WEBVTT - WW International CEO on COVID-19 Impact

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<v Speaker 1>This is Bloomberg Business Week with Carol Messer and Jason

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<v Speaker 1>Kelly on Bloomberg Radio. Welcome Mindy Grossman. She's president and

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<v Speaker 1>CEO of WW International. She joins us on the phone

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<v Speaker 1>from the Hudson Valley and Mindy, Jason and I in

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<v Speaker 1>our whole Bloomberg community, delighted to have you here with us,

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<v Speaker 1>Curious to hear how your family is doing, your corporate

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<v Speaker 1>family is doing it doing. You know now that we're

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<v Speaker 1>fifteen weeks into the shutdown and now starting to slowly reopen,

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<v Speaker 1>so thrilled to be here. I hope you and Jason

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<v Speaker 1>are both terrific. We've been up here um since March sixteenth,

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<v Speaker 1>so been uh certainly I think a surreal time for everyone.

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<v Speaker 1>But we're doing well. Um. To your point, Carol, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>we entered the year with unbelievable momentum. You know, we

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<v Speaker 1>had launched my w W, We were in the throes

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<v Speaker 1>of our digital transformation. We did a nine city tour

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<v Speaker 1>with Oprah, touching you know, a hundred and thirty five

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<v Speaker 1>thousand people, and you know, then all of a sudden

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<v Speaker 1>mid March, um, the world changed and we had to

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<v Speaker 1>quickly pivot. Um not only for the safety and security

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<v Speaker 1>of our employees and our members, but it was important

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<v Speaker 1>to us that we kept our community together because of

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<v Speaker 1>our approximately five million members who are all digital, per

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<v Speaker 1>cent of them also attended our studios. So in March,

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<v Speaker 1>in six days, we had to train fourteen thousand coaches.

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<v Speaker 1>We pivoted our whole products and tech team, and simultaneously

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<v Speaker 1>in twelve countries we launched UH virtual workshops, which in

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<v Speaker 1>the first week we had fifteen thousand and they're still

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<v Speaker 1>continuing today. UM. And that pivot for us, even though

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<v Speaker 1>we saw suppressed UM you know subscribe option starting in

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<v Speaker 1>you know, mid March, that started really picking up again

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<v Speaker 1>UH starting in mid April, and you know now our

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<v Speaker 1>digital subscribers are at an all time high, as is

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<v Speaker 1>our retention. And it was our maniacal focus on not

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<v Speaker 1>losing our community in a world where community and motivation

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<v Speaker 1>and support are really more important than ever, just even

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<v Speaker 1>psychologically for people. UM. We also took the learnings from

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<v Speaker 1>the tour we did physically with OPRAH and said, what

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<v Speaker 1>can we do for people who need this now more

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<v Speaker 1>than ever, And we launched the four week every Saturday

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<v Speaker 1>virtual tour with OPRAH and made the decision to make

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<v Speaker 1>it free globally for everyone, because it's really what people

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<v Speaker 1>needed right now. And that's what our brand has stood

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<v Speaker 1>for since the very beginning. And we had just in

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<v Speaker 1>the first one over half a million people live and

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<v Speaker 1>we've now had millions of people watched the content. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>So what we've been trying to do is use this

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<v Speaker 1>as an opportunity to accelerate our digital transformation, UM, reduce

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<v Speaker 1>our real estate fookprint, be able to add, you know,

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<v Speaker 1>to the ecosystem of wellness. And you know, I think

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<v Speaker 1>now we're seeing more than ever health and wellness is

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<v Speaker 1>on top of everybody's mind. It's not a luxury anymore.

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<v Speaker 1>It's a necessity. And so talk about Mindy and I

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<v Speaker 1>believe we've talked about this before. You've mentioned here a

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<v Speaker 1>couple of times, the Oprah effect here, I mean, what

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<v Speaker 1>has she done for the brand, especially in this time

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<v Speaker 1>it feels almost more important to have that voice for

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<v Speaker 1>a variety of reasons. Yeah, you know, she has been

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<v Speaker 1>such a partner to me since, you know, the day

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<v Speaker 1>I joined the company, certainly as a board member, but

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<v Speaker 1>also as a thought partner in how can we work

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<v Speaker 1>together to really give people the tools and the motivation

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<v Speaker 1>so they can really live their best, healthiest lives. So

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<v Speaker 1>you know, if you look at what we've built out

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of this wellness ecosystem, whether it's nutrition or

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<v Speaker 1>activity or mindset, motivation, sleep, relationships, whatever, that is having

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<v Speaker 1>Oprah and her voice to be able to amplify, and

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<v Speaker 1>it's really her superpower is to galvanize people. And we

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<v Speaker 1>really saw it on the tour and we also saw

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<v Speaker 1>it on his virtual tour, and I know she feels

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<v Speaker 1>UM now more than ever. What we bring UM is

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<v Speaker 1>going to be more critical for people. And you know,

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<v Speaker 1>as we talked about moving into the broader scope of wellness,

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<v Speaker 1>we said, we're never going to abdicate our global leadership

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<v Speaker 1>in healthy weight loss, which is so important. If you

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<v Speaker 1>look at the number one factor in COVID deaths with obesity,

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<v Speaker 1>diabetes is a huge factor. And we're seeing from all

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<v Speaker 1>our data in terms of why people are joining UM

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<v Speaker 1>and what is that what is top of mine? It's

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<v Speaker 1>I need to be healthy, not just for me, but

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<v Speaker 1>healthy to others. I need to not get sick to

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<v Speaker 1>get healthy. I need to prevent what is happening. And

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<v Speaker 1>I think you know, COVID has really changed the mindset.

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<v Speaker 1>The other thing it's done, though, it's really identified the

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<v Speaker 1>health disparities amongst communities, and I think that's going to

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<v Speaker 1>be a big focus as well. We've we've had these

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<v Speaker 1>conversations Mandy with a lot of the members of the

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<v Speaker 1>medical community that we've had on air about you know,

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<v Speaker 1>this is obviously a healthcare crisis, but it also speaks

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<v Speaker 1>to the health of so many different you know, so

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<v Speaker 1>many Americans and the difficult spot that they're in. One

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<v Speaker 1>thing I wanted to ask you is, in terms of

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<v Speaker 1>what you guys have seen, Um, the pivot to even

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<v Speaker 1>more digital because of the shutdown is the virus potentially

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<v Speaker 1>the catalyst. Are finally moving to a digital only model. Look,

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<v Speaker 1>I think any company that has not used this as

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<v Speaker 1>an opportunity to accelerate the digital transformation is going to

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<v Speaker 1>be left behind. That's the reality. However, the way we

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<v Speaker 1>feel is it's not like face to face will go

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<v Speaker 1>away completely. Um, we will have a smaller footprint. But

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<v Speaker 1>even before COVID, we had a new product that is

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<v Speaker 1>going to launch later this year, which is Digital plus

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<v Speaker 1>virtual group coaching, So our digital platform, but more support

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<v Speaker 1>in terms of coach motivation so once we launch that,

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<v Speaker 1>we will have a suite of tools that people can

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<v Speaker 1>look at and decide what is right for them. It's

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<v Speaker 1>kind of picking my WW and we've been on this

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<v Speaker 1>personalization journey, so not only do people obviously take an

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<v Speaker 1>assessment for what program they want to be on for

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<v Speaker 1>health and weight loss, but now they're going to have

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<v Speaker 1>a suite of options in terms of what they feel

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<v Speaker 1>is right for them. We we just started opening reopening

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<v Speaker 1>our studios and by the end of this month we

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<v Speaker 1>will have about four hundred studios open. And we started

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<v Speaker 1>obviously safety and security. It started with people could come

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<v Speaker 1>in and have a one on one session with their

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<v Speaker 1>coach um Way and they could buy products. But by

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<v Speaker 1>the end of the month we will have very strategic,

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<v Speaker 1>smaller groups based on the size and based on the

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<v Speaker 1>rules of whatever the location is. UM But we are

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<v Speaker 1>really seeing that there are people who feel that they

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<v Speaker 1>want that accountability, that interaction and that motivation, and then

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<v Speaker 1>there are other people who really just want the support

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<v Speaker 1>of their digital community UM and you know Connect, which

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<v Speaker 1>is our digital social platform UM. We also launched Connect

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<v Speaker 1>groups for people who were going through specific struggles right now,

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<v Speaker 1>Young moms imagine college students. A lot of them don't

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<v Speaker 1>even know if they can go back to school or not.

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<v Speaker 1>So what we're trying to do is give people that

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<v Speaker 1>support and community no matter where they are, no matter

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<v Speaker 1>how they want to interact. We're going to continue our

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<v Speaker 1>conversation with Mandy Grossmen now and so, Mandy, I I mean,

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<v Speaker 1>I do wonder in terms of your workforce, how has

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<v Speaker 1>that gone in terms of letting people go bringing them back.

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<v Speaker 1>What's been the rhythm of that and the financial implications,

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<v Speaker 1>especially as you talk about this sort of hybrid model

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<v Speaker 1>going forward. Help us understand the workforce here. Yeah, Well,

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<v Speaker 1>what we had to do is we had to take

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<v Speaker 1>a very very hard look at our physical footprint around

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<v Speaker 1>the world, and to give you a perspective, we have

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<v Speaker 1>locations that are branded owned and operated, and then we

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<v Speaker 1>also have locations that are in other non owned and

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<v Speaker 1>clearly right now, those are ones we can't necessarily control

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<v Speaker 1>and the safety securities that are number one. Number two,

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<v Speaker 1>we've obviously seen the ramp up significantly of our digital recruitment.

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<v Speaker 1>So we did an entire review and we made the

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<v Speaker 1>decision to reduce our footprint, which unfortunately had to make

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<v Speaker 1>the difficult decision to shrink a number of our field

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<v Speaker 1>organization and you know it, it's always difficult to do that,

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<v Speaker 1>but UM, for the future of where our company is

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<v Speaker 1>going and where we need to put the investment, that

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<v Speaker 1>was the right thing to do. UM. And so of

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<v Speaker 1>the four hundred studios in the US that will be

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<v Speaker 1>opened by the end of the month, those are WW

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<v Speaker 1>studios is the worst over mindy when it comes to

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<v Speaker 1>cutting costs, letting workers go. I'm just curious about the

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<v Speaker 1>visibility you feel feel like you have. We've we've got

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<v Speaker 1>our big invest conference going on, and you hear different

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<v Speaker 1>things about people not still sure about how tricky it's

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<v Speaker 1>going to be, you know, as we reopen more. Yeah. Look, UM,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, I tend to be a resilient optimist. And

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<v Speaker 1>of course we've had to do a lot of different modeling. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>You know. But last week, UM, when we announced the

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<v Speaker 1>amendment to our revolving credit facility, just to give us

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<v Speaker 1>more flexibility. We also gave an update on our business

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<v Speaker 1>performance UM, which, as I said, particularly since mid April,

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<v Speaker 1>are digital subscriber growth has been very strong. So you know,

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<v Speaker 1>at the end of first quarter we were at five

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<v Speaker 1>million subscribers you normally see a dip from there, but

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<v Speaker 1>we're still over four point nine and our retentions at

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<v Speaker 1>an all time high, so it's not like we're not

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<v Speaker 1>being cautious. We could do an expense reduction of about

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<v Speaker 1>a hundred million dollars um to make sure that, um,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, we had contingencies and we were going to

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<v Speaker 1>have the right liquidity, um, you know, but there's still uncertainty.

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<v Speaker 1>There's uncertainty if we have a big spike. UM. So

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<v Speaker 1>I think, you know, our focus is doing all the

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<v Speaker 1>right things for the business, to continue to focus on

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<v Speaker 1>our virtual workshops and digital recruitment, but more important really

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<v Speaker 1>being more of a necessity for people right now, um,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, and as this is on top of their mind,

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<v Speaker 1>and you know, just since um you know, covid and

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<v Speaker 1>obviously these were in the plan. We launched hydration tracking,

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<v Speaker 1>sleep tracking, live content within our app. Across our verticals,

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<v Speaker 1>we integrated uh fit on, which is video fitness. We

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<v Speaker 1>now have a full suite of video fitness classes, an

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<v Speaker 1>extensive sweet in addition to audio fitness and headspace. Um.

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<v Speaker 1>So really, what we've also done is we did a

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<v Speaker 1>massive pivot around all our content because you know, again,

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<v Speaker 1>we have almost five million people on our app tracking

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<v Speaker 1>and mean I could tell you on a week to

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<v Speaker 1>week basis of different things that people are eating and

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<v Speaker 1>has working out. Also what they're talking about. Well, that's

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<v Speaker 1>what they think. That's really important and you have to

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<v Speaker 1>have the relevant content for them. Well that's so true,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's really fascinating that you are constantly and it

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<v Speaker 1>makes sense, you know, tracking it to see what people want.

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<v Speaker 1>You have to write what consumer changes are you seeing

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<v Speaker 1>because we really feel like there's been some shifts and

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<v Speaker 1>maybe what consumers want overall, how they're doing things as

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<v Speaker 1>they've been stuck home. Yeah. So I think at a

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<v Speaker 1>very high level, as I said earlier, this idea of

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<v Speaker 1>you know, wellness going from being a luxury doing a

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<v Speaker 1>stetsy and people really taking um, you know, evaluation of

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<v Speaker 1>themselves and their life. And I think, um, there's going

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<v Speaker 1>to be a real reappraisal of how people live, how

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<v Speaker 1>they work, how they spend, and what they value um

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<v Speaker 1>And I think that's going to be uh really important.

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<v Speaker 1>The other thing that we see is it used to

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<v Speaker 1>be you know, people wanted to fix something when it

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<v Speaker 1>was broken. Right. I get sick. I need something to

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<v Speaker 1>help me get well. I think now it's I want

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<v Speaker 1>to be well so I don't get sick. And that's

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<v Speaker 1>a big mindset change. You know, people, you don't want

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<v Speaker 1>to be vulnerable. The other thing, UM we're seeing is

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<v Speaker 1>I think the mental stress that this is really created

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<v Speaker 1>for people that's not going away overnight, so you know,

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<v Speaker 1>mental health and a lot of content UM in that

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<v Speaker 1>area I think is really going to be important. UM.

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<v Speaker 1>And then the power of trust and community. UM. You know,

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<v Speaker 1>I think uh, you know, people UM, in in times

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<v Speaker 1>of uncertainty, they want to gravitate towards those brands that

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<v Speaker 1>they trust. And certainly for us, UM, you know, everything

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<v Speaker 1>we do is science base. UM. It's been that way

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<v Speaker 1>from the beginning. There's a community and so our entire

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<v Speaker 1>organization has really been very focused on serving versus selling. Really, UM,

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<v Speaker 1>you know, how can we do you know, whatever we

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<v Speaker 1>can to you know, enhance lives. I think the other

0:15:00.320 --> 0:15:04.720
<v Speaker 1>thing that's been important is, you know, I think consumers

0:15:04.760 --> 0:15:09.280
<v Speaker 1>are looking for brands that they really feel have purpose.

0:15:09.600 --> 0:15:12.680
<v Speaker 1>And you know, I've always been a firm believer that

0:15:13.160 --> 0:15:17.520
<v Speaker 1>you know, today brands that can marry technology plus meaning

0:15:17.600 --> 0:15:21.400
<v Speaker 1>to help people with better connected lives. That's going to

0:15:21.480 --> 0:15:24.200
<v Speaker 1>be important, and there's going to be a different measurement

0:15:24.640 --> 0:15:29.000
<v Speaker 1>from consumers when they look at brand and you know,

0:15:29.160 --> 0:15:32.520
<v Speaker 1>how they managed through this and how they were thinking

0:15:32.720 --> 0:15:38.280
<v Speaker 1>ultimately of you know who they serve. UM. So maybe

0:15:38.320 --> 0:15:40.280
<v Speaker 1>I gotta ask you, because Carol and I both know

0:15:40.360 --> 0:15:43.880
<v Speaker 1>you pretty well. We've watched your career, and I wonder

0:15:43.960 --> 0:15:47.880
<v Speaker 1>you've managed through all sorts of crises before. What's different

0:15:47.880 --> 0:15:51.680
<v Speaker 1>about this one? From a leadership perspective and from the

0:15:51.680 --> 0:15:55.040
<v Speaker 1>CEO seat? Yeah. You know, I thought when I took

0:15:55.120 --> 0:15:58.160
<v Speaker 1>my last company public in August two thousand and eight,

0:15:58.320 --> 0:16:00.560
<v Speaker 1>that was kind of going to be the biggest crisis

0:16:00.640 --> 0:16:04.720
<v Speaker 1>I would have UM throve through. UM, this has been.

0:16:04.760 --> 0:16:07.640
<v Speaker 1>This has been very different. UM. Number one, this is

0:16:07.680 --> 0:16:13.400
<v Speaker 1>truly global. UM. You know. Number two, there's an aspect

0:16:13.520 --> 0:16:17.880
<v Speaker 1>of uncertainty that we've never had before. UM. You know

0:16:18.280 --> 0:16:22.760
<v Speaker 1>number three, it has made us all isolate in a

0:16:22.880 --> 0:16:26.960
<v Speaker 1>very different way. UM. And all of those things you know,

0:16:27.080 --> 0:16:31.240
<v Speaker 1>you have to take in from a leadership UH perspective

0:16:31.520 --> 0:16:35.800
<v Speaker 1>and right now and you know, not that it wasn't then,

0:16:35.960 --> 0:16:40.640
<v Speaker 1>but the need to a communicate. I'm not just the CEO,

0:16:40.760 --> 0:16:44.240
<v Speaker 1>I'm the chief communication officer, the chief crisis officer, the

0:16:44.320 --> 0:16:48.320
<v Speaker 1>chief hope officer. What people are needing and feeling right now,

0:16:49.000 --> 0:16:52.400
<v Speaker 1>UM is they they want to know, you know, where

0:16:52.440 --> 0:16:56.520
<v Speaker 1>they stand, what is happening at any given time. And

0:16:56.680 --> 0:16:59.240
<v Speaker 1>you know, my feeling is control what you can control,

0:17:00.000 --> 0:17:03.720
<v Speaker 1>O people, what you're doing, Galvanize them around what you

0:17:03.800 --> 0:17:08.080
<v Speaker 1>can do, UM, and and keep that focus. And I'm

0:17:08.200 --> 0:17:12.520
<v Speaker 1>very fortunate that you know, our leadership team has really

0:17:12.600 --> 0:17:16.119
<v Speaker 1>come together. I mean, we've we've built a culture of

0:17:16.320 --> 0:17:20.879
<v Speaker 1>purpose and they're galvanized around how what we can do,

0:17:21.359 --> 0:17:24.119
<v Speaker 1>and I'm galvanized around what we can do for them

0:17:24.240 --> 0:17:27.479
<v Speaker 1>and for other I think the other thing that's different

0:17:27.640 --> 0:17:31.960
<v Speaker 1>this time is the world has changed since then. And UM,

0:17:32.280 --> 0:17:36.560
<v Speaker 1>authenticity is really important. I say that, you know, people

0:17:36.680 --> 0:17:40.600
<v Speaker 1>used to think vulnerability was a weakness. It's a strength. UM.

0:17:40.680 --> 0:17:45.160
<v Speaker 1>People want to understand if they're feeling, you know, something,

0:17:45.680 --> 0:17:48.919
<v Speaker 1>that they're not alone. And so the number of town

0:17:48.960 --> 0:17:53.679
<v Speaker 1>halls and the number of communications that myself and you know,

0:17:53.840 --> 0:17:58.199
<v Speaker 1>our leadership team has done has been significant, and we

0:17:58.280 --> 0:18:02.840
<v Speaker 1>have tried to be transparent. We've tried to communicate whether

0:18:02.960 --> 0:18:07.080
<v Speaker 1>that's what's happening with the business, UM, what's happening with

0:18:07.720 --> 0:18:11.439
<v Speaker 1>you know, our studios or our offices or everything around

0:18:11.480 --> 0:18:15.680
<v Speaker 1>the world. Um. And you know, I think that's that's

0:18:15.760 --> 0:18:19.159
<v Speaker 1>that's been a very big, big factor in this and

0:18:19.160 --> 0:18:21.760
<v Speaker 1>and and lastly, it's not just one thing. You know,

0:18:21.800 --> 0:18:27.159
<v Speaker 1>we have a pandemic, we have a financial um, you

0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:33.200
<v Speaker 1>know challenge, and you know in the United States in particular, Um,

0:18:33.400 --> 0:18:38.080
<v Speaker 1>you know, we have a real issue in terms of racism.

0:18:38.400 --> 0:18:41.280
<v Speaker 1>And you know, what we are going to do as

0:18:41.880 --> 0:18:45.760
<v Speaker 1>a country, and what we're going to do is businesses. Um.

0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:48.679
<v Speaker 1>So again, it's all of these things happening at the

0:18:48.760 --> 0:18:54.360
<v Speaker 1>same time that really require um, you know, your ability

0:18:54.480 --> 0:18:57.760
<v Speaker 1>or the CEO's ability to address them in a very

0:18:57.840 --> 0:19:00.840
<v Speaker 1>humane way. And I think it's really a call the

0:19:00.920 --> 0:19:04.080
<v Speaker 1>moral leadership right now. And what does that moral leadership

0:19:04.080 --> 0:19:07.160
<v Speaker 1>looks like to you? Especially around the racial justice issue

0:19:07.200 --> 0:19:11.200
<v Speaker 1>in the so you know, for me, it's been devastating.

0:19:11.359 --> 0:19:16.320
<v Speaker 1>You know, I've been such a champion of diversity, uh

0:19:16.359 --> 0:19:20.520
<v Speaker 1>my whole career, and it's it's been very emotional and uh,

0:19:20.560 --> 0:19:23.760
<v Speaker 1>you know, I'm very fortunate my c h r Oh

0:19:23.960 --> 0:19:27.400
<v Speaker 1>kim Seymour, who who is a black woman, but she's

0:19:28.440 --> 0:19:31.399
<v Speaker 1>been my partner and the two of us, UM have

0:19:31.560 --> 0:19:35.119
<v Speaker 1>really you know, spent a lot of time saying, you know,

0:19:35.400 --> 0:19:38.159
<v Speaker 1>how are we gonna you know, manage and what are

0:19:38.160 --> 0:19:41.360
<v Speaker 1>we going to do? And we we had had and

0:19:41.440 --> 0:19:45.760
<v Speaker 1>made progress, um around diversity within our company. There's a

0:19:45.800 --> 0:19:49.560
<v Speaker 1>reason we have a diverse board that didn't happen by accident.

0:19:49.640 --> 0:19:52.119
<v Speaker 1>There's a reason we have a diverse executive team. But

0:19:52.200 --> 0:19:54.359
<v Speaker 1>the first thing we did was do a town hall

0:19:55.119 --> 0:19:58.080
<v Speaker 1>UM and said, look, we've made progress, but it's not enough,

0:19:58.600 --> 0:20:00.840
<v Speaker 1>and we need to do more and we need to

0:20:00.840 --> 0:20:05.840
<v Speaker 1>do it better. And we're going to listen um to

0:20:06.200 --> 0:20:10.640
<v Speaker 1>all our black colleagues. Were going to listen, and within

0:20:10.680 --> 0:20:13.359
<v Speaker 1>a matter of days, we're going to come back and

0:20:13.400 --> 0:20:16.120
<v Speaker 1>we're gonna let you know the actions we're taking, because

0:20:16.119 --> 0:20:19.200
<v Speaker 1>what's really important right now is not just statement, it's

0:20:19.320 --> 0:20:24.919
<v Speaker 1>statement and measurable action and accountability. UM. So you know,

0:20:25.000 --> 0:20:26.480
<v Speaker 1>we we do We said what are we going to

0:20:26.560 --> 0:20:30.640
<v Speaker 1>do internally? What are we gonna do externally? Um? So externally,

0:20:30.840 --> 0:20:34.280
<v Speaker 1>we did donate a million dollars to a series of

0:20:34.320 --> 0:20:39.960
<v Speaker 1>nonprofit organizations across you know, education, social justice, health and wellness,

0:20:40.119 --> 0:20:44.520
<v Speaker 1>and we're matching all employee donations to those well, UM,

0:20:44.600 --> 0:20:48.160
<v Speaker 1>we've already hired a head of inclusive leadership. We said

0:20:48.200 --> 0:20:51.920
<v Speaker 1>we would and we already have. UM, so we know

0:20:52.160 --> 0:20:57.000
<v Speaker 1>that there's someone across the organization. UM, we're establishing a

0:20:57.160 --> 0:21:02.200
<v Speaker 1>Black Advisory Group where spotlighting black owned businesses on our

0:21:02.320 --> 0:21:10.520
<v Speaker 1>WW shop, UM, black employee development program, requiring diversity hiring. UM,

0:21:10.600 --> 0:21:15.199
<v Speaker 1>and hey, Mindy, address this issue of disparity, just like

0:21:15.320 --> 0:21:18.560
<v Speaker 1>we have an academic advisory board. We're gonna continue this

0:21:18.640 --> 0:21:21.080
<v Speaker 1>conversation down the line. We love catching up with you,

0:21:21.280 --> 0:21:23.960
<v Speaker 1>Mindy Grossman, CEO of WW International,