8
I SAT BACK at my desk, closing the emails from Aaron about the program they’d planned, and fiddling with a pen. I’d been reading, researching, and jotting down ideas for over an hour, and FitMi pitching in where the program needed help looked doable. I asked Pearl to set something up with Cord before clicking over to the coaching portal, scrolling through the message thread with B from the day before, and replying to a question from my other client. Cord had been right; even a week into working with clients again, I felt like I had a better hold on things. There was something else, too. The teacher, Sam, was nice enough, but I laughed when I read B’s emails. I laughed a lot.
From: Bmoney34
To: FitMiCoachWes1
Sent: February 7, 9:22 a.m.
Coach Wes,
I updated my food journal for the week. You got the full truth on what I ate. What should I do while you read it and judge me?
B
P.S.—What does a FitMi coach wear to work? Do you dress like a gym teacher? This has been on my mind.
From: FitMiCoachWes1
To: Bmoney34
Sent: February 7, 1:16 p.m.
B,
I’m not judging you. I never would. This is all about making an informed plan. There’s no one size that fits all with nutrition and exercise. What trends did you notice? Did anything surprise you?
Here’s a couple potential changes based on how you reported feeling.
Based on your journal and your goals, you seem to want food and nutrition that helps you build more balanced meals. I curated some recipes and food suggestions for you to check out. You can access them here.
Keep healthy snacks around. A protein bar or a handful of almonds in your desk is more convenient than the trip to the vending machine to get M&M’s. Here’s a link to a resource we have on healthy and convenient snacking.
On that subject, peanut butter M&M’s seem to be a go-to snack? C’mon . . . if you’re going to go sweet, pick a better candy. Have you never had a Kit Kat?
What about exercise? How did it feel? I sent you some ways to get started. Keep track again this week—we’ll check in and see how you’re doing.
Wes
P.S. How does a gym teacher dress, and why has this been on your mind?
From: Bmoney34
To: FitMiCoachWes1
Sent: February 7, 6:38 p.m.
Coach Wes,
I’m picturing tube socks, polyester shorts, and a whistle around your neck. Close? I was worried you’d be a clone of my high school gym teacher. I’m just trying to put an image with your horrible taste in candy. Kit Kat? I thought you said you went to college—didn’t they teach you anything?
To your question, aside from walking to the curb to meet my Lyft or rushing for the train, I didn’t do much exercising this week. Did I fail my assignment?
B
P.S. Can coffee count as water? I’ll give you my firstborn child if you don’t make me give up coffee.
From: FitMiCoachWes1
To: Bmoney34
Sent: February 7, 6:45 p.m.
B,
You didn’t fail. It’s a process, and you won’t get everything right on the first try—don’t expect yourself to. Also, there is no one right way. Let me help you find a plan where you can stay motivated. What kind of exercise do you enjoy? You mentioned the dance class, which is excellent. Do you want to do that more? In the meantime, I want you to try at least three of the everyday suggestions (taking the stairs, getting up from your desk, etc.) for the next few days and one cardio option.
I won’t make you give up anything, but here’s some information we have on caffeine consumption if you’re interested.
Wes
P.S. I don’t own tube socks, but P.E. was my favorite subject in school.
Pearl popped her head into my open door. “Mason’s here. You have a few minutes?”
“Sure.”
“C’mon,” Pearl said, motioning to Mason.
He sauntered in and called over his shoulder, “You’re going to love me. Eventually!”
Her response of “Unlikely” faded as Mason pushed the door closed, unfazed by Pearl’s disdain.
“We have a problem. HottrYou just launched their new campaign.” Mason slid his tablet, where the website for our biggest competitor loaded, across my desk, and he tapped a video.
A deep voice spoke as the screen slowly filled with fitness models in bathing suits. “There’s a hot body in all of us. We’ll help you unlock it. But no two bodies are the same—how do you know where to focus? We can help. HottrYou team members will work with you to create a plan. Your hot body is ready to meet the world. Let us help you show it off.”
“This is the first time they’re promoting coaches even though we heard rumors they were looking into it.” Mason’s summary was unnecessary. “How do you and Cord want to play this? You’ve never wanted to hit below the belt with them, but . . .” Mason pointed to the screen again, his words hanging in the air.
“Do we need to respond? They’re pitching something different from us—this is all about physical appearance. Nothing about health.”
“I think you’re giving consumers too much credit. We know it’s different—to most people, it doesn’t sound different. We could launch a counter ad—a play on theirs that’s subtle. Or we push that we already do this. Do we have enough coaches available to handle an influx?”
I shook my head. We were having trouble getting enough qualified people to fill the positions, so I wondered where Kelsey was finding staff.
“If you eased back on the standards, we could recruit more people.” He’d already made this point repeatedly behind closed doors. “HottrYou is recruiting, no experience necessary.”
“We hire people with training, experience, or degrees. In a perfect world, all three.”
Cord pushed through the door, breathless. “I got your text. What’s going on?”
I thumbed over Mason’s tablet while he explained the situation to Cord. The recruitment ad for their HottrYou Buddies—what a stupid name—advertised no experience necessary.
“I was just telling Wes that if we lower our standards for coaches—”
“No go.” Cord didn’t look up from his screen. “Clients could get hurt, and we could get sued. It’s not worth it.”
Mason squared his shoulders, and a muscle ticked in his jaw. We’d been round and round on this issue. “Okay. Well, we have to do something. They’re coming for us.”
Cord set down his phone and gnawed on the side of his thumbnail. “Can we do nothing and just let it play out?”
Mason gave us both a deadpan expression. “Their message is that everyone can be hot. Ours is that everyone can be healthy. Theirs is better.”
“Fuck,” I muttered. “Can you put together options we can discuss? I don’t want to start a war with Kelsey.”
“She already started it, man.” Mason tapped something on his phone, probably marching orders to his small team. He stood but paused before opening the door. “We’ll have ideas by end of day.”
I pounded my fist into the desk a few times. “I can’t believe she’s adding coaches.”
Cord met my gaze across the room. “She’s competitive. I’m surprised it took this long. You think this is what she’s been calling about?”
I ignored his question. “She’s hiring unqualified people.”
Cord ran his fingers through his surfer blond hair and puffed out his cheeks before releasing a slow exhale and eyeing me skeptically when I silenced my buzzing phone. “Her?”
I didn’t need to look at the screen to know I didn’t want to answer. “No.”
“All right, let’s see what Mason’s team comes up with.” Cord stepped into the hall with a two-finger wave. “You need to call her back. Think about it.”
9
VIEWED BY DRASTORE AND 435 OTHERS
“It’s my first live post, and today I’m getting personal. Real talk. Exercise and big breasts don’t always go together. Now, I love my boobs, but sometimes they get in the way. Of what? Get ready. I have a list.