Deceptive Practices in MLM's

I was on FB this morning and I saw something that REALLY irks me.  I have a few pet peeves and this one is one of them.

I get so many direct sales pushes on my news feed.  I’m not against those, everybody needs to make a living.  You can even push your “perfect business opportunity” to everyone that you pay to have see your site.  Go for it, girl.

BUT when you are deceptive about it, that is where it gets to me.  I have seen people post about how they’re now staying at home and being mom ALL because of their XYZ business.  NOPE!  You are staying at home because husband makes great money and you were going to stay at home anyway when you had kids. 

Wouldn’t it be so much more powerful to say “I was a stay at home mom and loved it, but I needed something for ME that I could build and be proud of” instead of LYING and saying it is ALL because of your business? 

It’s not because of your business, your spouse makes a great income and you were already staying at home.  How do you think your spouse would feel if they saw that?  Would they think that their efforts are for nothing and that YOU did everything, including ‘bringing home the bacon?’ 

It’s like them saying that they support you and you do nothing all day.  Which is not true because you cook, clean, watch kids, etc. 

Granted, some people stay at home but the budget is tight and do something on the side to make extra $$. GREAT!!  I'm not knocking that.  

I'm talking about hte people who say they stay at home BECAUSE of their business when they really do not.

Hopefully you make “great money” (What is great money?  Why don’t they share the amount?) and you are successful, but to say it is ALL because of your business, that is not right. 

Just own it and say at first it was just extra spending money but it grew over itme and now you can pay a mortgage or a vacation or something.  I don’t know how much you make.

I sell Mary Kay (and I have seen deceptive practices for them too) myself  but I would hope that I do not do something that is deceptive to get someone on my team. 

ANOTHER EXAMPLE (this is the one that originally prompted this post). 

To be clear, I am not knocking the industry, BeachBody or any specfiic company, I am expressing my opinion that this girl is deceiving people with her wording in her marketing attempts. I do not think that BeachBody themselves had anything to do with telling this coach how to market her business.

This post is from a Coach for BeachBody that is offering a job opportunity that is really paying your way into a direct selling organization.  BUT she mentions it is NOT sales.  How is selling a product  not sales? 

Of course you are helping people lose weight and gain fitness, but you do have to SELL your products.

If your main goal is to help people, then give your services away for free.  Not wanting to do that?  Then it is sales.

This is from Kaileigh Hennessey, a BeachBody Coach, that has a team called Devoted to Health. 

In the SPONSORED (PAID) post on Facebook she has a picture of herself that says “New PAID Interns Wanted” and “APPLY NOW”.

Interesting because are they really paid internships?  Doesn’t “Apply Now” equal a job?  Why would someone need to apply to pay money to join a company?  That is NOT a job, it is an ‘opportunity” and should not be promoted as a Job or “Internship”.  That is deceptive.

Who is paying this internship?  BeachBody the company themselves?  I don't think so.  This girl isn't either.

At least 15 people responded that they were interested.  She responded by saying 'I just messaged you' to all of them.  

If it was so great, why couldn’t she just tell them what it job is right there in the comments instead of messaging them? 

I know, because her upline told her not too or they wouldn't think it was a job.  

It’s not a JOB or an INTERNSHIP.  See the definition below of a Job.  You might call it a job in your industry, but a job is regular employment, not an “opportunity” for money if you work hard enough.

Again, to be clear, I am not knocking the industry, I am knocking this girl and ALL MLM’s that do this type of deceptive marketing. I truly feel that you can make money in MLM if you work hard enough.

Then you have to “Apply” to be on her team.  Girl, we all know that you will accept any warm body that wants to join you.  You aren’t picky. 

Nowhere in the Facebook post does she talk about BeachBody.  Nowhere.  It might be OK if they stumble upon her page but this is a SPONSORED post that she paid for people that she doesn't know or have any connection with to see. 

She makes it sound like a job and that is deceptive.  It is an OPPORTUNITY, not a job or an internship.  It is not right to take advantage of people who need a job.  Yes, offer an opportunity, but do not make it seem like a job (by applying) in a paid post.

I commented on her post and she deleted it.  It is her post and she can delete whatever she likes BUT if she does not agree with me, then why couldn’t she just respond with a comment with her side? I am all open for discussion.

Because she knows it is deceptive and it doesn’t go along with her “Just a small town girl doing God’s work with her hands” message that is her cover photo. 

Does God promote being deceptive?  Nope!

Please, if you ever read this and you are in direct sales, MLM, dual marketing, etc do not be deceptive in recruiting team members. This type of stuff is how the industry gets a bad name.  Be truthful and share YOUR STORY.  It is the best story you have, don’t twist it. 

People are always attracted to truth tellers and God will reward you for that.

Do You Remember?

I just found this in my Facebook memories.  I guess I saw a video with this back in 2014 and posted about it. What a great message!

My wish today is that YOU remember when you were amazing and get that confidence back again, darling.  You are a child of God! :)


Anyway, enjoy and Happy Saturday!!

Don't Stop Seeing Yourself

When did you start imagining who you could become?

When did you start thinking about the possibilities?

Do you remember when looking in the mirror wasn't about the self-critique, and when flaws had no place in your reflection?

Because all you knew, is that you were enough.

Do you remember when empowerment meant choosing your own outfit every morning?

When no one ever had to ask you to strike a pose.

When you'd practice your own signature, because you knew who important you were.

When your dreams weren't just dreams, they were plans.

Do you remember, when your to-do list went from "hope-to's" and "want-to's" to "need-to's" and "supposed-to's?"

When who you were and who you wanted to be were the same?

When did you stop seeing the girl in the mirror who never questioned herself?

Let your heart remember that you're still looking through the same set of eyes.

Don't stop seeing everything you have yet to try, experience, and accomplish.

We say, "don't stop."

Don't stop seeing your future you.

Don't stop.

Beautiful

I just found this amazing video.  I cried watching them.  My goal is to be able to do this at Christmastime. 

Playing in the Rain

It’s raining in Houston!  I went to my parents’ house on Wednesday night to see my aunt who is in town and my nephews who were staying over and almost didn’t make it over there.  It took 2 ½ hours to get home and I almost flooded out.  My parents live off a major road and have about 4 entrances to the subdivision.  The main entrance was so flooded that even trucks couldn’t get through; one side entrance was blocked by the street so I couldn’t even make it to the entrance.

I went to the last one and saw water but I wasn’t sure how deep it was.  There was a guy backing out in an SUV so I watched him to see how deep the water was, but even after he made it safely I wasn’t 100% sure my little car could make it.  The guy said I could make it if I went slow but I think I had a look of doubt on my face.  He said “I wouldn’t send you if it wasn’t ok, I promise” so I took his word for it and went slowly….and made it!!  Yay!  I was safely inside the neighborhood, or so I thought because there were about 5 more puddles that I had to make it through before I weaved my way around to my parents’ house.   Luckily none of them were as deep as the first one so I got there ok.  Whew!

I got to my parents’ house and saw my mom and sister (my dad is/was out of town) both outside soaking wet doing something in the backyard.  Apparently the pool was not draining because of blockage to the pipe so they were out there in the pouring rain trying to clear a path for all of the water to drain.  Luckily they were able to get it clear and no water got in the house.  It really wasn’t close to being flooded but with the rain coming down so hard and a blockage, it could have risen quickly.

 

One side of the neighborhood (not the main entrance)

This has never happened before to their neighborhood or really the area that they live in but there is a theory floating around in all of Houston about the City taking bribes from contractors to develop areas but the contractors are not planning for proper drainage.  The water has nowhere to go and this is the 2^nd year in a row that random houses that have never before in history flooded.  I heard today that there was a class action lawsuit pending.   Crazy!

We had three kids to entertain in the rain and we had originally had planned on going swimming, but we couldn’t do that. :/   BUT we did the next best thing, play in the rain! 

Let me tell ya’…it was SO COLD!  We all got clothes on (the kids got their suits on) and were splashing in puddles in the street.  At first my sister (who used to be fun btw) was being crabby and wouldn’t let my niece go, but then she decided she wanted to go so she let my niece go.  The neighbors were laughing at us and said that it looked like fun.  It was getting cold and it started lightening so we went inside, but all in all we were out there for about 20 minutes.  That’s longer than it seems!

My aunt decided to stay at my grandparents’ house so I went through all of that water for nothing!  Well, not nothing, I got to see my family and play in the rain. :)

 

No one else wanted their picture taken!

Later, when I was all warm, dry and toasty while watching Sponge Bob (yuck!) with the kids, my Mom calls my grandma and she said her house was about to flood!  The water was trapped in the backyard and the water was seeping into the house via the screen in porch.  My mom freaked out and we all got in the car.  My mom panics in these types of situations.  Usually I sort of do too, but I was able to keep level headed and gather supplies to bail out water if necessary.  All my mom said was “Grandmother’s house is flooding” and proceeded to freak out and get the kids together.  I didn’t really know if that meant the water was right there or if it was about to be so I just grabbed some hard plastic and medal stuff like coolers and pots in case we needed to lift up furniture (I couldn’t find milk crates!) and bail out water.

On the way over there we had to go a few different routes because we couldn’t get through, even with the huge truck that we were in.  We even saw an Expedition flipped over in a pool of water.  Craziness!  We made it to Grandmother’s and figured out how the water was trapped and that we could move a board in the fence to make the water drain.  Within a few minutes the water had receded by a few inches and was draining very quickly.  When we first got there it was up to my shin!  The house next door is vacant but we went ahead and did the same thing for their fence too so that house wouldn’t flood.  All of their water was flowing into Grandmother’s yard anyway it just made sense to clear a board for them too.  Hopefully there house wasn’t flooded before we got there!

We got home about 10:30 pm and I pretty much fell right to sleep since I had to go to work the next morning.  I woke up to get dressed but it was still raining.  I drove to the front of the neighborhood to see if I was still blocked in and I was.  I let work know that I was blocked in and told them that I would try again in the afternoon.  By noon the water had receded enough to let me through but it was about to get bad again (per the weatherman) and I didn’t want to get stuck somewhere just in case so I just took the entire day off.

That’s my flood story!  Hopefully everyone is ok! 

In Honor Of My 34th Birthday 34 Things You May Or May Not Know About Me

1. I collected troll dolls when I was younger

2.        My next BIG goal is to buy a house and land with cash!

3.       I want to tour Ireland on my next overseas vacation (next year hopefully)

4.       I had a blanket when I was little (umm, ok until after college) named Baboose.

5.       If flip-flops were considered year-round appropriate footwear, I would wear them every day and at every occasion.

6.       I have broken my left arm twice and within a year of each other.

7.       I never make my bed, it’s a waste of time.

8.       My 2^nd favorite wild animal is penguins…they are so graceful in the water!  I love going to a museum and just watching them for hours…but it smells in there.

9.       Chore I hate the most-laundry!  I would rather buy new clothes than do laundry.  True story.

10.   My dream car-a huge RV to travel North America in!  I would need to save $$ first though or have a job that I can take anywhere.

11.   I have an obsession with words that sound the same but are spelled and mean different things (homophone).  I want to make a huge list one day and I even mentally add it to that future list when I figure out another one.  (ex. Witch/which, so/sew, dear/deer, roll/role, week/weak, etc.)

12.   My middle name is Diann and I’m not 100% sure how to spell it.  I usually spell it line Diann but it could be Diane, I have no idea!  No one questions it on official forms and I don’t know where my birth certificate is.

13.   Two of my sister’s middle names rhyme with mine.  Laura’s is Deann and Bridgette’s is Leann, again, I don’t know the spelling of theirs either!

14.   I have about 10 craft projects I have started recently that I need to finish.  There is an entire craft tub under my bed of supplies of started projects.

15.   If I could live anywhere I would live close to a water source. I love the sound of water running or waves hitting the shore.  I would love to just sit outside each morning and eat breakfast and have my quiet time in nature before starting the day.

16.   My goal is to start a business where I can work from home all day and create my own schedule. BUT I will need to figure out how to keep myself accountable to actually work during that time!

17.   If I had a million dollars the first thing I would buy is a house with land.  I would love to have a family retreat!

18.   Favorite Quote:  “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” Mary Oliver.

19.   If I could start any business it would be a weight loss or health retreat on land!  I would offer yoga and workout classes, long hikes, trainers, healthy food, massages, self-esteem classes, how to grocery shop and look at labels, etc.  It wouldn’t be overly expensive like some retreats; just an average price for “normal” people with normal incomes can come learn something to better themselves.

20.   My biggest pet peeve is flaky people.  Do what you say you are going to do.

21.   I am afraid of losing weight and then gaining it back again.  I had to run a marathon to lose 50 lbs and I am scared of having to do that again.  What if I meet someone while I am skinnier but then gain it all back? 

22.   My house/apartment/room is always messy but I hate it when other people’s houses are messy and I just want to clean up all day.   I don’t care if mine is messy but I will (secretly) judge you if yours is and mentally clean it if I can’t physically clean it. LOL.

23.   My favorite color rotates between purple and pink.  My school color is purple (in my favorite shade!) but I didn’t go there because of that.

24.   I am very excited about going to Harry Potter land in December after my cruise!

25.   I love dirty martini’s with extra olive juice.  My favorite vodka in them is Tito’s.

26.   However, I am not a big drinker so when I go out I usually get a club soda with grenadine.  People think it’s a cocktail and no one questions how.

27.   I helped start a designated driver program in college that has given over 28,000 rides to date.

28.   I am a middle child and sometimes act like Jan Brady. :)

29.   My favorites flower used to be tulips but now I am leaning more toward peonies.

30.   My all-time favorite movie is Troop Beverly Hills but a very close 2^nd is Iron Jawed Angels that is based on the woman’s suffrage movement.

31.   I love shopping at thrift stores!  There is nothing better than getting a designer item for $5.

32.   Strawberry is my favorite flavored anything!  Cherry is  a close 2^nd.  Banana and grape are a no-go zone.

33.   My favorite class in college was astronomy.  I love gazing at the stars all night.

34.   My dream job would be to travel around the world, writing about the bucket list items I do, the interesting people I meet and the scenery I see.

Paddle Board Yoga Class

A few weeks ago I went to a paddle board yoga class at 288 Lake with Big SUP Yoga.  Have you ever paddle boarded?  It looks a lot like a surf board, but it is a bit different.  Some places allow you to paddle around but this class was specifically for a yoga class.  Yes, I did fall in…twice!

I woke up to very dark skies but there wasn’t a class cancellation email so I went anyway.  I met my friend and former co-worker, Savannah there. We got there and it was so cold!  Well, not that cold but colder than it usually is at this time of year.  They said the class was still on as long as it wasn’t lightening, but if they did have to cancel it, we could just reschedule.   As we were learning the moves of the paddle board it started to POUR down rain.  Luckily, we were inside under a garage but we all looked at each other like we were crazy. HA! 

After the mini how-to lesson the rain had let up and we all got in the water and paddle boarded over to the area of the lake that we were having the class.  When we all got situated the sun came out and it was beautiful for the rest of the day!  I thought it was going to be cloudy so I didn’t add sunscreen and got a sunburn!  Note to self, add sunscreen no matter what!

We did the standard poses and then (attempted) the harder ones.  Some of the people in the class were able to do all of the moves!  I tried most of them but  a few were way out of my comfort zone.  I tried one and fell in.  After that I was kind of afraid to fall again, even though it’s just water!  5 out of 8 of us fell in.  Savannah did great and didn’t fall in once!  Rockstar. When you fall in everyone claps for you. 

You have a calming session (don’t know what it’s called) at the end where you just lay down and listen to the wind, birds, water and nature for a few minutes.  Totally peaceful.

It was an awesome class and would highly recommend it!!

Afterwards me and Savannah went to the new shopping center area at Baybrook Mall.  They have an outdoor movie theater with a big screen!  

We went to Yard House and I had the best Mushroom Lettuce Wraps!

Look at My New Garden

Look at my plants!   Look at my soil! :)

I started a garden!  There was an old garden in the back yard that was run over by weeds but I cleaned it up and made a fun place for veggies to grow.  I am SO EXCITED!!!!  I decided to only plant vegetables that I love so I wouldn’t have waste.   The garden is 8 feet by 4 feet.

Over grown garden before. I got quite a workout cleaning this up and quite a sunburn.

That is a snake and bug paradise!  Not anymore!

I removed all of the weeds...there were A LOT!

 

Old railroad ties that were removed.

I planted Cucumbers (3), Okra (3), Eggplant (3), Cilantro (2), and Red Pepper (1). 

Then, every garden needs a mascot so I invited these two to live in my vegetable paradise.  These flamingos are Mae and Henry!  Mae has sequins as wings and Henry has glitter.  Beautiful.

 

New wood and soil!

Last but not least, I got a new hat.  Yes, the purpose of gardening is ONLY to have cute accessories, wouldn’t you agree.

Have a great day!  Eat ‘yo veggies.

Mesh Vegetable Bags

Do you know those thin plastic bags that you put your fruits and vegetables in at the grocery store?  I hate just throwing those away when I am done but they are hard to reuse.  I looked on Amazon and found some mesh bags that are lightweight to put my produce in.  If they get dirty I just throw them in the washing machine and I can use them again and again!

They come in a pack of 5 or 6 and I love them (I think it is 6 but this pic is only for 5 so I'm not sure where my other one is!)!  I actually need more because I buy so many veggies now that I am plant based. 

I really like how they have a bungie type cord that helps close the bag.

They are breathable and safe for your veggies to be stored in, plus they are better for the environment.  

I spy broccoli and carrots (among other veggies)!

Here is a link (not an affiliate link) to them.

Why I Went Plant Based

I mentioned a few posts ago that I went plant based with my diet recently and I love it!  I have lost a bit of weight, my mood is stable, I feel better, I have more energy, etc.  I thought I would see some benefits but not as many as I have had!

I started a whole foods, plant based blog over at But…What About Protein?  I want to keep this blog for my travel, bucket list, and other random things that I write about here so there won’t be too much plant based journey stuff here.  BUT, check out my new blog if you are interested in yummy recipes that are good for you and full of veggies.

My new blog header! Blog in progress. 

Don’t worry, I will NEVER become one of those crazy vegan people who throw blood on peoples fur coats or other fabrics. I don’t ever want to be one of those people.  Who has the right to destroy other people’s stuff?

I have always said “I’m not a good cook” because I have literally given myself food poisoning multiple times.  But I was thinking, I don’t want to say “I can’t” in life a lot.  There is a difference between saying “I’m not very good at XYZ but I am trying my hardest to get better” and “I suck at cooking so I will just eat out. Haha.”    Because I have said the latter statement too many times to count.  I know that there will be things that I don’t know how to do or that I might not be good at, but I can take steps to make it better if I choose to.  (Some things I’m not very good at and have no interest in getting better at).

I have been cooking more of my own food lately and I have been enjoying it.  I downloaded the free app called PodCast Addict and listen to podcasts while cooking (and while on my commute each morning).  There are free podcasts on almost any subject you want to hear about (both plant based and not). 

I listen to these podcasts:

Meal Mentor (interview based on whole foods, plant based meals and living)

Tim Ferriss Show (various interviews with celebrities, business people and other random people.  There are 3 I recommend so far:  Jamie Foxx, Jocko the Navy Seal and Derek Sievers)

Pioneering Today (how to homestead and do things around the house)-her voice and annoying an annoying valley girl voice though plus she says “umm” a lot.

Jocko Podcast (I downloaded a few episodes but I haven’t listened to it yet.  His interview as amazing when I heard him on the Tim Ferris podcast.  He has a leadership business so I downloaded it)

Food For Thought (interview format on random food related topics)

No Meat Athlete (various running/vegan related topics are discussed with occasional interviews)

Smart Passive Income (If you are interested in starting an online website/business/blog, check it out)

The Modern Homesteading (about homesteading topics)

If you are interested in trying out a Plant Based diet, let me know OR you can watch “Forks Over Knives” (available for free on Netflix).  I am happy to answer questions if I know the answer! :)

Dave’s Killer Bread

I had read about how bad different types of bread are for you because of the ingredients and preservatives they put in them but I never found one that tasted great but was great for you.  That is, until I heard about Dave.

Dave’s Killer Bread can be found at various local store including Sprouts, Whole Foods, HEB, Kroger, Costco, etc.  (go here to find a store near you).  It is either in the refrigerated bread section, or the regular bread section (not the frozen section).  It is healthy, nutritious and uses whole grains. 

Tip:  If the ingredients say “enriched” flour, don’t eat it!  That is sneaky because “enriched” sounds good, but it isn’t!

Another thing I love about Dave’s Killer Bread is that they have a 2^nd chance program for ex-convicts.  About 30% of their workforce are former inmates that they have given a 2^nd chance to.  I am not sure if you know but a lot of convicts go in at a young age and change while incarcerated and go on to be model citizens after release.  (Not everyone, but enough for them to be given a 2^nd chance)

Just like with any opportunity, some seize it and others throw it away.  Luckily, Dave’s doesn’t judge the “good ones” from the “bad ones”, everyone gets a chance. 

Isn’t that neat?  You get an awesome product that is great for you and then you get to help out the community.  Win-Win.

(This is NOT a paid post.  I just wanted to share an awesome bread and an awesome program)