We recently connected with Jody Whitaker and have shared our conversation below.

Jody, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Was there a defining moment in your professional career? A moment that changed the trajectory of your career?

Let me take you way back to post college. I was a fitness instructor for 10 year, while I also sold corporate health club memberships for a couple of years. Ironically, met my husband at one of the health clubs too. Fast forward a couple of years, we’re still health and fitness fans but after getting married and having children, I left corporate America to stay home with the 2 boys. While that was good, I still wanted something for me. Direct selling, back in the early 2000’s was very popular and worked well with my husband’s travel schedule since he was a pilot. While doing the “party industry” for 12 years helped with having a side hustle, getting me out of the house and earning free vacations, it wasn’t going to be enough when my husband retired. You see, he is 17 years older than me, and the airlines has a mandated retirement age. So back in 2013 we were introduced to Isagenix, at first for the no-compromise products. But after falling in love with the products and then looking at the compensation plan, I knew we had our Plan B. At that moment, I knew it was the perfect blend of our love for wellness, having lead a team in the direct selling industry, having a much better compensation plan, and still enjoying time flexibility for our family. We had 18 months until Randy’s forced retirement date, so we ran with the business & achieved Executive.

What I wish I would have known was the difference between direct selling and network marketing, with the power of leveraged income earlier. But I’m so grateful to have made that shift 10 years ago because it allowed us to leave IL and move to SC and bring out business with us, not having to start all over from scratch.

Jody, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I currently help people age with vitality, achieve their wellbeing goals and help them live the life they always imagined. We offer market disrupting products that are simple, natural and proven that weave into your every day life. We focus on 3 pillars of health: adaptogens to help with stress management, superfood nutrition, & cellular cleansing. Plus we Segway into targeted health solutions: collagen, cognitive performance, vitamin/mineral supplements, immune boosting and fitness performance.
I grew up in the suburbs of IL. After graduating college, I went to work in the health club industry for a couple of years. Then I switched to new construction home sales for 5 years. Loved that career but was difficult to do while raising a family when my husband traveled every week with the airlines.

In 2002, I attended my first “home party” with Tastefully Simple. I thought to myself, “I can do this.” It was a great outlet to work around Randy’s flying schedule and give us some additional income. However, after the airlines went through bankruptcy in 2005, I knew there would be a shift at some point with my career. I just wasn’t sure what it would be, maybe going back to corporate America.

Then in 2013 we found Isagenix. We fell in love with the science, natural side of the products. We loved that it was simple & convenient for our busy lives. Plus we were having fabulous results that helped us feel years younger! Needless to say, people noticed, which is what had us start looking at the compensation plan. When we saw the power of leveraged income, we realized this was our Plan B to recover from the bankruptcy and help after Randy’s forced retirement. At that time our kids were in middle school, so I still wanted to be available and present for them. This business model still allowed for time flexibility and helped me impact people’s lives. It was the perfect blend of all of my past careers brought together.

Here we are 10 years later. Still loving the products. But this time from our dream area, on a lake in South Carolina. Our kids all live in different states and now starting families of their own. It’s still critically important to have time flexibility, while bringing in an income and impact people’s lives. It’s so rewarding to see people’s lives completely changed physically and financially!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

Just like any other business, network marketing has it’s ups and downs. Our momentum the first 5 years was crazy and exciting. Unfortunately, we had a couple leaders step away from building their business, which of course created ripple affect within their teams as well. That has taken a major toll on our growth and team.

But I know I’m partnered with the right company, the right products, and believe that momentum is in front of me again. I’m in this business for the long haul, so I have to prepare for the journey. It still fires me up to see people become more comfortable in their own skin and achieve goals they’ve never achieved. That’s what keeps me going.

Other than training/knowledge, what do you think is most helpful for succeeding in your field?

Consistency. It’s not how we do it, we all have different personalities and styles in building this business, but the importance of consistently doing the do every day. Some days require more and others less, but definitely staying in the game, for the long haul, is the key.

Another benefit of network marketing is the personal growth that comes along with it. Whether it’s through conference speakers, book, or speakers I’ve invested in separately. I don’t think I ever realized how mindset really controls everything in your life. Your outlook, how your treat others, the productiveness and projection of your business. Some of my favorite speakers/authors are David TS Wood, Jon Gordon, John Maxwell, Ryan Blair, Chris Harder, Jessie Itzler, James Clear, & Jeannie Cunnion.

If we’re not building into our mindset regularly, and learning how to evolve with an evolving world, I don’t think we’re setting ourselves up for our best version of ourselves.

Contact Info:

• Website: Isajourneysuccess.com
• Instagram: jody_providing_hope
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/jody.blocksomwhitaker
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/isabyjody/