 My plan for the next 10 years, well it's going to be a long 10 years. I'm my own worst enemy. Can you trust life is no yoke? You should know that we've been doing this for a decade. 10 years of indie Vitamix content creators. But I have to tell you the story of how this began. And more than anything, I wish the story was, I got a Vitamix, it helped me level up my smoothie game, and then I joined the affiliate program. The reality is I bought a Vitamix only because it was a requirement for being a part of the affiliate program. So why would I buy a Vitamix just so I could maybe earn a commission doing Vitamix referrals? Well, it was my ticket to freedom. I was a traveling consultant, working for a big consultant. Physically and mentally I was very unwell, despite what it may have appeared. And I was so run down by the long hours and the travel, and well, just the demands of working for big consulting that my doctor prescribed me Adderball. And I think a lot of us were on it, although we never really talked about it. By the way, that's the first time I've ever told people about this, outside of maybe Chala. I don't think my parents even knew that. So 40 extra pounds, eating terribly, dealing with addiction, the sleep deprivation, everything. I wanted to turn my life around. It was killing me. Lucy? It was killing me. Was it killing me? Yes. This is not a part of the script, but I got you. Two weeks after I quit. So this has nothing to do with healthy eating, but this is about loving yourself. Maybe adopt a dog. So I quit. Well, I worked one last year to sort of rebrand myself as a health and wellness guru, who's the way, deal with the addiction, and just turn my life around. I wasn't sure how, but my plan was to share my story of doing this total 180 and make a career out of health and wellness. And I remember like it was yesterday. I was in the Denver airport, and I had just finished another exhausting week at a client's site. And I was on the phone with Vitamix. It was Diana at the time. I said, I'm going to be your best Vitamix affiliate. I think I cried a little bit, maybe. And I said that with a little bit of a chip on my shoulder, because the guys at my consulting firm never let me sell. They say sales isn't a good fit for you. You know too much. And I think from their perspective, if you know too much, and I think they thought that was bad for sales. So my plan was to sell the Vitamix machine. This was going to be my means to an end. And since 2012, when I went full-time doing this, it has. My former life was done. I, now we, Shava and I, and with the help of our brother and a handful of other helpers, developers and stuff, we're full-time Vitamix affiliate partners. This is what we do. So what does that mean? We're like online Vitamix demonstrators. We earn commission when people buy from us. But since we're just affiliates, we get to do this work from our home. And so we hold no inventory, and people, well, it's link-based. When you use our links to make purchases direct from Vitamix, we'll earn credit for the referral. So we're affiliates, and technically, we're independent contractors for Vitamix. And that means a few things. From a not-so-great perspective, we don't get employee benefits. We pay our own health insurance. We're also kept at arm's length for almost everything. So pricing, strategy, marketing, new products, they don't tell us much. And when they do, we have to sign an NDA. But this independence has some benefits for us, and you. We are not sponsored content. That, if you ever see it, this is sponsored content, is you say these words, and we will pay you X. We say what we want. For example, when people ask us about exploration models, if you're concerned at all about noise, about the output of a Vitamix that you're going to get, I would stay away from that tier three. So the Explorian series. And if you do get one, you should get some protective earwear. Earmuffs. And this type of guidance for people wondering which Vitamix to buy is good for everyone. And it follows our number one principle, which is be the most helpful. We can easily sell everyone the best machine with the most accessories. We're good at this. The first thing I'm doing is putting my hand-roasted beats into the food processor, the new Vitamix food processor. Ready? Ready. Shred some beets? Shred them. But that's not what's right for everyone. We aim for a minimalist approach to getting the right Vitamix at the right time. Even if it's not best for our business in the short run, we're playing the long game. Look, our business has slowly grown over the last decade because of word of mouth. People are very satisfied when they get a Vitamix through us. They're getting the right one, and they're using our methods. In fact, that's one of the big reasons that the folks at Vitamix like us so much. People are generally satisfied. Vitamix owners, but people that buy their Vitamix through us are very satisfied because they get the right machine and they're using it the right way. They're getting the most out of it. And so that's really good for Vitamix's business and ours. So does life is no help work for Vitamix? Technically no. But kind of. We're definitely partners. And that's only now something that we've kind of come to terms with and that's clear in a couple of our older videos. In our infamous Ninja vs. Vitamix video, I said something like, I do not work for Ninja and I do not work for Vitamix. I work for you. For you. Got all dramatic with it. That was all true. But some of the information were brought to my attention from a meeting we had as affiliates at Vitamix headquarters. They showed us some of the science behind why Vitamix machines work as well as they do for the long haul compared to other products. Same thing with the NutriBullet video. And while I stand by those demonstrations and the facts presented in them and I don't stand by the tone. Now let's get to the fun stuff. Let's take the Vitamix and the NutriBullet in the kitchen and show the 10 things. And just sort of the bravado in them. You know, it was dismissive and divisive and just kind of elitist. And only now do I realize that most people come to us looking for a Vitamix having come from a NutriBullet or a Ninja. One of those Vitamix alternatives. And that it's not about convincing people to avoid the mistake of getting one of those Vitamix alternatives. It's about showing love for them. Because eventually if they're into this lifestyle something that we can impart on them no matter what blender they have their lives are going to be better. We'll have achieved our goals and hopefully they'll be ready to level up someday because we're not going anywhere. It's the same thing with the vegan stuff. I'm a strict vegan. 90% of the year. And I truly believe that 100% plant-based diet is the best thing for you to do with the plant. Those feelings aren't helpful even if it comes with zero judgment for people in achieving their goals and eating a little better. And it's realizing that most people do in fact want to eat less meat and that I can get more of what I want by helping people get what they want. So with the food stuff going forward we're going to do a better job and we're going to try and remind people of three things. One, I was a meat, cheese and egg-eating fanatic for my first 30 years. And where I'm at today is not necessarily the destination that's right for everyone and that that destination has been a journey. It's been like five years kind of figuring all this out for myself. Two, we want to remind you that Shava is a never-vegan vegetarian proud. I've found to be helpful when you're living with a vegan and you're not a vegan is a little self-loathing. We want to just keep reminding you that we just want you to eat a little better because all this vitamin stuff is really what it was when I began. Just a means to an end. It's a way to help people feel as good as I felt when I transformed my life let go of all these bad habits and lifestyles and really learned to love myself and take care of myself. Guys, we're going to keep growing and evolving, you know, maybe even offer a diet plan or something because we want to do more for you. It's kind of scary having all of our eggs in one Vitamix container. This is all we do, kind of to a fault. Guys, we're so grateful for this opportunity to do this work and connect and look forward to the next 10 years with you. Thanks. Thanks so much. See you in the next one, guys.