For this month’s Champions Spotlight we’re happy and excited to introduce you to AdvoCare® Distributors Dawn and Josh Gentry.
Eleven years ago it started with a Spark® for Dawn Gentry who learned about AdvoCare from a friend at the gym. As a new mom, she says it made all the difference. Dawn’s husband, Josh, noticed her increased energy and tried the products, too, and that was just the beginning. Today, the couple have built a community of unwavering friendships and are continuing to share their passion for the products with everyone they meet.
Dawn and Josh’s Favorites
Favorite Spark® flavors
Dawn: Spark® Fruit Punch
Josh: Spark® Watermelon
How did you discover AdvoCare®?
I gained extra weight after our second child and couldn’t lose it. I had no energy to play with my then four-year-old daughter and care for a baby. Since I had always worked out and enjoyed it, I decided I would go back to the gym. That’s where I met a girl who gave me an AdvoCare Spark®. I immediately had more energy for the rest of the day and have been drinking Spark ever since! I also began taking other AdvoCare products, including the 24-Day JumpStart®, eating better and continued to work out and lost 84 pounds over that year. Josh noticed I had more energy and started taking the products, too.
Was there a moment when you realized AdvoCare® was more than just an energy product?
Pretty much immediately! I have been in other direct sells companies, and AdvoCare felt like a family. Building relationships was key and my favorite part from the beginning. We are all busy and can grow apart from friends, but with AdvoCare we are a community. I would have never found this much success had those people not poured into me. They truly cared and are still some of our best friends today.
How has AdvoCare® impacted you as a couple?
It has brought us closer together for sure! AdvoCare has been something we have been able to do, share and enjoy together. AdvoCare encourages being active and engaged as a family … it’s changed our family dynamic. Due to the relationships we’ve built with other Distributors and their families, we have a group of friends who are positive examples. Our marriage has grown closer – we have grown together and matured, and it’s given us the opportunity to do things we wouldn’t have been able to do before.
What do you do for a living and how does AdvoCare incorporate into it?
I am a stay-at-home mom and share AdvoCare, and Josh is a sheriff’s deputy. I incorporate AdvoCare into my daily life by consuming products, sharing with those I come into contact with, and wearing my AdvoGear. Josh uses the products and shares them with fellow officers. Staying awake and alert is so important in their job, so most of his coworkers love Spark!
How do you share the products?
We make sure to connect a name to each product. We share by using the products openly and sharing them with others through social media, friends and referrals. I wear my colors when I go out and also run a Facebook group where I coach people. I started a group long ago to support my customers with the 24-Day JumpStart®, and now the group has reached nearly 3,000 members. I post giveaways, recipes and meal plans.
What’s your number one tip for sharing AdvoCare on social media? How have you built your community?
Be present. If you post, make sure you respond to people and follow through and follow up. Sometimes we get so busy posting, it is easy to accidently miss something. Make notes if you have to, but try to reply to everyone – you could simply miss lives that can be changed. But don’t overdo it! I also try to use voice text, because lots of people don’t have time for a call but often a text is so impersonal. Voice texting is a great way to put a voice with a name!
What’s something you have learned through AdvoCare?
To meet people where they are. AdvoCare has taught me how to be a better person and an advocate who truly cares, and people need that so much! We are all on different paths in life, and you never know what someone is going through. I have learned that I am not alone and that I can help others and invite them to be part of a community as well.
How have you grown since first becoming a Distributor?
I have grown in the way I coach people. Often we think health and wellness is the same for everyone, and it’s just not. I’ve learned to listen to people and what they want and need, and I’m also more open to learning from others. My customers and I are a team – they help me as much as I help them.
What is your favorite part of being with AdvoCare?
The friendships we have made. They are unlike any friendships you could imagine. They are real and authentic, and we do life together. Some of our best and longest friendships were made through AdvoCare. We have met people from all over the United States and Canada, and that’s been fun!
How has your health and fitness journey evolved over time?
My whole perspective has changed – I went from “dieting” to a lifestyle change. I went from wanting the number on the scale to go down to really listening to my body, learning macronutrients, and focusing on inches lost and the non-scale victories. Having more energy, sleeping better and being more present are huge victories we often overlook because we focus on the scale. This is the mindset I try to instill in my customers. I feel like it’s my job to help guide them to a new perspective.
What is your favorite way to stay active?
I love working out at the gym, going to different classes like HIIT, boot camp and Zumba.
What advice would you give a Distributor just starting out?
Stick and stay! There are going to be challenges but if you stay and are consistent, it’s worth it. A lot of people give up too quickly, but the benefits come down the road.
What brings you the most joy in life?
My family. The past three years of our lives have been nothing short of just plain hard. I lost my mom, and my son had a major surgery. I had little joy, but my family ALWAYS brought me joy. We came together, and through the trials we are closer. My mom loved to travel and took my children to Walt Disney World® when my daughter was five. We are surprising our kids with a trip there this month, now with my daughter being 14 and my son 10, in honor of my mom. Earning supplemental income with AdvoCare has helped us pay for part of our trip!
Are there any fun mixtures or recipes you enjoy using AdvoCare products?
I love AdvoCare Rehydrate® Lemon Lime mixed with anything! It is the perfect flavor.