I was privileged to have a front row seat to the success of one of the fastest growing internet companies born in the twenty-first century. A success that while it was short lived, was the start of many imitations.
Who am I and what was my role?
I am the soon to be ex-wife of David Wood. I was there for the beginning, the success and watched from a distance the death of Empower Network, something I loved as deeply as if it were my child.
I remember David and I talking about a name for the company, I wanted to call it "Generosity Lives," a name I felt inspired hope and would attract people who wanted to make money not just for themselves but for the good of the world. David considered that for about two hours before tossing it aside in favor of a name that would attract not just the soft hearted but everyone.
Before EN was conceived, David adopted and cast aside other companies. When we started dating David was involved in Agel Enterprises.
Our first date was an Agel event where he was being honored for his hard work and effort. His success back then came from building through person to person contact. Unfortunately, that was unsustainable. His team was on the decline. It took all his effort just to keep up with the amount of people quitting and giving up. Soon his network was exhausted and he was frustrated. He needed a new way to grow his contact list.
In the beginning of our marriage, David did hours and hours of cold calls from our crappy basement apartment that didn't even have its own kitchen and I was absolutely no help. Switching from prozac to birth control made me hate everyone and everything and I was still exhausted from chemo. What made matters worse, birth control made me gain weight, tons of it and that made it hard to book new modeling jobs. Our situation grew more and more desperate.
David took me for a walk, talking about how Eric Worre's training conflicted with Dani Johnson's training, and how fed up he was with his lack of success. He talked about people who made millions from cold calls and how he couldn't figure out how they did it.
I asked him what his way of doing it was. He stopped, his eyes wide as though that was something he'd never considered. He had been so focused on the creed, "If you want what someone else has, do what they did to get what they got," that it seemed to me he'd gotten a bit lost. It also seemed to me like he could try both and see which one worked.
Who am I and what was my role?
I am the soon to be ex-wife of David Wood. I was there for the beginning, the success and watched from a distance the death of Empower Network, something I loved as deeply as if it were my child.
I remember David and I talking about a name for the company, I wanted to call it "Generosity Lives," a name I felt inspired hope and would attract people who wanted to make money not just for themselves but for the good of the world. David considered that for about two hours before tossing it aside in favor of a name that would attract not just the soft hearted but everyone.
DON'T DISCRIMINATE. You have no idea who will make You a Millionaire!
Before EN was conceived, David adopted and cast aside other companies. When we started dating David was involved in Agel Enterprises.
Our first date was an Agel event where he was being honored for his hard work and effort. His success back then came from building through person to person contact. Unfortunately, that was unsustainable. His team was on the decline. It took all his effort just to keep up with the amount of people quitting and giving up. Soon his network was exhausted and he was frustrated. He needed a new way to grow his contact list.
In the beginning of our marriage, David did hours and hours of cold calls from our crappy basement apartment that didn't even have its own kitchen and I was absolutely no help. Switching from prozac to birth control made me hate everyone and everything and I was still exhausted from chemo. What made matters worse, birth control made me gain weight, tons of it and that made it hard to book new modeling jobs. Our situation grew more and more desperate.
David took me for a walk, talking about how Eric Worre's training conflicted with Dani Johnson's training, and how fed up he was with his lack of success. He talked about people who made millions from cold calls and how he couldn't figure out how they did it.
I asked him what his way of doing it was. He stopped, his eyes wide as though that was something he'd never considered. He had been so focused on the creed, "If you want what someone else has, do what they did to get what they got," that it seemed to me he'd gotten a bit lost. It also seemed to me like he could try both and see which one worked.
When in Doubt, Turn Inwards to Find Your True North and Allow Yourself to Experiment.
David grew a bit more comfortable on the phone but things still weren't working, so for a time David sacrificed working on his dream to work a job at a call center. A job he was great at, but David like everyone else struggled with being punctual. Eventually, he and his manager got into an argument about it and I'm not sure if David quit or was fired but, either way, we took the opportunity to make lemonade.
One of my goals was to live in a car for a year. A friend of mine did it and she made it seem as if it were the most eye-opening life changing experience one could ever have. One night I told David about this and so when his job was gone and we had no reason to stay we sold everything we didn't need and headed to Hawaii with the intent to be vagabonds.
In Hawaii, things didn't go as planned. We set out with the idea that his brother could get me a job and I would work at Turtle Bay while David worked on building his dream.
David out of desperation began selling things on eBay but his account was quickly flagged and shut down. Luckily, around this time, I found a temporary job doing some Promotional Modeling. I asked the boss if there were enough openings for two and he said I could send him David's photos and he would see.
I've never known anyone with the drive David possesses. Most people listen to music, he listened to lecture after lecture on how to succeed at sales. His dreams of being a millionaire and free to do as he pleased never faded or faltered. He was quickly the number one associate in his office at Green Peace surpassing people who had been there for years.
Meanwhile, the promotion ended and in a funny accident that involved David, his youngest brother, and some breadfruit, I ended up with a broken foot.
David didn't let that deter him though from winning a trip to Maui by bringing in the most donations in his office. So we were galavanting around Maui on foot with my broken bone and several wonderful save the world hippies.
When it got to be too much David made me a cast out of garbaged cardboard. It was a genius design with sticks tape and one of my shirts for padding. He was very proud of it and I never told him I reconstructed the entire thing because it was poking me in several places.
After Maui, things started going downhill in Hawaii, so much so that the Green Peace office there had to close its doors.
In a rut, frustrated David switched from Agel to GeneWize thinking it might help and because vitamins based on an individual's DNA seemed revolutionary, it seemed like something that could be sold while half asleep.
His excitement about this new opportunity made me happy and I couldn't wait to see where it took him. David though had some hang-ups about switching out of Agel, the first company he experienced that high of a level of success with. I'm not sure if it was those hang-ups or if it was that he was trying to pull two carts with one horse at the same time but in the end, the switch ended up being a disaster.
A little while later David with several sign-ups in MLSP (My Lead System Pro) was asked to be on a webinar. I got home from bussing tables somewhere in the middle of it and he hand signaled me to be quiet and not interrupt. I sat down and watched David shine like a disco ball with a thousand lights on him. He spun tales and made me and everyone else laugh, he was magical. He was happy.
One of my goals was to live in a car for a year. A friend of mine did it and she made it seem as if it were the most eye-opening life changing experience one could ever have. One night I told David about this and so when his job was gone and we had no reason to stay we sold everything we didn't need and headed to Hawaii with the intent to be vagabonds.
When Things Go Wrong, Make The Best of The Detour.
In Hawaii, things didn't go as planned. We set out with the idea that his brother could get me a job and I would work at Turtle Bay while David worked on building his dream.
The job at Turtle Bay didn't happen. When we arrived the resort was downsizing its staff. Soon even David's brother was let go.
I turned in application after application with the same result. What we didn't know before hopping on that plane, Hawaii was going through a major economic depression. Tourism was almost nil and even Mcdonalds wasn't hiring. Homeless went from a fun past time to a way of life.
When Everything Fails, Get Creative!
David out of desperation began selling things on eBay but his account was quickly flagged and shut down. Luckily, around this time, I found a temporary job doing some Promotional Modeling. I asked the boss if there were enough openings for two and he said I could send him David's photos and he would see.
Soon we were both on Segways going up and down the busiest street in Honolulu promoting Hilo Hattie. David's joy in riding a Segway gave me hope that maybe we could find something fun that would be enough for him in the interim.
His frustration with building a business saddened me. I would never say anything to deter him from pursuing his dream but his struggle broke my heart, not because he was struggling which I thought was normal when pursuing a dream but after a long day of getting no sales, no matter how many calls he made or how many people he talked to, David seemed angry, depressed, and worse than all that, at times defeated.
Accept Struggle and Feelings of Failure as Part of the Process.
Knowing the Segway gig wouldn't last long I kept on the lookout for something else. Soon I found openings at Green Peace. David interviewed and was immediately hired. His vast background in sales from Rainbow Vacuums, Mormonism, and several MLMs made him a shoe-in.
I, however, was still riding a Segway and felt an obligation to finish the promotion. I was complacent with our life of using the internet at Safeway and spending quarters at laundromats while sleeping in our van and showering on the beach. It was enough for me. David however never fell into that trap. Not once in all the time I was with him did he ever get complacent.
"Comfort is the Enemy of Greatness." -Todd Henry
I've never known anyone with the drive David possesses. Most people listen to music, he listened to lecture after lecture on how to succeed at sales. His dreams of being a millionaire and free to do as he pleased never faded or faltered. He was quickly the number one associate in his office at Green Peace surpassing people who had been there for years.
Meanwhile, the promotion ended and in a funny accident that involved David, his youngest brother, and some breadfruit, I ended up with a broken foot.
David didn't let that deter him though from winning a trip to Maui by bringing in the most donations in his office. So we were galavanting around Maui on foot with my broken bone and several wonderful save the world hippies.
When it got to be too much David made me a cast out of garbaged cardboard. It was a genius design with sticks tape and one of my shirts for padding. He was very proud of it and I never told him I reconstructed the entire thing because it was poking me in several places.
After Maui, things started going downhill in Hawaii, so much so that the Green Peace office there had to close its doors.
In a rut, frustrated David switched from Agel to GeneWize thinking it might help and because vitamins based on an individual's DNA seemed revolutionary, it seemed like something that could be sold while half asleep.
His excitement about this new opportunity made me happy and I couldn't wait to see where it took him. David though had some hang-ups about switching out of Agel, the first company he experienced that high of a level of success with. I'm not sure if it was those hang-ups or if it was that he was trying to pull two carts with one horse at the same time but in the end, the switch ended up being a disaster.
Don't Let One Success Hold You Back From Chasing The Next One! Focus Where Your Passion IS!
We were again both out of jobs. The depression hitting Hawaii only seemed to be getting worse and neither Agel or Genewize were making money. We needed help.
David's parents came to the rescue flying us up to Alaska where they assisted me in getting a job at a restaurant. While I worked David worked. I was so glad he was finally able to pursue his dreams the way he wanted, with all his time and energy.
I was happy until one day I came home from working my tail off bussing tables all day to discover my husband laying on our bed in a complete funk. He was feeling hopeless.
I asked what the problem was somewhat annoyed he wasn't holding up his end of the bargain. His voice was full of despair as he said, "There's nothing I can do. Everything costs money."
Thanks to David's parents I was able to stash some cash for such an occasion. I tossed David my debit card and said, "There's six hundred on here. I don't care what you buy, or what you have to do, I never want to see you like this again." I admit it wasn't my most supportive moment. I was tired and had a boss that was emotionally challenged and loved making others miserable.
David, however, went into the next room and an hour or so later came back and sheepishly handed me back the piece of plastic.
He'd bought a membership to My Lead System Pro. I don't remember how much it cost, but I remember the light returning to his eyes and that's all that mattered to me.
When Your Outlook is Bleak, Take A Risk.
I didn't know if it was going to work or if it was an internet scam, all that mattered was David was happy and pursuing what he wanted. A month later he asked if it was okay if he could buy one more thing.
David's parents came to the rescue flying us up to Alaska where they assisted me in getting a job at a restaurant. While I worked David worked. I was so glad he was finally able to pursue his dreams the way he wanted, with all his time and energy.
I was happy until one day I came home from working my tail off bussing tables all day to discover my husband laying on our bed in a complete funk. He was feeling hopeless.
I asked what the problem was somewhat annoyed he wasn't holding up his end of the bargain. His voice was full of despair as he said, "There's nothing I can do. Everything costs money."
Thanks to David's parents I was able to stash some cash for such an occasion. I tossed David my debit card and said, "There's six hundred on here. I don't care what you buy, or what you have to do, I never want to see you like this again." I admit it wasn't my most supportive moment. I was tired and had a boss that was emotionally challenged and loved making others miserable.
David, however, went into the next room and an hour or so later came back and sheepishly handed me back the piece of plastic.
He'd bought a membership to My Lead System Pro. I don't remember how much it cost, but I remember the light returning to his eyes and that's all that mattered to me.
When Your Outlook is Bleak, Take A Risk.
I didn't know if it was going to work or if it was an internet scam, all that mattered was David was happy and pursuing what he wanted. A month later he asked if it was okay if he could buy one more thing.
"How much is it?" I said expecting a crippling amount and cringing at imagined figures.
"Twenty-five dollars," he hesitated as though it were a grand imposition.
Truthfully I almost laughed but seeing my tall ambitious husband who had supported us in Hawaii and through my struggle between going on birth control and giving up Prozac feeling ashamed to be asking for money choked the laugh before it could even begin.
Feeling awkward and wanting to be supportive I asked, "What is it for?" wondering for a moment if he was going to become an affiliate of a Porn site or something. I knew whatever it was the answer was yes but I needed to prepare myself just in case.
"An automatic article submitter." He answered. At the time, I had no idea what that was but it didn't sound like porn.
I admit I got a little evil here relishing the seldom humble moment from my husband. "Do you promise to use it every day?" I asked as though it were a puppy and he was a little boy promising to feed it.
He nodded exuberantly. "Yes. Yes." He said his face a little pale.
I felt bad for stringing him along. In David's mind, it was his job to be the provider. He was abashed to be asking me for money. I handed over my card and David raced up the stairs with it.
He didn't see me cry, or hear me pray that this time he would succeed the way he wanted. I begged God to let his dreams come true.
Have Faith in Success and Talk to Supportive Friends.
Back then I was still struggling with my faith, but prayer was something I did automatically. When I was eighteen I set a goal to literally pray constantly. Talking to God during math classes, on dates and so on just in my mind. When I fell asleep, it was with prayer and when I woke up first thing in the morning I would remember my goal within ten or so minutes and feel bad I'd forgotten to wish God good morning and thank him for keeping me safe while I slept.
I don't know if prayer works but I do know a check soon arrived for ten cents. I was elated. David was devastated.
"I can't believe I've been wasting my time for ten cents, that's less than a penny per hour." He raged more than a little upset.
I, on the other hand, was doing my best not to rush out and get a hundred balloons to celebrate. "It's working!" I squealed with delight. "Don't you see, that ten cents is going to double next month and keep doubling!!!"
I, on the other hand, was doing my best not to rush out and get a hundred balloons to celebrate. "It's working!" I squealed with delight. "Don't you see, that ten cents is going to double next month and keep doubling!!!"
YOU WILL GET FRUSTRATED: Which is Why it's Important to Celebrate Every Success, Especially The Small Ones. Stay Optimistic.
David stormed away wanting to be alone or unable to look at me I don't know. I cried and begged God to make my husband happy. David's frustration that night gave me a rancid stomach ache. I didn't know what I could do for him or how I could help. I felt utterly useless.
When night came I wasn't sure if I should go up to bed or sleep on the couch. I didn't want to invade his space. When I did finally go up to bed an hour or so later than normal, David was wide awake waiting for me. All he wanted was to be held and snuggled. I held him close, grateful he needed me, grateful I could help, and while I held him I prayed for his success.
I didn't care if we ever made a ton of money but I deeply wanted David to be happy.
I didn't care if we ever made a ton of money but I deeply wanted David to be happy.
Find Joy in the Journey
A little while later David with several sign-ups in MLSP (My Lead System Pro) was asked to be on a webinar. I got home from bussing tables somewhere in the middle of it and he hand signaled me to be quiet and not interrupt. I sat down and watched David shine like a disco ball with a thousand lights on him. He spun tales and made me and everyone else laugh, he was magical. He was happy.
My dream had come true, my husband was happy.
At the end of the webinar, David promised a free ebook to everyone who emailed him a video testimonial.
At the end of the webinar, David promised a free ebook to everyone who emailed him a video testimonial.
Ask for Support. Reward Those Who Give It.
David assigned me the job of going through the emails and picking the best testimonials to put on his site. I, of course, deleted all evidence of the women who flashed inappropriate body parts at him or offered him certain favors to help them succeed. (There were only two of those.) I gave David the ones I felt were most compelling and he put them on his site.
Soon after that, I came home from bussing tables to find David pressing refresh on the browser every few seconds. His eyes widening each time the screen loaded. I sat down running my fingers through his hair. "What's up?" I asked a bit afraid to look at the screen.
"Look," he said.
I did. A spreadsheet loaded before my eyes, with amounts in the thousands. It was dollar amounts but I had no idea what I was looking at.
"What is it?" I asked confused why David was showing me this. Was it a dream board of what he wanted or someone else's earnings?
"Ours." He refreshed the screen. Ten thousand dollars plus loaded before my eyes. With each refresh of the screen, the amount grew. In the next hour, the amount doubled. We needed to celebrate, but it was late and the only thing open was Walmart.
There we went. I was wearing a shirt I'd bought at Deseret Industries for seventy-five cents, his sister's coat since she was in Utah and not using her wardrobe in Alaska I'd been given permission to raid her closet, so I was also wearing her pants, socks, and David's mother's boots.
Sacrifices Must Be Made but Every Sacrifice Has Its Own Reward. Pride in Who You Are and The Strength You Develop By Choosing to be Happy What Ever the Circumstance.
I squeezed David's hand realizing we could afford any item in the store. It didn't even need to be on sale! He told me to get anything I wanted. He laughed when I ignored the jewelry counter and went straight for a dog-eared cap and some mittens. It was the dead of winter and my drive to work each day left my ears red and my hands hurting. It hadn't occurred to me yet I would soon be quitting that job or moving out of the tundra.
With those two items cradled like a newborn against my chest, David and I walked around Walmart in a bit of a shock. "David, we can buy tires!" He looked at me as though I'd lost my mind. "New TIRES!" I exclaimed. I'd never had new tires before. The truck I'd been driving to work had faulty brakes and tires as bald as my dad's head.
"Yeah, I guess we can." He said looking at me with a perplexed yet entirely bored expression.
Putting aside my enthusiasm I asked, "What do you want to buy?" Tonight was his night.
He looked around the store, his eyes wandering from this and that. "Nothing."
His response almost dropped me to the floor. Here was this guy who'd been working day and night, fighting, struggling and doing everything he could to get ahead and then when it finally happens, there's nothing he wants?
Something in my stunned silence badgered him into giving a response. "Well, maybe a dinosaur."
I squeezed David's hand realizing we could afford any item in the store. It didn't even need to be on sale! He told me to get anything I wanted. He laughed when I ignored the jewelry counter and went straight for a dog-eared cap and some mittens. It was the dead of winter and my drive to work each day left my ears red and my hands hurting. It hadn't occurred to me yet I would soon be quitting that job or moving out of the tundra.
"Yeah, I guess we can." He said looking at me with a perplexed yet entirely bored expression.
Something in my stunned silence badgered him into giving a response. "Well, maybe a dinosaur."
If You Have Millions, Then What Do You Want?
We moved to a house on the beach in Palo Seco, Costa Rica. While I took pride in the dinners I made and in each Spanish word my vocabulary gained, I felt alone while David thrived growing his business, I had no one to connect with.
I talked to David about getting a job but he didn't think it would be a good idea for the business. Each morning I walked the beach I wondered "What now?" David was hitting his stride, but my life was empty of purpose.
Costa Rica was beautiful, wonderful, and highly interesting but the more I compared David and myself the more I hated who I was.
We moved to a house on the beach in Palo Seco, Costa Rica. While I took pride in the dinners I made and in each Spanish word my vocabulary gained, I felt alone while David thrived growing his business, I had no one to connect with.
I talked to David about getting a job but he didn't think it would be a good idea for the business. Each morning I walked the beach I wondered "What now?" David was hitting his stride, but my life was empty of purpose.
David seemed happiest on stage with an audience hanging on his every word or surrounded by people grasping for his attention eager to learn his secret. The applause, the adulation, the respect seemed to feed David's soul in a way I couldn't.
What is Your Purpose? What Feeds Your Soul? What Makes You Happy?
David found his niche. I was happy for him, but I was floundering. I thought at a certain income point we would move to LA where I would pursue acting and then maybe things would change, I just needed to be patient, but that didn't happen.
For the business image, we stayed in Costa Rica after the income point was met.
I was isolated. I tried making friends but being so young and suddenly a millionaire peers were few and far between. Not many took me seriously in David's world and everyone I met in Costa Rica who spoke English wanted what we had. I felt I couldn't be myself with anyone.
More and more I was shut out of David's world. We went on cruises and I tried my best to honor the work my husband did to get there, casting aside my own interests to pursue anything he wanted. There were classes I wanted to attend or certain adventures but David wanted other things and so I smiled and said simply, "You earned it, we will do whatever you want."
I didn't know it at the time but I was de-selfing. I tried my best to stop wanting anything for myself believing that was the role of a good wife. Doing that sapped my energy.
I don't blame David for leaving me, or for finding someone else. I had turned myself into a zombie trying to be a good wife, trying to make him happy.
David found his niche. I was happy for him, but I was floundering. I thought at a certain income point we would move to LA where I would pursue acting and then maybe things would change, I just needed to be patient, but that didn't happen.
For the business image, we stayed in Costa Rica after the income point was met.
More and more I was shut out of David's world. We went on cruises and I tried my best to honor the work my husband did to get there, casting aside my own interests to pursue anything he wanted. There were classes I wanted to attend or certain adventures but David wanted other things and so I smiled and said simply, "You earned it, we will do whatever you want."
I didn't know it at the time but I was de-selfing. I tried my best to stop wanting anything for myself believing that was the role of a good wife. Doing that sapped my energy.
I don't blame David for leaving me, or for finding someone else. I had turned myself into a zombie trying to be a good wife, trying to make him happy.
Love isn't Sacrificing ALL of Who You Are for Someone. Love Does Mean Sacrifice, But It Also Means Protecting and Honoring Your Own Light and Happiness.
From the very beginning, David was filled with purpose, with drive, and I envied that.
I'd killed all the dreams my family, teachers, and boyfriends didn't approve of. David actualizing his dreams made me realize how precious dreams were.
Your dreams are a precious part of who you are. You must pursue with an immediacy because too many graves are filled with might have been. Great novels unwritten, songs unsung, relationships unmended.
I know what it is to not know what your dream should be. Too many other voices drowning out your own. Once in Cali, I realized certain aspects of that world were not for me. I'd spent too much time acting like I didn't exist to try and play any other role than myself.
I needed to find me. My last blog post was a little bit about that journey, so I hope you who read it will forgive me the redundancy but this is important:
I'd killed all the dreams my family, teachers, and boyfriends didn't approve of. David actualizing his dreams made me realize how precious dreams were.
Your dreams are a precious part of who you are. You must pursue with an immediacy because too many graves are filled with might have been. Great novels unwritten, songs unsung, relationships unmended.
I know what it is to not know what your dream should be. Too many other voices drowning out your own. Once in Cali, I realized certain aspects of that world were not for me. I'd spent too much time acting like I didn't exist to try and play any other role than myself.
I needed to find me. My last blog post was a little bit about that journey, so I hope you who read it will forgive me the redundancy but this is important:
You only have ONE life! Explore Your Interests. Experiment, Find What You Love, What Makes You Happy, What Gives You Purpose. That is SUCCESS and Wealth Will Follow.
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