Meet the Team Flipping 50 Behind the Scenes

Real quick, before we dive into this episode, I have a little sleep secret I want to tell you about. Look, sleep is crucial for your fitness, but it's crucial for just plain old everyday life and function. And I find I sleep great unless I have a migraine. And I've had more than my fair share since perimenopause all the way through postmenopause. My secret weapon was Blue Sky CBD sleep gels. Each gel contains 25 milligrams of CBD and 25 milligrams CBN for deep restorative sleep. Something about it helps to reduce inflammation, which I believe for me was key in helping me get to sleep. But the biggest thing is so many of the over-the-counter solutions, whether for sleep or migraines, can ruin gut health, and liver health. Neither one of those did I want to be problematic for me. So this option is recommended by healthcare providers worldwide and backed by thousands of happy customers, many of whom come from our Flipping 50 community. There is zero THC, so it's non-habit-forming. It's made by a trusted family-owned company that we all can feel good about. Third-party tested for purity and potency. And if you're interested, you too can try a sample for just $6. But even better, you can get 30% off forever with discount code FLIPPING50. That's FLIPPING50. Just go to flipping50.com/blueskycbd. We'll put that link in the show notes and you'll find it everywhere on Flipping 50 at My Favorites. What are you waiting for? Good night. This is your opportunity to come knocking on the door of Flipping 50. We're gonna let you in and see behind the curtain basically and meet everybody on the team. Now, honestly, it took us, oh gosh, 3 months I think to get everybody rounded up so that I could do a very short little interview with everybody on our team. So here's who you're going to hear from and we're just gonna bring them in one by one, and you will hear from Jonathan, who is the first actual hire that I hired and kept on. You know, worked with some different teams prior to Jonathan and some simultaneously with him as well, but he has really kind of been the anchor. You'll hear from Anthony, who's the daily operations manager, and you'll hear from Becky, who's behind our customer support, who is lovely. And you'll hear from Karen, who's our community coach, and from Missy, who is currently podcast manager. We're doing some new things with that in 2024, so that will change, not because of any, any reason of wanting to let Missy go, but it's just kind of the way things worked out and the way the universe opened up a different opportunity for her as well. I'm Debra Atkinson. You're listening to Flipping 50, where I address your top struggles and concerns, and I share what how to move, and how to change your mindset so you can have the energy and the vitality that you want, need, and deserve in this second and better half. So this is absolutely the first time I've done a greet and meet the team here at Flipping 50. Not completely true though, we've had one community coach on the show to talk about her 60th birthday and her perspective on it, and in the She Means Fitness Business podcast— that's for those of you who are here in your fitness or health pros, I've introduced the positions I've hired and talked about them in the order that I hired them to help you build your own business and know when to hire and delegate and how I create job responsibilities and all the things to help fitness pros start a business, grow a business, or scale it. You can find more at the She Means Fitness Business podcast, by the way, and I will link to that in the show notes. And of course, it too is everywhere that you listen to podcasts. If midlife woman serving other midlife women, or who wants to be, this podcast is produced just for you. She Means Fitness Business has actually been around longer than flipping 50. Crazy. Today you'll meet our team from the way behind the scenes to the front lines for the first time. I'm grateful for each and every one of them. I've been accidentally lucky to find them. Starting out as in many businesses, I wore all the hats. I've always treated positions where I've had another boss as if they were my own, as if I owned the business. So this wasn't a new feeling for me, but it was new to hand over and to delegate. That was really new. So it's actually a skill you've got to learn, or I did. Maybe some of you are born into it better, but as the youngest maybe in the family, maybe that has something to do with it, but I've always been get it done. I can do it faster than I could teach someone else. And learning how to just hire really good people and let them do it, create a, create a path and a route for them, what we call SOPs, and, and then let them tweak that SOP so they get done faster, more efficiently, more effectively, and potentially help us more and help us more help you more. That's the whole goal. So I try to member with my team, that's my role. Everyone has great ideas. Leaning on other others finding their zone of genius so everyone loves their job as a goal is— we can all relate to, I'm sure. So here we go, without further ado. To make this far more fun than just sharing the day-to-day activities that each of these employees do, stay tuned to the end of each one of them. I asked them some questions, rapid fire. Jonathan, all right, the everything guy. I You know, like, what is your official title, by the way?

I mean, I don't know, um, all the things. And some of the stuff—

that one's already taken. Dang.

Um, in general, I would say I fall under the umbrella of digital strategist, which is kind of a cool title. It doesn't really mean anything necessarily other than like I help you strategize. And then, I mean, but we're also implementers, so Yeah, that's— I don't know, but I'm just strategic.

That doesn't do you justice because you can roll your sleeves up and get right in there. In fact, you can do that so well you probably need to stop it, right? And we've talked about this, you need an army of soldiers who can do what you do.

Yeah, so, um, I've recently been listening to Cody, um, Cody Sanchez I think is her name, and I just screenshotted a couple of things she posted to YouTube last night, um, which is like, um When you move from a worker to being a leader, you have to change everything. I just screenshotted a bunch of stuff, but your chief job now is to just be salesperson and cash flow. Your goal is to build a company that runs better without you. If you're growing fast, your number one job is to replace yourself every 3 months. Get over titles. I mean, I've never had a problem with title. I don't really care. But the thing on that is how do you own your— how do you own your business instead of it owning you? And you really just become a recruiter for a living. And then on here it also says you're no longer paid to do things, you're paid to hire smarter doers while creating a dream. Oh wow, powerful stuff.

That is powerful stuff. I need to meditate on that for a little bit. Yeah, yeah, yeah, like a long bit. Okay, um, I was thinking about this. So right before this, I went for a walk, my, my little daily thing with Moses, and I was thinking about our very first conversation. So I don't know how well you remember it, but I wanted to tell everybody, how long have you been here? I mean, you have the most longevity with me of anybody on our team. Do you— can you think of that first meeting?

I was in Houston, uh, because I was working with Kevin Gianni, right? And then he sent out the email that I wrote to their 400 affiliates. Yeah. And those 2 weeks were insanity for phone calls. Um, but yeah, for whatever reason it resonated. And, um, yeah, no, I don't really remember much about the first phone call. I just, I remember sitting at a desk in the upstairs bedroom at my brother's house in Houston, and I was there for a week.

Very cool. Yeah, you know, I remember I was in Boulder, and so I lived up in the mountains at the time, so it was like I had to go to, going to town to like run errands, and I went to the gym and I was swimming laps. And so I can't remember if it was right before a swim or right after I got out, so either way I was sitting next to the pool in a towel, in a bathing suit, either waiting to, waiting to get in or, or having just come out. And so the acoustics were terrible. How you tolerated that, I don't know. I'm sure you're like, this woman is so unorganized. But I was just so, I think, calm after I talked to you. I was like, this— he gets it, you know? And nothing I've said that I want or that I need has blown him away way, and I'm sure I didn't articulate it in the way that you would turn around and say it to someone else, but I remember feeling like I, I already feel taken care of. So yeah, thanks for that.

That's super nice.

Yeah, that's great.

So tell everybody, walked away with that feeling, uh, just from a first meeting.

I swam away from it, actually. But yeah, so your key job responsibilities You know, I mean, you are a contractor, so she would tell everybody that, that you're, you're on your own time. But I don't know, I think of it like, if you go anywhere, I will have to come find you. So there's that. Um, you do everything really. I mean, supporting anybody on our team with doing their thing, because I feel like you must have at some point in your life done everything from the way we would literally describe it in fitness is from scrubbing the toilets in the locker rooms to, you know, doing every other thing.

Yeah.

I mean, I guess. Yeah. I mean, we've played a lot in online space. I mean, yeah, a lot. You know, part of our story is, you know, affiliate marketing from 2000. I mean, I started working at a campus radio station hand-coding web pages, and I was a guy who turned on a computer and was afraid because it beeped at me. I mean, that's, that's where I was when I graduated high school.

Wow.

Like last year. That was last year. Just graduated high school last year.

Of course. Yeah.

So, but yeah, like, I mean, I mean, that was me. And then I started building web pages for the German club and the radio station, the campus radio station at the University of Northern Colorado. And then, um, from there I kind of got into affiliate marketing while I was an exchange student in Germany, but didn't really figure anything out until, I don't know, like 2002. I was a teacher, taught German and theater to high school kids when I graduated college, and I had this little side— was a massage therapist, certified massage therapy. So I was doing massage on the side from like 4 until 8 in the afternoons after school, or like when there was show and I was teaching theater, I would do that like 8 to 10 in the evenings, um, because teachers make no money. I don't know if anybody told you that before, but teachers make no money. So I had like a side gig doing, side gig doing massage therapy and also doing this internet marketing thing that was like brand new at the time. Uh, and then also I started working with a network marketing business. Anyway, long story short, ended up with 50+ affiliate websites. My wife and I left to travel the world 2009 through 2011. And we pretty much lost the whole business over the course of 6 to 12— well, it was 6 months first was Google changed everything, and then about the time we were getting it recovered, we had aggressive hacking in 2012 and 2013. Um, 2012, the almost the entire year is just like a dark night of the soul for me. Um, and yeah, coming out of that, um, started working with a friend in his mattress company and Uh, he had a person quit, so I just jumped in and did everything. That was me and him, and we took that business from half a million to $2 million, uh, in, in a year. And it was like, um, I told— I remember going to him one day, I'm like, you're either hiring people or I'm quitting because I can't. There's just— I can't. Um, you know, and, and at the meantime, still trying to recover the business and whatever. Anyway, then started working with, um, Kevin and Annemarie with skincare.

And we should say that a little bit slower because this community loves them. And I think it's in part maybe why I have such an affinity and met them, but because I know them, you know. And this is all a part of, I think, the community and the family that is our work family here, you know. I— Anne-Marie and Kevin recommended you, so I felt, first of all, it's like, you know, getting a great dentist recommendation from a friend. You'd rather go there than somebody out of the Yellow Pages. I just dated myself, I'm so sorry. Okay. And, and so there's that, but then realized how much I love them as well and their products and everything that they stand behind on those products and making them. It's very cool.

Yeah, they're just such solid humans. Yeah, I mean, um, Kevin— so the reason Kevin and I became friends, I had this book about healing scar tissue because I'd worked with a lot of clients with scar tissue, um, and my own scarring too, and I wanted Kevin to promote my book. Um, so I reached out to Kevin just— and we just had like the great— greatest conversations, uh, for like a year and a half. And then they came to our wedding and Um, I literally just this last week talked to Annemarie. Um, she just called me out of the blue like, hey, uh, how's life? Like, I hadn't— we hadn't— Annemarie and I hadn't talked probably in 6 years. Um, but it's just funny, you know, life travels in circles. Um, there's a—

anyway, yeah, I will also just throw in this one more random thing about Annemarie. I— she turned me down. So to my audience, to our community, you should know this. So generally, somebody behind a brand that I really love, I try to get that somebody on want so that you can meet her. And you know why I, like, invest time talking about this in Like It Myself. She said no, but sometimes it's— I've gotten the best rejections from a couple of people I really respect. And the answer, the reason, was because she's so family-oriented that she was being mom and that was her highest priority. And I just thought, very cool, very cool.

Yeah, yeah, I— yeah, just, they're just solid humans. I mean, yeah, just Um, some of, some of my favorite people in the world just that would— so when we were getting ready to go for our world travels, um, we decided based on Tim Ferriss recommendations actually of like, you could go to Buenos Aires. And we're like, okay, we'll go to Buenos— well, long story short, Hop Topic Media, which is Evan Pagan's company, or was Evan Pagan's company at the time, um, I met somebody at a conference I was speaking at for affiliate marketing, um, named Emily Eberhard. And Emily gave me a free ticket to the Altitude Conference, which is now like a legendary internet marketing thing from 2007. 2007, life-changing. Those 5 days at that conference were just absolutely life-changing. Actually left my honeymoon in London to fly to that event and then came back to the honeymoon. My wife is cool.

So she did a lot of retail therapy while you were gone.

And just saying, but she didn't though. It just, she was like, it rained every day while you were gone. And then you came back to London and it was sunny again. And like, literally that's what happened. She's like, you've never known London rain. Grumble. Anyway, so I was at that event. Where was I going with this? Altitude 2008. I said something about 2008. Oh, so Emily at that event was like, hey, we're going to Buenos Aires in 2008. Do you want to go? And I'm like, um, cool. So her and her brother were going and renting an apartment. So Carrie and I went and rented an apartment and we said to Kevin and Marie, you guys want to come to Buenos Aires? And, um, so they spent a week with us in Argentina and just— I'm just so great. Like, they're just awesome people.

Anyway, so cool. So cool. And we should say this, so in real time as we're recording, you are also implementing a lot of changes. So when we were implementing changes behind the scenes, Jonathan is responsible for it. And we, we all know that when we implement changes, we're relying on so many different tools and components to come together seamlessly, and, and it never does. But Jonathan pretty much keeps his cool even when my hair is coming off. And so I just want y'all to know that, you know, behind the scenes we do feel the heat. And, you know, yet it's Jonathan that pulls it out and it's like we're, we're on something right away. If you have to push buttons, try things, tell us it's not working sometimes when we do something new, and then it's like boom, we'll deliver that to Jonathan and right away it's like, oh yeah, here's what we do, we'll fix this.

So yeah, I mean, not always, but yeah, I mean, within a short amount of time we can usually figure out like where the issue is, especially if we get good screenshots and. And, um, you know, some documentation of like, hey, this thing's broken. Okay, but what does this thing— what does that mean exactly?

Yeah, exactly.

So we have a lot of those conversations behind the scenes. And I mean, Anthony being on board, and I mean, just the whole team, like Karen and the whole team here that, um, that has been built in the last couple of years is just awesome. Like, I, I really feel like it's such a solid group when we get on calls and everybody can communicate about what's going on and communicate clearly. And, um, Anthony's just been a rock star. So I mean, yeah, it's great.

Yeah, yeah, he's— he is great. And I think it takes, you know, there's— you come on and then it's like who we attract, and it's like, what do you think of them? And, you know, it matters, you know, that somebody fits in and we can all communicate and, and talk to each other well. And so it's, it's a part of the culture that you have also helped develop. So thanks for that. But now I have some really hard questions for you. Are you ready?

I'm ready.

Rapid fire, here we go. Android or iOS?

For the most part, Android, but honestly, I have to be platform agnostic for the support stuff we do. I'm way more familiar with Android and Windows than I am with iOS.

And relative, at any time of year, pumpkin or pecan?

Oh man, that's too hard. Pumpkin in the fall, pecan in the winter. Like, pecan at— like, Carrie makes the most amazing pecan pie. So that would be my only like pecan preference, but otherwise probably pumpkin.

Summer or winter?

See, I'm just not an either-or guy. Winter for skiing and the snow. I mean, I'm looking outside right now and there's a foot of snow outside of our house. But summer, I love summer in the Colorado mountains. It's just, there's nothing like it.

Anyway, I think I have this one then. Mountains or beaches?

Yeah, mountains. Beaches for vacation for like a week, mountains period.

Yep.

Cool.

Music in the car, what do you have going on when you're going down the road?

Jim Rohn, personal development. Oh, okay. I mean, for years that was all I listened to. Like, it was such a joke. Um, I know there's like rapid-fire questions, but just a funny story about that. When you're getting married, like, they'll ask you as the groom, you know, the groom-to-be, uh, questions about, you know, these kinds of questions. And I answered Jim Rohn. They're like, no, you have to select an artist. And it's 2006. I'm like, um, Jim Rohn. I guess the Eagles, but my answer is Jim Rohn. So they asked Carrie the question and she's like, he doesn't have a favorite artist. He would listen to Jim Rohn.

The dating game. And everyone was like, you guys are such dorks. It's great. Movies or sitcoms?

Probably movie.

Yeah.

And any podcast that you listen to in addition, of course, to Flipping 50?

Of course. Uh, Radiolab. Um, we love Radiolab, Tim Ferriss, um, and then the surprise find of the last couple of years has been a British podcast called There's No Such Thing as a Fish. And I just, I don't understand. I understand probably 80% of the humor, maybe 90%, but most podcasts I'll listen to at 1.7x. I have to listen to that one at 1.3x because like I just don't get the jokes and they talk really fast and they're really witty. So No Such Thing as a Fish is also one of my favorites.

Fantastic. Thank you. Thanks so much for being here and for all your work behind the scenes.

Absolutely. Thank you.

Karen, thank you for being here. My pleasure.

Thank you.

All right, so it's almost like we're all in the same room, like we're having a little cocktail party here at the team, only we're not. So first of all, your official Flipping 50 title?

Well, I am the Facebook coach.

Yeah, so we call that our community manager. Yeah, so yeah, bigger, broader shoulders on that one. Yeah, so you are the face— actually, not the face, or the voice, or the text, I guess— behind the scenes. And so many people probably feel like they know you really well because you do such a stellar job of helping them find where they need to go with logistics and, you know, getting to that next step in the program and heading off questions before they may have them. So how would you describe your key job responsibilities? What are you doing?

Well, I think probably, probably foremost would be to help people if they're confused. So we don't want them to feel like they purchased a program and they can't figure out how to do it, where to find things. So I think that's probably my first, um, my first responsibility is to make sure that they are able to access what it is they want to access. Um, then just answering other questions. Sometimes they have questions about your products, sometimes they have questions about something in the cafe, a stronger program, um, the various programs you have. Blissmas coming up, there will be a lot of questions. So just staying on top of it and watching for anybody who might be floundering a little bit. Yeah, I also feel like part of my job is to motivate people. Sometimes if I haven't seen someone for a little while, I'll, I'll make a little post and just add a tag for them to see if I can get them to come back in. So helping to keep them motivated as well.

Yeah, and keep, keep everyone engaged. But most importantly, I would say, certainly if somebody is floundering a little bit, we don't want that. We want to minimize confusion, maximize clarity, and we want to accelerate success. So it's almost everything we're doing here. You could pull together yourself, listener, But the whole purpose of having a coach, a community, a program already done for you— do step 1, step 2, step 3— is to accelerate your success. So rather than pull you up from the ground up, we're actually, you know, helping to buoy you forward a little bit faster than you would. Because sometimes, you know, you take that detour, and we can avoid that by, you know, we've made all the mistakes in building the program programming and seeing what, what's occurred in the last 40 years, we know what your questions should be before you may know to ask them. And that's really the, the magic and the beauty of what we're pulling off in the groups and supporting. How long have you been with Flipping 50? I can't even answer that question, so I'm hoping you can.

2 and a half years. It will be 3 years in March.

Very, very cool. And you actually got started because you were going through it yourself? Exactly.

Yeah, I just was fascinated by what, what you were telling people, the science that you had behind your name, and I wanted to be part of that.

So, and it was our good fortune actually, because I think you were then retired, and maybe you weren't when you got started, I'm not sure. But you know, you had the space and you had the training as a coach, and it just was all such a wonderful fit in the entire community.. If you're already in a program or you're already in our membership or have been, you have experienced Karen, or if you're in the, the free and open to the public Flipping 50 Insiders group, we hear all the time, it's just, she's so wonderful. She's so great. So we're thrilled to have you here as a part of the team.

Well, thank you. I'm the nosy one who jumps in on conversations I haven't been invited into.

How fun. How fun is that? Okay, so now there's a quiz, and you didn't know that was coming maybe, but Android or iOS? iOS all the way.

Pumpkin or pecan?

Pumpkin, but very, very little. Hmm.

Okay.

Do you eat the crust? It depends on whose crust it is. Oh, I see. Okay. Summer or winter?

Uh, I don't like the cold, so definitely summer. I like, I like beaches. I like to be outside, so definitely summer girl.

And you used to be in St. George, did you? You got snow there though, didn't you?

Uh, St. George gets snow periodically, um, but mostly it— you can be outside year-round, so, um, mostly Mostly my favorite place is the Northwest because I love, I love the beaches, but I also love the mountains, and the Northwest is a perfect combination of that.

Oh, well, there you go. That's my next question. So if you had to choose, gun to your head, mountains or beaches?

You know, since moving to Florida, I think I'm convinced mountains.

Ooh.

You know, and I live right by the beach, and I love that the beach is home to me. It feels very calm. Calming. But honestly, this is going to sound really funny, I miss walking uphill. It's so flat here, there are absolutely no hills, and I miss that. I want, I want my heart rate to go up by walking up a hill.

So maybe you should join us in either Colorado or the Grand Canyon this year.

He said that I'm so used to now being at sea level, I truthfully pass out.

Truth. There is a training program, I hear, though. Okay. And music in the car for you is—

you know, I listen to Sirius Radio, so '70s, '80s, '90s. I like kind of a, a little bit of a rock, but kind of a soft rock.

So very cool. What about podcasts? Anything you listen to regularly? Of course we have Yes, exactly.

I listen to you. Um, I listen to The Drive, Peter Attia.

Okay.

And I really like Michelle Obama's Live— or yeah, Michelle Obama's podcast. I love her positive attitude about life, so she's just really inspirational to me and helps me to stay positive.

So, and you know what, I have not— so let's just get into the gossip. I have not seen her for a long time, and I just recently, as we're recording this, saw her at Rosalind Carter's service. Yes, her hair is long. She looks so different.

You know, I didn't ever see her up close, just kind of from a distance.

So yeah, so, and, and nothing not good or bad. It just was like, oh, okay, she's been changing it up a little bit. So very cool and staying in shape. Of course. Yes. And she's, she's done so much really during her time in office and after, you know, for bringing that forefront for women. So kudos to her. Yeah. And she had some killer arms, I think.

Oh, very inspiring arms.

Yeah. Okay. So movies or sitcoms?

Movies.

Definitely movies. And in these As we review, what, what pops up? Any favorites for you in 2023, like movies that you've seen that'll stick with you?

Wow.

Um, you know, I've seen a couple arthouse movies. I, I didn't plan on answering this question, so I can't just pull them out of my head, but excellent movies. I'd have to answer that later, Debra.

Okay.

Okay.

And so, yeah, so for all our members, that's Karen's homework. We're giving her her homework. She'll have to post. I'll post in the group. Most recommended. So since we're doing that, I'll take on this little bit of homework too, and I'll just share two that I've seen recently. And I shared this in, in our team meeting on Monday. So over Thanksgiving night, I think we watched Oppenheimer together, and then the next night my company was already gone and I had not seen Are You There? Got It to Me, Margaret. Yeah, yeah, it was finally free, so I was like, okay, I'm watching that. So that was, that was good. And I loved— what I really loved is the cameo appearance of Judy Blume in it. That was fun.

That was fun. Yeah, I think I shared with you that I had just been to Key West and went to her bookstore, so Yeah, just about the time that came out. That was really fun.

Yeah, it was. And we've had this conversation, so listeners will let you in on it. I have reached out to her and her PR people about having her as a guest on Flipping 50. So wouldn't it be great if she'd write just one more book and this would be like an Are You There, God? It's Me, Margaret, but for menopause?

That would be wonderful.

I know, in the way that only Judy Blume could do it. That would be so much fun. All right. Well, thank you so much for being here and for everything you do every day for us. My pleasure. So, Anthony, this is different, right? So very usually behind the scenes and even behind the behind the scenes. Seriously, you are the reason everything operates at Flipping 50. So let's share. First of all, I want to ask you this because I don't know the answer to this question. And that is, how did you get into working in technology, or when did you know that you wanted to do this, to work in it?

Honestly, it really just— I originally had applied to— this dates back to 2014. I had applied to Infusionsoft, really didn't know specifically what they were all about. Just really, it was a sales and marketing platform that helps small businesses. I kind of just leaned into it and I was taught the skill of how to utilize Infusionsoft and that interested me in regards to everything that the platform can do. And helping small businesses really interested me, kind of being able to see behind the curtain of how a lot of small businesses run and just a lot of the many hats that they wear and they're constantly trying to to juggle things. And so I just kind of leaned into this, and yeah, here we are.

Yeah, yeah, very cool. Okay, now I should tell everybody how you got here, which is like, basically Anthony's climbed the ladder, and I didn't even know there was a ladder until— I mean, basically we built it because of Anthony. But, um, so Anthony was like a gift. Somebody up there was looking out for me, and I was looking looking for support in customer service. At some point very early in the pandemic, um, the individual who had been working for us— you know what happened to every small business owner during the beginning of the pandemic, like to everybody, every human really— we panicked. And it was like, I don't know that I can afford to keep you on the level that I'm at, so I'm gonna have to cut back. And that just didn't work for him, and so he left pretty abruptly. And I was suddenly found myself doing customer service again and, and doing all the other things and realized very quickly I should not be in customer service. I didn't know the platform, didn't know how to use it. And really, I shouldn't say in my defense, I should say as an offense, I didn't really want to learn it. I was like, I didn't want to know it. And so I realized very quickly I needed somebody and I went looking and I think it was either Upwork or Indeed. I don't know which, but that's where I found Anthony. And, and then it wasn't, I don't know, 6 months at least, maybe a year. And we started talking and I realized you had skills that we were not using. Yeah. I mean, so to anybody listening, one word we jumped over and probably isn't as familiar to you listening as to us, and that's called Infusionsoft. Is that's where we send our emails from. It's where when we're looking at, you know, what have you purchased, or if, if you weren't getting an email, you should, and we're checking into that for you. That's where we're looking. That's where kind of It's like the Yellow Pages of the olden days. It's where we find your information. And often that particular way of doing customer service and managing our customers is often called ConfusionSoft, although the name is InfusionSoft. So when you find somebody who knows it and likes working with it, that's a big deal. So to find out that here's Anthony and he's in customer service, but not only does he know it, he actually is, you know, very well trained in it. I was like, whoa, you should be doing something more here. I was like, I am underusing your skills. This is not right. And so he became the daily operations manager and now he is, well, official title title is really Operations Director. So it's pretty exciting. I think that, that title, that position exists because of you.

So yeah, it's exciting for me too, just having to put on a lot more hats and yeah, just, just take on, take on more and really think ahead on next steps or potential, you know, I like to say streamline a lot because I'm constantly thinking of how to streamline things, but also, but also give it a personal touch as, as you, as you love to do.

So yeah.

Yeah.

So good. And what has it been?

3, 4?

I think it's been 4 years. 2020. It was 2020. So it will come up on 4 years. We're like 3 and a half for sure. So Yep. Okay. So key responsibilities and tell everybody, I mean, it's mind-boggling, mind-blowing to have you do this description, but how would you describe your job?

I would describe my job as someone who wears a lot of hats in regards to, you know, managing customer support in regards to answering any questions Becky might have who is running our customer support via Freshdesk. So making sure she's taken care of there, as well as providing her any SOPs or information that she needs that I've built out and continue to build out and, you know, building those process improvements. So we have, yeah, so managing the customer, service side, along with doing the monthly masterclass setup, making, making sure that those campaigns are running smoothly and that everyone is able to register smoothly and be able to access the webinar to you each month. Also, when it comes to every Stronger Launch, making sure that that runs without a hitch with email deliverability making sure, um, all the gals have access to their, their course, any, any videos that are missing. Just, yeah, again, just it's a lot. Also on top of that, um, collecting payments, um, if some of the gals are past due. And yeah, just it's a lot.

It is a lot. It is. And, and kind of let me know if this is you, and it— and the ant— the right answer here is yes. But, you know, being able to flip gears or switch gears during the day. I think for a lot of us, we like that. We're kind of stimulated by not doing like one thing over and over during the day. I mean, is that, that a part of the appeal to you, or would you like a little less of that?

I guess I should know. It is, it is a part of the appeal, um, because I, I feel like I've always had that, that mentality of just being flexible and having to pivot in any sort of direction, uh, that is needed at that given time depending on the situation. So yeah, I'm, I'm game.

I'm all for it. Yeah, so cool. So, so, so cool. Okay, so we just have some fun things here I want to definitely go over, but the last serious question I'm going to ask you is why Flipping 50? Because I think everybody can tell from your voice you are not a 55-year-old female in menopause. Why do you want to hang out on our behalf, even if you're not with us?

Honestly, I think it's, it's the— it speaks to you, Debra, in regards to the environment that you've created via your business behind the scenes, just in regards to letting, letting us grow and blossom into whatever it is we're interested in. Albeit being geared towards accomplishing your business goals and helping you grow. And I think ever since I stepped foot into the Infusionsoft world, I've enjoyed helping small businesses, small businesses succeed. And, you know, that's, that's what I'm here for, and that's what I enjoy doing. And yeah, I honestly, I feel like you've created a work environment where where you are very inclusive and are asking for others' input and/or feedback. And you also accept feedback as well when, if there's something that you want to accomplish, you know, we take a step back and I let you know, hey, we can accomplish this, but these are the steps it's going to take to implement it. Or, hey, I know you've been really wanting this, we can't do this, but we do have an alternative option that I looked into where we can do X, Y, and Z. And so you've— I think your receptiveness to that, um, I love. So thank you for that. It's, it's been very, very refreshing, um, to be able to experience that, uh, in this— and, and you building that environment, just because, you know, you don't, you don't get that anywhere else, specifically in corporate America, where it's a lot of downward communication, no upward feedback, kind of do as I say, not as I do. Don't, don't ask any questions, don't question anything. So yeah, that's in a nutshell. I know all that, but in a nutshell, that's why I continue with, with Flip N Fifty.

And that's why I love it. Love it. And, and I got to tell you, everybody, so by by this point you may already have gotten this, but you know, I really look forward to our meetings on Monday, you know. And I can't say that— I can say when I used to, you know, work for a fitness center or for the university and have staff and faculty meetings, I dreaded them, you know. The politics, the listening to people whine, not really being able to say or speak your voice voice, um, you know, but I genuinely like everybody on our team, you know. And it's, you know, we're— we try to, you know, keep the personal side of it and realize everybody there is like somebody's son or daughter and, you know, has goals and aspirations of their own in their life, in their day-to-day stuff. And so we can't really ignore it, you know. I know somebody used to say, oh, that's personal, keep that out of business. And, you know, I think the new way is, you know, everything is personal. Are you kidding? Everything, just everything. So, okay, let's do the fun stuff. Are you ready? Rapid fire. Android or iOS? iOS. Pumpkin or pecan? Pumpkin. Summer or winter? Ooh, um, be careful, you live in Arizona.

I know. I guess summer, given where I live, but I'd like to be somewhere where we have seasons. Nice. The only seasons we have here in Arizona are summer and spring, so hot and hotter.

They're called hot and hotter. Yeah. Uh, okay, so this one may be tricky. Mountains or beaches? Beaches.

Music in the car is, um, a plethora. I'd say either '90s hip-hop or '90s R&B.

And you have a new bride, so yes, if If she's driven the car, do you have to change the station or do you agree?

Yeah, I'll change the station to what we both, what we both like. She'll go, oh, you know, play me. If there's a radio commercial, I'll typically just turn on like Spotify. We have like a, you know, a fun little playlist for when we drive.

What about movies or sitcoms? Movies. And any podcasts that you listen to?

I listen to a lot of comedy podcasts. So yeah, a lot of comedians, I would assume that your demographic doesn't listen to. But yeah, I listen to a lot of comedy podcasts. I like to be laughing throughout the day.

So good for health. I did not know that about you. So I'm learning so much. Becky Long, thank you so much for being here. You're welcome. And before we go on, I should note that I don't know if I just kind of floated past this for the past few months, several, or if it has changed, but do you go by Rebecca or do you go by Becky?

I go by Becky.

Only if you're in trouble, then we pull that Rebecca out.

Yes, any legal trouble, I'll be Rebecca. Got it.

All right.

It just struck me as, okay, sometimes, you know, because someone has said, but I go by, you know, and then I'm like, gosh, I really haven't paid attention when I've done payroll. You know, I keep searching for Becky and then I'm like, oh, doesn't even say Becky on there, says Rebecca.

Rebecca.

So, right. All right, your official Flipping 50 title?

Uh, customer service, I guess, representative, customer service person.

So, magician. Yes. Yeah. And how long have you been with Flipping 50? When did you first start?

I started back in March of this year.

I do remember that. And tell everybody your key job responsibilities. I'll let you paint that picture.

Um, mainly I take care of all the emails that come in, any problems or questions or anything like that that I can help with. And then whatever on the back end I can do to resolve the issue. Sometimes I need more help from the team of technical things. Then I also do like the Facebook groups, letting everybody— making sure the right people are are in the group. Like when you fill out those questions on the Facebook group to get in, we actually check and make sure you are a member before we let you in the private Facebook group. So that's my job also.

Sweet. Yes. And when she says answers emails, so that includes a couple different things. So one, if you get an email from me, DebraAtFlipping50.com, and you respond to it, she'll see it first. And she sometimes will know the answer and she can respond as I would, or she'll float it over to me and say, hey, here's what we're getting. You know, there are times when we send out an email and I say, hey, respond here if you, you know, want to get on this list or this waitlist depending on who you are. And, you know, I try not to flood the inbox, so that's usually a select group. But those questions Becky is taking care of. And so if you also go do any website and you're clicking on the contact, you know, like contact us, you know, that goes right to Becky, as does something that you would email to support@flipping50.com. So when she says emails, she's got a few of them. She's in there every day, couple times a day, and that's why you get some kind of a response. Ideally within the day, we try to resolve it. If we can't, we hope we're letting you know We're working on it, and you know, here's the status, so that you hear from a warm body. We know those automated responders because we've all— we all get them, you know. But there's such a difference, and Becky's made a huge difference in our life and in mine. We were talking in the green room before we actually came on— this is where we talk about all the secret stuff— but of what an edge it is for me, I believe, to have one of us, like one of us, who is actually in midlife and going through the things to that, that nth degree of understanding. If something isn't going right, or if you want an answer to a question quickly, I think we have a little bit more relevant idea of how you're feeling at the moment simply because we've got somebody in that inbox who could easily be there too, right?

Exactly. I am also your customer. Yeah, also over 50. I am your customer.

So yeah, and we can't require it. Did you know that? I can't require them to, to go through the programs, but they know where to find them. Yes. Okay. So this is one question that I have actually been really gifted in getting to hear the answer to this question. But why Flipping 50? I mean, of course, for me, it's an advantage and I'm loving having you here. But, you know, there's lots of businesses you could work for. Was there something special that made you say, hey, this feels like a fit or feels good for you?

What I really like the, the most is that you're always looking to improve things. Like if I come to you and say, you know, I'm getting a lot of the same type of question, you know, there seems to be some confusion about this program, like you're like, okay, well, I'll jump in and do a live and, you know, explain that. Or, you know, how can we make the site better to— for better navigation? Like, I love that you're always trying to make it better for the customer because that makes my job easy, number one. But like, it's— it shows me that you actually care about your customer, you know. So, which is really important to me as customer service like I care about the customer too. So it makes my job really hard if the company doesn't, you know, which is often the case. Like it's— that's not the main focus. So I really like that. That is your focus is, is on the customer.

Thank you. Thank you. And yeah, I mean, we hope that we don't improve you out of a job. I don't think that'll happen. We hope we improve you so that there's so many more traffic You still have questions at the end.

Yeah, don't assume too much there, Debra, but thank you. Yeah, right, right.

And we will never, ever, ever, let me just say this, replace someone like Becky who's got empathy with AI. Can I just say that? Because I feel—

I was just gonna say that. I could be easily replaced with AI, so.

Everywhere I turn, and I'm gonna, I am not kidding you, in real time as we're recording Becky's short interview here, yesterday I cloned myself. Oh my. It's possible. So that you can answer questions different places. But yet, you know, it is my hope that we're kind of very clear and transparent that Debra is not awake 24/7. Beeps, you know, and I couldn't possibly be answering and be everywhere. And so we're not— the goal is not to pull the wool over your eyes and make you feel like, oh, she did it herself, but nor to guess, was this, you know, automated? Because the only place we can do that is where the answers are maybe something that we get very frequently. But there are nuances because you, friend who are listening, seeing, there are unique circumstances about your condition, your health, your moment that you're doing something. And, and real people will always be behind the scenes. So there's that, right? You had something that was another, maybe an advantage and a reason to be here that really intrigued me because it was news to me. Do you want to share that?

I— yes, I will. I sure will. Well, I was diagnosed with a rare eye cancer in February of 2022, and it was a large tumor at the time, so they removed my eye. And so now I'm, I'm perfectly fine, but they gave me a really high chance that I'm going to a recurrence and then I'm not going to be fine from there. So it's a very shocking thing. And I actually asked my oncologist, like, what can I do? And he pretty much— first I had to ask. They don't offer what can you do? So I asked and he's like, you can eat good and exercise. I'm like, okay, well, that's really— that's not enough. So I ended up getting a cancer coach, melissamerchant.com, and she does like a lot of the nutrition and, you know, not a little bit of the— there's an exercise module, but not at like yours. But the nutrition like really made a difference for me, just learning like really what is eating healthy, what, what does that mean. And when I came to Flipping 50, the first thing I, I noticed was like the recipes and the things you were talking about was the exact same. It was the same type of foods. Like, one of the first things I remember seeing was like, um, magnesium and Epsom salt baths. And I'm like, well, that's what I'm supposed to be doing. So, you know, I was like, it made me feel like that the information you're giving is like accurate and, you know, it's, it, it's what you're supposed to be doing, you know. Because if you go online and try to figure it out, like look up menopause, look up cancer, like what are you supposed to eat, it's so— it's crazy, it's overwhelming. And you don't know like what's the right information, like what's the right amounts, what's, you anything. So that was really important to me. And plus, then I have access to all your programs. So, you know, it was funny because I like had just about ended my year of payments for my membership with my cancer coach, and then I got hired here. So it was like, okay, I have— I still— it was like I went to another like program or something. Like, I still have access to all her stuff, but now I have like really the exercise component was like really missing for me. So it's like that, that missing link, like I happened to get as a— as you as a client. So it was like it worked out really, really good for me, perfectly for me at a perfect time. It was like exactly what I needed. So, and I also followed along with everything I'd already been learning.

So very cool. That's a very cool story, and it was so surprising to me to learn. And then listeners, for those of you who've been in HR or you've been in hiring or on the being hired side, you know that of course it wouldn't have come up. I mean, I, I couldn't have asked something like that. Obviously for Becky, it would have been awkward to actually say in an interview. And, and so it was like, well Well, I guess it's not that strange that I didn't know something like that. Although here's why I think it felt strange, Becky. I'm just putting my thumb on this now. And I think it is that when we jump into our Monday morning meetings or Monday noon, my time meetings, I think it feels a little bit of family and friends. I mean, we go through all the things we need to talk about, you know, I look forward to touching base with you. So I think that's why— that would be why— it's like, well, but I talk to you all the time, like, how would I know? And again, you know, that's not necessarily something that you come up with, like, what did you do over the weekend?

Yes, I know, it is— it's, it's a, it's a, it's a strange thing to, like, bring up, or, you know, how do you bring it up? Up, or sometimes it comes up in conversation. But if not, it's like, I don't know, to raise my hand, hey, you know, I had cancer.

Like, it's just— yeah, right. That's kind of a conversation stopper right there. I mean, you, you want me to go after that? I can't, can't do anything there, right?

I mean, I know, like, if I had questions, like specific questions, I could come to you too, you know, be like, Debra, can you— you know, I have this question about whatever. Related to cancer, like you would help me, of course, in whatever way you could, you know. So yeah, I, I mean, I know that I could always ask you or come to you too if I had a question.

So well, and, and it's funny that you say that because I was thinking of, of 2 or 3 people that I could direct you to, if you— not knowing already that you had had a coach. So I'm so glad that that's true. But even within— isn't it sad that, you know, everybody you need to know is within 5 people of you, you know. You— and, and so Jonathan also has worked with some cancer experts, so you have, you have some network here that, right, is there for you too, right? Awesome. Oh, I, I'm going to ask easier questions from here on out, and they're coming fast. So Android or iOS? Android, definitely. Pumpkin or pecan? Pumpkin. With or without Cool Whip?

Oh, definitely with.

Right. I like a little pie with my Cool Whip, actually. Yeah. Winter or summer?

I would say summer, probably because I'm in Colorado in the winter right now and it's ice. It's pretty much ice right now.

So, so perhaps a tricky question coming.

Mountains or beach Uh, I think beaches. I think beaches for the next half of my life would be good. I would— I love the beach. I've tried to— I've been— last year I was able to go to the beach once, and I would like to go again this coming year.

So yeah, definitely love the beach. Your music in the car of choice?

Uh, rock and roll.

Oh yes. And any podcasts you listen to?

Uh, well, I like the personal development, um, type podcast. Um, I have another client, matthewferry.com, and he's a life coach, so I like all of his stuff. That's another client that kind of like— you're helping me with my body and he's helping me with my mind. So, you know, I'm getting— I got the I'm somehow mad. I've, I'm lucky that I get the clients that I need that also benefit me and what I need too. Like, I like that I can help and it's also like, I'm also your client.

So, um, so cool. Okay. Last, last question.

Movies or sitcoms?

Uh, sitcoms, definitely. Awesome. And thank you so much for being here and behind the scenes every single day.

You're welcome.

Thank you, Debra. Missy, thanks so much for being here.

Yeah, you're welcome. This will be fun.

Yeah, as the newest member of our team. Okay, so your official Flipping 50 title is, is podcast manager. Was that a question or a statement?

Yes.

Yeah. So actually, yeah, the reason this whole thing came together is I'm realizing as I'm doing everyone— so you're not the last, you're not the first— but I'm realizing, oh gosh, this is actually going to be some work for you to seamlessly pull these together. So we have that to look forward to too. So your key job responsibilities happen really kind kind of pre-podcast happen to make sure the podcast actually works really well and the platform is ready to go and show notes are ready. And then post-podcast, you also have those pieces, and you follow that through really all the way to social media. So of those, I will ask you, since I shared your job responsibilities, what of those do you like the most?

Um, I love interacting with podcast guests and just kind of seeing all the different walks of life of all the people that are sort of out there. Um, I don't get to listen to every podcast right away, so, um, sometimes it's just fun kind of, you know, digging around in people's world as far as I'll go peek out on their Instagram, see what they're up to, um, that kind of thing. So I really enjoyed that part of it because there's, there's so many different, um, people in this functional space, um, that I feel like, you know, it's always just an eye-opener to kind of see the little niches that people are filling out in the world.

It's really cool. Very awesome. And we should tell everybody that you too are in the functional space yourself and have been for a long time. So you, you have some unique insight, I think, which really helps to, you know, as you are creating content and helping us kind of frame the complementary— it's like planning a menu and a meal almost. It's like planning the content for a in a month, then looking at what have we covered recently, what do we want to cover, and who are people— you actually have the insider scoop on that because of what you do. Do you want to tell a little bit about your background just so everybody knows?

Yeah, so I'm a functional diagnostic nutrition practitioner. What that means is I'm a functional health coach. Um, I was trained in functional lab work, so that's a little bit different than some of the health coaches out in the world, but I really did love digging into kind of that real hard data like blood work, stool testing, hormone tests, that kind of thing. I feel like it really gives people something to kind of, um, you know, really look at, but also really strive to make changes around. So if it's like, you know, name the marker and we say, okay, how about some, you know, um, high-intensity interval training once a week, or, you know, different kind of things that are sort of protocols that are given to people when they can sort of see what's actually going on in their body as they're relates to blood work and other diagnostics, I think it's really motivating, especially as we see those things shift. And so for a while, I worked one-on-one with people. I still do a little bit with referrals from, um, former clients, but really I love kind of digging in with practitioners like yourself, kind of behind the scenes, and really keeping the machine going and filling in gaps where I can and efficiencies and that kind of thing. So So, you know, my sort of sweet spot has evolved from one-on-one working with people to sort of working behind the scenes, which I really love.

And so do I. So you've had great insight and, you know, right away, like, let's automate this. Why can't we automate this? I love it. Love, love, love. My brain doesn't necessarily work like that. And so I'm like, okay, what do we need to do to do this?

I could be the annoying one.

Yeah. No, it's only annoying if I have to know I mean, just make it happen. Yeah, I'd love that. Okay, so I want to ask you, because this will be super fun. I'm trying to think based on your background, maybe I should throw in some anomaly here, but I'll ask you the questions I've asked everyone pretty much anyway. Okay, for you, Android or iOS? iOS.

Yeah.

Pumpkin or pecan?

Mm, pumpkin.

Summer or winter? Mm, neither.

Fall and spring. Ooh, okay. Mountains or beaches? Mountains, 100%. Music in the car for you is what? Podcasts. Oh, okay. Well, that brings us to the next question. Other than, of course, Flipping 50, what podcast do you listen to? What do you love?

Mm, it really kind of changes. Sometimes it's personal development, like a Gabby Bernstein, or, you know, something where whatever is kind of going on with me personally in my health. A lot of times if it's a road trip, I'll, I'll have some Joe Rogan, some Peter Attia, Shawn Stevenson, just kind of overall wellness. I like kind of generic people that talk to a lot of different people, kind of like yourself, you know, just talking to a lot of different walks of life in the, in the functional wellness space. Um, because as you know, in this world it can feel a little isolating sometimes when you're, when you're sort of living and breathing and kind of doing, um, kind of good things, you know, functional medicine kind of things for yourself. And so I really love being able to at least hear of other people in the world that have sort of the same or in alignment with, you know, kind of how I live my life. So I tend to nerd out kind of all the time. Pretty much like books on my, you know, end table is kind of all that stuff too.

That was a great statement. And I think I want to say that to everybody listening, you all are somewhat unicorns. I mean, really. And this is why I think it's so important that you do have a tribe, like you're hanging out with people even virtually, like finding people doing the things you want to do or aspire to do or are doing where people who you love, your good friends and family, may actually just not get it. They may not be ready for it, and they may feel even a little bit threatened by it. And that might be their lack of positive response. And, and I think it's a— that's a good distinction too, right? Sometimes it's— it doesn't have to be a negative response, but a lack of a positive response is still kind kind of negative for us. So yeah, yeah. Okay, so let me ask you this one: movies or sitcoms? Sitcoms. Really? Okay, now you have to share which ones.

Oh gosh, well, I say that, but honestly, I haven't been watching much TV lately. Um, oh my gosh, you know, I say sitcoms, but we watch a lot of comedy specials like Netflix Netflix. Nate Bargatze has been a favorite that we've kind of watched all of his most recent stuff. So we do a lot of little comedy special kind of things. So that's always fun.

Is that on purpose to like induce laughter into your life for serotonin and all the good things?

Yes.

And I love Nate too, because sometimes I can get, you know, down and dirty with the Dave Chappelle, you know, kind of thing. But Nate Bargatze He's just so, he's just so easy breezy, like child-friendly, you know, he's not getting dirty. He's just kind of funny everyday life stuff.

Yeah.

And it kind of takes away some of the heaviness of everyday news and media and all the things, you know.

So cool. Awesome. Thank you so much. Yeah, you're welcome. So there you have it. You got the whole tour. The work family, all introduced. So you know a little bit more about who's behind the scenes, real people trying to do the very best they possibly can. And we need your help. So when you write in, if you're reaching out through a contact on one of the websites, so when I say one of them, we have Flipping 50 TV, believe it or not, Flipping 5-0 TV, Flipping 50, all spelled out, all words. DebraAtkinson.com and Fitness Marketing Mastery for those of you who are health pros and fitness professionals also trying to build your own business. Any one of those, you'll go right into our Freshdesk, our support box, where our goal is to answer questions and you get a personal note within 24 hours. We try to beat that, but we love to give ourselves a little padding so we can do that. If for some reason— something isn't working, you can't find what you need— with as much information as you possibly can about where you are, what you've tried, even screenshots of what you're seeing, we can help you as quickly as possible. And to get show notes for, say, the resources like the podcast that Jonathan mentioned he likes to listen to, you can look at show notes at flipping50.com.

Meettheteam.com/meettheteam.

And what are you waiting for? Let's all start flipping 50 today.