On today’s episode, Clara Artschwager joins to give a behind the scenes look at Aaptiv!
We’re back with our 102nd episode of the Fed+Fit Podcast! Remember to check back every Monday for a new episode and be sure to subscribe on iTunes!
Find us HERE on iTunes and be sure to “subscribe.”
[powerpress]
Episode 102 Sponsors
- Aaptiv – be sure to enter the promo code “fedandfit” (one word) at checkout, and your first 30 days are on the house!
- PrepDish – get 2 *FREE* weeks of Paleo/gluten-free meal plans with the code “FEDANDFIT” by clicking HERE!
Episode 101 Transcription
Prep Dish is a healthy, subscription based, meal planning service that, you guys, I personally use and trust for paleo and gluten free friendly meals. When you sign up, youโll receive an email every week with a grocery list, and instructions for prepping your meals ahead of time. After only one to three hours of prepping on the weekend, youโll have all of your meals ready for the entire week! Youโll save time, and have amazingly delicious meals like smoky paprika chicken legs with a trio of roasted vegetables; or turkey and zucchini lasagna. I have been blown away by the quality of the recipes and how easy they make meal planning. The founder, Allison, is offering you, the lovely Fed and Fit listeners, a free two-week trial to try it out. You really canโt beat that! Check out www.PrepDish.com/FedandFit for this amazing deal. Again, www.PrepDish.com/FedandFit for your first two weeks free. This is a no-brainer! Youโre going to love it!
Cassy Joy: Welcome back to another episode of the Fed and Fit podcast. Iโm very excited about todayโs episode, because I really get to put a face and a voice to this name that I have been sharing with you guys for months now. I have invited Clara, who is the head of marketing over at Aaptiv to come on the show today. Weโre going to chat more about this amazing online robust fitness community. I am personally a user, a huge fan, and Iโm so excited to pick her brain, learn more about Aaptiv, and tell you guys more about this really wonderful way that you can fit fitness in, that slides really nicely in with your lifestyle. So welcome to the show, Clara!
Clara: Oh, hi! Iโm so happy to be here Cassy. Weโre such fans.
Cassy Joy: Oh {laughs} thank you so much. Itโs mutual. {laughs} Iโm a fan of you guys.
Clara: Itโs just nice to work with good people, you know?
Cassy Joy: Yeah.
Clara: I always say; we could be; well, I love what we do, but I could be selling, I donโt know, whatever, and itโs all about the people.
Cassy Joy: It really is.
Clara: So itโs great. Itโs really great to work with you.
Cassy Joy: Oh my goodness; likewise. And the listeners here have known for a while, but Iโm the same way. There are companies that I love, I will like their product. But when I get really, really excited, itโs usually because Iโve gotten to know the people and the faces behind the brand, and thereโs a lot of depth there, and it makes me even more excited to share your resources with the listeners here. So thank you so much for being a part of the podcast.
Clara: Yeah!
Cassy Joy: And thank you so much for making time to come onto todays show. But I was wondering if you could just kick things off; set a little background information; tell folks a little bit about yourself and your roll at Aaptiv.
Clara: Yeah, totally. So like you said, I lead marketing and communications for the brand, and my entire career background is in marketing PR, digital marketing, social media, that type of thing. I sort of fell backwards into this fitness/wellness community. I actually started out as a blogger in 2011. The remnants of it are still online, and I ran a blog. It was more of a food and lifestyle blog. And then a consulting business from 2011-2014, and thatโs really where I honed my skills in digital, social, and influencer marketing. I carried more of the traditional elements of corporate B to B, B to C marketing, and traditional PR into that that I had done earlier in my 20s.
So, it was through that that I worked with a variety of clients. And then at the end of; I guess it was midway into 2014, I had gone through some big life changes, and I decided I wanted to go back in house, versus working for myself. It was through that that I ended up working at Self Magazine; which most people start in publishing when theyโre just out of college; they come in as an editorial assistant, and work their way up. So I was sort of an anomaly in that sense. I had never worked in publishing, and it was more about where the brand was, in terms of they had rebranded and they hadnโt done anything on the social and the digital side, so it was the opportunity to come in and sort of lead that change.
But, I think when people are like, โI work for Self Magazine!โ Or, โI work for a fitness company.โ They assume that youโre super, super passionate about fitness. Which I am, but it sort of became secondary. But by being at Self, I got this total window into the fitness world from sort of a brand marketing growth perspective that I wouldnโt have normally. So when I did that, I wrapped that up; gosh, itโs very hard. Do you find it hard to tell? Iโm like, โWhat year was that?โ
Cassy Joy: Yeah.
Clara: But I wrapped that up in the fall of 2015, and I ended up going back to consulting for a bit, and I was working for; this is a company that people may not be familiar with. Itโs called Peloton; itโs a spinning company, but basically you buy the bike, and you can have live videos in your; you can watch them in your home. So I ended up working for them for a little bit, because through a connection itself. So it was sort of this foray into the fitness world that I never really planned, but it provided a really great foundation for coming on at Aaptiv. So Aaptiv was actually founded by a guy that I went to collage with. We werenโt close friends when we were in school; but we had a mutually very close friend, my friend Carrie, who in sort of; you know, you look back at these things. It was January 2016, she sends an email intro-ing the two of us, like, โYou guys are playing in the same sandbox. Ethan has a fitness app, and Clara, you do all this work in fitness. You guys should sit down.โ
Honestly, I went into that meeting just thinking; Iโll give him some editor contacts. Iโll chat a little bit. But I didnโt really think much of it. And it was sort of one of those things where we sat down; I literally said to him, sitting across from him, because I was sort of going through the type of work I do, and what I specialize in. So I was like, โI donโt really know what you need, but if you want to work together.โ I donโt know. He was like, โI kind of need everything.โ
Cassy Joy: {laughs}
Clara: And I was like; ok. So initially; Iโll be honest, and this is actually one of the things that we talk about with people in general. When I first heard it was a fitness app; I was like, no. There are way too many of those; no way in hell am I working for a fitness app. Then I sort of dug into the product a little bit, and I was like, โOh, this is actually pretty cool.โ And I can talk about it; I know you talk about it since weโre sponsors of the show, what the product is, but Iโm happy for people that either havenโt used it yet to really quickly unpack what it is.
Cassy Joy: Please do; yeah.
Clara: Itโs basically; itโs audio-based fitness. But honestly, the best way to, if you’re sitting and listening to this right now; to envision what that is, is if you were to capture the audio experience from a really incredible fitness class. For some people thatโs Soul Cycle; some people thatโs a Barryโs Bootcamp. Any place that you go; I think Orange Theory is a big one that people, that oneโs been across the country and people are obsessed with. Anywhere that you get in that room, and you have that incredibly motivating trainer, and that play list where youโre like, โGah! I could just run through a wall right now. Iโm so motivated!โ
Cassy Joy: {laughs}
Clara: โI want to do 100 burpees!โ Which I have actually never felt that way, but.
Cassy Joy: {laughing}
Clara: But thatโs how you feel because you’re so motivated! That is what we capture, and we scale it through audio. So itโs funny; right now Iโm recording this podcast from our audio booth in our offices. And this is where our trainers come in and they record their voice, and then they put together a playlist and our sound engineering team puts the file together. So itโs like this class in your ear, with this really intimate, motivating experience. And we apply that model to everything from treadmill workouts, to yoga, to guided walks, to elliptical, stair climber, 5K race training, marathon race training. So that is the model, and thatโs what it is.
Basically, when I discovered what it was, and really understood what it was; I was like, ok this is significant. This feels different. And the other thing that sold me; and I think this is something that you really experienced, too. We were just talking about, Cassy, as a blogger and influencer and what really motivates you, is the community. So I think this; when we started, we were much smaller. Weโve grown tremendously in a year, which is very humbling. But I honestly think itโs because people really connect to the product, and what comes out of that is this community of people that; I mean, itโs the kind of thing you see big brands now trying to create. And Iโm a firm believer that you just canโt buy this stuff. It just inherently has to be there. I think a lot of bloggers experience it, because they create these really authentic relationships with their followers, and you feel really connected to that person. I think itโs very hard to do that with a product; especially how competitive and noisy the marketplace is right now.
But what really sold me; I mean, once I got over, โOk, this isnโt just another fitness app.โ {laughs} And I was over that; then it was this community of members that really sold me. And these are the people that; the things they write in about how this product has changed their life. And Iโm not just talking; โI lost a bunch of weight.โ Which thatโs incredible; thatโs very exciting. Itโs the people that are like; Iโm blind. And Iโve never been able to work out before.
Cassy Joy: Oh my gosh.
Clara: And this app has completely; I mean, I read things like that, and I, first of all, we never set out to do that, but wow what an incredible thing.
Cassy Joy: Mm-hmm.
Clara: And itโs not just that. Itโs the small things, itโs the large things. But it was the community of people, which has grown tremendously, that was what motivated me and what made me want to join and be a part of this. So that was; gosh, I came on officially in March 2016, and we were a team. It was me, our founder, our head of growth, and a few free-lancers and our trainers; but it was really only like 4 people full time. And now we are 25 people full time. {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Oh my gosh.
Clara: Yeah. So itโs been a real whirl-wind. But that was a very long answer to your question. {laughs}
Cassy Joy: I love it! It was such a great answer. Well, happy anniversary! {laughs}
Clara: Thank you.
Cassy Joy: On your one-year. My goodness, that is explosive growth. And I think that is just further proof that this is such a really needed tool. And itโs one of those things that you donโt; thinking of myself as a fitness consumer, I wouldnโt have thought; itโs kind of a blind side, what Aaptiv fills. Something I didnโt know I needed until I found it.
Clara: Yep. Yep.
Cassy Joy: But itโs just incredible, being able to take those really high quality trainers with you. Every time I visit New York, or some of these big cities; I live in San Antonio, and Iโll go and drop into some of these incredible fitness classes, and I just love them and thereโs a wealth of them. There are some incredible instructors here in San Antonio; but itโs a little bit more difficult to always reach them. And to be able to think that you can really get cream of the crop with you, and you can fit it into your schedule, itโs just so, so neat and so interesting. Well, congratulations on a year, and all the tremendous growth.
Dialing back, Iโm curious. Can you tell us a little bit about the history of Aaptiv? I know itโs got a very short history, but what was the original idea? Was it to bring just that; just bring these trainers to folks on their mobile, and be able to have these audio-based training programs?
Clara: Thatโs a great question. And the story that kind of percolated when you were just discussing just your experience with; you know, we live in these cities where we have these really high quality trainers, but thatโs not a reality necessarily for everybody, for a variety of reasons. Whether itโs where you live; those things are not free, nor are they inexpensive.
Cassy Joy: Yeah.
Clara: So, it was actually our founder, heโs a runner. And he went to; we went to college together, and then his whole background is in sort of finance and consulting, so he was on the road a lot for work. And he was fortunate to be of the ability to go to those boutique classes multiple times a week, or work with a personal trainer. But he couldnโt, because he was on the road 5 days a week for work. So he really just felt like; in this day and age, where you can get an Uber, or you have Netflix, or something to that effect, that you should be able to get a high-quality workout with incredible instruction anytime, anywhere.
So, pair that with; heโs also very extremely passionate about music, and to go back to what I said before, heโs a runner. So it never makes sense for him, in particular, to make a video to be running and have a 4-inch screen in front of his face.
Cassy Joy: Yeah.
Clara: That doesnโt make sense. So he started to mess around with this concept of audio. He was really passionate about music, and had this whole timing of the playlists themselves. I mean, a lot of people will write to us, and say, โI never knew that I could push myself so hard, or run so quickly, or burn that many calories in a workout.โ And weโre like, โWe know, because thereโs a science behind it.โ The pace of the music corresponds to how quickly youโll move, and youโll work. So if a beat speeds up; itโs like what you experience in a class, when the instructor is like, โNow weโre going to go up a hill,โ or whatever it is. You move more quickly because you feel that momentum.
So he was really keyed into that, so thatโs sort of where the idea of audio came from. And then, he personally started working on the app a few years ago while he was still working full time. I mean, he didnโt leave his full-time job until the end of December 2016, when we already had a few thousand members.
Cassy Joy: Wow.
Clara: Yeah. Heโs a bit of; {laughs} heโs pretty incredible in that sense. So Aaptiv in and of itself, in a very rudimentary form, was launched out of that concept, and it started with outdoor running, treadmill, and spin I want to say. It was launched in beta in mid-late 2015. Then from there, his goal was to simply expand to the other categories to serve more people. But it was really driven from this place of simply feeling like; high quality fitness should be a right, not a luxury. And it should be accessible to anyone, at any time.
So to go back to that point about; he was very fortunate to be in a position to afford whatever type of fitness service, class, whatever you want to call it that was available; but the majority of the world isnโt in that situation. And if you want to get really macro about the whole thing, given; I know it touches the work that you do, Cassy. The public health issues that we face in this country, the lack of education around physical fitness and just sort of what that means and how people define it for themselves. Our greater mission is just to deliver a really high quality elevated workout experience, and make it available to anyone, anytime, anywhere.
So thatโs why; the membership itself, you can get an annual thatโs $99.99 for the year, but the monthly is only $9.99 a month, and with that are hundreds of these classes, which weโre continually adding to that you have access to, and itโs really, we feel; we keep the price where it is because weโre really dedicated to the mission of making it accessible to as many people as possible. So thatโs where the greater impetus for the product came from, and now itโs really about expanding the types of classes that we offer; both in each category, and then in new categories, and improving the app so it better facilitates this experience. Which all takes a lot of time. {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Yeah! {laughs} I can only imagine. Wow. Obviously, you guys know that Iโm a huge fan of your work and the product itself, but it just fits so nicely in as a nutrition consultant and somebody who is; I try to, my tagline, and it was so generic, but Iโm sticking to it {laughs}.
Clara: {laughs}
Cassy Joy: Is I want to; because it just adequately describes what Iโm up to. I want to empower healthy lifestyle design. And you know, one of the four pillars under the Fed and Fit umbrella is fitness. And what I try to get folks to understand is you could find your ideal fitness fit; your IFF, right? And there is a mix of, I think, seven components that can go into that. And part of that is a strength component, a mobility component, speed, endurance; find something that works for you. A mix of them all; you want to have something thatโs fun, you want to have something that is conducive to rest, you want to have something that fits in with your budget and your time.
And it is just; I love the idea of Aaptiv, personally as a consumer, and then also recommending it as a solution for folks who are looking to design their IFF; their ideal fitness fit, because it hits on so many of those things. Especially budget, time, quality of programming, and theyโre able to find something within all of those other physical activity categories. Itโs just so exciting to be able to have a nice solid touchpoint. The classes themselves; to your point, are really high quality. Iโve always enjoyed them.
Clara: Well I really connect to what you’re saying about that; what did you call it, your IFF?
Cassy Joy: Uh-huh.
Clara: What does it stand for again?
Cassy Joy: Ideal fitness fit.
Clara: Yeah, so, we talk a lot about sort of the underlying components of our mission or the brand, whatever you want to call it, is meeting people where they are. So we really feel like, at the end of the day, weโre all creatures of habit. So whether there are fads, or trends, or things like that, at the end of the day you have to find the structure and the rhythm thatโs going to work best for you, because thatโs the only way that youโre going to be able to sustain it as a habit in your life.
So when it comes to the app and the content itself; at the end of the day, itโs there to make the member succeed. So when we talk about meeting people where they are, itโs a few different things. Itโs meeting them where they are in their fitness journey; so whether they are a high school track star and theyโre training for their next race. We like creating content that would support them in that effort. Or, itโs a woman who is just coming off of having a baby and looking to get back into post-baby shape, or itโs an elderly person that is in their senior years but still wanting to remain active. We work to support all of; whatever the fitness goal or purpose is, with the breadth and depth of content, and then we talk about meeting people where theyโre most comfortable working out. So Aaptiv itself is built for using it either in the gym, or using it in your home, or on the road for work. But I think a lot of times, people.
I actually personally donโt have a gym membership. Iโve had them before, Iโve gone through periods where I havenโt had them. And itโs really about, right now, I feel most comfortable in my home doing that kind of stuff. And I think thatโs something too, where people feel like, โshouldโ all over ourselves when it comes to that. โI should do this,โ or โI should do that.โ
Cassy Joy: Yeah.
Clara: Itโs like; well, what do you actually really want to do, that feels comfortable to you? And then the third piece is just where theyโre already spending their time, which is on their phone. But I really come back to that comfort piece, and then giving yourself the space to be; instead of being like, โI should run.โ Itโs like; well do you want to run, or maybe you would actually enjoy swimming, or yoga, or CrossFit, or whatever it is. But thatโs really what weโre trying to do with Aaptiv, is create opportunity for anyone, and then give them a way to fit it more seamlessly into their lifestyle.
Cassy Joy: I love it. And itโs something that the listeners here have heard me say before; but your fitness soulmate is out there, and it doesnโt have to be a form of punishment.
Clara: I love that!
Cassy Joy: There is something out there that you will love, and if you just havenโt found it yet then it means you havenโt found it yet! Keep experimenting and keep trying new things. But there is something out there that will move your body, that will make you feel great, that you are going to enjoy.
Clara: Yes, yes.
Cassy Joy: So Iโm with you. Awesome; ok, well, Clara, can you walk us briefly through kind of a start to finish user experience? Iโm sure some folks have a pretty good idea, but just to kind of recap it.
Clara: Yeah, as someone who is new to the app, or a new member?
Cassy Joy: Yeah.
Clara: Yeah. So I said we have a monthly and an annual membership, with Fed and Fit you can get a 30-day trial. We normally offer a 7-day trial. So as a new member, you simply download the app, you log in. You get unlimited access to all of the different classes. I mean, Iโve listed off a bunch of them. There are basically 13 different; over 13 different categories at this point. And within each of those categories, there are 3 levels of classes; there is beginner, intermediate, and advanced. And you can filter in a couple of different ways for those classes. If youโre on the treadmill, you can filter by duration of workout, the incline, level of intensity. You can filter by trainer.
I recommend to a new user; thatโs usually what gets people hooked. And hooked, I mean, not just they want to keep the service. Which, we hope they do. But more so, I mean hooked on like a practice, like a sustainable fitness practice that you actually want to do every day, and that comes from developing intimate relationship with the trainer. Which simple comes from trying multiple trainers, seeing which personโs guidance you prefer the best, and then following their classes.
So one of the best ways to do this is actually; and this is that community. We have a private community on Facebook, which is group that any member can join, this platform to interact with.
Cassy Joy: Hang on Clara; Iโm sorry. Iโve got a bunch of background noise, did the mic fall or something?
Clara: No, is that better? Maybe I was moving around.
Cassy Joy: Yeah, youโre better now.
Clara: Am I better?
Cassy Joy: Yes, you are. Ok, Iโm sorry.
Clara: Where do you want me to start from?
Cassy Joy: If you want to recap something that you just said.
Clara: Iโll just start on the trainer thing, and then go back to the community.
Cassy Joy: Ok, perfect.
Clara: So you can filter by trainer, and then thatโs actually one of the best ways to stick with the app. And I mean more so to stick with your workout versus; obviously we love having new members and we hope that they stay on with us, but in terms of creating a workout practice that becomes a habit that is sustainable that you enjoy. When people connect to that trainer; in the same way that you connect to, honestly, your nutritionist, to a person that teaches a live class, to a coach or somebody that you see. Thatโs what keeps people consistent with the workouts.
So my recommendation is always to try a couple of different trainers. Maybe you listen to some of their classes beforehand, before actually working out. Or you try a couple of the different workouts. Because every one of them has a different style. And thatโs largely intentional. I actually love it when people say, โI love so-and-so, but I hate so-and-so.โ
Cassy Joy: {laughs}
Clara: Iโm like; great! Do we love; every personโs style is motivated by something different, and thatโs the purpose of it. But the other piece in terms of starting up with the app and enjoying the community; one of the most powerful things is our community of members. We have a private Facebook group that any of the members can join, you just request to join and they will let you in. And itโs really a platform to interact with other members, and then also engage directly with the trainers. And theyโre in there. People are tagging them in things. And that is where, even if you just; I tell anyone, actually, even if you’re new to the product or just exploring it. Itโs like, really seeing what weโre all about. Thatโs where you see this isnโt just another fitness app, this is a group of people that create just such a positive experience, and support each other in ways. You know; I think itโs becoming more rare, and thatโs what make this experience so special.
So yeah, I would say if you’re new to it, is to just; generally people trend towards a specific type of workout. So if youโre more into running or something like that, I donโt try to tell people, โWell go take stair climber classes.โ Only if you want to. But there are a couple of things, like the stretching classes, the yoga classes, and then we have a couple of categories. We have a trending workout categories, which tells people; it automatically serves up the most popular workouts within the app, which are generally a great place to start. And then we have a category called quick hits, which are workouts that are generally between 3 and 10 minutes; and those can be just small things that you can bang out really, really quickly anywhere, if youโre extremely short on time.
But the workouts themselves, within the app, range anywhere from 5 minutes to; I mean, we get into our marathon training, some of those workouts are several hours long. But thereโs a real flexibility, and I generally find that sweet spot, especially for people that are working, or on the go, or parents, and juggling work; and just really busy in general to find the workouts that are between 20 and 30 minutes. Most of them are high intensity focused to be most effective. I personally am partial to the strength classes, because they donโt require equipment, and they really pack a punch {laughs}.
Cassy Joy: {laughs}
Clara: Thatโs for sure. So, yeah, thatโd be a great place to start.
Cassy Joy: Oh my goodness, I love those. And I really do like the short workouts, because sometimes; for example when Iโm traveling is when I really love to turn to Aaptiv. And itโs just before Iโm headed out the door, I have to hop in the shower really quickly to get ready for something, and I will say; โYou know what? I do have 5 minutes. I have 5 minutes I can do something.โ
Clara: Yeah!
Cassy Joy: And itโs just so nice to have; and to not have to sit down and thing. I mean, I guess I could do 5 minutes of burpees would be my go-to, but Iโm not a trainer! {laughs}
Clara: And thatโs the thing, too. Thatโs where the seamlessness of audio comes into play. Because weโre not; there are a ton of options, whether itโs video, or apps, or other things like that. And if you kind of think of it, itโs almost like; if you were going to. I mean, I wake up in the morning and I put on a podcast and I put my makeup on. Or I put on a playlist, and I listen to music as Iโm getting ready. Itโs so simple just to hit play on a playlist to have as your background noise. So if you think about the 5 minutes in between getting out of bed and maybe getting in the shower, where youโre like, โIโm just going to hit play on this workout. Maybe Iโll do it in my pajamas.โ
Cassy Joy: Yeah.
Clara: No judgement {laughs}.
Cassy Joy: {laughs}
Clara: I think thereโs a seamlessness to audio, whether itโs travel or just you’re trying to squeeze it into a busy schedule is what makes it so convenient. Because there are a lot of claims to convenience, and I think thereโs that whole; I mean, this is a podcast right now. I think this audio rebirth is really, really fascinating and Iโm super passionate about it. But I think from a convenience perspective, itโs the audio that makes the difference.
Cassy Joy: I agree. I really do agree. Oh, thatโs so exciting. And you know, especially Iโm thinking, not just travel but I get a lot of notes from momโs, and the kids are down for a nap, and they say, โOk, Iโve got 20 minutes, maybe. I donโt know when theyโre going to wake up.โ {laughs}
Clara: Yeah.
Cassy Joy: โAnd I just want to knock something out.โ So this would be a really great resource for that. Well, weโve got a couple of minutes left. I would love to kind of jump ahead. You already talked about one memberโs success story with the person who was blind, and being able to really workout and use these kinds of programs for the first time. But do you have any other favorite member success stories.
Clara: Yeah, I mean moms are a great one. We have a lot of very passionate and connected moms, so theyโve definitely spoken a lot about the ability to just; itโs not even just about, if you want to say losing the baby weight. Itโs like, finding time for themselves again, which is pretty compelling and pretty consistent, so thatโs one that really stands out.
We get a lot of people that say, specifically around a race. If itโs their first 5K, or 10K, or half marathon. They didnโt think they could do it, and they felt really motivated and connected, and pushed by one of our trainers. I love hearing when someone accomplishes something that they didnโt think they could do, because I think that fuels so many aspects of their life. For me, at the end of the day, and I think this is true about a lot of what we do. Fitness; this probably ladders up to more of your pillars around the role that fitness plays and your greater life; but if you think of it in this larger ecosystem of wellness. Itโs really about what else can it fuel you to do. So I think when those workout experiences push you; you hit a goal or you accomplish something, like running a certain race that you didnโt think you could do before, I think that just has the trickle-down effects of something like that are so powerful.
And then the other thing I would say is really memorable is the people that either suffered from something like multiple sclerosis or cystic fibrosis; and that comes back to, I think they really feel comforted by having that person really guide them along, that trainer in their ear, and so their ability to make exercise activity a part of their life is incredibly meaningful for them. So yeah; gosh, Iโm trying to think.
And you know, Iโll say one more, because weโve been talking a lot about fitness, and we do have meditation on the app, which is a pretty new category that weโre working to expand. But a few weeks back, we got this tweet. It was actually a teacher that teaches out of Kansas City. She teaches at a school there, and itโs an inner-city school. Most of the kids themselves are either on food stamps or come from traumatic upbringings or homes, and it doesnโt sound like an easy place or environment to be in. So the school has started; I donโt know if itโs a campaign or an effort to empower the students with other ways to deal with either anger or difficult situations. So itโs called mindful minutes. And the teachers were tasked with, create this practice of mindful minutes. It could be whatever you want in your classroom.
So this teacher, who is actually a runner and has been using Aaptiv for a long time, started playing one of the meditations. And she took a picture of her students doing it. And she said that, โYeah, some of them giggled.โ I think theyโre like 7-year-olds. {laughs} But she said once it started to play for a few minutes; these kids donโt get a moment in their day where theyโre literally just supposed to sit, and be still, and focus on their breath, and just chill out for a second. Sheโs like, โOnce it played for a few minutes, they really got into it. Some of them even came up to me and said that it really changed the way that they felt.โ So that, in terms of a memberโs story; that kind of stuff that is so memorable and what makes doing what we do so worth it.
And you canโt even; I mean, you canโt even anticipate that. So, I just get excited by what else weโll see come down the pike.
Cassy Joy: Oh my goodness, you’re touching countless lives. And, you probably are only hearing from a very, very small fraction of them. So that is really, really special, and really wonderful. And itโs interesting; you know what Aaptiv makes me think; and it really isnโt until this conversation that it dawned on me. Somebody said somewhere that people are in the market to just; they want time back. Because thatโs something that we cannot create, and we canโt grow. So we try to optimize, right? And Iโm sure this is, youโve probably thought about this, and you guys probably talked about this {laughs} but Iโm getting up to speed. But thatโs really what it offers; it is a direct route in saving time and having to, for the busy mom, or having to pack up the kids, or find childcare, get in the car, go to that gym and go to that group fitness class, if thatโs the kind of motivation that you really want, and need, and that kind of guidance. It saves you the time from having to sit down and Google a workout. It just, it really is the direct route; there are lots of options, just really, really cool. So I think thatโs fantastic. I clearly canโt recommend it highly enough. Clara, thank you so much for coming on the show today.
Clara: Thank you so much for having us! Truly, we love working with you Cassy. So yeah, weโre so grateful for you helping spread the message about what we do.
Cassy Joy: Yeah, absolutely. Well Iโm excited. Itโs a wonderful solution that fits in really, really well with what we talk about here. And just as a reminder to everybody, you can get your first 30 days on the house. Head to www.Aaptiv.com, and enter the promo code FEDANDFIT, which is the name of this show, at checkout. {laughs} And youโll get those first 30 days.
So thank you again for supporting this show. And for all that you do and continue to do; I know you guys are working really hard to continue to develop and build a lot more depth here. I appreciate all you do. And to the listeners; thank you so much for dialing in today. Remember that if you like todayโs show, head over to iTunes and leave a review. As always, you can find a full transcript of todayโs show at www.FedandFit.com. If thereโs something you wanted to scroll back through and look up. Thanks everybody for dialing in; weโll be back again next week.













I’m having the same problem with the promo code. Did it ever get fixed?
It did! Try using “FEDANDFIT” in all caps. If that still doesn’t work, please shoot me an email to cassyjoy@fedandfit.com and I’ll get it off to them asap!
I created a log in and tried to enter fedandfit then after selecting a free trial, and it says the code is invalid.
Looking into this right now!
I am trying to use the promo code, after listening to this podcast I really want to try Aaptive and I really want you to get credit for it. But when I put it under promo / gift code area in the payment area for the check out process it comes back invalid… I don’t know if there is another place to apply the code but I couldn’t see one from the app or from the website.
Looking into this right now, Christina! Hang tight!