If I had a dollar for every person who has tweeted me or stopped and asked me what I am doing with all of my free time now that I am retired, I’d have – well – not enough to stop all my post-football playing activities, but I’d have enough to buy dinner here and there!
I stepped away from the rigors and physical demands of the game I love so that I would be a healthy, vibrant dad to my kids – five of them 12 or younger. I wanted to be able to play hoops with my buddies at the local Y to get my competitive fix, but also be able to have the time, energy and wherewithal to keep up with the kids.
While I have that, one thing I don’t have any more of – really – is time. Not that I’m complaining. I have so many great opportunities and I have loved them all.
One that really has helped me though, to get the most out of my time, is the opportunity to partner with Nutrilite exclusively from Amway. I’m barely 40 and feel like I can still suit up on Sunday’s and that is thanks in part to Nutrilite. In April I took a trip to the Nutrilite Center for Optimal Health and that fired me up even more about the partnership. I’ve seen first hand the people and the processes that go into making Nutrilite the best of the best. And now they are helping me achieve optimal, post-football health day in and day out.
While I lost a fair amount of weight and muscle mass from my playing days, the Nutrilite Sports Nutrition Protein Shakes (vanilla is my favorite) I drink each day have helped me define my retired shape. And instead of turning to soda when I’m craving a sweet, tasty treat, I find myself reaching for Nutrilite Antioxidant Juices or the new Fruits & Vegetables 2GO Twist Tube. The energy bars are a great pick me up before hoops and of course, I love my Double X. My sleeper or favorite that few people may know about? No pun intended, it has to be Nutrilite Valerian and Hops.
There is rarely a day that goes by where my family isn’t going this way or that, whether I’m in LA for studio work, or we’re out helping others realize their hopes and dreams through First Things First, or we’re just busy being like every other family with kids in things from plays to dance to sports and so on. Life is busy and we are blessed. And one of those blessings is my partnership with Nutrilite. To see first hand what I think of all the great products Nutrilite and Amway have to offer, go here…
Back on the road again, but let me tell you, these Kurt Warner road trips are the best part of my job. It’s tough to live out of a suitcase one-third of the year to date, but for the fifth straight month in the first five months of our partnership with our two-time Pro Football MVP and World Champion, I’m writing you from a Kurt appearance. Where are we today? The Nutrilite Center for Optimal Health in Buena Park, CA.
Kurt Warner Day at Nutrilite COH
One of the amazing things about Kurt is how he – and his entire family – has deep dived straight into our partnership. You hear marketers talk about people living the brand, being the brand… well with Kurt that is an absolute fact. He has deeply embraced Nutrilite and Amway, the products, brands and relationships and it has IBOs and employees alike thrilled. Rightfully so. He was tailor made for our company.
So, why is he here today? One thing we really like to do with our Nutrilite partners is to bring them out here to our beautiful COH facility in sunny Southern California. So Mark Nelson – Director of Health Marketing for North America, Anna Bryce – Public Relations Specialist for Amway North America, and I flew to Phoenix to pick up Kurt, his wife Brenda and their oldest daughter Jesse for a day with Dr. Sam Rehnborg, Sean Foy, Diane Paetz, Dr. Kip Johnson, Micheline Vargas, Bob Tully and the entire Nutrilite team (apologies to anyone I didn’t name by name).
Dr. Sam, Diane and Sean talk with Kurt and Jesse at breakfast.
Our day started with the wonderful, in-depth Nutrilite health assessments. An extensive blood panel, health history questionnaire, carotid artery ultrasound, genetic testing and blood pressure check. After a refreshing, healthy breakfast, it was off for the fitness assessment portion. Grip strength, cardio test (and recovery heart rate check), core strength, measurements, bone density scan, body fat analysis – all very eye opening for world traveling brand managers like me who don’t always take enough time for optimal health first! And each of the Warner’s really learned a lot as well.
From there it was on to the educational part of the day. What struck me as Kurt, Brenda and Jesse watched the “The Perfect Balance” video was how amazed they were at the work we are doing with third world countries and the way we work every day to help people live better lives. I know they knew that already – it is one of the reasons Kurt was so excited to partner with us – but it really seemed to hit home and that was conveyed in Kurt’s speech to employees later. It wasn’t just about how our products help others, but our practices, how we build communities around our farms – to borrow a football term – the whole nine yards.
Bob Tully gave his usual fantastic tour of the facilities and what always strikes me - especially this time as I watched Kurt and crew take it all in – is how impressive we really are. Our strict controls, the process from seed to supplement (a favorite of mine is when Bob makes some tablets that quickly and simply defines the manufacturing process), the many hands that work in concert to create world-class products… it is amazing. And for Kurt it was a great view of the behind the scenes work it takes to create the products he loves. The best part of this portion was closing with personalized Double X cases for Kurt, Brenda and Jesse.
Kurt listens to Bob Tully talk about how Nutrilite goes from seed to supplement.
From the tour, it was off to lunch with the executive staff. Each member of the staff took the time to introduce him/herself to the Warner’s. Every one of them claimed to have “the best job” in the world! I love it. And it’s true. That is what working here feels like. I watched the Warner’s as each person gave their intro and saw how everyone was leaving a lasting, favorable impression for them. However, the best part wasn’t hearing my peers joke about not having to live in Michigan, or speak about how much regard they hold our company in, rather it was hearing Kurt, Brenda and Jesse introduce themselves.
Now, I’ve been around them a lot in five months. And I’ve had the privilege of getting to know them personally. But every time they speak, they add another golden nugget, a reminder of how tailor made our partnership truly is. Kurt talked about how impressed he is with the company and thanked us for treating him better than any partner ever has. Brenda shared some of her amazing story and talked about her autobiography, which comes out in September. Jesse impressed with what she is doing and her hopes and dreams. And they related it all back to including in their lives only the best partners. You can be very proud that we are one of the few.
That introduction exercise was the perfect pre-cursor to my favorite part of the day – the speech to the Nutrilite staff. Jim Siewertsen kicked it off and got the crowd pumped with a quick sales announcement. He introduced Mark Nelson, who spoke about how we sought out a partnership and how Kurt always rose to the top, despite reviewing one hundred or so candidates. I even got in on the parade, getting the true honor to introduce Kurt, Brenda and Jesse. And I say that whole-heartedly. It is an absolute privilege for me to manage this partnership.
Kurt answers questions after a rousing "Game Changer" speech.
Of course, the main event was the best. Kurt gave a stirring speech, talking about how he, Brenda, and their family set out to touch lives. He talked about people on his teams, their kids, and our company being “Game Changers.” That we are the people he wants to be associated with because we are not about ourselves but the betterment of others… the team so to speak that changes the game. Wow! He never ceases to amaze me with his keen sense for tying together an experience and relating it to his audience. Speaking of which, the fun came when we went open mic. Several people asked questions of Kurt and Brenda, funny, serious and in between. To see the engagement and pride of the employees was really rewarding. To close it out, Dr. Sam said some very nice words about the relationship and presented the Warner’s with his book – “The Nutrilite Story.”
Our day wrapped up with some personalized conversation between the Warner’s and some of Nutrilite’s brightest experts – Micheline Vargas and Dr. Kip Johnson. It was a chance to learn more specifics about the power of supplementing a healthy, food first diet and for each of the Warner’s to ask questions that pertained to their daily nutrition. I know I’m excited too for the Warner’s to get all of their results and have their personal consultations in a few weeks. Me? I’m a bit afraid I’m going to be scolded for not being optimal enough!
After picking out some gifts from the great COH Gift Shop, we flew the Warner’s back to Phoenix and landed safely back here in GR ourselves. Left with more great reports of how perfect this partnership is and knowing that we are even more than Kurt expected from a partner.
Kurt and Brenda listen to Nutrilite executive staff introductions.
In the coming weeks, be sure to check the You Tube Amway channel as well as the Resource Center on Amway.com for numerous Kurt videos. He talks about the partnership, the Nutrilite brand, our products and One by One. In addition, don’t miss the new posters, football cards and authentic Nutrilite Kurt Warner jerseys that we have for sale. Proceeds on the jerseys go to support The Warner’s First Things First Foundation.
That’s it for now. A special thanks to the entire Nutrilite team for a great experience for our amazing Brand Ambassafor. Until next time…
Well, it has been a little more than three weeks now and in that time, each of our new blogger friends has gotten the results back from their COH experience. Not all of them have shared but a few have, and I find it interesting to see what the overall sentiment is among these people.
Each of our bloggers has a different perspective. Some were weight war warriors, a few into sports and others into health in general. That's what was so great about the event. Nutrilite can reach and appeal to myriad people…
Sarah, our one and only "Pharmie" has the most recent post, and it offers great insight from a pharmacist and endurance athlete's point of view.
Remember, we paid for each of these folks to come out to visit Nutrilite and learn more. They are not required to say anything nice, or anything at all. But by now, most all have chosen to and what they are saying really helps us to understand how to best connect with our average, target customer.
Keep checking back as we expect each will probably continue to share thoughts on their experiences, results and life changes…
Last weekend, I got a chance to meet eight bloggers with a keen interest in health. They came from all walks of life. Some seeking to lose weight. Some seeking to take the next step from weight loss to optimal health. Some who are crazy enough to run 50 kilometers at a time or do full Ironman Triathlons!
Each had interesting, unique stories and perspectives on their quest to be as healthy and fit as possible. There were varying degrees of difficulty for each in "walking the walk" but the commitment of each and every one of the participants is something to be commended.
That's the first, and often times, hardest step.
It's only been a few days since we all returned from that trip to COH but some of my new friends are talking a lot about their experiences. Check out what they have to say and look at the rest of their content. You might just find your next inspiration to take something in your quest for optimal health to the next level…
Steve Stenzel gives his account of the experience. Fat Man Unleashed gives a quick recap with promise of more, including video, soon. John is Fit talks about A Focus on Health & Fitness Mark blogs about Optimal Health vs. Quick Weight Loss Pasta Queen writes about her take on the weekend
I'm back from a whirlwind weekend tour of southern California and a great blogger outreach event at Nutrilite's COH. It feels like 6:40am on my body, but that's what happens when you traverse three time zones out and back in a span of about 60 hours!
For those who checked in on my two posts while at the event, you'll see that we had a rather full slate. But all in all, I think it was a grand success. The bloggers who attended were very genuine, great people. They all had unique stories but are striving for one goal – Optimal Health. I appreciate that they were all open to this unique experience and think that it really opened eyes or in some cases – reaffirmed – what each is reaching for.
I know one of my big takeaways is that I want to read what each of them has to say on a regular basis. Not just the stuff about us, but about their trials and tribulations, successes and failures. The blogging community is a great way to reach out and touch people by cutting through the clutter. I appreciate each and every one of our attendees for taking the time to come to Nutrilite, ask great questions and soak it all in. And I wish them all well in their journeys.
The bloggers are getting a full education on how to optimize their health from Nutrilite's team of experts. Bob Tully's "Perfect Balance" presentation was followed by a very enlightening discussion on Optimal Health, led by Dr. Duke Johnson. Dr. Duke's book – The Optimal Health Revolution- was the centerpiece for his presentation and elicited great questions from the bloggers.
My favorite part – of course, I'm a little biased as the Sports Nutrition guy – was the 25 minute fitness chat given by Diane Paetz, followed by the overview of Nutrilite Sports Nutrition presented by Micheline Vargas. We may not have the awareness of EAS or GNC, but I would put our Sports Nutrition products up against any one of our competitors. We're that good.
I'm guessing the most entertaining part of the day for our guests has been the Q&A sessions with Jenn Stuczynski and Tom O'Rourke. Both have amazing stories. Just learning how they got into their sports is enough to drive questions galore, but they have so many fascinating stories. I'll have to ask both to share more here very soon.
Wondering who these bloggers are? Check them out in their on-line homes:
Jennette – Pasta Queen: a blog about her personal quest to lose weight. Mark – My Fitness Hut: a blog by a former NCAA Division 1 athlete about fitness. Veronica – Roni's Weigh: a blog by a mom and wife on a quest for Optimal Health. Evita – Evolving Wellness: a blog about a holistic approach to health and wellness. John – John is Fit: a blog about one man's journey from fat to fit. Israel – Fat Man Unleashed: a blog about weight loss with a community of support. Steve – I Wanna Get Physical: a blog about triathlons and other endurance sports. Sarah – RX Ironman: a blog about a Pharmacist and her love for endurance sports.
Next up is an overview of the results of the bloggers' fitness and blood test results, then off to the beach for a group run/walk.
I'm sitting here live at the Center for Optimal Health in Buena Park, California blogging about bloggers.
Yes, you read that right. I'm a blogger blogging about bloggers.
As a part of the Nutrilite Endurance Cube launch, we've invited a variety of health, fitness, sports nutrition, endurance sports participants and weight loss bloggers from around the United States and Canada to experience Nutrilite first hand. Sort of a Part II extension of the AC Milan blogger event from this past July.
At the moment, I am perched above the Center for Optimal Health Gardens, watching and listening to Bob Tully give a tour to our bloggers, as well as Jenn Stuczynski and Tom O'Rourke. The gardens are amazing. They bring to life the story of Nutrilite and the steps necessary to achieve optimal health.
Our bloggers went through personal health assessments first thing this morning, and after enjoying a healthy breakfast are touring the gardens. Also on tap are presentations by Bob Tully, Dr. Duke Johnson, Diane Paetz, Micheline Vargas, Jenn Stuczynski and Tom O'Rourke.
I'll be checking back in later today with an update on how things are going and where you can find these bloggers. Our goal is to introduce and educate with an eye on seeding the fantastic Nutrilite story with bloggers who can play an important role as key influencers with their regular followers.
