Leadership Manipulation And The MLM Transition: Maren Crowley’s Perspective

Emotional Week for Beachbody (BODi) Coaches and Customers

This was a very emotional week for me as well as other Beachbody coaches and customers. I have been very open about the dismal future of Beachbody for a long time now. And last week, I went over the red flags that I saw and tried warning people about, whether it was the fact that we hadn’t come out with a new and innovative product in years and rested on our laurels with rebranding what we already had, name changes, all things.

Losing all the music from our cycle rides, which was the whole dang reason people wanted to ride with the trainers in the first place. Speaking of trainers, we had the same trainer for the last decade putting out some kind of program every year from a country line dancing program to now a hormonal health program and typically overshadowing the other trainers in our library.

Our annual summit went from 3 days down to 2 this year, and they couldn’t even fill the entire workout room, which they had to now use. Whereas when I first started coaching, there were about 30 to 40000 people in attendance.

There were red flags everywhere, and I tried warning everyone to prepare accordingly. In fact, one of my good friends who left the company earlier this year, she listened to me, sent me a text laughing that exactly a year ago, I sent a sinking ship GIF is it GIF or GIF? I never get that right.

The Extreme Pressure on BODi Partners

To our group chat. And what I’m about to say is probably going to trigger some people, but if you know me, I’ve always been trying to protect the working class of people. Not the ones in the mansions, but the ones with the boots on the ground.

There are people out there who are preying on your emotions right now, whether it’s your Star Diamond Upline or other network marketers who are saying how, quote, sorry they are. I’m even seeing former corporate mentors who are now working for other MLMs saying this.

And there have been several calls, I actually was on one of them, from the largest leaders in the network, aka the ones with the most to lose, where they’re talking about how they’re vetting the next move for the betterment of the team. You know? Like, wow.

And these uplines are encouraging their whole team to follow them, and they’re even saying things like, let’s stay intact with our proper downline and make sure you sign up in the right order.

Excuse me. Like, we’re really supposed to believe that you don’t have your family or your closest friends going above, like, the minions in the rest of your downline? Like, stop it. Who’s really that naive to believe that, honestly? Well, I can tell you that a lot of people are not falling for it.

My DMs have been flooded with angry and hurt people. Not only that, but the Reddit threads are on fire right now. I tend to not go on there. I just read what is sent to me. I do not go on Reddit.

I do not support that as once a victim of the Reddit trolls for being a tinfoil hat conspiracy theorist, all the things they wanted to call me, I’m like, listen. If that’s what you wanna deem me as within the Beachbody network, go for it, homie. I was right.

I’m just saying you all were wrong. I called it in 2020, but, alas, here we are. If you know you know, you know why I was on Reddit. And I am literally caught up right now in a Reddit sandwich between my Star Diamond upline and a Star Diamond Coach in my downline. And I wanna be clear, I do not align with any of this funny business, and I am distancing myself away from it as far as possible.

Manipulative and Dishonest Recruitment Practices of MLM Leaders

Emotional Manipulation

The most disappointing thing to see as a Christ follower is the exploitation of Jesus and his goodness from many of these leaders. They’re saying things like, quote, I’ve been praying on it, or God spoke to me about this opportunity.

Like my girl, Kayla Ybonna, stated in her stories this week, this is indicative of cult like behavior. Leaders are using excessive religious references as a way to incentivize people to follow them, and they’re doing it in defense to things that they can’t give logical reasoning to.

It’s basically a word salad, like our girl who fell out of the coconut tree. They’re using religion as a manipulation tactic, which is also used in cults because it is used as a way to get people to move collectively in a common interest direction and then explain why that needs to be done when there’s not actually sound logic behind it. It’s just because they saw a sign. God spoke to them.

You know what I’m saying? And they’re misusing religion for their own personal gain. And I asked my story followers this week if they noticed this or if it was just me. If if I was, like, being triggered by it because Jesus is my homeboy. Right?

And there was a resounding response of heck yes. They see it, and they were extremely disappointed by some of the people who are doing it, who they once viewed as leaders and respected, etcetera. They have completely turned against these people, and it’s given them such bad vibes.

Omission of Facts

Another tactic that these leaders are using is omission of facts, which to me is the same as a lie. Okay? For example, they’ll say that they’re not taking a bridge payment, aka a bonus, for going over to a new company, but they aren’t being explicit in talking about how the bonus structure of the new company benefits them for bringing over a large pool of affiliates.

The compensation plan for the basic affiliate is just that. It’s basic. Yeah. It’s solid for the point 0 1 percent of leaders, but think about those other 99.99%. You know, the ones who struggle to hit Diamond and even maintain it if they ever got it?

Diamond equated to 12 coaches or partners. When you bring over a ton of affiliates to these companies, one in particular, that’s gonna equate to a ton of volume, which then equals those $400,000 bonuses.

That is not something the average person will achieve, let alone in the beginning of starting a new business opportunity. So while it may not explicitly be a bonus, it is when you have downlines that are thousands and thousands of people deep that you were bringing over.

Dishonest Recruitment

Another weird tactic is that leaders are not saying which company they’re going to, and they’re doing this weird creepy thing where they’re getting people to comment to, quote, gain more info. Kudos to the ones who are open about where they’re going.

But side note, like, can we talk about how you’re not acknowledging the bridge payments for said company? I’m just saying, like, your friends are talking. They’re not naming names, but we all can connect the dots, and they’re talking in their private little communities. It’s literally every man for themselves out here.

Navigating MLM Transitions and Product Vetting in the Crunchy Mom Community

Now I personally know about one of the MLMs many of these leaders are speaking of because a dear friend of mine turned me onto it over 2 months ago simply because of the products. She and I and one of our other friends who are very much part of the crunchy mom community, we represent so many of the same brands, whether it’s LOOMAX, a02, herbal face food, Earthly. Like, you name it.

Like, the 3 of us, we’re all on top of it. And they knew that we would be in alignment with these products. And my girlfriend is the queen of vetting products. Like, she will not promote anything, put it on her website if it doesn’t check all her boxes.

In fact, she liked the ingredients with Beachbody, but she never would put them on her website because they never shared with her third party testing. Now here’s the thing. When she asks for 3rd party testing, she will even say, listen, I’ll sign an NDA, and it’s not like I’m gonna tell anyone, but I just need to know from my own conscious that I can put these on my website.

And my audience trusts me that don’t have to tell them explicitly, like, what is actually in your products because, you know, they’re all saying, oh, we can’t share because of research and development and competitors.

What do you do? Like, okay. She says, okay. Well, if you’re not gonna share with me, then I can’t vouch for you. And so with this company, both of my friends, because they were in months ago and told me about this over 2 months ago, They have tried the products, and like I said, I trust them implicitly. And so that’s why I signed up as an affiliate. I was like, okay. They say that this is good.

I know that we’re in alignment with what we all promote, so I will be a part of this. And I’m almost annoyed that all of this drama and, like, gross tactics that people are using is tainting what could be a great experience for all 3 of us, and I pray it doesn’t ruin it.

The Hidden Agenda Behind MLM Transitions

I have to be honest, this whole situation has really gotten under my skin. Let me break down why many coaches are being so secretive about their next moves.

First, there’s a lot of fear. Coaches are worried about losing what’s left of their businesses before the year ends. Our CEO made some last-minute changes to company policies right before announcing the network’s dissolution. Remember that strange email you might have received as a BODi partner? That was a major red flag, signaling trouble ahead.

As Beachbody coaches, we’re still getting paid our team cycle bonuses through the end of the year. It’s like a parting gift to get us through the holidays. But here’s the catch – people are walking on eggshells, afraid to say or do anything that might jeopardize that final check.

I’m just calling it like I see it. There’s also a big element of ego at play here. You know, the whole “comment here for more info” game? It’s all about maintaining that appearance of being in-the-know and important.

Informed Consent and Transparency in MLMs

And I finally think that part of them is worried about announcing what it is and actually having people do their own research before clicking their link. Like, I believe in informed consent, but a lot of people don’t. Right? You know? Because, yes, with this one particular MLM, when you click this link for their free founder sign up, you’re automatically tied to whomever’s link that is.

And I shared that on social media when I shared my link, but I know not everyone is saying that and sharing that information straight up. And I don’t think that’s right to the person, and I honestly think the whole industry is a house made out of cards.

It’s just a matter of time. But whatever time we do have left, like, could we at least do it with integrity? I don’t know. I don’t see people acting in that way.

And I’ve been asked by several people why I’m sharing this info that’s behind the curtain, if you will, but also supportive of the prospect of these products from this particular company being potentially groundbreaking and possibly using them myself when they debut.

So first of all, just know that you can like products, but not a business opportunity. You can also like a business opportunity, but not like some of the players involved and their tactics. That’s exactly what describes my experience with Beachbody quite frankly.

I loved the products. They changed my life, and I did stand by the business opportunity up until about 2 years ago. I never roped myself into the network and solely focused on my own team.

I didn’t even know who some of these people were when they got announced as, like, the top coach when I would go to the annual summit.

I’m like, who is that? I had no idea because I wasn’t involved with that. Like, I didn’t care about that. I was in it to help people and make some freaking money. I didn’t care about the flags, you know, Whit walking across the stage. I didn’t care about the lanyard down to my knees.

Like, that wasn’t paying my bills. I also wanted to help people in a way that I could put my head on the pillow at night soundly. There’s too much drama with all the other nonsense as we are clearly seeing this past week.

It’s literally content that could be a blockbuster Netflix docuseries at this point. Okay? Like, can we pitch it to someone? Seriously. I just think it’s really weird to see these people all of a sudden talk about their new home in the same week that they lost their entire income.

Like, how do people not see this? Is it cognitive dissonance? It has to be. Seriously. I mean, listen. I get it. You have to do what you have to do.

You have a lifestyle that you clearly wanna maintain. Who wouldn’t? Right? But could you at least be transparent about it, homie? I would respect these leaders so much more if they were. Hey. I lost a ton of money from all the hard work I put in for years years, and to be real with you, I don’t wanna start over.

Like, just say it. I think a lot more people will respect you too if you did that, and they’d actually be more apt to moving over with you. But from what I’m seeing and hearing, people aren’t convinced, and they are sniffing out the ick from all of this.

Caution and Personal Value Alignment

Here’s my advice.

I think you need to take a seat and sit back for a little bit. You are not going to miss anything by not jumping on board right away with any particular opportunity. K? No matter what they tell you.

Oh, you gotta be on the ground floor. Oh, you gotta be a founder. Oh, you don’t wanna get left behind. Oh, you know, this is an exciting movement for our team. I don’t whatever.

Save it, sis. Focus on the facts.

What are the things that you really seek? Is it a particular product? I had someone in my downline approach to join a company, and she’s like, I can’t even use most of those products. Why on earth would I go over there? Hello?

Is it a particular company? Like, what values they stand for? Who’s running the company? Right? What is the CEO like? Who are the people involved? Are are they aligned with your personal values?

Evaluating Decisions For Your Next Move

I know one of my friends who left the BODi network was thrilled to do so and start all over in her new network marketing company, because like me, she’s very outspoken about her values and beliefs, and she and I share the same ones.

And she had a lot of people in her downline, which is a very big downline, who she couldn’t honestly carry a conversation with because they were so polar opposite from her. And it frustrated her that she had to lead people that, honestly, she didn’t even wanna sit down and have a cup of coffee with anymore.

So who’s involved? Who are the players? Who is gonna win financially when you join? Is it you, or is it the person who’s signing you up? Write it all down and have it in black and white writing.

In my family, we call this the Ben Franklin list. So we do it whenever we are thinking about taking on a new job or making a big decision in our family, whatever it is. Like, it’s right there in front of you, and you can’t deny it. It’s facts over feelings. K?

Base Your Decisions Moving Forward on Facts Not Feelings

And you need to do your due diligence and research. Don’t be lazy. Don’t blindly follow your leader. Right? You can’t just go and follow someone who tells you it’s in your best interest.

You know what is in your best interest. They don’t. Do not just go somewhere for the sake of going somewhere or because you have freaking FOMO. This is also a great time for you to work with someone new if you’re unhappy all these years with the leadership or lack of leadership, quite frankly, you received.

I know so many people did not leave their network marketing business because they were afraid of being ostracized. Because it’s not fun. That is not fun to be talked about behind your back. It’s not fun to not be invited to things anymore.

People show their true colors when you leave their team, and I’m grateful for everyone who has been a part of my teams. I recruited very selectively. I wanted to work with people I actually wanted to hang out with.

And if they left, they left. If they didn’t wanna build the business anymore, it was what it was. Like, I didn’t take it personally. This is business. I certainly didn’t stop talking to them because of it.

There are also people who stayed in the network marketing business because of the way the structure is. They were placed in a spot where they really couldn’t leave. Right? They either they had a really good position where they could make awesome team cycle bonuses, or they got in years years ago, so the downline just naturally built and built and built, so that volume kept flowing up to them.

Like, financially, it didn’t make sense for them to leave. And to me, the comparison I think of is when a couple stays together for the sake of the kids, if you will, until the kids are adults, and then they finally get divorced. They’ve been unhappy this whole time, but they just sucked it up.

I know for me, I’m very grateful for the time I was at Beachbody, and it was financially lucrative for me. But I’d be lying to you, and I don’t do that, if I said it was all rainbows and lollipops, and I had fun the whole time because I didn’t.

I had many, many sleepless nights, many tears. And you wanna know why I kept going and why I sucked it up and why I was the better person so many times? Because I made a lot of money doing it.

And I was like, you know what? Maybe this is just part of the deal. And I know I’m not the only one. And it’s been very refreshing to see big players in the network speak out and talk about this too.

Featuring Former Network Marketers On The Podcast

And I hope I can get them on this podcast to talk about it because these are women who made 1,000,000 and 1,000,000 of dollars and straight up have put a line in the sand and said, you know what? I’m never doing network marketing again. And to them, I say, good for you. Good for you.

Because they could have easily gone the same route as these other women, and they chose not to. I also want you to note that this is a great time, if you are going into a new network marketing company, to align yourself with someone who has been doing that business for 6 months, a year, whatever it is.

It doesn’t make sense to me to lock arms with someone who doesn’t know the products, doesn’t know the compensation structure. Just because they were your upline in one place doesn’t mean they have to be your upline in the next place.

Skills Gained from MLM Experience

In this time that you were a Beachbody coach, though, you did gain a ton of tools, whether it was learning how to manage your nutrition and fitness or all of the social media skills you acquired to run your business. The most powerful thing that body gave me is to step into my role as a mother.

I’m showing my little girls how to take care of themselves physically, mentally, and financially. Every day that an Amazon package comes to my door, my daughter says, is that another job? I have her involved with my UGC work and understanding where our income comes from.

She’s 2 and a half, and she freaking gets it, man. My daughters also see me continuously, every day, taking care of my personal health. That’s another tool Beachbody gave me.

And just because this season has ended doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop working out or no longer focus on my nutrition. It means that I’m pivoting into a new role on how to make income for my family.

And I’m grateful for Beachbody because the company and the opportunity and their products and their program, they were very much the catalyst of all of that.

Nothing lasts forever y’all. We had a very good run.

New Affiliations and Diversifying Income Streams

But now it’s time for a new chapter. I really believe you need to use all the skills that you acquired, it was certainly a lot, and use it for your own freaking good. I spoke with a leader in my downline today, and she’s being pulled in so many directions, especially by our upline, and I encourage her to sit in the quiet.

She has so many talents that she can monetize outside of network marketing, as I’m sure you do too. Do not give it all up to just go to your upline.

There are more profitable opportunities out there for you, like UGC, affiliate marketing, on top of your own offer, which is the biggest money maker. I’ve been teaching my 1 on 1 clients this all year, and they’re freaking crushing it, man. I’m so proud of them.

Is it going to be hard to come up with your own offer? Yeah. I know I stutter stepped for a long time, and I was insecure. Like, are people really gonna pay me to do this? Yes. They actually want to work with you, and anything worthwhile in life is going to be challenging.

UGC and Affiliate Marketing

Do not go the easy route of just sliding into another MLM. I’m telling you. Lean into a mentor who’s going to help you think outside the box. A lot of people, including myself, for a long time, we had the veil pulled over our eyes.

But know that people wanna work with you in some capacity. Do you know how many people I’ve worked with 1 on 1 or that have done my UGC workshop? And they’ve literally said to me when they’ve signed up, Maren, I really wanted to work with you, but I just had zero interest in being well with Beachbody and or network marketing.

If you make a rash decision right now and go to another MLM, you will regret it. And you will be in this same position, maybe not a year from now, but 2, 3, 4.

You will be. I guarantee it, my friend. The industry is suffering. It’s not getting any better. No matter what anyone tries to gaslight you into believing. Okay? My assistant is a consult or whatever they even call them. I don’t even know. With Monet.

And Monet, Monet, I always screw that up. She always corrects me. And she stopped working the business because the writing’s on the wall over there too. You think I don’t see some of their top leaders all of a sudden following other leaders within my network on social media or other network marketing companies?

Everyone is trying to figure out what is the next move. I’ll tell you what the next move is. For me, it’s helping the little guy, and I consider myself the little guy. K? Despite the fact that I did achieve that .01%, And, yes, there were years I’d made multiple 6 figures. I was never the one that was making 7 figures or even close to it.

And right now, I’ve never been more passionate about something in my almost 11 years of being in this space than I am about teaching people how to earn income and stack it. Like, I always say, stacks on stacks on stacks, racks on racks on racks.

And anyone who knows me that I am always fighting against the elites, like, I don’t trust big gov. I don’t trust 3 letter agencies. You all know that. And it’s no different here. The elites are just a different type elite. I am going to continue to teach people about UGC and Amazon on-site reviews.

And, seriously, before your star diamond upline tries to convince you to follow them to their next MLM opportunity, I want you to have a serious talk with yourself and your family, quite frankly, because this affects them just as much.

Ask yourself, did you build a team where you were first planted? If the answer is no, I’m here to tell you because I don’t wear rose colored glasses and I shoot it to you straight. The answer is gonna be no again wherever you go. I’m sorry. Like, not sorry. It isn’t the company. It isn’t the products. It’s you.

And I know that sounds really harsh. I know. Okay? Hear me out. The reality is not everyone is meant to lead a team. K? And there’s nothing wrong with that. There are so many people who thrive in the consult mentorship role, but not within group coaching, and that is okay. There are other ways to make money besides group coaching and mentorship, like UGC and Amazon reviews. You know how to take a photo.

You know how to talk about what you like and what you don’t. You have more videos on your phone than you freaking know what to do with. If you’re like me, you gotta pay the metaverse a fee so you can have those 1,000,000,000,000 and 1,000,000,000,000 of space on the cloud.

You literally have what it takes to do UGC and Amazon reviews and make substantial money. Yes. More income, higher valued products, and faster than you ever did with your freaking MLM. K?

If you wanna learn more about content creation, how to build your social media, create sustainable relationships with brands that will allow you to monetize your online presence, and more, I encourage you to reach out to me.

I created a unique UGC program to help you stop wasting your time and, in turn, start making income with your content.

Not some boring modules you’ll never watch, nor am I asking you to drop money and never hear from me again. We need to modernize our approach to business by recognizing that time is something we can’t get back.

However, we can still make good money while leveraging it when we understand people and how business works. When you know those two things, you can have anything you want.