Not only has the Venice Nutrition program made a positive impact in my life, but Mark McDonald has personally been a catalyst for my commitment and success because of his knowledge and coaching style. I am constantly traveling and sometimes find it difficult to stay on track with my meals and exercise, but Mark’s positive approach and solutions inspire me to always try and stay on track.

Even with my extremely busy lifestyle and constant travel, I felt my energy level was high and that I ate healthy. That is until Mark taught me how our basic physiology and The Venice Nutrition program work together in maximizing total wellness and energy. At first I was skeptical about the 5 to 6 meals, but it really works. I have lost weight, reduced body fat and my body composition has changed. It's resulted in boundless energy and I feel great!

With my success, I had Mark speak at my company executive retreat, and his passion captivated and motivated my entire team. The beauty of the program is that Mark customized it for each member of my team. It provided maximum benefit for their individual goals and lifestyles.

Thank you Mark for teaching me and my team how to maintain a healthier lifestyle and maximize our energy!!!

"I recently had the pleasure of hearing Mark Macdonald speak to our Top Producers just a few weeks ago at the Ritz Carlton in Pasadena, California."

As Mark took the microphone to address our audience, I actually felt sorry for him. He was following a deeply emotional and moving speech by the Commissioner of the Arena Football League who spoke about the importance of “Living with Heart” which took us through some gut wrenching personal trials this man faced in his life. Mark humbly acknowledged the previous speaker’s message and brilliantly brought in the points from the previous speaker to the body of his presentation to add a powerful continuity to our program that worked well.

Mark’s message of Health and Wellness could not be more timely for our top producers who spend tremendous amounts of time on the phone, behind their desks, staring at their computer screens, not to mention frequent airplane trips and travel which often results in irregular sleep patterns and eating habits which ultimately affect the job performance of our associates.

Mark’s presentation is packed full of fresh and current information. He makes it clear in his message that he is not trying to sell you a health and wellness system, but that he wants you to move in a realistic and positive direction towards improving the health and happiness in your life through a smarter program of more frequent healthier meals. His knowledge of the human body and contemporary nutrition concepts is vast and your audience will quickly realize that they have a talented and passionate expert in their midst.

His speaking style is engaging. He comes into the crowd and shows that he cares about his audience. His style is intoxicating and he will leave you wanting to know more. He stayed with our group through the remainder of the program and continued to answer personal questions at the breakfast the next morning, where we got to know him as a devoted husband and father.

Mark Macdonald delivers. He impacts his audience in a positive and meaningful way with lots of energy. I’m looking forward to hearing him again.

Originally, I put out a simple flyer, saying that anyone who was interested in forming a team of 4 people and participating in a 12-week "Shape Up for Summer" competition should respond to HR. I was hoping to get at least 10 teams. We got 31 teams!!! That's 124 people who signed up, and you can only imagine the competitive spirit that started swirling.

Mark from Venice Nutrition came to speak to the big group, and even though the meeting wasn't mandatory, we had nearly 100 people show up to hear him speak. His health program is great - all about getting enough sleep, drinking water, eating the right combinations of foods, frequent small meals, exercise, etc. Nothing "trendy" - just good nutrition sense. And he is really a good, energetic VERY positive person - our employees love him.

As always, I enjoyed our conversation last week, it is typically just the thing I need to help keep me on track. I am down 15lbs and am looking to shave another 10 by the end of January! I have found the program easy to follow and continue to be amazed at how eating six meals a day is actually helping me lose weight.

As I spent time this weekend with my family (away from the office) I had some time to reflect on my personal and professional goals for 2007 and began to think about many of the correlations between what you teach and how I want to motivate my team next year.

Here are a few things that struck me as similar to life in the "sales world":

• Starting Small:
  I often try to communicate to a new associate that while it is important to make new solicitation calls, it is also important to try not to burn out by setting unrealistic goals or concentrating so hard on the calls, that you lose sight of the end goal. In an attempt to lose weight, if you set too high of a goal for yourself, not achieving these goals can result in a negative effect, frustration and/or a return to old habits. In both cases you have to start small, have big end goals, and celebrate the small success as they add up to your achieving your ultimate end goal and help you "stick" to your original plan.
• Accountability is Key:
  While I like to think of myself as a self starter and since I am an "entrepreneur" running my own business, I like to think that I have enough drive to keep myself motivated. I have found though that our weekly phone calls help keep me in check and cause me to reflect on my current and future actions. I have enjoyed this "voluntary accountability" so much, that I am looking to offer a similar type program with my teams in 2007 so as to help them with their personal production goals.
• Stick With It:
  Understanding that there will be "ups and downs" in your program is key to "surviving" long enough to achieve your goals. It also trains you to take the good times with the bad and that if you have the persistence to "stick with it" the goals you desire will be yours!

I could go on with the similarities between changing your lifestyle and being successful in a sales arena. I did want you to know that I am taking this experience and using it to both continue to improve my health and help me with how I help motivate my team!

Keep up the great job... You are making a difference!