All Things Fitness and Wellness

Building Generational Health: CoupleyFit's DeAnna & Kurt Mangum on Corporate Wellness & Social Good

• Krissy Vann

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On this episode of the ATFW Podcast, host Krissy Vann welcomes DeAnna and Kurt Mangum, the dynamic duo behind CoupleyFit, a brand dedicated to promoting generational health and corporate wellness. 

From their humble beginnings in the food and beverage industry to becoming digital fitness influencers, DeAnna and Kurt share their journey of building CoupleyFit into a benefit corporation focused on supporting marginalized communities. They discuss their innovative S.W.A.N. (Sleep, Water, Activity, Nutrition) lifestyle, overcoming challenges like Imposter Syndrome, and leveraging social media for authentic brand growth. 

Tune in to learn how CoupleyFit combines fitness, community service, and social good to inspire positive change. Perfect for fitness business professionals and wellness entrepreneurs looking to create meaningful impact.

#fitnesspodcast #fitnessbusiness #fitnessindustry 

Chapters:
00:00- Intro
02:02- What is CoupleyFit?
07:29- The SWAN Lifestyle Sleep, Water, Activity, and Nutrition
09:32- Turning a passion into a Fitness Business
14:36- Entrepreneurship without private equity funding
18:30- Entering the digital media space for fitness business
20:33- Public Relations Lessons for Fitness Business Exposure
22:22- Global Fitness Statistics and the physical inactivity crisis
24:41- Becoming a business for social good
26:31- Diversity and Inclusion in fitness business
30:16- Charitable campaigns to help marginalized communities
33:47- Lessons from fitness business mentors

Connect with CoupleyFit:
Website: https://www.coupleyfit.com
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coupleyfitt
https://www.facebook.com/CoupleyFit1/ 

Connect with All Things Fitness and Wellness:
www.atfw.ca
https://www.instagram.com/allthingsfitnessandwellness/?hl=en 
https://www.linkedin.com/company/all-things-fitness-and-wellness 










Kurt Mangum II:

We always like to be honest and give both sides for those entrepreneurs like our home into pre foreclosure in the home in Phoenix, like when we got back from South by Southwest, there was our pre foreclosure sign on our house as

DeAnna Mangum II:

an entrepreneur the journey can be very lonely and so when you're getting around people that are not only believe in you and believe in what you're doing, it gives you that extra boost to keep going right especially after receiving a pre foreclosure that can be something that's devastating and that was, you know, you come from being at this high and then you come back home and it's like, oh, reality just hit.

Krissy Vann:

This is all things fitness and wellness hosted by Krissy Vann. Together we're uniting industry thought leaders and fit flew answers on the mission to inspire innovation and encourage people to live a life fit and well. On this episode of The ATF W podcast we're excited to welcome Deanna and Kurt Mangum, the passionate husband and wife team behind cup leafit. Beginning in the food and beverage industry, their enthusiasm for a healthy lifestyle quickly spread and turned into them building a brand together, given Kurt have navigated the challenges of entrepreneurship, including almost losing everything to make their vision of building generational health a reality. As early adopters in the digital fitness space. They saw their brand flourish during the pandemic, leading to the transformation of coupley fit into a benefit corporation that stands for supporting marginalized communities. Deanna and Kurt will share valuable insights on building a brand, overcoming obstacles like impostor syndrome, and leveraging social media to create authentic connections and drive business growth. Before we get to it, be sure to hit like and subscribe. We have new podcast episodes weekly featuring industry thought leaders and influencers. Plus, every week we wrap up the latest industry headlines in under five minutes with a new episode of This Week in fitness. I'm your host, Krissy Vann and this is at DFW. I am so thrilled because I have not one but two guests today and a legendary couple in the fitness community. We have Deanna and Kurt here. So first of all, thank you so much for taking the time to join me on all things fitness and wellness.

Unknown:

Thank you for having us.

Krissy Vann:

The reason why I really wanted to chat with you both is because obviously we know the fitness industry, it's a competitive space, there's so much ingenuity in this space. And I think the two of you have really targeted a proper fun niche to be in where you are encouraging people to encourage each other and be in a partnership. So before we even dive into a little bit of the backstory, I'll let you both explain what is couply fit

Unknown:

totally fit is our mission is to create generational health and couply fit means two or more failing betters together.

Krissy Vann:

Do you practice that? Not anymore. Yeah, we

Unknown:

used to. We used to and it just now it just happens naturally. Yeah.

Krissy Vann:

Oh, I love it. That's incredible. Well, I'm a little bit curious, because as a couple yourself, let's start with like the true nitty gritty backstory. How did you two meet in the first place?

Unknown:

Yes. So we actually met in about 2013. It was New Year's Eve, and it was actually in a nightclub in Scottsdale. Kurt was transitioning from playing at the University of Akron to then playing for in the NFL. And then for me, I was just graduating from Arizona State University. And we literally just by chance met and after a few months went by, we ended up you know, finally getting together. And every time you tell the story, people are always like I believe now I can find love in the clubs. So yes, that was how it all started.

Krissy Vann:

And at the time, was the fitness industry a trajectory that both of you were looking at getting into or how did that actually come into play? Yeah,

Unknown:

so you really? That's a great question. We were both we have like really Fitness and Sports backgrounds. Deanna was a starch and volleyball player and, and that was something that she was passing by both her parents were collegiate athletes. My dad was a collegiate athlete as well. And so Fitness and Sports was something that we always did. And so we didn't know that like, Oh, our career is going to be in health and wellness or fitness. But it was just like something that we always were passionate about. We're always doing like outdoor activities, active activities, and like our first date was at Dave and Busters. So that should have been a sign you got you may be doing something health and wellness together.

Krissy Vann:

Incredible. At what point did you decide to actually go into a business and create this together? Where was the seed for couply for actually planted.

Unknown:

So interesting enough, it came about very organically. And so you know, Kurt and I, when we first started dating because we had, you know, sports backgrounds, and we were so used to you know, working out and eating healthy and drinking water and doing all of these things that when Kurt's family, they own a concept in the Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport. And so as we both were working in that airport, we then had employees start coming up to us and they were like, hey, Deanna we see that you prep Kurt's meal meals every day. And we see that he's drinking water. And he's, you know, we see your guys's workouts on social media, can you help us? So at first we were like, Okay, I mean, yeah, we'll just help you, you know, we'll do like a custom meal plan and a couple of things like that. But then we noticed that more and more employees were starting to come and ask us to create the the custom meal plans for them. And it turned into this amazing, it was on what we always say, swan is it started in the airport. And so we just amazing transformations. And that's what Swan means is transformation. And so, as we started doing that, we started noticing like our first client, she ended up losing 80 pounds. And so from there, we started, then another employee lost 40 pounds, and then another employee lost 30. But really, what we saw was that as the UN, you know, at this time, a lot of the women were single moms, and so they were taking care of their children, but now it becomes about, Hey, how are we able to show and be the example for our kids. And so that first client that we were talking about, she ended up hiking Camelback Mountain, then her son's, which is, now they're working out at, you know, at parks, and they're drinking more water, and they're like, they're then they started asking their mom, hey, can we go for a walk? Hey, can we go to the park? Hey, you're drinking soda, we should be drinking water. So then we started seeing the kids started holding the parents accountable. And so we were like, You know what, we're onto something here, we've seen some, some extraordinary transformations. And we want to be able to see how many people that we can just affect with this amazing Swan concept that we have.

Krissy Vann:

It's so incredible when you think about those lifestyle shifts. And sometimes, and you could probably relate to this, when you're the person that's putting them in action. Other people tend to have one of two reactions, one, sometimes they may say, Oh, your major meal, and it's a little bit derogatory toward it. And it's because it can feel a little bit threatening. It's a bit of a mirror sometimes for the actionable change that perhaps somebody isn't taking for themselves. On the flip side, and what's so rewarding when it happens is that it becomes infectious in the super positive way where they're like, You seem really happy and positive and moving around. I want some of that, how can I have some? So I think that's so great that it did unfold so organically, for those that are hearing the swan approach, because I know this is part of your technique. What exactly is that? What does it stand for?

Unknown:

Yes, Swan stands. So it's an acronym. It's our ethos, it stands for sleep, water activity, and nutrition, which makes up swan. And so we've trademarked the philosophy and that ethos, and it's literally just getting a little bit of more sleep, water activity, nutrition, and it guarantees that you'll feel better and there's no like boundaries to it. Obviously, access to some of those things is something that we talk about and, and working through. But it's a lot easier to be able to get access to a little bit more sleep water activity, or nutrition compared to maybe fasting or, you know, GLP ones, like you know, things like that, you know, that are more expensive, or have really high risks or side effects that you can't do forever. And so we consistently found that our clients and people were looking for a lifestyle change that they can do, and they can maintain, and you can do together with your family that's not a fad or something that, you know, has negative effects. Yeah,

Krissy Vann:

it really is about building those strong foundations. And no matter what life throws at you, if you do have those in place, at the very least it offers whatever semblance of stability we can have as humans as possible. It's so great to fall back on. And I really appreciate this philosophy of generational health. Because, as you know, and if you've seen anything that I put out there, a lot of what we talk about is the physical inactivity crisis. And sadly, it's something that impacts all generations, we have children that aren't moving nearly enough. When we look at active aging, obviously being an exciting sector of the industry. But there's a lot of older individuals that we talk about, kind of that prepping for life where you want to be able to bend down and hang out with your grandkids. It's not this grand your I want to run a marathon when I'm 75 If you do amazing, but that's not necessarily the goal that we're speaking to. So you all of a sudden realize you have this niche, organically, people are coming to you, you realize you probably have a bit of a business here. But as we talked about at the beginning here, the space can feel quite saturated. So how did you decide to take this organic momentum and leverage it into an actual business?

Unknown:

It's a great question. One of the things that happened again, really organically being in the business and operations and leadership at that concept that it was a food and beverage concept and a restaurant like a coffee shop cafe. And so when we saw that, you know with us helping clients I will also employees and colleagues in the business. Yes, they had the weight transformations in the weight loss, you know hundreds of pounds. But what we also saw was that when people were feeling better They were more present in the workplace, they were more joyful. There was more collaboration and teamwork, we saw that the revenue nearly doubled tips for the employees because now the experience is better. Chrissy had a great coffee or Cabernet in sandwich or like, you know, here's a $5 tip. And now the applause like, oh my gosh, I'm seeing this payoff in real time. And so we also saw that the customer experience was just incredible. And there was actually an award that year by the Arizona foothills magazine for best customer experience in Sky Harbor Airport. So that was like an aha moment for us of like, oh, my gosh, the reviews, the presenteeism, there was a lot of talk about the disengagement rate just in, you know, globally, especially in the United States with, you know, obesity, the lack of presenteeism like, oh, my gosh, with this work here, let's see if we can scale this and do this on our own, okay, and replicated in other areas. So we went from that there were some pivots along the way, but we, you know, had a facility where we would actually train the employees inside of a gym. From there, we started noticing that people were asking us more for, hey, can you guide me when it comes to nutrition, and so I'm certified in nutrition and wellness. And so I was able to create those custom meal plans, clearly, again, bringing that education piece because one thing that we saw is that we were able to empower not only the person, but then ultimately, the couple, we noticed that again, that trickle down effect as it goes to the kids. Or if you live in a multi generational household, the grandparents, and we just started noticing that as a whole, the family dynamic in the family unit started to become stronger.

Krissy Vann:

So you 2017 As you say, all of a sudden, you're doing things in a facility as well, at what point in building this? Did you decide to kind of grow things digitally? Because obviously, what was it 2011? Instagram comes into play? So when did you decide to market yourself? And how did you decide to market yourself?

Unknown:

So it's actually interesting? That's a great question. As it relates to social media, we knew from the very beginning that we had to get content. So we were hosting camps. At first, they were like free, like, we've just come on out, you know, bring apart, you know, bring out a second person or bring a accountability partner. And they're free as well. But we will get the drone out there. Yeah, so the elders had amazing content. So social media started to grow, we had like, totally grew to over 20,000 followers on Instagram. So all of those things were just happening in the meantime. And so that was a part of our marketing technique was really utilizing social media. And then from there, we also, again, realized from a time and bandwidth perspective, we were driving across town to the gym, we were working with clients, we're waiting for people to get they're doing programs. So we're like, okay, we need to find that balance so that business can run without us physically having to be here with the clients every second of the day. And so will we kind of pivoted to was doing corporate wellness and working with nonprofit organizations. We started with our church, which was victory victory Community Church, which is in South Phoenix, a food desert in the metropolitan Phoenix area, and really saw, again, transformative experience but with a group, which was really incredible. And it was really focused on couples. So between that that was like, Okay, we're now going to the app route, which now the past five years, we've we've launched our app, which is our Swan, Jono, the coupling Fit app, and it comes via SMS messaging. So we're like, how do we reach and deliver Swan to everyone every day? And so that was, you know, a part of that journey was creating that figuring it out. It was not overnight, we promise, we're still making updates improvements today. Well,

Krissy Vann:

on that note, because exactly that you were working on this concept. All of a sudden, this personal training, so to speak, comes out by organically because people are like you're leading by example, how do I get some of that you transform to doing these things in parks, you're already nailing it in the social media thing I imagine probably just because you enjoy the space and recognize like the contents fun, that starts to explode, you get into corporate wellness. But then when you're transitioning to all of a sudden building out an app, I mean, those are all new skill sets that you need to acquire. So what have been some of the biggest challenges along the way as you've been building and pivoting? Because that's quite a lot of pivots. And not that long of a timeline, but necessary. And I also feel like things were there would like breadcrumbs that you're following, where you're like, Oh, we're supposed to go this way now. And the nice thing is, you were very open to that. And obviously we're like, let's do it.

Unknown:

The biggest thing that we noticed too, was we're having these incredible opportunities, but as a startup, as you know, entrepreneurs that are doing it without private equity funding or backing financially like the financial burden of being too entrepreneurs, like you know, things had to wait we didn't like start a family and have kids right away, got married because like our business was our baby still is In that sense, so like sacrifices like that were really big. And then also, we had two funding rounds, really, we'll call it three funding rounds, some initial funding, just again, all of it was friends and family people in our network. We did a round of crowdfunding in 2018 2019. Because we were selected after our work with the nonprofit by South by Southwest as one of the top 30 startups in the world, with Swan, which was like super, super credible. But you have to pay to be able to like physically bring your booth and set up and meet with investors and all of the people there in Austin, Texas. And so we weren't going to go because we didn't have the funds. So we did a round of funding to do that. But we had the adversity that was very real, where, you know, certain contracts maybe didn't go your way, or they took longer than expected, we didn't know it would be like a six to seven month sales cycle at times and corporate wellness. And so you know, just to be candid, and we always like to be honest, and give both sides for those entrepreneurs, like our home into Pre Foreclosure that home in Phoenix, like when we got back from South by Southwest. Those are pre foreclosure signs on our on our house. Wow. Yes,

Krissy Vann:

obviously sweet, scary. How scary is that? And especially like you're both in this together, which is like, Yay, we're in this together. But also that must be so hard to navigate when two people are under the same weight a stress

Unknown:

is really stressful. Yes. Those moments Yes, absolutely. But it was also one of those things work for us. We are very faith based. And that's also what we build couple of feet around. And so for us, we knew that this was our divine destiny. So we just knew that again. It's that adversity, right? Those hills. This is reality. And it's the reality of being an entrepreneur, but also being a husband and wife team. And now there's, you're both invested into the same thing. There was that also that realization too. And we were about 2526. And so you're just you're you're learning as you go. And so you are, you know, you're able to get around some amazing people that are willing to help you and want to help you want to see you be successful. And leaning into that a little bit more of, you know, just people that want to see when and that's something that you know, as an entrepreneur, the journey can be very lonely. And so when you're getting around people that are not only believe in you and believe in what you're doing, it gives you that extra boost to keep going right, especially after receiving a pre foreclosure, that could be something that's devastating. And that was, you know, you come from being at this high and then you come back home. And it's like, oh, reality, just it. It's been an amazing journey, though just to be able to be able to get through the the adversity and also be able to get through it together

Krissy Vann:

really is those moments that test us that have so much opportunity, it's hard to pivot the mind sometimes and be like this is a gift. Or like I don't know if the sun on my lawn really feels like much of a gift right now. But if you're able to, you know, have that mindset through it. And obviously, you had a supportive community around you as well to be like, just keep going forward. Every sign you had was that you had something here. So with the timeline, I'm curious because you niched into the digital space, then pre COVID. Would that be correct? Yes. So you were really ahead of the game? Because I do think that a lot of individuals that were doing what were you were doing in parks are Jim spaces hadn't made those digital pivots. So how much did going through that experience? impact your business? Was it a benefit? Or was it a hindrance that you're already playing in the space?

Unknown:

It was a major benefit for sure. Just being able to be digital, the fact that we were already using social media, I think one of the first things that you'll hear, you know, business coaches or consultants say is like, Are you sharing on social media? Are you you know, are you getting this message in your business out to your network, right, because those opportunities like 70 to 80% of your opportunities are going to come from within your network. And so we really tapped in there. So that helped us in an already been having the app route. But also, we positioned ourselves through, again, all of that work in the community, giving back and just pouring in. We've had opportunities where we've been on, you know, local media news, we were 2020, when the pandemic hit, we were actually on the cover of Scottsdale Health magazine, we like a four page spread. So now we're coming out as subject matter experts and speakers, and that was another revenue stream for us as well, where it's like we really needed it. So there was that balance of digital being able to be ahead of the game, utilizing virtual settings, meetings and collaborations with brands. Those all made a really big difference as being able to be ahead of the game. And

Krissy Vann:

on that note of just getting the recognition and media talked to me a little bit about some of the recognitions and accolades, you have experience. We have

Unknown:

been fortunate enough. We had an amazing PR mentor, her name is Nicole Lydon. She has helped us tremendously to be able to realize that we are worthy of PR and so when we went through one of her workshops and from her team jeans, we were able to pitch ourselves. And so we've been featured on local news stations here we've had, you know, running segments, Motivational Monday on channel three out here in Arizona. And then we've also just been, you've already mentioned the the cover of Scottsdale Health magazine, which that was our first ever like, huge kind of PR, and it was during COVID. So we, we felt like we could be that kind of inspiration during that time, you know, people have seen our hard work, especially on social media, and then you're finally kind of getting that recognition. And so for us, it felt really good. But then in our community, they were really happy for us as well.

Krissy Vann:

What were the biggest lessons from that PR workshop that you did that still hold true today?

Unknown:

I think the first is not many, I think the first one is you are worthy, like you are worthy. There's this idea whether it's impostor syndrome, or it's the idea that the space is too crowded, but your story, you have to own it. And it is what makes you unique in leaning in, you know, in your niche, not feeling like I've got to, you know, even for us, like we were being distracted at times, like we've got to help everybody like, you know, everyone's like, No, we really need to focus on couples, and then married couples, and like really focusing in on that niche. And that was one of the really big ones also, you know, tips about how to provide value, how to out how to reach out to a new station or to immediate publication with ideas, right, listing your unique perspective, these are the top three ideas, and it just other things about like what colors to wear to present yourself. So those were so big two. And the other thing I just did, I didn't want to forget, we've had some other really amazing accolades, I want to give the end of a shout out. So she was the Pink Diamond Award winner last year, which was another really big, you know, just award for all of her work in the community and uplifting. We were both Phoenix Titan one hundreds title, the title industry this year. So it's been just good to have those things. Well,

Krissy Vann:

especially like I do love stories that are so grassroots, obviously, you had the foundations, and you had the knowledge, but really, you just got this nudge in the direction and decided to grab it and grab it together. Obviously, the generational health and the generational wellness is such a pillar of what you're trying to instill in your communities and through everyone that you reach. You know, when you see the statistics like how do you actually feel when when we talk about the fact that unfortunately, you know, the obesity rates continue to climb and physical inactivity is not just a problem in the United States, we have it here in Canada, and it's a global health crisis.

Unknown:

We are also on one end, we're looking at it as this is a health crisis. And we need to we need to continue to stay steadfast and what we're doing with couply faith because we truly believe that we are one of the solutions for that. But then we also feel that there are it almost empowers us to to continue to keep going and making sure that we are reaching as many people as possible. And so that's why we also about five years ago, we had a kind of an epiphany to see, hey, how can we not only reach more people, but reach more people of color. Because for both Kurt and myself, you know, we have family members that have you know, high blood pressure, diabetes, and just curable diseases that we just have seen them suffer over years, you know, they're losing limbs, and they are extremely unhealthy. And it was one of those things where we are continuously looking at ways that we can be the change, we always say that we want to continuously to be the change, and so on on one end, although we look at it and you can get a it can be discouraging a little bit when you first look at the stats, but then, you know, we kind of get that motivation of okay, this is why we keep going with khopoli fit. This is why we start with couples, we start with parents, this is where the route is going to be and the not route is going to continue on to children and it's going to be a generational pattern. And so as we just continue to stay in that mindset, it encourages us and empowers us to keep going and especially for for people of color like we mentioned before that is originally why we started couply fit besides kind of organically, we just you know I in 2010 I was diagnosed with being having a gluten intolerance and so that was kind of my health struggle they are trying to figure that out. And in college you know, you don't really have too much money and so you're uh you know, I remember in Trader Joe's it was just one like one shelf of gluten free things and it's like it costs so much money too much money and so there was that that of health accessibility and being able to have access to foods that are going to actually be healthy for you and dark going to cost so much. And so we we transform that into a strategic partnership with Walmart five years ago, that really was able to Allow us to tap into racial equity and health equity and really focus on that and be subject matter experts and be speakers and be able to have that voice for people of color in the in the spaces that we really need them in order to continue to evolve and grow in mindsets and lifestyle changes. And realizing that again, we're not in this alone, because we can always feel like whether you're an entrepreneur or whether you're starting your health journey, I'm by myself. And we just want to continuously encourage that you can have somebody please help partner, we always say to can do it. And that's part of our philosophy as well. And I do you feel like with social media, and we've all we are noticing that we are actually the most connected, but we're also literally the loneliest we have ever been as well. So I want to make sure that we're bringing that connection back,

Krissy Vann:

you highlight something so important, because obviously, you know, I have a lot of execs on the podcast of varying sizes of organizations, and some of them very, very large. And almost every corporate structure has diversity and inclusion as part of their mandates. And a lot of times you encounter that it's, you know, chapter five, and Emanuel, and staff has to read chapter five in a manual and you get your little notch that you did your training, and not much really filters down from the top down. So kind of just to what you speak there to about partnerships, how important is it for companies to actually thoughtfully and authentically engage with their communities.

Unknown:

It's pivotal. And I think we're seeing it now more than ever, it's really critical. And to give an example of this in 2020, with the murder of George Floyd and everything was happening here in the United States, we saw more companies reach out to figure out how we want to hear from subject matter experts, we want to hear from leaders in the community, we want to talk with a couple of other people to figure out what can we do to create actionable change? And for some brands, it's been how do we create long lasting change? Yes, yeah,

Krissy Vann:

that's a big one. Yes,

Unknown:

it can be dollars, right. But also, let's also show with your time with resources, with commitment, and not just saying diversity, equity and inclusion, but actually living it. Yeah. Being allies. You know, we recently did a just an example, but a brand partnership with Forbes. And we were a part of the Forbes Bok a global community for black executives, leaders and creators. And we did a community day in Atlanta, at the largest incubator for black businesses just recently, but the chief impact Officer of Forbes is talking about the ally ship and being able to create, you know, community in bridges within other ecosystems, both in the US and also globally. And so I think the more that you can use, you know, a lot of times it's underutilized, but utilizing the LinkedIn where it's a professional platform to be able to engage and share what you're doing, because it's so important, because you can be exactly what a brand is looking for the voice that they're like, hey, we want to hear from you. Or hear about how you're doing impactful work. And this is also why coupling fit, we became a benefit corporation, because we want to use our business as a force for good and creates an impact in the community in align with the brands that want to do that as well. Yeah,

Krissy Vann:

I mean, these speak to something so eloquently there, because when you think of the ally ship, I mean, right now, for example, we're coming off the heels of pride, and you can actually witness the temperature check of I mean, that's my podcast. So I can swear by our bullshit meter for what is genuine and what is not. Because for so long, it was exactly that a company just throws up a flag in this manner. But it's like there's really nothing in their culture that has made it any safer of a space for individuals that are there. And so I like that you highlight participating these in these things and asking the curious questions of how do we make long lasting change, and also ridding ourselves of the assumptions of what will actually be the thing to get us there? Because, I mean, I think these conversations should be so fluid, but for some reason, it's like this fear of that people have of making a misstep, where it's like, you kind of need to just dissolve that so that you can actually have a heart to heart with individuals and be like, What is your experience? Where are we failing as a community and as a society and just get raw and honest about that? And especially now, we know, the times are so exceptionally polarized. And to your point on how we've never been so connected and disconnected at the same time. I mean, you see it anytime that you're on public. I mean, it's me, I say hi to everybody. But I live in a busy city. So it's like how many people in the morning where I go Hello. And they just walked by and their phones and it's nothing personal. We've just become so siloed and insular. So kudos to using your platform that you two have grown so organically and yourselves and quite literally have gone through tremendous hardship and self belief to continue to make If that happened, tell me a little bit more about the giving back to community because as you say, there that is such a huge pillar now that you are seeing this momentum of success.

Unknown:

Yes, that's one of the flagships in my heart, Deanna, speak to like maybe your favorite campaign that we've done. But we do so much locally, we're based in Arizona. So from the Chandler to Phoenix, Scottsdale Valley, why we do a lot with youth organizations from Big Brothers, Big Sisters, improving Chandler area neighborhoods, working with groups for young men and young women of color, like the Omega Youth Leadership Academy. But then also on a more national scale, being able to have more of that that amplification of impact by working with brands like Walmart, and the National Urban League, which the I know, that was one of my favorite campaigns that we did as well, families during the holidays. Yes, and that was that was about three, three years ago, where Walmart reached out to me and they said, Hey, we want to do something called fit between feasts, where we are going to be going into underserved communities, typically communities of color, and we want to be able to give them a recipe that's going to help them in between the holidays to stay fit. So I was absolutely thrilled over the moon that they asked me so I created a recipe. And we actually did a demonstration ourselves, it's on our social media to on our Instagram that you'll be able to see. And that went out the recipe as well as the video went out to over 60 underserved families, which was over 500 people that we were able to feed during the holidays, but it was in partnership with the National Urban League and professional professionals. And that was just incredible to see that, you know, we're getting tagged on social media, where they're going into Walmart, and they're picking all the foods that are from my recipe, and they're so excited at the checkout. And then you're seeing them passing the bag to, you know, communities and family members. And so some that was something for me that I that was a pivotal moment for me just realizing again, the magnitude of what this can be. And knowing that we were also able to not only impact the parents, but also impact the children as well. Because typically, in the communities that we were serving at that time, there was about eight people in the family. And so being able to again, just show that there are there are healthy ways to again, stay fit during the holidays. But do it together and be together and maybe cook that meal together and start building that generational health starting from the root. So that was an amazing campaign that we just absolutely love. And then with ICANN that Kurt was talking about before, in the, in this particular area, and Chandler, eight out of 10 kids are in extreme poverty. And there are you know, over 50% of the kids that are at ICANN are actually going to be either you know using substance or they're going to be in some sort of like gang activity before the age of 13. And so Kurt and I, we've done two things there. So we were able to go in and do an employee wellness program where we implemented Swann, and so again, kind of starting from that route, right with the teachers with actually the kids. And then we came back for a multiple years for their ICANN Health and Wellness Fair, where we were out there doing boot camps for the kids. And then all of a sudden again, right? What's that lead by example. So the kids are coming out, they're starting to do push ups, and they're doing the obstacle course. And then all of a sudden parents are jumping in. They're doing it with their kids and the smiles that we were seeing. And that connection, like you seen literally saw it before your eyes of just being able to do something together as a family that really is just coming back to connection. But it is a healthy connection that we're building.

Krissy Vann:

One of the things that I noticed about people that work in this industry, for the most part, there has been somewhere this route or foundation for yourselves as to why fitness wellness has been a priority. And as you say, Swan, it's a four letter word. They're their basic things. But so many of us have lost touch with them or to your point like for some children, depending on how they grew up, those foundations were never built alongside them. And so I think it's so incredible that the two of you are still so rooted to the purpose of what got you into this in the first place. When you're realizing the impact that you had on just your fellow colleagues in that first thing and, and the joy they were experiencing as they were reaching those goals. And the journey, as you mentioned has not always been a smooth ride some very real life obstacles along the way, but you persevered and I know that no one ever does it alone. So as we start to round up the conversation here I'm curious from each of you. What have been the most the most impactful words or advice that you've received from a mentor along the way,

Unknown:

one of the the most impactful that comes to my mind is following your passion and following your purpose. And making sure that you also either find the right team or build the right team, because if you don't enjoy who you work with everything is going to seem harder, or more difficult or not as enjoyable. And so I think that's been the key, you know, coming from an industry that I was in, we were in food and beverage, and we were not in fitness. And like getting into the, like, just pivoting and being in fitness was so much more enjoyable on an every day because, you know, we don't always want to get up and have to go to work and put in the time. But if you're doing something that you love, it does make it easier. Absolutely.

Krissy Vann:

How about yourself? Tiana? Yes,

Unknown:

I would say that when it comes to a leadership style, coming from a place of servant leadership, and being able to connect with employees or connect with your community, on a very genuine, authentic level where they can feel that you want them to succeed, they can feel that you they want that you want them to be their best selves, coming from a place of compassion, empathy, and authenticity, you know, and sometimes it was letting people know, hey, I'm having a bad day today. And so if I feel a little bit short, or if I feel a little bit, you know, just a little off, this is why. And you'll notice that from just from that simple statement of you being vulnerable, and you being authentic in that moment, that it allows them to now have that space to do the same. That was something for us that we really saw and continue to embody as we just go throughout our complete journey. And we are just connecting with the community because as we know, the community is really why we're doing this. We're doing this to make sure that we can create that generational health and we can be servant leaders to everybody that we can be.

Krissy Vann:

I just love the energy of you both I want I'm sure there's many people that are listening that are like I would love to learn a little bit more about couply fit. So where can they connect and where can they find you?

Unknown:

Yeah, so you can find us on www dot couple e fit ce o UPLEY fit.com. And then we are on all social media channels on LinkedIn. We are on Facebook, Instagram, X, everything you can think of. We're also on there at khopoli fit CLU PLEY fit. Well,

Krissy Vann:

Deanna and Curt, huge congratulations to having such a tale of perseverance. And thank you for all that you do to motivate more people to get moving and really finding that spark and enjoyment in it. Because at the end of the day, I think that's the goal for us all and the benefits that come from it are such a trickle down for not just the individual, but what they're putting out into the world. So thank you so much for your time today.

Unknown:

Thank you so much for having us. Krissy we appreciate you.

Krissy Vann:

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