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If You Want It Bad Enough: An Interview with Meghann Herrmann

Meghann Herrmann is one of those women you meet and wonder “How do they do it?” Meghann has a successful 9-to-5 career, teaches spin classes, and is working hard to grow her own business. Oh, and she is also a highly-involved mother of young twin boys.

While Meghann and I went to college together (University of Tampa, class of 2007!), our paths did not cross again until recently. As I saw everything Meghann filled her life with, I knew she was someone I needed to interview.

As predicted, Meghann has something to teach any busy mom who is an entrepreneur, desires to be an entrepreneur, or just wants to achieve more in life.

Read the highlights of my interview with Meghann Herrmann and see how she is applying her philosophy of If you want it bad enough, you will do it. Be inspired and see how you can implement this philosophy to your life, career, or entrepreneurship adventure.

If You Want It Bad Enough: An Interview with Meghann Herrmann

Meghann Herrmann - Fit Twin Mama

To kick us off, can you tell us about your current 9-5 job and the career path that brought you there?

For college, I went to the University of Tampa where I majored in Communications. While there, I received a certification in Information Design. The basis of the certificate is technical writing.

Out of college, I was lucky enough to get a job at the corporate office of Citi Bank. I started in September 2007. It was a full-time temporary position through a temp agency.

My position was Content Writer within the Information Security Administration department.  I drafted procedure manuals that teams would use to do their jobs.

After three years as a temp, I was hired as a permanent employee for the same role.

In early 2012, my whole department was informed that we would be let go in about two months. I was lucky enough not to have any downtime since I applied for a new position at Citi and was offered the job.  The transition was seamless to my current role as a Content Manager in the Anti-Money Laundering Department in April of 2012.

I enjoy my current role. There are good benefits, and I have received internal promotions and raises. While I haven’t held many positions at Citi Bank, I have grown professionally and am continued to be challenged.

You hold a second job teaching spin classes. What got you into this opportunity and why did you continue after having kids?

After graduating college, my competitive swimming career of 16 years ended. Wondering what I should do next, I decided to try triathlons. For my training, I joined the YMCA and discovered spinning.

Through the classes, I became close with one of the instructors. After a year, it was suggested that I become certified to teach spinning. I took advantage of the opportunity as I have always enjoyed teaching others. In 2012, I became certified and got a teaching position at the YMCA.

When I started teaching, I taught three classes per week. Now, after having kids, I teach two classes per week on nights or weekends.

When I had the babies, I did not want to give up teaching. I had to stop spinning at six months pregnant but went back to teaching classes as soon as I could after the boy’s birth. Teaching spin does not even seem like a job as I was used to working out every day due to swimming. Working out is a part of me.

Did you always want to run your own business?

No. The opportunity to be a Beachbody Coach did not come to me at first as an opportunity to run my own business. It came to me as an opportunity to be healthy.

Even though I was in great shape before I delivered, and I dropped all the baby weight quickly through breastfeeding and exercise, I didn’t look the same. Plus, I didn’t feel like myself. After going back to work, I was run ragged. My energy was low, I wasn’t eating healthy, and I was not taking care of myself. Even though I was working out, my nutrition was lacking.

In early 2015, I started to notice that I was getting chronically ill. After multiple rounds of extensive blood work, I was diagnosed with CMV which is a virus that causes a weakened immune system.

By the time I was diagnosed, I was already starting to be on the upswing of the virus. However, I saw what the health scare did to me. I decided then to focus on staying healthy.

My best friend Sarah suggested Shakeology and the 21-Day Fix. It had turned her life and health around, and she thought it would help me. The programs focus on what you are putting into your body which is what I needed.

Seeing you didn’t have the initial goal of being a business owner, you were already working two jobs, and had toddler twins, what made you add running a business to your plate?

When I started doing Beachbody in September of 2015, I immediately noticed improvements in how I was feeling. At that time, Sarah informed me that there was an opportunity to make it a business.

At first, I agreed to sign up as a coach to get a discount on products. It was after I became a coach and saw the interactive community of being surrounded by like-minded motivated people that I fell in love with the opportunity. I realized that with it being my business, not only could I get healthy, I could help other people get healthy too.

In December 2015, I started focusing on coaching. I was like, “You know, I think I’m going to do this and just see where it goes.” I just started doing it naturally by posting on Facebook and telling people what I was doing.

Did you experience immediate success?

I had pretty good success right away. The good thing about starting near the end of the year is that the beginning of the year brings all the New Year’s resolution people. I gained many clients that January.

I also had a lot of family members that joined. They see how healthy I am now and the energy I have and think “I want what she’s having.” It’s good that I am not only spreading this to people online but also my family so they can get healthy too.

With such a busy scheduled, how do you find the time for your business?

The good thing about what I do is that it’s mostly done online. I can do it anywhere at any time. I get most of my work done at night, but I also use other pockets of time throughout the day.

For example, when I’m walking into work from the car I have my phone in my hand and I bring my laptop with me on my lunch breaks. If I’m in the car while my husband is driving, I’m on my phone working.

There is a downfall, it does look like you are always on your phone so you must know your limits and boundaries. You need to know when you are going to focus on your family and your other top priorities. There are some days I have more time to dedicate than others. It’s all pretty much how much time I want to put into it. And that’s the beauty of this business is that it can work for anyone because you find the time within your schedule. Not every Coach puts in the same number of hours or does the same thing.  We find ways to make it work for us and our schedules.

How do you stay organized?

Being organized goes back to being so structured when I was younger. Being in school and sports, I learned to stay organized at an early age. I could only get things done during the time I had free.

I cannot live without my phone.  Everything goes on my phone calendar and seeing as I’m type-A personality, I put everything on my physical calendar as a backup.

On top of that, I’m posted note crazy. I’m always making posted note reminders. So, between my phone calendar, planner and Post-it notes, I pretty much always have my visual reminders of what to do.

What work-life balance tips do you have for working mothers?

One of the biggest objections I get when I present the opportunity of becoming healthy is that they don’t have time. As I try not to roll my eyes, I tell them I didn’t think I had time either.  Part of this journey is diving into Personal Development and learning what is most important to you and learning how to prioritize.  Again, it goes back to the pockets of time.  You’d be amazed how much time the average person spends on social media a day.  And guess what? Our business platform is social media, so instead of mindless scrolling the pages of people you haven’t talked to in a year (or maybe ever), use that time productively and try to help someone get healthy and feel good in their skin.

I tell them that if I can find 30 minutes a day to workout and meal prep while working full-time, teaching spin classes, running my own business, and chasing after twins, so can they.

We all have the same 24 hours in the day. You have to set your priorities. Many people don’t have their health as a priority.

I have also been trying to learn how to approach it properly. The audience I connect best with is moms because we understand each other. I tell them “I know you’re busy. You’re probably already getting up at 5-6 in the morning and work all day. Tell me your day from start to finish, and we’ll find a place. I can identify a pocket of 30 minutes a day.”

People just need to think of their priorities. It is feasible to run your own business with kids. If a twin mom can do it, anyone can do it.

Do you ever feel overwhelmed?

Yes. It is a constant battle. My personality is very type-A, and I want to be in control of everything. I plan six months out, and I plan to make plans.

There is a lot to stress over, and one of the biggest challenges is to learn to let things go. It all goes back to priorities.

There are days where I feel very overwhelmed. That’s when it goes back to the community. Our close nit group of coaches are some of my best friends (some who I haven’t even met physically yet). We reach out, talk to each other, and encourage one another other. We understand what one another are going through and we push each other to be our best.

I try to be as transparent as possible with my social media community. We’re not perfect as coaches, and I try to show it.

Right now, your own business is your part-time gig. Do you want to take it full-time?

Yes. When that will happen, I don’t know. I want it to be sooner rather than later because I don’t want to sit in a cubical and work for corporate America for the rest of my life. As much as I love my job, I know I’m made to do what I am passionate about for my career. I am passionate about coaching and helping others change their lives.

If I can work from home and help people, it’s a no-brainer – especially when I’m a mom.

What are your career goals?

I have big goals of leaving my corporate job. I want to do it by the time my kids are in school so I can drive them daily and make it so they don’t have to be in aftercare.

Sure there are times I want to quit coaching, and I ask myself why am I doing this. That’s when I think about my “Why”.

When you become a coach, you create a why. You put down specifics as to why are you are taking this business journey. It’s not as simple as “to leave my job.” You have to get deep down into the goal so when you have a bad day, and you feel like quitting, you can be motivated by your why.

My why goes back to my kids. I want to be there for them. My parents couldn’t go on field trips or pick us up from school because of their jobs, and I don’t want that for my children. I want the flexibility to be there for my kids when I can. I don’t want to have to take personal days because my kids are sick. It’s about making the most of my life and my time with my kids.

My career goals all boils down to getting to that why.

What would you tell a busy mom that wants to start their own business but thinks they do not have time?

If you want to change your current lifestyle, and you know creating a business will get you there, you have to be willing to work for it. It’s all about how bad you want it.

How can people find you?

People can contact me through email or follow me on Facebook.

Email: [email protected]
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/meghann.mulbarger

For those ready to learn more about the Beachbody programs and opportunities, you can visit my Beachbody site. Contact me with any questions.
I am always open to connecting with new people and helping them make themselves a priority.

 

I hope you are as inspired by Meghann as I am. She truly sets a great example of If you want it bad enough, you will do it. 

I recently signed up for one of the Beachbody On Demand workouts. So far, I am loving the variety. And seeing it is getting very hot and humid here in Florida, it is the perfect indoor workout for when my kids are running around the house.