MLM HORROR STORIES #45 | Herbalife Nutrition Clubs are sneaky

[@trexxy9628]

I love it when someone says “please forgive my grammar as English isn’t my first language” and then speaks better than native speakers LOL

[@CarboneCat]

Since she’s from Quebec (and so am I), our primary language is French. Since French is a finicky language, we kinda develop all kinds of ethics and tactics to have a written language as flawless as humanly possible. We tend to transfer these skills when we learned English. On top of that, we’re exposed to a lot if American content so, that helps us with building sentences.

[@Ola_Stawinska]

We just feel more pressure to use English correctly and also feel much shame when we make some errors. For some people its so big, it prevents them from actually trying to speak (because what if i use wrong tense???), which make it even harder to learn :/

[@watchmethriving]

exactly!

[@trexxy9628]

I just hate anyone being given grief for not speaking a non-native language well. Speaking any second language at all is a sign of effort and dedication.

[@Internettrolloftheyear]

I'm living in the States but I still try my best to write and speak as good as possible. Linguistic discrimination is a serious issue that we don't talk about it enough. They treat me like I'm an idiot when they realize I have an accent.

[@babyturkey8342]

I work in a doctors office and I'm not lying today we had a virtual course about HIPAA violations. One of the questions is "what if a person you know comes into the clinic. You want to get their number but the patient left before you could. Is it a violation to go into their account to get their phone number?" The answer is YES!!!! ugh that woman totally broke HIPAA!

[@theresamnsota3925]

I work in tech…it’s also against policy for us to look up customer (or personal employee) phone numbers to call them off the clock.

[@hawaiianshirts4715]

I also work in health tech. We're not even allowed to look up our OWN records for personal use.

[@theresamnsota3925]

@@hawaiianshirts4715 heck, I can’t even look up my own account info in our system for troubleshooting with customers.

[@babyturkey8342]

@Hawaiian Shirts where I work we can look ourselves up in Epic we just can't do anything. Can't print, delete, change, move etc. Can simply just look and that's it!

[@erinbailey4631]

I came here to say the same thing! I’m a dental assistant and that is breaking HIPAA!!! Also how does she not remember her! She should have record it in her chart!

[@lauraperdue1307]

Health Inspector here! Some of these “Herbal Life” shops do their due diligence and obtain a health permit. But many fly under the radar until someone rats them out or we notice there is a random smoothie shop that isn’t in our system. These shop owners are probably told they don’t have to get a health permit because like you said they are a “health club”. But they absolutely MUST. Just another thing that shows how deceptive MLMs are to their consultants and the public in general. There is no guarantee they are making safe food products to eat without obtaining a health permit and having routine inspections.

[@olingecko]

My favorite thing to do on these videos is play "Guess the MLM" as soon as the details start coming out.

[@rachelgee7894]

Okay, if the dentist thing happens to you, CALL THE DENTIST and explain how incredibly inappropriate it is! Leaving stuff unreported just lets them continue to prey on people! REPORT THEM

[@ZoeAlleyne]

I was annoyed at the dentist too, seems like she was bothered by the hygenecist but didn't deal with her.

[@elainelouve]

She could have also reported to the authorities. Using a client's phone number like that is illegal.

[@katrinascarlet5637]

@@elainelouve I wonder if it happened in the south. Interrupting an adult gets you smacked as a kid, I'm 24 and I still get anxious when I have to interrupt someone speaking if I perceive them to be older than me.

[@mscptizzy]

And since it's a violation to HIPAA, they should call it in to their state board!!

[@asmrtpop2676]

@@elainelouve It’s a HIPAA violation but not “illegal”.

[@monicadehek5484]

If I was the dentist I would be angry beyond belief if, after spending years at dental school, this woman was actively ruining my business by chasing my clients away.

[@Mama_Bear524]

Same!!

[@stillsea-t9c]

I would never go back! How did she get away with that? There is no way she was hiding it well.

[@AppalachianAllegory]

We had a nutrition club in my small town. I went around telling everyone that it was Herbalife, and about the liver damage. They didn't last 6 months. #notonmywatch

[@soggytortillla]

SLAY!

[@kah9209]

@@soggytortillla pop88ll O

[@rainingopals1439]

Wait wait wait. .. live damage?

[@AppalachianAllegory]

@@rainingopals1439 yes. A rudimentary Google search will bring up lots of sources (and a few from Herbalife, lying about it, so you know they have something to hide). You don't have to take my word for it.

[@Mollyrae0607]

My step daughters mom opened a nutrition club that was all Herbalife and I tried to warn her and tell her and sadly anytime I brought it up my step daughter got mad at me saying I was trying to ruin her moms business so I stopped mentioning anything. It only lasted 6months before her mom had to close cause she wasn’t making money

[@TheSeptemberSapphire]

Story 2: I would so make a complaint just for the purse thing. The phone number thing is a HIPAA violation. Majorly illegal. You could have sued as a violation of HIPAA Compliance. Edit: I work in medical billing.

[@Andreamom001]

It sounds like it was a while ago. It may have happened before HIPAA was passed. Also, why would HIPAA prevent a medical/dental office from calling a patient? The woman legit worked for the office and may even have sometimes called to set up appointments, so she likely had access to phone numbers. Does HIPAA disallow calling patients for non-medical reasons?

[@ladyv5655]

@@Andreamom001 . Using the medical records to contact a patient for non related reasons and to promote the hygienist's side hustle are definitely HIPAA violations. If she worked at my dentist's office, she would have received a couple of warnings for pitching the business but using the records to call a patient to keep on pitching would have gotten her fired stat.

[@deannegriswa9405]

Ethical violation is a huge component of enforcing HIPAA. Doctors who use private information to receive kickbacks are acting in violation. Using private medical information for your own financial gain, in the form of a mlm scheme, is a kickback. 🤝🏻

[@TheSeptemberSapphire]

@@Andreamom001 It disallows accessing patient's files for non-medical reasons. HIPAA passed in 1997 and I was basing that it was ten years ago would have been around the 2010s.

[@tayhutt1035]

I’m a dental hygienist and can’t BELIEVE that this had happened. I couldn’t imagine ever doing that to a patient. She should have been fired immediately.

[@ashlikefrompokemon4327]

While we're debunking the "pyramid schemes are illegal, so that means we cant be a pyramid scheme" thing, its important to remember that a lot of the legal loopholes that MLMs use to stay technically legal were intentionally created by the direct selling association, a lobbying company that is basically fully funded by the MLM industry to butter up politicians and write legislation in their favor.

[@elsathorson830]

Isn't this why they make their "ambassadors" buy so much inventory? I read somewhere that they have to make a certain percentage off of their products to not technically be considered a pyramid scheme

[@annea.4173]

That first BB story was so infuriating. We truly have failed an entire generation of young women, who think their only worth is how skinny they are and how much a man loves them/approves of how they look. And MLMs thrive because we've failed these girls.

[@annea.4173]

Posted that comment before the end of the story, but the point bears repeating. Relentlessly repeating.

[@Lisa85]

The dentist story is such a hipaa violation! Fun fact, my local state congresswoman was almost fired from her nursing job(before she was in office) when she accessed her mothers records to check time of an appointment for her. It’s absolutely no joke, if you don’t have reason to be in the chart you absolutely should not be in it.

[@maryellenparmenter9303]

This!!!! It's a violation even just to look up the records improperly, much less use the information to contact patients improperly

[@We.do.not.scissor]

How was she almost fired for that if her mom needed to check her appointment time? People call and ask for their appointment times all the time.

[@We.do.not.scissor]

How was she almost fired for that? People call and ask for their appointment times all the time. Is there a separate place to go to look for upcoming appointments or something?

[@maryjordansiebert915]

So true! It is really concerning that people working in this field don't understand this fully all of the time. It makes me really nervous to hear this. I work in a health center, on a Behavioral Health team...and HIPAA regulations for BH and substance use providers and everyone working with someone getting that care is even more strict. I am hoping that people who do something like this are few and far between...because patient's rights matter!

[@Jo-ke6pj]

I’m a FedEx driver in Wisconsin and there are two nutrition stores in these tiny towns that order GIANT Herbalife boxes that weight like 50 lbs each

[@Brieramseur]

Is one town Racine?

[@Jo-ke6pj]

@@Brieramseur no eleva Racine is not a tiny town 😂😂😂

[@kateemma22]

'Let's Puke Together' has been used in a lot of psycho fitness communities. I've seen workout tanks with that on it for Crossfit communities too. 'Work out so hard you want to throw up' how about... no.

[@Jaaaannnneeee]

Oh I hate that rhetoric… I haven’t gone to the gym in a bit (life stuff), but the pervasive mentality of “if you stop when you feel dizzy/sick/in pain you’re a bad and weak person” is so gross to me

[@tifftastic87]

I was going to mention that as well. This is what my first interaction with a gym trainer was like. I can’t remember if this is what the iilluminaughtii video was based on but I’m pretty sure it was along this vein.

[@charlisays]

I tried crossfire and the trainer was saying this. Also " if your hands aren't bleeding you're not trying.". Nope, I'm not into cults.

[@maryeckel9682]

Puking is your body's way of saying STOP NOW OR REGRET IT.

[@katrinascarlet5637]

Bruh all I need is 10 minutes of mild cardio to puke. Medical condition gives me random bouts of nausea so sometimes I can't keep anything down for a day or two. Exercise always causes it within 10 minutes. Tried to continue after puking once but then the dark room was suddenly too bright and I ended up on the ground. Managed to work out for a whole 15 minutes that day.

[@alexandrawilson-hodge2974]

Twice in a row now I’ve had to click out of an old Hannah video to watch a new Hannah video 😂 the perfect pick me up after 4 hours sleep. Hope your pregnancy is going well! 🎉

[@a.m4863]

I'm a dental hygienist and I'm appalled that happened!! That's absolutely inappropriate! Omg.

[@marialegare3954]

Regarding the second story: there's so much unhinged stuff happening that it's easy to miss, but I just want to point out the part where the lady says "I think you would be great at what I do, let me know if you ever want a health coach." In no other business model is it normal to be recruiting your own competition and soliciting a customer literally in the same breath.

[@kiluanon]

I had a Beach Body hun try to pull me in. She was also a van-lifer, and was super stressed about money all the time. I went to dinner with her one night, and the server accidentally overcharged her. The server realized her mistake and fixed it immediately, but the Hun FREAKED out and it was very awkward. Also, she got to me through Bumble. I was trying to make new friends so I did the 'find girlfriends' version of Bumble and the only women I met were MLM huns who were faking looking for new friends to add to their downline.

[@GoblnQwn]

That's exactly what my MLM horror story is about that I sent in

[@gymdilettante8407]

That's disgusting

[@kiluanon]

@@gymdilettante8407 I met up with two of them and had to deal with being pitched before giving up on the app.

[@sarah-bethhogg]

oh noooooo

[@amilasrsly]

Oh no, that’s so sad. 😕 It’s not easy to make new friends as an adult, why do they have to insert themselves, ugh

[@shannon7646]

Chiming in for story #2! I work in healthcare in the billing side for a university healthcare system. What that dental hygienist did, if she's in the US, was a *massive* HIPAA violation! If she was caught doing that by her boss, she would have been in *huge* trouble. HIPAA prohibits people from accessing and using patients' personal information that's not for a legitimate healthcare business reason. Like, you're not allowed to look up patient information that has nothing to do with your actual job and when you need to look up patient information you need to look up as little information as needed. To lookup patients' personal and contact information to contact them for a reason outside of their job as a healthcare worker is *definitely* not okay. *If any MLM hun that works in healthcare does this to you, please report them! What they are doing is not okay and illegal! They can get fired!*

[@annea.4173]

The nutrition shop story finally unlocked a memory! A few years ago, my sister told me about a new smoothie shop that had opened up in our town. She used to go once a week or so to get something and really liked them. I never bothered to investigate it because I'm not really a smoothie person. But this story made me curious if they were even still open, so I looked them up. Sure enough, according to the photos on Google, they are an Herbalife front! The word nutrition is in the name, there are white canisters and no fresh fruit, and the cups are clear plastic with stickers on them! Yikes.

[@timriehl1500]

Like the young woman in the second story, I, too, was horribly shy and had no confidence when I was younger. But when you hit 40+, you stop caring if people think you are rude when you shut them down when they try to take advantage. One of the few perks of old age, thank God.

[@sheree6102]

Agreed 🎉

[@tonichan89]

Man, Dentist Story's writer is hilarious and the whole thing had such good flow! Talent spotted! 😁

[@PeaceLoveMusic75]

She was a great writer!!!

[@katiagonzalez1806]

Hi! I love your kind approach to this content. I believe this is the best way to get people to consider leaving MLMs. I would like to make a version of mlm horror stories in podcast form in Spanish. There is barely any anti-mlm content for the hispanic community and many remain unaware of it’s dangers. If there are any Spanish speaking followers that would like to share some stories with me to be able to get started I would really appreciate it.

[@beckykeyes2910]

100 percent, so many of my Cuban family and Venezuelan family have been roped in to Monat and Mary Kay and I feel they are especially predatory due to immigrant families trying to just get extra pay as they won’t be able to work their typical jobs they left behind and other language barriers. Makes me mad.

[@texastea5686]

Agree!! Here in South Texas, herbalife and monat are huge among the neighborhoods full of Spanish speaking older women

[@dorahnotani4316]

You always post @5pm as I leave work. My walk home is always Anti-MLM filled. I'm loving it

[@craft_yplanning1012]

I feel for the one lady in the first story. I have fibromyalgia as well and it can be very debilitating a lot of days. Her "friend" was definitely not qualified enough to find the right program for her.

[@craft_yplanning1012]

And the MK lady in the other story was lying to the girl. They tell you you have to order this big amount to "have the best opportunity at your business" because they get a nice commission off that order (speaking from experience. Went through the same thing)

[@maryeckel9682]

We fibro people need our initial exercise to be like crock pot cooking: low and slow.

[@craft_yplanning1012]

@@maryeckel9682 for sure!

[@sophieterry8175]

I was a slave in an Herbalife shop (unpaid and the owner took most drink commissions. They gave us commission by ordering products to their store by buying from our account, basically paying us in volume) and you do have to fill out your name number and email since it was a club by “invite only” for every purchase.

[@krissyehenderson8041]

That's awful omg!!!

[@EEsYouTubeChanel]

I’m glad you’re out! Keep watching these types of videos and steer away from every relationship where they use BITE rhetoric! I hope you’re okay

[@batdad34]

Hannah, I just want to say thank you for being such a bright light in the world. I love anti mlm content, and I feel that every creator in the movement has their own mood. I always come to watch yours when I need to love myself and need a kind voice. Thanks for being you.

[@rochellekramer2080]

>l

[@reddffox]

Omg. This video just helped me identify an Herbalife front in my hometown. It has all the signs: "nutrition" in the name, clear cups with stickers, technicolor drinks. I'm shook.

[@metalcatmom5891]

I went to a "nutrition club" once because someone gave me a cupon and I didn't know what it was. I didn't realize until after I had the "shake" what it was and that I only felt "like a rockstar the rest of the day" because of the amount of caffeine I had consumed. My friend drank the Herbalife kool-aid and I said, "You know these things are garbage, right." She defended them so I grabbed a canister, showed her the ingredients: garbage, garbage, soy, garbage, caffeine, preservatives, preservatives, artificial color.

[@steffiederozin9292]

For the dental hygienist, it's a HIPPA violation. She had gone into someone's files to use them for their gain. She could been fired immediately from this and if she had a license it would’ve been revoked

[@brittanycox242]

When I was working at the hospital in Labor & Delivery, we got delivered a handful of those crazy “teas.” I didn’t realize it was herba life but once I looked them up and realized it I threw it away. BUT after drinking a little bit of it my heart started to race and I literally could not focus on anything. It was a horrible feeling.

[@Cats_eattacos]

They've gotta be putting crack in those things or something, I've heard so many stories like that where people get insane headaches or physically sick.

[@mariannemcdiarmid3802]

Oh wow, I live in Australia and I have just realised that we have a Herbalife 'cafe' in our street. A 'smoothie' bar opened earlier this year in our street. It used to be a cute little cafe and when the new people renovated they added in all this fake ivy and covered the beautiful subway tiles that a previous owner had put in with fake wood. They only sell 'teas' and smoothies. Listening to this story I realised that, whilst I had never gone in, I had never noticed any fresh fruit or vegetables anywhere. I just looked up their social media and there is no indication on the store anywhere that they are herbalife but they had a shot behind the counter and there is nothing fresh there. I then noticed a couple of giveaways where they are giving away a herbalife drink bottle. The first one had it turned so you could only make out the writing if you were looking for it but the most recent one it is faced to clearly see herbalife.

[@peacebichons]

HIPPA violations like that can get a practice heavily fined and/or shut down and healthcare licenses suspended. I’m now on “Spot The Potential Herbalife Store” in my town. So far I’ve found 2!

[@d.awdreygore]

The grin on the hygienist is the most scary part of this. Talk about a captive audience!

[@Riyaanreality]

Regarding the hygienist, something that wasn’t mentioned was how much of a professionalism and abuse of power that was. When it comes to medical professionals, we are more likely to trust their medical/health recommendations because after all, they’re the experts. So Helen isn’t some rando who’s cornering people at her workplace but a trusted professional who’s abusing the credibility that comes with her profession. Not okay at all.

[@elainelouve]

Yes! I was like "I hope she reported that abuse", but then the story went "this happened 10 years ago". Though I totally get why people wouldn't report, because being victimized that way by a healthcare professional feels awkward. As a fat person I have experience.x)

[@katrinascarlet5637]

Heck of a HIPAA violation too.

[@alr5286]

I accidentally patronized one of these when I was out of state in a small town. Imagine my horror when I noticed the Herbalife canister on the counter after I already paid! Weird experience but interestingly, there WERE fresh fruits in the smoothie bowl and on the waffle and it was all frighteningly cheap, to the extent that my dad wondered aloud how they were making money.

[@elanafelberg1733]

OMG OMG!!! The second story is with the Hygienist is absolutely insane and yes illegal. If this happened to me, I would tell my parents right away and we would tell the Office Manager and the Dentist right away. I would also have no issues at all with changing practices if this was continuing to occur. I have no words. Using the patient database in the Dentist/Doctor office is not allowed and can have serious repercussions.

[@daniellairaheta2697]

Yes it TOTALLY violates HIPAA LAWS smh

[@emilymeade624]

For Story 4 can we talk about how unacceptable it is that a 60 year old woman is plying an 18 year old with alcohol to take care of them regardless of the legal drinking age.

[@hawaiianshirts4715]

On a family vacation earlier this year, I spotted an Herbalife shop. I pointed it out to my kids and then had to explain what it was. They found this fascinating, and now, every time we drive somewhere outside our home town (and sometimes even within our hometown), they're on the lookout. Any shady-looking shop they see, they'll ask, "Dad, is that Herbalife?"

[@ryleighsweet2375]

The deal with the Herbalife nutrition shops is that they aren't legally allowed to sell you food or beverages, so instead they sell you a one-day membership to their "nutrition club" and throw in a "free drink" for becoming a member. The paperwork is for the nutrition club membership. Illuminaughti did a whole video specifically about Herbalife nutrition shops if you want a good place to start for a deep dive.

[@BettiePagan]

I was about to mention Illuminaughti’s video! She actually goes into a club too which was interesting to watch. Apparently these ‘clubs’ are more popular in Mormon communities & States also, especially Arizona for instance, so be wary of the whole other situation that happens when you cross MLM with religion.

[@PetCrazzy]

There's a very successful (and surprisingly delicious) herbalife shakes shop in my town. They don't act as a nutrition club though, they're an actual restaurant. They don't say its herbalife but I heard it through the grapevine and confirmed it in store. I buy from them occasionally, though I'm still a bit conflicted.

[@Acinnn]

@@PetCrazzy they have license? It might be one of those lucky cases when they have advantage of already having clientele before they joined?

[@PetCrazzy]

@@Acinnn Yep, they operate th same as any other cafe on the block.Theyre next to my in laws family business, which I work at. Basically its a very popular spot on our street, sort of like a downtown shopping and restaurant area. We also have the high-school down the block so all of the kids come eat lunch or hang out after class on our street, most go to the pizza place or this shake shop. I think they're so successful because they're in a prime location and the items they sell are colorful, low calorie, and actually taste good somehow. Everytime I pass by there's mostly employees from the other businesses on the street and a bunch of the kids from the high-school

[@Pharm2be]

I was about to comment that the paperwork is because if they don’t have licenses to sell food or drink, they have to sell memberships

[@lisacarpenter5776]

I remember when I was 5 years old (in the early 90s) my parents must have had a brush with Amway. I remember them buying some products and talking to someone about maybe selling (although its quite possible they were just being polite and not actually committing to anything). The "Amway People" became the equivalent of the Boogie Man in our family. We were told to not answer the phone and let the answering machine pick it up in case it was "The Amway People". Sometimes when the door would knock we would be told to be extra quiet and head to the back living room so "The Amway People" would think we weren't home. This went on for a little while until I suppose they eventually gave up.

[@flowerjpotter1629]

I'm not surprised your parents went to that much trouble to avoid them ! When I was 17 I attended a local group to help animals and this couple began showing up with a table full of cleaning supplies. They were so desperate for any sale it was painful just observing the situation, they looked so sad. I saw an Amway banner and kept a mental note to avoid that company. About 20 years later I'd been with my boyfriend for a year and it was all going well, he had a well paid job but one day he suddenly started talking about Amway and how it was his opportunity to have his own business. I was like yikes, what happened ! I told him how I felt about but he was insistent, someone really got in his ear. I come from a family of small business owners, I grew up living over our shop, so I told him it's a million miles away from a real business where you get to make your own decisions and you don't have to beg anyone to buy something. It was this disagreement that broke us up because I feel so strongly about avoiding that whole MLM energy, I didn't want to be with somebody who could fall for it as it made me lose respect for them. I caught up with him years later. By then he was working abroad and he never mentioned Amway to me, so I hope it was a short lived thing in his life. What really surprised me was he's a clever man, yet he still fell for it.

[@historyfrk]

You have completely opened my eyes! I never knew the nutrition shop that open was an MLM. But everything you said describes this place! I’m shook

[@steph1907]

Related to story 3: I've been anti mlm for years, recently moved from the city to a small town and I've never seen so many of those herbalife fronts. My boyfriend drinks the loaded teas a lot. I educated him on exactly what it was. He had no idea at all what it was actually was.

[@mrdrillinger4953]

And what was it?!?

[@steph1907]

Loaded mlm tea....

[@SckRDH]

As a dental hygienist I’m so sad and appalled by that RDH’s inappropriate and illegal behavior! I feel the same way about some corporate offices that push expensive products or procedures on patients. I will never ever do that… how ridiculous

[@watchmethriving]

The reason why the Herbalife club needs information from you is because it's corporate's way of making distributors prove their purchases of product is for customers and not just being purchased to obtain rank. It's related to the lawsuit settlement 5 or 6 years ago.

[@EarthToMe001]

That $1000 startup min in the 4th story sounds like a new consultant perk threshold. Especially considering the luggage set. So - rather than have them try and sell to reach the threshold, that upline just had them buy it outright. Which is shady af

[@WhitePigeon1986]

I got duped by an Herbalife store last year. There's one next to my gym. Went to it after a workout one day just to try it out and was weirded out because it didn't feel like a normal smoothie shop. No fresh ingredients, everything was powder and already prepped in clear plastic cups. As I stood in there watching them quickly make my smoothie, I got Herbalife vibes. Decided to never go back. Herbalife stores were a topic in the anti-MLM subreddit and gave the tell-tell signs you mentioned and all 3 for. I was able to confirm this when I googled the place and on a Google map it was labeled as "Herbalife [City Name] Nutrition". Busted!

[@ashb7846]

I used to work at a place that also did timeshare, and as questionable as that sales field may be, they were 100% NOT allowed to pitch to anyone suspected to be under the influence. A guy walked in with a beer he had just opened, and had barely sipped, and they told him they had to reschedule. Because they could be potentially sued or held liable for taking advantage of people they knew could be potentially intoxicated to sign legally binding documents. That woman convincing the girl to sign up while also plying her with alcohol is totally unethical.

[@courtneyivey8743]

I feel like I could have written the herbalife story myself. So many shops popping up. I wanted to go to one because I had no idea so I asked my friend if she wanted to go and she said " I think it's a herbalife place ". Haha it was

[@Nylak-Otter]

So glad I have built-in immunity to nutrition or essential oil MLMs. I'm a transplant patient with transplant-induced diabetes and I'm vegan (with ethical exceptions for some animal products), so my diet is pretty strictly balanced for my health, and I can't use essential oils because I professionally train and handle nosework dogs for Search and Rescue and other police/military applications, so distracting scents are a big no-no. Bite me, hun.

[@FluffieXStarshine]

Back in the 90s we had a Mary Kaye person come to our Jr High. We had a "club" after school for girls to make friends, help self esteem ext run by a guidance counselor. One "unit" was fashion, we were invited to a store in the mall and had a fashion Show, and then had a Mary Kaye person in to talk about makeup. I got a free gift (compact with pop out comb) and a catalog to take home to order from. Keep in mind this was Jr High, the girls in this club were like 11-14. My mom let me get a nail polish, which I loved, but was only allowed the 1 thing as that was all we could afford. Brought the form back and turned it in and a few weeks later got my package at a club meeting. I saw other girls got bigger boxes, and was jealous, but knew I was lucky I was able to get the 1 thing I did. It wasn't brought up again, and now 30 years later it feels weird learning more about MLMs

[@mcjordie]

Realizing that I have 2 herbalife shops within 5 mins of me. I had suspicions while listening to this & just looked up their social media & yep! Glad I never had the thought to stop at them

[@mcjordie]

I think one of them was around when I lived here before back in 2018/2019 (I moved back to my hometown in 2019 & then moved here again in 2021) & honestly surprised it's still going? The other one apparently started in 2020 according to Facebook

[@michaelac.9853]

As someone who use to be an Herbalife hun and had her own nutrition club…I can tell you 100% that they are not profitable! Glad I got out of that one 🥴

[@katherinerinck3722]

The person who sent in the dentist office story is an excellent writer!

[@larissabrglum3856]

Your mention that MLM storefronts often have the word "nutrition" in the name made me remember that there's a place near me that fits that description. I went and looked at their Instagram and the cups were exactly as you described. I've never been there because I'm not much of a nutrition shake person, but I've driven by it many times and had no idea there was an MLM connection.

[@fantasticmio]

If your business plan includes "don't let the customer know what they're buying", then you're running a scam

[@GreenOkapi1]

As someone with endometriosis who can end up in a lot of pain by simply taking a walk, that first story with the intense workout being pushed on someone with that condition is just painful to even think about...

[@_rockseeker]

That second story smells of a major HIPAA violation.

[@sentientsquid7069]

About those Herbalife club cafes or whatever: we had 2 in my town (they’re both closed now). Both of them had green theming (like green screen green) signage and logos to match the Herbalife brand without actually saying Herbalife. So if a shop like this pops up near you with a similar color scheme, I suggest you be weary. It could be legit but it could also be an mlm

[@summerjennings2358]

Please do a deep dive into the Herbalife nutrition stores!!

[@Fiberedfolios]

Hearing a Quebec story was amazing, we hear less here I find and it makes me want to share my experiences!

[@liryns]

sometimes the nutrition "clubs" make you join the club because they are trying to avoid need a license to operate as a cafe. If they set it up as a club where they meet and have dues, they can also just serve "free" drinks. Meanwhile they just want your info to recruit you, and the dues are payment for the teas.

[@lizplayspapagames]

that second story made feel really anxious bc i always feel so uncomfortable when im at the dentist! i usually just listen to music and pretend im sleeping. i really hate it but i know i have to do it.

[@janetr5929]

I think it’s sad when young girls are targeted. I know I didn’t develop the self confidence to speak up or stand up to people until I was much older than my 20s.

[@khaleesireyna731]

I've always admired how the hygienist can understand what you say 9 times out of 10 (even with all the stuff in your mouth). Like, the dentist, it's a toss-up, the hygienist, they somehow know exactly what your weird Chewbacca impression meant.

[@Saezimmerman]

Managed to avoid herbalife, but I’ve had a number of people in MLMs ask me to “host parties” and the pressure to “support” a friend or family member is so high. As a conflict averse introvert, I ended up dragged to so many Mary Kay events in my 20s. They were painful, obnoxious and predatory. I don’t wear much make-up but that was never what anyone wanted to hear. The pressure to be someone other than myself to please others was worse than the money or time I wasted on their products.

[@nomeinthecottage4767]

Thank you thank you thank you! I sent in my horror story a week ago or so. I’m not sure you’ll get to it but it made me feel better once I’d written it down.

[@amberbatchelor760]

The containers from the 21 day fix meal plan definitely enhanced my eating disorder tendencies. So yes it is very restrictive. I only use BB for the workouts and that is it. Coaching was horrible for the few months I did it. I hated preying on people and being annoying. I am only thankful that I did start with the workouts because now I am gaining muscle mass, but I would encourage people to steer clear from the container system for eating.

[@sparrowonatree]

I dont even care about MLMs you just have a relaxing voice and Ive watched your videos in the background while working for a whole week now 😂

[@cindy846]

It’s true that you have a soothing voice and rational thinking, Hannah! It’s so nice to listen to! ❤

[@LadybugMeghan]

Social Anxious Penguin 😂🐧 that's a perfect description for me

[@rebekahjimenez2808]

When I lived in Mexico, there was an Herbalife shop across the street from us. They sold healthy shakes, but they added sugar, chocolate syrup, fruit, veggies, grains, etc. to make them tastier.

[@tigerlily88061]

The Herbalife store front portion was spot on! Bright colors, clear cups, no mention of Herbalife anywhere, nutrition in the name. A coworker stops at one every morning. Eau Claire Fit Lab Nutrition if you want to see what one looks like.

[@pensivelyrebelling]

Amway is the reason MLMs aren’t easily regulated. There was a 1979 case that the FTC lost and it’s meant that MLMs are really difficult to regulate based on the illegality of pyramid schemes. Amway was deemed not a pyramid scheme and that’s allowed so many MLMs to pop up over the just have to follow the Amway model and they won’t get nailed.

[@mommabear1986]

Yay! New Horror Story fresh off the griddle!

[@nefarity4328]

We have a nutrition shop that started as herbal life, but the owners actually listened to the MLM distrust in the community, and they switched to all new non-MLM products to make teas and shakes, and WOW, it tastes so much better. They can proudly state "Not an MLM" on all of their posts lol. I don't feel bad supporting them now!

[@rhysandmiles]

Omg I went to Google maps to see if there were any “Nutrition Stores” in my neighborhood (I’m in a city and high rent made me think there couldn’t be any) and there are like 10 within 10 blocks of me!! All of them are Herbalife fronts! I’m so mad right now.

[@camilledelorme3314]

Omg... I just realized that I've ha an experience with one of these stores without knowing... I am an allstar cheelreader and last april, a week before my team left for the world championships, one of my teammates said she found us a sponsor and that they would bring free juices to our sendoffs. I didn't get the chance to taste them because they didn't bring enough for everyone, but they were crazy colored and all. I just checked their instagram page and they have post about "opportunity nights" and "the other side of our business". There's so many around me and as an elite athlete, I now so many girls getting these drinks and posting about them on their stories!!

[@lilys7431]

The dental office story is horrific, I worked as an ophthalmology technician for years and I would have NEVER EVER considered using a patient’s private information for any purpose outside of clinical operations and this was before HIPPA and guess that’s why I was so puzzled they had to make laws around what I thought was common decency 😮😮😮😮

[@clairebear1764]

I’m a window artist and some of my clients are tea shops. Being in the anti mlm community actually helped me get most of them as clients bc I know what they aren’t supposed to have on their windows 😂

[@apocketfulofprose]

Thank you so much for your info on Herbalife shops!! I didn’t think too much of this when I saw this video the first time, but I was able to recognize what is going on immediately when one opened up down the road from where I live.

[@TheYazmanian]

It's true Hannah you do have a very grounding presence the way you speak and are logical it just calms me and brings me a sense of peace. Also the author of story number 2 is hilarious that was an entertaining one.

[@curlysammm6387]

Please cover Herbalife! This is the one I spot most often in person and even have a family member who has signed up for all the drinks.

[@Lailer10]

There's a nutrition shop a few towns away from me in NE Ohio. The owner went viral a couple months ago because someone else who used to work at the nutrition shop came in and payed in all pennies. The owner of the shop returned the pennies on the doorstep of the ex employees home and was caught on a video doorbell. The viral footage showed the owner dropping the pennies off and telling them never to come back. The SAME shop owner was just blasted on a Facebook post yesterday. Someone happened to trick or treat at her house with their 2 year old that is being monitored for autism. The child of the shop owner said, "he didn't say trick or treat". The mom/shop owner said, "it's ok, he's just slow", then proceeded to hand the 2 year olds mom a $2 off coupon to her nutrition shop. How do these people get away with being so awful to others?!

[@flowerjpotter1629]

The Mary Kay distributor softening up her young victim with alcohol then demanding $1000 is simply dreadful.

[@purelyloveable]

Having worked at a dentist office, it goes the other way too! Still inappropriate, but our hygienists had to deal all the time with huns trying to sell them products when they were just trying to clean their teeth. It’s HORRIFYING to hear about a hygienist pitching a product while at work!!

[@StrawberryNova]

100% correct in the dentist story that getting a phone number that way is NOT OKAY. That's a HUGE HIPAA violation! Can end in fines, job termination, etc. It's inappropriate and NOT PERMITTED.

[@user-ic9yv8jf4c]

That dentist story is a complete HIPAA violation! Oh my goodness

[@Cck_912]

The story about the Herbalife clubs made me realize a place I like to go to get smoothies and teas is one. I had NO idea but I’m honestly upset that it wasn’t shared what was going into the products. I couldn’t even find it on their website! But when I looked through their Facebook photos you could see a few Herbalife “sign up and get 20% off every purchase” signs. Guess I won’t be going back there again!

[@JewelsNcrime]

I did some researching on true MLM horror stories and i couldn't believe the muders and criminal activity around multi level marketing. So so crazy and truly sad.

[@elise_g]

I would love to see an Herbife nutrition shop deep dive video if you choose to make one!

[@bananabread6769]

Last week I had to explain to my university professor who is a REAL nutritionist what Herbalife is. I only know because I have so many family members sucked into it. I even tried a sample once running errands with a relative of mine. It tasted awful... And made me really gassy.

[@ATris2010]

Oh gosh... the Beach Body one totally brought back a memory. I used to work out regularly. I ran 3 miles at least 3 times a week and even did some HIIT workouts. However, I went to spend some time with my sister in law who was doing Beach Body. I remember doing a couple workouts with her, and both truly hurt!!! After hearing another one of your videos where you talked about how Beach Body workouts weren't actually good workouts.... yeah this all totally makes sense now!

[@veritsas]

I had to double check that dentistry offices are covered under hipaa. of course!! since 1996!! I know it was “ten years before and she was nineteen” but that’s DEFINITELY still after the 1996 act.

[@eris333]

on the herbalife clubs, i think one opened up in my hometown a year or so ago. like it has all the red flags you mentioned, nutrition in the name, dark windows, and crazy colored teas. i mean i went to those because they managed to give everyone in my graduating class at high school a 20$ certificate to the place in the folders they gave our diplomas to us in. i knew that there had been a few mlms around my hometown (like the lularoe sellers trying to peddle their leggings at the yearly faire) but now im like questioning every little store that has popped up in recent times there.

[@TheHitsubasa]

Ahhh I feel that beach body story. I fell for one of their tv ads for their work out videos and I bought one, not having any idea it was an mlm or even knowing what mlms were. I didn’t sign up with a coach or anything but I did get signed up for a monthly charge for their supplements without even knowing. I was struggling with money too and I tried calling their customer service to cancel, and they also gave me issues too. They said I needed to return the supplements before they’d cancel or refund. I pushed them and told them I would have my bank contact them since I didn’t authorize being signed up for their monthly supplements. Only then did they agree to cancel 🙄

[@alexia3552]

If you get a charge on your card that you did not agree to, dispute the charge with your card company or bank immediately. Report it as fraud and stand your ground no matter what.

[@samanthaquant7411]

I joined MK about 10 years ago and the lady tried really hard to get me to buy $600 in inventory but it was NOT required. They also had a buy back program even 10 years ago.

[@chrisveshovski8025]

I’ve commented on one of your videos before - about the Netflix documentary “betting on zero” it’s all about Herbalife and these nutrition clubs! I highly suggest views watch it. However, as the documentary showed, these “nutrition” clubs aren’t profitable.

[@kerriwright4593]

People without fibromyalgia don't really understand how debilitating the entire thing is.

[@amyalynn8498]

I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life but I’ve never been invited to a gender reveal and I’ve never been approached by a hun so I think I’ve done something right!