Lessons - How Building a Fitness Empire Revealed the Truth About Consumer Psychology | Carl Daikeler - BODi CEO

Summary

Success Story Podcast: Lessons - How Building a Fitness Empire Revealed the Truth About Consumer Psychology | Carl Daikeler - BODi CEO

Release Date: April 25, 2025

In this insightful episode of the Success Story Podcast, host Scott D. Clary engages in a deep conversation with Carl Daikeler, the CEO of BODi, formerly known as Beachbody. Together, they explore the evolution of fitness philosophies, the impact of consumer psychology on building a fitness empire, and the importance of fostering sustainable and empowering fitness practices.

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1. Evolution of Personal Health and Wellness Philosophy

Timestamp: [02:48] – [04:56]

Carl begins by reflecting on his personal journey over 26 years in the fitness industry. He shares how his perspective shifted from valuing aesthetic and vanity-driven workouts to embracing a longevity mindset focused on maintaining mobility and independence as one ages.

Carl Daikeler: "Where it used to be aesthetics and vanity and strength, now it's about the imperative that I maintain my mobility and agility as I age."

This transformation was motivated by witnessing the physical challenges his parents faced in their later years, prompting him to prioritize consistent physical activity to preserve his health and independence.

2. Transition from Beachbody to BODi: Rebranding for a Purpose

Timestamp: [05:57] – [09:36]

Carl discusses the strategic rebranding of Beachbody to BODi, highlighting the limitations of the original name and its connotations. The new brand signifies a broader commitment to overall health and lifestyle rather than just physical appearance.

Carl Daikeler: "We created the category of Health Esteem, which is really about acknowledging the fact that when you show up for a workout, just one, you've got something to show for it."

This shift also involved partnering with organizations like the American Diabetes Association to emphasize functional health over aesthetic goals. Carl criticizes the prevalent "imperfection economy" in the fitness industry, where success is often measured by extreme transformations rather than sustainable health practices.

3. Understanding Consumer Psychology in Fitness

Timestamp: [05:48] – [18:32]

A significant portion of the conversation delves into the psychological aspects of consumer behavior in the fitness industry. Carl emphasizes the importance of creating programs that encourage participation and consistency without fostering self-loathing or unhealthy perfectionism.

Carl Daikeler: "Health Esteem is a play on self-esteem that your self-esteem is improving when you're paying attention to your health and just showing up for yourself is as much a win as the before and after photo."

He critiques traditional fitness models that push for extreme results, arguing that such approaches can lead to long-term abandonment of fitness routines. Instead, BODi focuses on incremental progress and celebrating each workout as a victory, thereby fostering a more inclusive and sustainable fitness environment.

4. Combating the "Imperfection Economy"

Timestamp: [14:34] – [18:32]

Carl elaborates on the concept of the "imperfection economy," where the fitness industry often perpetuates unrealistic standards and shaming tactics. He explains how BODi is actively working to counteract this by promoting a more positive and supportive approach to fitness.

Carl Daikeler: "Our mission statement is to help people achieve their goals to lead a healthy, fulfilling life, not help people lead our standard for a healthy, fulfilling life."

The rebranding to BODi signifies a move away from superficial ideals towards a more holistic understanding of health, where mental well-being and consistent effort are valued over fleeting aesthetic achievements.

5. Sustainable and Empowering Fitness Practices

Carl shares his vision for the future of fitness, focusing on sustainability and empowerment. He advocates for programs that are adaptable to various lifestyles and fitness levels, ensuring that individuals can maintain their routines without burnout.

Carl Daikeler: "I don't want them to starve themselves... Instead, we created a participation stream where every workout is an entry into our giveaway, encouraging consistency without extreme measures."

By emphasizing flexibility and personal growth, BODi aims to create an environment where fitness is a lifelong commitment rather than a temporary pursuit.

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Conclusion

This episode offers a profound exploration of how shifting from vanity-driven to longevity-focused fitness philosophies can reshape consumer psychology and business strategies in the health and wellness industry. Carl Daikeler's insights provide valuable lessons for entrepreneurs and fitness professionals aiming to build sustainable and empowering fitness communities.

Listeners gain a deeper understanding of the importance of aligning business practices with holistic health values, fostering environments that prioritize long-term well-being over short-term gains. Through BODi's evolution, Carl exemplifies how embracing imperfection and promoting consistent effort can lead to lasting success both personally and professionally.

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For more episodes and resources, visit www.successstorypodcast.com.

Transcript

[Scott]

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[Unknown]

Again, like 26 years.

[Scott]

Amazing.

[Unknown]

How is your personal philosophy on health and wellness sort of evolved over those 26?

That's a really good question because, because it really has changed a lot. I used to be, you know, I told the story that I don't like vegetables and I, I also was not, I'm not an exerciser now. I would say as recently as this year as I turned 60, I had to check myself because that if even that mentality, even though it's sort of clever for the fitness company to say I don't like working out, but I do it because our programs are great. But I also know that's not serving me. So I no longer have the option of saying I don't work out. I have to if I want to. Like I visited my parents at their respective facilities right where they're, you know, what do you call them?

Like yes, it's a care. Old age or. Yeah, yeah, so, and you know, everybody's.

Got the walker with the tennis balls or, or a cane or their driving around on one of these little scooters and, and some of them are in their early 70s. So I'm 60 and I made the decision I can no longer allow myself to have this intellectual acceptance that I'm not a fitness person because I don't want to be that I don't want to ever drive a scooter from Disney World with my grandchildren. I don't want to have a cane unless, you know, something goes on, then it's fine. But if I can avoid the cane or the walker or the scooter, I'm gonna do it. Which means so, so the question how have I evolved? I've realized that where it used to be aesthetics and vanity and strength, now it's about the imperative that I maintain my mobility and agility as I age. And now I've got a view on from 60 to 90, I'm saying mobile and active and consistent for as long as possible until they pry the friggin dumbbells out of my hands. So now I'm a fitness person.

I love it. And, and you know, it's actually interesting because this actually mirrors, and I'll let you tell this story, but this kind of mirrors, if I'm not incorrect, your move away from beachbody into body. And I want to understand, I mean you've created a lot of programs. It sounds like as you've changed your own perspective on what health and wellness, maybe even like not caring so much about aesthetic and more caring about longevity. Talk to me about sort of that mental shift, how it impacted your programs. Maybe just some, like at least we can start like high level problems that we see in the health and wellness community that ultimately maybe don't serve people the way that they should. These programs, these ideas, these fitness gurus, these diets, these. All these things that, I mean, I also come from a sports background and health and wellness, I think there's a lot of toxicity in health and wellness.

So, yeah, that's a big question. I'll try not to go on. Too big of a speed.

It's a big one. I'm sorry. But it's interesting. I know you have opinions.

So I love the name Beachbody. It was super fun, gratifying, but it was also very limiting because there were partnerships and applications that were, that we were not just, we were not welcome to participate in. So since renaming the business to just Bodi, which originally stood for Beachbody on Demand Interactive, but, but now to be this clever spelling of body B O D I and, and to drop the sort of gratuitous Beachbody name now, we did a partnership with the American Diabetes association because we're not surely associated with how do I look or feel in a swimsuit, but how is my body, how is that working? And, and frankly, you know, right now with the advent of weight loss, pharmaceuticals, you got all these people doing GLP1s and if they don't take control of their lifestyle choices, including getting enough protein, lifting and exercising, and they just do the GLP1 to lose weight, they're going to be in real trouble. Like real muscular skeletal or skeletal muscular. I don't know how they go. They're going to have structural problems and their metabolism will crater and it's got a boomerang on it and they're going to have hell to pay. So, so I wanted Bodi to better represent really what we're about and that is the outrageous health and lifestyle and feeling benefits from doing one single workout. So while we have these programs that are 21 days to 100 workouts, we created this category called Health Esteem, which is really about acknowledging the fact that when you show up for a workout, just one, you've got something to show for it. And, and this was a big learning. This is a really, a huge epiphany for me was that I didn't have to go into the gym and be on the edge of puking in order to feel like I had a good workout. Because my entire life. And you're an athlete. You know that feeling of I gave it all in the gym and I just absolutely destroyed myself. Which can get you great results. But it can also make it really intimidating to get back to the gym if you don't have that alpha energy. So we, we step back and said, wait a minute, 170 million people overweight or obese, maybe they're not looking to blow their brains out in the gym. Maybe they're looking to just feel good by showing up. So we created the category of health esteem, which is a play on self esteem that your, your self esteem is improving when you're paying attention to your health and just showing up for yourself is, is as much a win as the before and after photo. It doesn't need to just be about the before and after photo. The scale, the before and after photo are great metrics and certainly something to be proud of. But as a guy who got look, Scott, I got outrageous results when I did PIDX, whatever 15 years ago, but there's no way I was going to keep those, there's no way I was going to keep those kind of results for, you know, into my 60s. So now I'm proud of myself that I show up and I'm consistent about it. That is my before and after. And that's what, that's what this shift to body really represents is mature A.

[Scott]

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[Unknown]

I love it. And what I was sort of alluding to, and it's something that I've heard you speak about was like the imperfection economy. And that's, that's really what I, and I'm, I just want to hear your take on that because that's what I was actually alluding to. I didn't, I didn't, I didn't realize that Beachbody was getting sort of blocked from all these great wellness initiatives like you mentioned, like the, the American Diabetes association and whatnot. But that's sort of like a very specific example of. That's a very specific example of the imperfection economy. I don't even think I'm going to say, I don't think Beachbody at all is as even remotely as bad as some of the stuff that I see online in the imperfection economy or quote unquote, health and wellness economy. I think that, I mean social media and, and fitness influencers and everybody's is almost like a zealot about their specific workout regime or diet to the point where they almost shame or look down on other people that are also trying to improve in a slightly different way. I think there's a lot of issue with, like you, you coined the phrase imperfection economy. I just called it toxic fitness gurus online. But talk to me about this whole economy that sort of bubbled up that you're fighting against with Bodi, but is obviously something that a lot of people are, are getting exposed to when they.

[Scott]

Try and lose weight.

[Unknown]

Well, we were participants with infomercials and you know, at first I'm very proud of the results that people were getting. But then when it turned into. And I started to watch this within our own customer community where people would be so hard on themselves if they had a cookie or they didn't finish a program. Like what I never wanted was the nature of the business to contribute to someone's self loathing or their own self esteem. And I think that, so coining the phrase imperfection economy, which we were guilty of participating in and that is, you know, hey, you're not good enough yet. And I don't know that we ever said that literally, but the implication that you need to do this program for and then keep going and go to the next level and the next level and look, our mission statement is, is where I don't feel too guilty because it's always been help people achieve their goals to lead a healthy, fulfilling life, not help people lead Our standard for a healthy, fulfilling life. Which is also why we had to abandon the name Beachbody. Because what. What was just a clever little fun name turned in a connotation of some sort of perfect image or ideal body, and we didn't want to participate in that anymore. And it's interesting, you. So we've got incredible customers who've had outrageous results that are such inspirations. But I've had some of them say, you know, I've seen them on social media saying, you know, yeah, but I'm still calling it Beachbody, because that's what it is to me. And it's fine. But they're not really accepting the fact that the. The company like this is not Twitter going to X. This is a company evolving its message so that it can be more helpful in helping people achieve their goals and lead healthy, fulfilling lives. And quite frankly, if I think about my kids who would look over my shoulder at the infomercials that I'm editing, I would get self conscious if all of a sudden they're seeing me perpetuate an ideal that now I'm teaching them that they have to live up to. And I was no longer comfortable with that prospect. So that's why we started to make these changes. And they were not that radical. I mean, we still want people to have a healthy, lean body mass. We want them to have muscle. But, you know, I don't want them to starve themselves. I don't want them to. You know, I've watched people with intermittent fasting, which can be great, but I have watched friends intermittent fast themselves into an eating disorder because they go, wow, when I skip breakfast, I really started losing weight. I'm gonna skip lunch now, and I'm gonna eat even less for dinner. And all of a sudden they're eating crumbs and. And they're miserable. And so anyway, that, that's, that's the nature of that transition. And I think we're still navigating it because results are such good marketing, because that's what people aspire to. So you still need the results to market, but the message within the product needs to be about, like, like, okay, we have a promotion going right now called workout to win $10,000. That's not about a transformation contest. It's just every time you work out in October, November and December is another entry into that month's $10,000 giveaway. So it's just. It's really a participation troll stream. You show up, you do the workout, and maybe I won 10 grand today. I don't know.

Thanks for tuning in. If you found this valuable, don't forget to hit that subscribe button so you never miss an episode. And if you want to dive deeper into this conversation, check out the links in Description to watch the full episode. See you in the next one.

[Scott]

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