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Robyn Landis's Honest Experience Product Masterclass review

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Robyn Landis

I have included 2 Facebook posts below this story, one that I shared the morning of the final course day when I reached Mission Accomplished, and the other from a couple days ago when I joyfully delivered my first session of my first Experience Product! In some ways, I think they tell the story real-time, better than any narrative…

But the background is that when I showed up for one of the live webinars during the EPM launch, actually registering for a program was the furthest thing from my mind. I only went because I liked some of Marisa’s other live hangouts—one on websites I remembered that I got value from.

I like free events that actually give you real value and learning, and Marisa’s are some of the few that do. I signed up for a lot of these things because I WANT to learn everything I can for my business, am hungry for knowledge, but most of them are so disappointing, so salesy or poorly done or formulaic that I turn them off with a sigh two minutes in. And then I get super burned out on all the emails I keep getting, even though I know I'm the one who signed up for them!

But Marisa’s emails are irresistible to open and fun to read so I opened them and the webinar sounded intriguing, so I hopped on. And stayed on. For two hours. Till the end. I took 13 pages of notes. I got excited. I got jazzed. I got giddy about my own business possibilities. And by the time I was over I had signed up for the course. Eve though I didn't have the time and was feeling burned about courses and money.

Part of me thought I ought to wait till made back the money I had lost on this other program. Part of me knew I couldn't wait. Knew that this was THE ONE. I had been looking for over a year for a course that would fill the gaps and bridge me from where I was to offering something online—in a way that felt authentic to me. And because it was so easy to see that Marisa was DEMONSTRATING what she was going to teach right there on the call—and I could SEE it working on me—and the value seemed huge, the bonus sounded juicy and the guarantee was a no-brainer—I wanted in.

I had been slowly building my way back into a business I left behind over 20 years ago, and I felt like it was “go time.” In the 90s when I was just in my 20s I had two bestselling books with Warner books, teaching people how to fuel their bodies—and how to THINK about food and health.

I taught my own live workshop for a few years…and then I stopped. I don't like to say I “quit” but I just didn't, in that era, and at that age, see a path forward for myself. There was no social media or online marketing and I had no mentor. So I pursued other interests, becoming moderately successful as a performing songwriter and always quite comfortable and successful as a freelance marketing-communications pro.

My approach to healthy living continued to deepen and evolve, however, and was probably the most important part of my life even though I wasn’t doing it professionally for about 20 years. People still looked at me like this was my superpower—to live it and explain it—and as the gap between my real age and “guessed age” widened people really wanted to know what I was doing.

Most of all, I saw as much suffering as I had 25 years earlier, and I couldn't stand by and do nothing, just enjoying my own ease and peace and clarity and happiness and health, while other people continued to be so confused, overwhelmed, stuck and struggling.

So in early 2015 I made a commitment to bring my voice back into this arena. I wasn't sure in what capacity. Teacher, speaker, blogger, coach. I felt daunted by it. The space had EXPLODED since I was a young health author. Gurus, books, programs. Social media, marketing. Science and technology. I felt unsure how to give my gift, how to get heard or seen, how to differentiate myself in a vast sea of Instagram stars and wellness moguls. I felt resistance to the new methods of marketing—ironically, even though I made a good living helping others with their writing and design in that area.

The idea of doing 3 launch videos and a sales page made me want to go to sleep. I wanted to share my approach and my material, I felt deeply called and certain there was some place for me, but there seemed to be so many options and steps, I didn't know what would make sense or be the right way to make it a business. I tried things. I got a website built and started blogging, started building my social presence, making small inroads.

I was feeling my way forward. I knew there was a place for me and my voice, my approach. I was making some progress, slowly. I just knew that I needed some guidance to do some basic building blocks to get myself and product out there. I took a few different courses, some by very respected teachers (including Bill Baren) and all moved me a bit forward (I got some health coaching clients, speaking engagements etc).

But most were either too focused on one area, or not focused enough, or meant for someone who was further along than me in business, or personal development that felt remedial.

When I watched the EPM webinar, I knew that this was it. And the cool thing was, it ACTUALLY WAS. It didn't disapprocess of moving us toward that one very specifoint. It was brilliant the way, through the pic mission statement goal, it filled in so many key business foundations along the way.

At least for me. It was both specific AND general in all the right ways. It was the exact right blend of expertise/experience, focus, structure, support—the EXACT kind of direction I had been looking for for two years to guide me in my next steps, and not finding in any other course. Also the right balance of content and personal development.

I can’t say that I had any particularly dramatic breakdowns and then breakthroughs during the course. I loved it, I grooved on it, I blabbed about it to everyone. I had some moments where I felt a little stuck or unsure or a little abandoned or envious or fearful or whatever, but it never lasted long, and I never stopped regardless and that was the key. (I probably redid my Future Self Mission statement about 45 times; I was like a dog with a bone.)

And the community was ALWAYS amazing and supportive. I also loved that the course actually MODELED what it was teaching all the way through. And that I just LEARNED *SO* much and created so much stuff. To me it seemed really that it was set up so you could not lose. You learn and create boatloads of stuff and then if it works, awesome; if not, you've learned and can pivot, so awesome too.

I think the most interesting and dramatic thing in my case is how incredibly well the experiencification worked on me. I SAW it working on me and I loved that. I didn't mind that I felt kind of addicted to it — as addictions go, this seemed like a reasonably healthy one.

Engagement is probably a better word—I'm always pretty driven, but I became even more so. I was “addicted” to working on my business and product, to creating the best material I could, to supporting the community, to the games, to the word crafting… and it was all FUN. (Okay, the tech stuff near the end wasn’t so fun. ;) But the rest of it was. It stoked creative fire.

Even though I was studying for my personal trainer certification the entire time (I passed, near the end of the program!), juggling private health coaching clients and freelance writing clients, and a book Indiegogo, and traveling between Seattle and Tucson—I STILL managed to attend all but one training live, and all but one coaching call. That’s INSANE.

And then near the end, I added in running several marketing campaigns including a full email campaign with a free opt-in gift, new Heroik pages and nurturing + sales. And, I still cannot BELIEVE it did it! I mean, I’ll take a little credit. ;) But EPM gets a lot of the credit.

I had taken a program right before this one where the teacher was perfectly lovely and the launch videos polished and inspiring, but once inside there was just nothing engaging. Meh materials, 5 meh modules and zero Facebook activity. Even though I am more likely to engage, I just couldn't go get it.

So, I had made $2200 as of that last Monday morning 5 a.m. With 5 people in at that time. I ended up with 7 people and my target goal, and one committed to February cohort. Two came from my perfect email campaign to a list of nearly 100 that was built with a Fast Action Campaign.

The rest: I had 2 people in about midway through EPM, and three came as I soft-launched my sale page just sharing personally and on social media—I had been nurturing the opt-ins list and had not yet done sales emails.

It was all a bit rushed and imperfect, juggling all the technology and learning and intensity of new campaigns in the crunch before the course was scheduled or start. Yet I still feel I did well, and can only imagine when I've had more time to integrate and plan.

In 8 weeks I've brought into being a new product I've dreamed of offering; gotten the pieces in place to market it online; and put into place so many important foundations for my business along with way—like spackling holes in the foundation that I knew were there and just didn't know quite how to fill.

I know that I have a lot more to learn but this model of “earn while you learn” and “iterate your way to awesome” seems like a smart, practical way to grow your business solidly, and with the heart and love and authenticity that are SO important to me.

And I love how I can use all this knowledge and this process over and over on new products and to keep iterating this one. I remain SO excited about my business and its possibilities, and about the authentic way that business and my call to service do NOT need to be separate things.