do
They motivated me in all areas of life. But I think that it’s easy to find personal development books/podcasts/videos.
So really, this is something I can do on my own.
Alright, did I cover everything? Did I answer all of your burning questions about why I quit Team Beachbody so soon?
Tell me about your experience with Beachbody brainwashing below!
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Happy Sunday Chantal! I can say I really appreciate you coming forward and being so honest. I will admit I was taken back a bit when you joined it but everything deserves a try once or twice to see if it’s really worth investing in especially when it comes to health and fitness. It glad you came to the conclusion you did because I feel the same way about Beachbody. And like a lot of what we talk about again everything you said that means the world to you and what works best for you and drives you is the same with me as well. I have been trying to work out at home without any of the gym or classes I am madly dedicated to but guess what?! No result! Like you when I’m at home I get zero results from working out at home versus away at the gym or with people. There’s a HUGE UNDENIABLE benefit to going to the actual gym. Any of them. The people you build a relationship with, the comradely that engulfs and makes every positive endorphin rum through your body. The smiles, the group effort to achieve something bigger than yourself and to do it along others like you. When I’m home my kids are my whole world nothing less and they suck you in to the madness of me me me! And everything your trying to achieve falls to the waist side. My motivation isn’t enough alone, I can’t wait to commit and get back to the gym 3 times a week and get it all back on track. Maybe it’s just people like me and you maybe were weirdos but I agree with you entirely. One day we will be successful and full full what we truly can and deserve to be. Just know again that your blogs help tremendously. Especially when you know your capable of being a better self and are not giving up but at times making no outward changes. Keep going and being yourself no matter what your mind tries to lie to you about and don’t let if defeat you. Xoxo-Aimee
Aw, thanks Aimee!
Yes, I truly believe in the gym! There are statistics out there that say that people who workout with others are more likely to stick to it. And yes, working out with kids is a DRAG! At least the younger ones! Haha, I don’t think it’s weird, I just don’t like lying to myself! I’ve done a lot of trial-and-error here and you just have to stick to what you know works. As always, thanks for stopping by and leaving some love. I appreciate it!
Well this sounds EXACTLY what I felt when I joined Beachbody, which was now almost 6-7 years ago! ? it’s crazy because back then there was no Instagram yet and I was not comfortable with adding randoms on Facebook to recruit. I too was “sucked in” by the hype of my group. I joined to receive discounts on the programs and Shakeology and after about 3 or 4 months of being a “coach” I had lost all interest in the Beachbody community it turned me off entirely! I’m currently still going after my fitness goals and pursing personal training/nutrition ? thanks for this post!
Well I am glad to hear that I am not alone on this! Glad you are still going after it in your own way. 🙂
I too am a former Beachbody coach, and my blog post how why I quit is my most popular post to date. I initially joined to get a discount on Shakeology and never even thought I’d workout at home. Fast forward to when I decided to quit (I made it a year), I no longer liked Shakeology, I was tired of HAVING to spend money each month to remain active, and I had invested an entire year with no coaches under me and no repeat customers. Everyone who had bought from me were friends and family. I did manage to sign on a BOD customer, another twin mom, who embraced the workouts and saw excellent results, so that was satisfying I helped at least one person. I still enjoy the workouts and the performance supplements, but I won’t do Shakeology again, and the cost to remain a coach even for the discount wasn’t worth it. Not to mention the time invested to “working the biz”. I have other responsibilities that take precedence.
Yes, it was just all “too much” for me. I’d rather work my own blog and do my own workouts, personally! So interesting to hear that others have had similar experiences.
I love the honesty in this post. I’m not a coach, but I have been approached by a few online who have tried to recruit me. It wasn’t aligned with my ideas for my future are, so I always politely decline. I’m a member of another supplement/mlm, but realistically, I know it’s a ton of work to see even a little success. It makes me feel better to see I’m not the only one struggling.
Definitely! You have to have a crazy amount of time and patience to be successful with these things. Thanks for stopping by and taking the time to comment! 🙂
I was excited to become a beachbody coach on the 1st of April this year. I’ve been in it for a month now and I’m ready to throw in the towl…I haven’t made any sells and once someone finds out how much the challenge packs are the stop responding. For me my goal is to help others on their journey while I’m on my health and fitness journey that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do. My husband doesn’t want me to quit coaching because of my goals and dreams of helping others on their journey.
Yep, I feel you there! There are so many other ways to help others, though! Just sharing your journey can inspire others, so I hope you find a way to do that. 🙂
Hi Chantel! This is such an interesting post thank you for sharing your experience. I’ve been using BOD since the fall and coaching since January on a super part time basis (I work full time as well and blog). I haven’t made any sales yet either which is totally disappointing but I’m loving the online workouts- personally they save me. I don’t have time to go to the gym with my hectic schedule so having the subscription has made it possible for me to add exercise to my day. Thanks again for your honesty and this great post.
Hi Nicole! If it works for you then I say go for it. Wishing you the best on the journey!
Hi, Chantal! I appreciate the thorough post and sincere opinions about your experiences with Beachbody. I’m researching a lot of different opportunities for myself (and others) and any further insight you have into these questions would be really really helpful! Thank you in advance for your thoughts and time!
1) You said you enjoyed the personal development stuff with BB coaching and could continue it on your own. I have trouble getting motivated to be consistent with personal development stuff on my own. I am wondering how you have continued maintaining the personal development aspect consistently on your own since quitting? What is your strategy for this/where do you look for content to study?
2) You mentioned you had bigger dreams and goals than BB? Do you share those on your site? And I’m wondering if you think BB coaches could do BB and other dreams at the same time?
3) Why do you think people honestly hate BB coaches so much and how can BB and their coaches change that perception?
4) Why do you think you didn’t make any sales? I know this can be a hard question to answer because you don’t know what your audience was thinking, but I’m curious about what you think? Do you think it was actually your audience, or the fact that you weren’t 100% sold on BB itself, or something else?
Thank you so much!!
Hi Gloria! Thanks for commenting! I’ll do my best to answer.
1) I really enjoy listening to podcasts. I love listening to other women in business – think Rachel Hollis, Natalie Hodson, etc. I usually just find more podcasts by recommendation. I don’t have any real strategy, I just listen when I feel like I’m in a slump.
2) My whole site is about goals and dreams of making money online as a personal trainer/writer, and personal fitness goals. I’m a big believer in blogging as a full-time gig. That’s my ultimate goal. BB felt like a distraction from that. You could however, use them for both. (I would check out my post about how to use Pinterest for BB.)
3) There are just too many coaches. Furthermore, there are too many who are desperate, looking for a quick dollar, and not genuinely caring about the people they are signing up. I saw this firsthand over and over again. I think that in general, the MLM model is detrimental. People aren’t really focused on sales as much as they are building teams under themselves to increase their personal gains, so you are basically just using people. It builds distrust. I think that there are some people who have been genuinely transformed in the way of health, but most people just have this fantasy of building wealth quickly. I just think that the MLM system is never going to be something that people feel good about – it’s just built in a way that doesn’t foster consumer trust.
4) It’s hard to sell something that a) is highly saturated as it is. Beachbody isn’t new and coaches are everywhere. The existing reputation makes it hard for new coaches to make sales. And b) it is hard to sell something that you don’t believe in. People can see it. I felt like I got ripped off, and I was pretty open about it on my blog and in my emails to subscribers. They knew it was just something I was just trying. My existing audience simply wasn’t that interested and I didn’t want to be gross like other BB coaches and push it hard on them. That’s just not the way I want to do business. So I guess, a little bit of both.
I hope that helps!
BB coaches are taught WRONG. They are taught to literally spam people..Invite them to a challenge group..Hopefully they get results then get them to build a business. It’s ridiculous. They all do the same thing..
MLM is an industry when done correctly is not detrimental .
MLM is a 180 billion dollar a year industry..it pays out over 7 billion a month, and over 250k a day…
I bring in small business owners that understand the concept of business, and building a cash flow asset that compounds over time, with no trucks, rent, employees, shipping, etc. Most small business owners..their business owns them..they don’t own their business..
Example: ask a traditional small business owner if he/she can take 90 days off.. The answer is no.
I enroll people that have an intent on building a business.. I don’t enroll discount people, or people that don’t bring harmony to my team.
BB coaches rely on at least now.. on the weak and uneducated person when it comes to running a business and of the mlm industry. It’s almost like a bait and switch.
Coaches just enroll anyone so they can hit a rank for recognition.
BB market is saturated in many markets..and its become cheesy… The name Beachbody? Really?
It’s run its course.
Hi Chantal. Great blog and very truthful… I quit on July 15th 2018… I was a 10 star diamond,4X elite, and in the million club. I was there almost 7 years to the day. I walked away from multiple 6 figures and it was the best decision for our family.
My wife and I were full time coaches(she was a 2 star) and diamond in her second, I was 1 star in my 2nd) and due to lots of changes network wide coaches incomes were dropping.. NOT the coaches who had large teams 10,000 coaches or more with capped volume… We had a downline of 6,000.. we were almost big enough to sustain another year or two. We had a ton of fun until summit 2016, thats when it all changed.. BOD was introduced as well as 17 products removed.
It is mathematically impossible to earn the money, esp in the timeframe some did before 2016.
Me personally i loved vegan shakeology, but honestly got the best results doing P90x before i was a coach NOT using shakeology.
I was also brought into the business from a business standpoint.. There were no challenge packs, or challenge groups…And Carl was promoting Phase 2 of the network, get in, and secure your position and build an empire… He now promotes BB as a part time community of fun.
I was also number 2 in the network to launch the UK in 2017…enrolled 145 coaches and 17 new emeralds in 7 days.. all to have by Jan 1st 2018 all volume disappear..
BB is not a Real MLM…and doesn’t pay out even close to how a real one does. Like you said.. lots of work for little return.. BB is basically a affiliate program.. Success club…is focused on retail.. BB wants you to just retail products.. That is why the entire rank system has NOTHING to do with volume or your income. I had a 13 star 5x elite on my team.. making less than a 3 star diamond.. LOL
There are no systems in place and 90% of that network are new to mlm. Running challenge groups is ridiculous and a waste of time “helping people for free”
The groups worked for about 3 years… That is NOT how you build a legacy.. Pick up ANY book about MLM.. free groups are not in any of them.
Leadership level…The worst thing for me in TBB… hitting 5 star and getting added to the “wall” a corporate page with 5 stars and above… It is more toxic than a waste dump.. It got so bad in 2017… they had to shut it down and create a new one called the “roundtable. Then the coaches created the “wall behind the wall” so they could complain without corp seeing it.. I have so many stories….it’s insane
I’m still in the industry and doing very well..when done correctly mlm can be amazing. If you are wanting to build a residual legacy.. don’t count out this industry… Just do your homework.
I wish you all the best in whatever it is you do.
Thank you for sharing. I continue to hear from coaches who have had similar experiences at all levels. Glad you are doing well despite it all!
Really great post!
I tried coaching back in 2017 and it was a total flop. I agree with you on so much time invested but very little reward. Them trying to sell you on the business it’s great till you actually invest then you realize just how difficult it is. I honestly don’t even know how some of the coaches are successful. Felt as if the only way you were a successful coach is if you started working the BB business back when it first came around.
I personally love shakeology but I do mix it with other things. I don’t commit to one product company for supplements. Shakeology is great but the price is a turn off for so many people and I see it all the time. Their energize isn’t too bad but I am thinking of giving another company a shot.Not big into preworkout drinks. I find with how disciplined I am there hasnt been a need to give myself a kick.
Beachbody on Demand has been a great investment for me. I did the gym life back before kids and it’s impossible to even think about returning(mom of 4 here). Some of the membership prices are really horrifying but I have been so interested in creating my own workouts and sharing what I have learned over the years I have started blogging.
I really, truly did enjoy reading this. Glad when I was on tailwind I stumbled upon this and decided to read it. Very relateable.
Hey Nichole! I am glad you shared your experience! I too have BOD for “backup” workouts but it’s super rare that I use them. I am just starting to create my own workout programs for sale on my blog, so if that’s something you can do, I think it’s worth the time. I find that with digital products, you are at a huge advantage because you don’t have to keep inventory and you can make endless sales. Good luck and thank you for stopping by!!
I live in Canada and wanted to be a coach for so long so once it came here I joined and within a week I was turned off. I do love their programs though, not most of their new stuff though. Turbo Jam is what got me going and I’ve always had good results with the programs I do enjoy. Currently I love Max 30. Tried Transform 20 but definitely wasn’t feeling it. Now there’s a new program coming out called Muscle Burns Fat which sounds like Chalean extreme which was all about muscle burns fat.
Hi Megan! Yeah, I do believe that many of their programs can work for many people…I just couldn’t handle the pressure to sell and do what I want!
Hiya,
Thank you so much for sharing your story.
I have been a BOD customer for many many years, and absolutely love the programmes! Im a busy Nurse and so being able to work out i n my pyjamas at all hours is great! I also became an Insanity instructor many years ago, which was great! So when I met a BB coach at an event and she got me hyped about the UK coach launch I thought it was awesome!
I became a coach, drank Shakeology and bought challenge packs when they 1st came out because I could! But I didnt have the heart to sell Shakeology to anyone else, the price is ridiculous! I didnt feel comfortable selling the workout programmes to people because they were other peoples hard work and I had no qualification (apart from Insanity) whatsoever to be their guide through their health and fitness journey, other than paying a fee each month!
My coach who Im trying to remove from my account who was once an awesome person has proven that she was actually just nice to me because I was making her money!!
She has recently reached out to see if I wanted in on the running programme, as I do quite a lot of running, and when I asked how much the cheapest was (times are tough, COVID) she told me £140! I knew full well it was only £40 but I wanted to see what she said!
Good luck to all of them but sadly it has turned some really friendly people into money grabbing nasties!
Hi Kerry, thanks for sharing. Yep, I think that coaches walk a fine line between “Friend” and “all about the money.” Lol. Thank you for stopping by and sharing!