What Is Your Fitness Fortune?

HI ‘Your Fit Day‘ Friends:

Last spring I decided to take my fitness business to a new level. With over 25 years experience in the fitness industry as a personal trainer; four years as a wellness coach; my experience in writing, producing and hosting my own fitness segments for ABC7 news in San Francisco; and along with my experience in sales as a life insurance agent (while also helping clients get fit for better rates), I knew it was time.

For what?

Well…to put it all together into my own global brand - Your Fit Day with DebbyK!

I needed some help with my vision so I sought out the help some coached, one which wasJohn Spencer Ellis.

Who?

John Spencer Ellis

John Spencer Ellis! He is the owner of a fitness business coaching program called Fitness Fortunes. If you’re a fitness trainer – or maybe you’re super-fit but unfulfilled in your current job and that little voice keeps popping into your head saying: “hmmm, should I make that leap and live the life that I’ve been dreaming of, owning my own fitness business?” – you can check them out at www.fitnessfortunes.com

In order to launch all my innovative ideas and systems that will help the world stay healthy and fit I needed some help from those in the industry who had big brains, who were already successful, and who had made all of the mistakes for me! So I hopped on Google, got on some email lists of movers and shakers in the fitness industry, and started doing my research.

What I found was that there are a ton of fitness marketing kings out there claiming to be expert coaches and gurus who, in the end, don’t live up to their word.

Show me the money, right?

Well, not really. I mean yes, I want abundance and security, and trips to Fiji in my lifetime, don’t you? But not at the expense of selling health and fitness products or concepts that, I hate to admit, are mostly crap.

Who you gonna call?

So I needed someone who was great at shameless self promotion, could teach these subtle skills to me, and was on top of how to market the industry’s most current trends. John Spencer Ellis seemed like the ‘go to’ guy. I mean he has three multi-million dollar companies, so he’s obviously doing something right.

But I also had my laundry list of what I wanted in a coach. I wanted someone who had a down to earth presence; who, through the inflection in their voice, I could tell cared about you and your success; someone who was honest; someone who understood your challenges; and frankly someone who had a long history in the fitness industry and was an innovator. (JSE has been in the industry as long as I have, which is a very long time!).

What I liked about John is that after reading his story we had many similar qualities and life experiences. I could relate to him.

There are a lot of newbies in the industry who look great with their ripped abs, sign you up, super-sell their systems, and then leave you hanging, without any options to opt out.

So after my Google-ing and gabbing with others who had used fitness business coaches – some who paid close to $10,000 dollars without the support they expected – I settled onJSE .

1$ Buck signs you up!

Just click on anything remotely related to boot camps or fitness coaching and John Spencer Ellis pops up on the first page of Google. He does a great job of using the internet to promote his empire. I know, because as a certified trainer with the American College of Sports Medicine I was always getting his promotional links in my in-box.

So one day back in the spring of 2010 I decided to click on the link. John was offering a series of free videos that he promised would change my life and bring me to the next level of creating ‘my empire’. I think I must have trashed about six months of these offers before I decided to give him a try. I mean for $1 Buck I could get all this useful ‘free’ information on how to brand and grow my fitness business.

The first month was basically free with no obligation. So I gave up my buck and watched the videos. I had enough good information from that $1 Buck investment to quit the program then. But I didn’t.

You might ask, ‘Gee, if you got so much info from the $1 buck why continue?’

Now that’s a great question.

And here’s my main answer:

In that first month I really received so much useful information and support from John. Even though John new that I had only payed one dollar, and there was a 50% chance that I would take my info and run, he treated me like any other paying monthly Fitness Fortunes member.

In that first month John was able to tap into one of my main challenges. And with a few provoking questions John got down to my core, made me focus, and made me face my fears. All in that first month..for a dollar…that 1$ buck.

The Human Map Quest© For Your Fitness Business

Do you find yourself bombarded with so much information out there that you don’t even know where to start?

John has put together a one stop shop of resources for the fitness professional that helps you chart your own path down river without all the debris mucking up your engine.

Aside from the group coaching calls each month, and with webinars and tele-classes added each week, there’s a clear, self paced, step-by-step guide made available to all members. This makes it much easier to chart my path to success.

Sticking with Fitness Fortunes is like using Map Quest©-assuming it is updated for your area! You don’t get lost; waste time and gas; or find yourself stalled in a ditch by the side of the road.

Is your biz going in this direction?

I want to see how far I can go in building my own fitness empire with the right support; with less flats and the wheels always rolling.

Grab Your Mindset…Ready, Set, Go!

Just like getting into shape and staying fit, at some point if you want to expand and challenge yourself you need to step out of your comfort zone and train your brain. John Spencer Ellis is that coach; that cheerleader; that mentor; and that friend who everyone needs at some point in their lives. In my case it was to learn and acquire the skills needed to grow my business, as well as my mind, and bring abundance into my life as well as yours.

So follow me on my journey to creating my own ‘Fitness Fortune’.

Everything I learn from John and the programs that JSE offers will benefit YOU, my local and global ‘Your Fit Day‘ friends.

For now I will stay the course with Coach John Spencer Ellis and continually update you on my progress for the launch of my new Your Fit Day website.

Tell Me,… What Will Be Your Fitness Fortune?

Have you ever worked with a life, business or fitness or wellness coach? Maybe it was to start a fitness program, lose weight, train for an event, or start your own business.

Or maybe you’re a life or wellness coach or a personal trainer, and have some experiences you’d like to share?

I’d love to hear from you. Please leave your comments below.

Make It Your Fit Day with DebbyK!

Oakland's Larry Reid Wrongly Called Cannabis University Graduate

Like his Oakland City Council colleague Councilmember Desley Brooks (District 6 - Central East Oakland), Oakland City Council President Larry Reid (District 7 - East Oakland) also supposedly received a "Diploma of Certified Seedling," last year, and from the Oakland-based institution called UniCann.

Or did he?

The video's title - "Councilmember Larry Reid University of Cannabis graduate" - is just plain wrong. There's no video evidence of Councilmember Reid receiving the kind of diploma Brooks got last year. The video just has Larry expressing his gratitude for the location of the University of Cannabis facility in his District 7. Reid just says "Congratulations. Welcome to Oakland."

Here's the video:



It's no wonder the video's not being pushed via Twitter the way the video with Councilmember Brooks has been (and by members of the local and regional pot growing industry with Twitter accounts at @GroMaster, @M24Cabbage, and @calpotnews) - it's not accurate at all with respect to its title.

I'll bet Larry's going to bust a gut when he sees this.  And he should; they misrepresented him.

Larry Reid almost hates to be on video, or at least he consistently ducks doing a video interview with this blogger, so to see this video - like the Brooks videos, not touched by the general media until this space found them - is a surprise. But it's also a window into why Reid is careful to do videos of any kind - this video was title to by misleading and it is.    The Thinking Pot - the YouTube channel that uploaded the video, should change its title.

Indeed, that wasn't very thoughtful of them.

Oakland Chief Of Police Should Be Elected, Not Appointed

The position of Chief of Police in Oakland should be an elected one. This blogger's reasons start with how a document announcing the search for a new chief in 2009, which became Tony Batts in 2010, was worded.

There' an old job posting for the position of Chief Of Police For The City of Oakland that's still online, here. It's posted text, repeated below in case the City of Oakland had the original removed, explains, among other things, that the Chief of Police "reports to The City Administrator." Now, of course, many Oakland insiders know this, but the public's generally not aware of such things.  (Also, the Chief's salary was set at "up to $17,615.17 per month.  What Batts does with that 17 cents is anyone's guess.)

But with that, one would agree it was wrong for certain members of the Oakland City Council to openly state that Chief Batts should have come to them regarding his job and working condition issues. The document openly states he reports to the Chief Administrative Officer, or "CAO," so they were essentially encouraging Chief Batts to jump over his boss and talk to them.

A City Manager like the legendary Henry Gardner would not have permitted such behavior. Even in a strong mayor system, Gardner would have figured out a way to send a message to the Council.

It's for that reason, and others, that the Chief Of Police should be elected, and not appointed. The Chief of Police should be able to rise above these political games and act at the will of the Oakland public. That way, if Oaklanders don't like how the Chief and his charges are dealing with crime in Oakland, they can make a change at the top. It would also force the Chief and the Oakland Police Department as a whole to be more responsive to community needs.

Well, here's the entire post, again printed here to escape what the City of Oakland might do to get rid of it:

Agency Director, Police Services
(Chief of Police) Oakland, California

The City of Oakland, California is seeking an exceptional leader to serve as Chief of Po- lice and provide direction and leadership to the Police Department and the community in creating a safe and secure Oakland.

The City. Oakland, with a population over 400,000 in 56 square miles, is the largest urban center in the San Francisco East Bay Area, with a strong history of community activism and involvement in community affairs. It has a rich history, and has long been at the forefront of many of the political movements that have shaped our country. It is one of the most diverse cities in the country, a place where more than 150 languages are spoken daily, reflecting the magnitude of this multicultural nature of the community. The city consists of a large number of individual neighborhoods, each with its own character and economic status. Within these neighborhoods diversity is celebrated by many of its residents and business people and who chose to live in Oakland because they are attracted to its environment, social commitment and strong neighborhood orientation. The City is home to some of the wealthiest neighborhoods and some of the poorest in the Bay Area. The city sits across the bay from San Francisco, is one of the country’s top seaports, and is the commercial heart of the Bay Area. Oakland is the only city in California with three professional sports teams and is the home of important museums, a world-class zoo, major shopping areas and several colleges. It is served by an international airport located within the city.

The Oakland community has a history of strong community involvement, and people are often vocal about expressing their views and perspectives on local issues. To the Oakland community, collaboration with government officials and neighborhoods is of particular importance. Whether relating to policing or other government functions, the Oakland community is active and volunteerism is extensive in all of the city’s neighborhoods.

Oakland has a strong mayor-council form of government. The Mayor is elected for a term of 4 years. The City Council has eight members representing seven districts in the city with one member elected at large. Council members serve staggered 4 year terms. The Mayor appoints a City Administrator, subject to confirmation by City Council, who is the chief administrative officer of the city. Other elected city officials include the City Attorney and City Auditor.
The Position. The Chief of Police reports to the City Administrator, and is responsible for the management of the Police Department and delivery of policing services to the Oakland community. The Chief heads a department with an authorized strength of 803 sworn officers and 358 civilians. During the last year, the department has added a number of officers, and is currently at its highest sworn strength in years. The operating budget for the Police Department is over $200,000,000 from the general fund, special revenue and other sources. The expenditure for policing represents almost 40 percent of general fund expenditures.

Crime in Oakland remains of significant concern to Oakland's residents and its business community with most crime occurring in a discrete number of neighborhoods. Some neighborhoods have little crime; others substantial amounts. The rate of crime has fluctuated from year to year but remains at high levels in some neighborhoods. The Police Department has been faced with a number of difficult challenges, and currently operates under a court-supervised consent decree focused on internal investigations, use of force and other related issues.

The recent death of a young man by a transit police officer in a transit station in Oakland has raised community tensions. Following that, there was in an unrelated incident, the death of four Oakland police officers by an armed felon, to which the City Council, Mayor and community as a whole strongly rallied in support of the department.

Recently the department has moved to implement a geographically based patrol structure, which has generally received high marks from the community, although it remains a work in progress. A number of other important initiatives are underway, such as offender reentry strategies, strengthening of community policing and proposals to strengthen development of performance management through CompStat.

The Chief of Police is a member of the city's senior management team and is expected to work closely with other city department heads. Strong, effective leadership is required to address internal department issues, respond to community concerns and collaborate on policing strategies and to control expenditures in a time of severe fiscal challenges faced by the city.
The ideal candidate will have extensive demonstrable success in implementing crime reduction strategies and implementing the core elements of community policing in a highly diverse community, be passionate about collaboration in decision-making on policing strategy that affects the Oakland community, be an articulate spokesperson for the Department and the community on best practices in community policing and com- munity involvement and be committed to developing trusting relationships between the police and the community they serve. Additionally, the ideal candidate will have extensive experience in reducing crime and disorder in a diverse community in a manner that raises the confidence of that community in the policing effort. He or she will be a charismatic person with energy and commitment that inspires trust in the community and respect within the department, as well as being a 24-7 CEO with high visibility within the department and the city's neighborhoods.

The ideal candidate should reflect the following characteristics:
- Be passionate about policing in a diverse community and recognize the impor- tance to the community of that diversity as something to be celebrated;
- Have a track record of demonstrable success in managing a major police agency in a highly diverse community and have demonstrated the ability to lead the agency toward development of relationships of trust and confidence with all sectors of that community, including those in the city who are currently disengaged;
- Have experience in providing leadership within the police agency that improved police officer performance toward community policing objectives; demonstrated ability to increase sworn and civilian personnel acceptance of modernization, community collaboration and strategic initiatives, as well as employee job satisfaction; and ability to manage department resources and expenditures in a time of severe economic downturn;
- Have developed and articulated a vision and strategic plan for policing in such a community and successfully implemented that plan;
• Have demonstrated the ability to implement a crime reduction and crime preven- tion strategy that effectively reduces crime and gains support of the community;
• Be committed to transparency in all aspects of policing, and supportive of strong collaboration with the diverse community in policy development, police strategy development and neighborhood problem-solving;
• Have at least a Bachelors Degree and preferably a Master's Degree and beyond and have attended a nationally-recognized senior management program such as the PERF Senior Management Institute, one of Harvard University’s Senior Management public policy institutes, the FBI National Executive Institute or comparable program;
• Have a strong knowledge of modern technology and how it can be used to improve police officer access to information, performance management and allocation of resources;
• Have political acumen and the ability to interact successfully with a broad spectrum of political leadership, each having their own perspective on issues important to Oakland and the neighborhood they represent;
• Ability to bring resolution to the consent decree’s "negotiated settlement" by adopting as standard practice the values and best practices agreed to under that settlement;
• Ability to bring national "best practices" in policing to Oakland;
• Understand the impact policing practices, such as the expenditure of overtime, patrol strategies and neighborhood collaboration have on other units of govern- ment and the budget;
• Know how to use crime analysis for predictive policing strategies aimed at preventing future crime occurrences, adopting a sophisticated resource allocation methodology;
• Committed to empowerment of lower - level employees providing them with authorization to manage their area of responsibility, holding them accountable for their decisions and results.
• Have a career that demonstrates the highest level of ethics, standards and per- formance; and willing to be held accountable for his or her own actions and those of the department under his or her guidance.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is currently up to $17,615.17 - month. Salary will depend upon candidate’s experience. The previous Police Chief’s salary was at or near the maximum of the salary range. The City provides an excellent benefits package, including participation in the California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS). The city will negotiate relocation assistance with the successful candidate.

To Apply

Qualified candidates should submit by e-mail their resume with a cover letter setting forth why they are qualified for the position to either oaklandchief@policy-partners.com or by mail to Oakland Chief Search, Box 577, West Tisbury, MA 02575. This position is open until filled; however the first review of applicants will take place about June 1, 2009.

The City of Oakland is being assisted in this search by the Strategic Policy Partnership. Box 577, West Tisbury, Massachusetts 02575. 617-693-8571.

The City of Oakland is an Equal Opportunity Employer and values diversity at all levels of the workforce.

How do you define a Conservative, a Progressive, or Public Worker?

Once upon a time in America, young people, workers, and fighters for social justice coined a phrase, “speak truth to power”. Most of us have settled for the media’s insistence that we now “speak only power to truth” or no truth at all.

From the so-called energy crisis which was a Dick Cheney-Enron-induced cataclysm from which California has yet to recover, to the so-called mortgage meltdown, we have accepted lies and bullshit in place of research and another 60’s throwback, telling it like it is.

Since those tumultuous days (lots of young people look back nostalgically to that time. Fear not, they are returning but with facebook, vimeo and all the repression, violence and STDs of that period) right wing think tanks have spent lots of their largess redefining the terms of our society and dictating them to the 90% of us who don’t control the wealth of our corporatocracy.

These think tanks have developed the terms which define and then limit the debate to fighting a rear-action battle defending our dwindling middle class and shrinking democracy. Using these terms, we can never gain ground but only hope not to lose anymore. If the terms I am using sound too battle-hardened (how many clichés can I roll out?), this IS a war to end the short-lived period in history when the American experience really did hold out the hope of an American Dream to the world.

From the 50s to the 80s, the segments of our society which had no hope of the “Dream” rose up and demanded their share, that is, Black and Brown people, women, gay and differently-abled folks- and the reaction was on. The terms and definitions of that reaction have proliferated and become pervasive since then.

We don’t need think tanks to unspin that skewed reality; we just need to define our experience on our own terms while learning to use social media to promote our worldview. Please feel free to suggest, object, add to, or refine my suggestions.

Old Spin to New Definitions:

Economic downturn, meltdown, recession, mortgage meltdown, housing market crash=Wall Street Gamblathon, Wall Street-induced downturn, Phony recession, Massive-fraud crash, Sub-Prime Mortgage Thieves, Corporate Welfare Kings (sorry, few corporate welfare queens), Wall Street Crash, Speculation meltdown, Investment fraud meltdown, Bank bailout crash, Wall Street Whackos, Wall Street Fraudster. Please suggest some more. Remember, America loves sound bites.

Conservative=Right wing extremists, Reactionary, Big government intrusionists, Anti-women’s rights activists, Billionaire-lovers, CEOs, Corporatists, White supremacists, Carry-a-big-stick-an –use-it activists, Pro-gun lobbyists, Pro-shooting lobbyists, Shoot’emup-2^nd-Amendment rights advocates, Pro-death-to-mom lobbyist, Tree-cutters, Anti-public education advocate, Baby-lovers-children-haters, Roads-in-forest-but-not-in-my-town lovers, My-family-not-yours activists, or Just me-but-not-you advocates.

Entitlements=Those rights and funds you spent your life earning. Sometimes including Medicaid=the medical care that you need but may not be able to pay for by yourself when you are sick but have a right to in a civilized society.

Real Conservative=Loves civil liberties and fights to defend them (highly individualistic), wants the government out of your bedroom and doctor’s office, fights to preserve the natural environment, assists mom-and-pop businesses not corporations, entrepreneurial, anti-overseas adventures, pro- self-determination advocates, (I grew up in one of these kinds of Republican households.)

Progressive=Equal rights advocates, Civil liberties advocates, Trade unionists, Workers’ rights advocate, Family needs advocate, Education-for-all advocate, Women’s-rights-as-mothers-workers-and-sexual-beings advocates, Healthcare-for-all advocate, Self-determination advocates, Social justice fighters.

Liberals=believe in all of the above except when inconvenient.

Department of Defense (formerly known as the Department of War)-Should be merged with the Department of Commerce since selling weapons around the world is our only significant remaining American export and includes regular invasions of defenseless countries. (Well, why would you invade countries that can successfully defend themselves?)

Citizen=Anyone who contributes to a society by working and building a life including raising a family to be responsible (may not include some of the very wealthy), paying sales tax, property tax, social security tax (which benefits they may never receive), tickets, fines, rent, mortgage, business license fees and assessments, attending school, attending community meetings, marching, rallying, flyering, precinct walking and phone banking- at the least, voting if possible (if you can and you don’t, are you really a citizen?), complaining and writing letters to the editor, and yes, having “anchor babies” w/o which our economy would slow even more-just compare our labor force and entrepreneurial spirit to countries that restrict immigration more successfully than ours. You can visit any “Chinatown” or Latino commercial district in your town or city to see the place where small and family-owned businesses burgeon and social life is vibrant.

Immigrant= Most of us. According to the latest US census, 1% of us are Native or Alaskan Native.

Minorities=White- Anglo-Saxon-Protestants, WASPs (at least in California.)

Deficit=Money donated to the rich before being extorted from the poor and soon-to-be-poor who donated it in the first place (see Citizen or Gangbanger or Wall Street Fraudster for more information on how that happened.)

Gangbangers=Wall Street executives/gamblers, (Ad)venture capitalists, hedge fund managers, and some politicians. Can we get an injunction to keep them out of our cities and towns or restrict their movements?

Pensions=Money regular folk (averaging $19,000 a year), who don’t have trust funds, worked for- which was given to the stock market which then gambled it away.

Teachers=Women and some men who work many hours without pay to educate, counsel, feed, mentor, clean up after, purchase supplies, and advocate at school boards and state capitols for (sometimes marching, rallying or see citizen above for the rest) the kids in our cities, towns, suburbs, and rural areas.

For the other hours that teachers do this, they receive modest pay (not including paying for credentials and on-going classes and hours incorporating the latest gimmick, that is, reform, into their classroom days) from which their own retirement is deducted-see above for what happens to it.

Public Sector Workers=In addition to the above teachers and the oft mentioned fire fighters and police: secretaries who take your messages, and in most cases, do the work of the managers you have called, clerks who put up with your bad attitude or lack of awareness and file your paperwork, answer your calls, try to interpret the bureaucratic wording some lawyer wrote up while wearing stockings, uncomfortable shoes and over-priced dresses or suits.

Janitors who clean up after all of the above in the middle of the night while they’re children are sleeping and still get them to school in the morning etc, public works guys and a few women who dig out the street or the sidewalk in summer heat (or fog), winter rain, and yes, some pleasant weather while your kid skate boards across their new work, sigh.

Some of them are meter maids or meter guys or meter readers-whatever-who write big tickets and take big abuse to cover the cost of the Wall Street Whackos who gambled away your public monies. See above.

Here’s the other thing about Public Sector Workers that I haven’t seen mentioned. Most of the work in the public sector (including the military) is based on civil service or true meritocracy rules.

Therefore, many people of color have found stable employment there, have been able to rise in pay and stature, and have supported whole communities (businesses, homes, families, schools) on the basis of their reasonably remunerated labor.

This may be one of the reasons that public sector employment is under attack. Many Black women who had been forced into domestic labor (not even included in the Social Security system) in the past, and now, other women of color, have risen to prominence; or at least been able to sustain their communities as a result of working where race, class, or gender were not barriers to earning a stable living.

Without the availability of this type of employment and the deconstruction of affirmative action, the old rules of hiring apply. Those rules mean hiring someone who either looks like the boss, is related to the boss, or does favors for the boss. Those restrictions are devastating to many men but have often proven dangerous for women.

We must create a new vocabulary to create a new world (and stop using the old right wing spinology). We can’t let the Right Wing define democracy, freedom, human rights, and our socio-economic life in ways that reduce the actuality of achieving them.

Pamela Drake of draketalk