Chalene Johnson: What Keeps Me Motivated

Chalene Johnson isn’t just the creator and master trainer behind TurboJam ^®, ChaLEAN Extreme ^®, and TurboFire ^®. She’s also a mom, renowned motivational speaker, best-selling author, and the founder of her own multimillion-dollar enterprise, Powder Blue Productions ^®.

That’s a pretty incredible resume, even for a woman as incredible as Chalene which begs the question: How does she balance it all, stay motivated, and still continue to improve, day after day? We sat down with her and got the 411.

Q: What are your top motivational tips for setting the New Year on fire?

A: Set a goal by finishing this sentence …”It would be so crazy cool if…” and then take that GRANDIOSE goal for the year and break it down into manageable, bite-size, measurable pieces. In other words, once you set your big goal for the year… Break it down into milestones that you can measure every week.

Q: Once those New Year’s resolutions fade, how do you keep your team motivated?

A: Keep your team motivated by creating a variety of recognition and reward programs each month or at a minimum strive to create some form of engagement every other month.  Remember that recognition programs should be varied so that the new members as well as seasoned veterans of your team have an opportunity to shine.

Q: How do you keep them engaged all year long?

A: The best way to keep people engaged is by taking a sincere and personal interest in them. We want to please those who we believe like and believe in us. In our crazy busy lives, this isn’t always easy, but it is infinitely important. If something is important, it belongs on your calendar. Set reminders to check in on a regular basis with your important team members!

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you ever received?

A: “Over prepare.” Brian Tracy has always been a long time mentor from afar. Over the past 4 years, we’ve become personal friends and do a lot of work together on a professional level. Even to this day I still remember the first time I spoke live as a guest speaker at one of his events. I had gone over by about 5 minutes according to the time I was allotted to speak on stage. As I left the stage and met with him, eager to hear his feedback, I remember feeling like a nervous schoolgirl. Rather matter of fact, he reminded me that I had not spent enough time “preparing” for my speech. My first reaction was to feel defensive.  It was a speech I had delivered a million times. But he explained to me that to be prepared means to be able to adjust your message or your delivery or your product in advance.  The lesson for me was that knowing my message wasn’t enough. I should have better prepared and rehearsed to ensure that I was going to be able to deliver a message with as much power, but in the time frame I was given. I won’t forget that lesson.

Q: Who do you admire?

A: People might be surprised by my answers: I truly admire Suzanne Somers. What I love about her, is that she has been able to keep her marriage and family a priority and has managed to keep her career fresh and purpose driven by following her own passionate interests as opposed to following trends. I admire her for standing up against great criticism for things which she believes in.  Most of all I love that she honors her husband of nearly 40 years and manager Allen, and that she mentions him in nearly every interview. With a net worth of over 100 million dollars, I would say she’s got some staying power!

Q: Who inspires you?

A: I am inspired by resilient people. People with true resilience shine from the inside out. I am fascinated, inspired, and motivated by people with a story. It inspires me to know someone has experienced tremendous challenge, a tough childhood, personal trauma or seemingly insurmountable obstacles and found a way to persevere despite the odds. I’m inspired by those who have the deck stacked against the,  but they kick it down and fight for the life they know they deserve! Resilient people inspire me to stop whining, stop making excuses, and just get it done. Everyone has a story. Ask people about theirs. It’s a great way to gain a newfound respect for people!

Q: How would you pitch TurboFire to a stranger on an elevator?

A: Like this…”Dude…it’s like the funniest, craziest, most intense butt-kicking cardio you can do at home. If music is your motivator, and you like to kick, punch and jump, plus you want an instructor who makes the time fly, but pulls the best out of you… you’d love Turbo Fire. TurboFire is perfect for people who want to do shorter, more intense workouts, but don’t always want a high-impact workout!”

Q: What’s your personal plan of attack for 2013?

A: To help Beachbody customers by providing top-notch fitness programs that work. To help Beachbody Coaches master better habits and business goals by sharing my free 30-Day Push and speaking at Beachbody events where I can share my systems and advice on running and growing your business, and help teach successful Coaches how to identify their most valuable use of time.

Q: What personal development book are you currently reading?

A: “Push” by Chalene Johnson. (Shameless self-plug)! Honestly, I’m usually reading 4 or 5 at a time. Right now, I’m reading:  â€What On Earth Am I here For?” by Pastor Rick Warren and before that “EntreLeadeship”, by Dave Ramsey, and “When to Speak Up and When To Shut Up”, by Dr. Michael Sedler (I need to learn when it’s best for me to “zip it”). And together with my kids, I’m reading for the third time “Be a People Person; Effective Leadership Through Effective Relationships”, by John C. Maxwell.