According to my interview with Freddy, WIN approached both Freddy And Zuzana before they broke up: "We were approached just about a year before the split. We ultimately decided not to work with companies whose only motivation was a soulless pursuit of making money. It would have destroyed BR."
I am assuming that Zuzka changed her mind and decided to pursue this route or perhaps WIN kept after Zuzka during that year and she then changed her mind. Either way she did decide to go with them. Freddy took his own route. I think he had a better gut instinct in this situation than she did.
I am sure that going on her own and working with WIN was very exciting in the beginning. After some time I bet that the contractual obligations were no longer working for Zuzka. She had stated at one point that she was working with WIN to come up with something that worked better for the both of them.
I am not sure if Zuzka knew what she was getting into from the beginning - maybe she did, but just wanted a fresh start.
Maybe she did and thought it would be easier to get out of it because of who she is.
Maybe she had no idea and ended up in a bad situation.
Regardless, she is completely on her own now and I REALLY hope that she lives up to people's expectations. She has asked for people's comments on her FB page, so get on there and comment with what you want!
I asked for longer workouts, more pulling exercises and to grandfather people in who were part of the old ZGym who are unable to get refunds or cancel. Honoring her customers in such a way is a MUST - IMO. I know she has no control over what WIN does, but she CAN control what she now does, and offering the 3 or 6 mos free to those who might get screwed will only come back to her in positive ways. If she doesn't do this, then she will come across like a money hungry lady who doesn't care about her customers - even though it is not her intention.
Zuzka just posted a new and free yoga routine. I like her yoga DVD's much better than the ones she has posted in her ZGym, but I did like the Downward dog to plow to boat routine. One I might use myself! :) I am SUPER excited for the new ZGym and want to join - but honestly I am nervous supporting her if she doesn't come through for others. Like I said in a previous post, lets give her and WIN the benefit of the doubt to pull through.
UPDATE: Zuzka's FB also has lots of folks chiming in with how they were able to cancel and get refunds, so check it out if you are still having problems. Looks like sweatfactor IS being cooperative. There is also talk that ZGYM will be free? I know she is charging $1 for starters, but again I am seeing lots of comments about it being free because Zuzka no longer has to pay WIN. Not sure if people are assuming and are going to be disappointed because it seems to me she WILL be charging.
Secondly - here is a response from ZUZKA, an interesting little conversation!
GOOD NEWS from BR. They will be cooking with us. I freaking LOVE this idea.
Here's what they have to say:
Attention BodyRockers:
We’re starting something new here! If you want to cook with us, we will be posting 5 recipes that we’re cooking up at the BodyRock studio each week. Included is what we’re going to be cooking, as well as a full grocery list. Check the blog for new healthy-living-inspired, BodyRock-approved recipes, created by the newest member of the BodyRock team…me! –Chef Tyler
Check it out: http://www.dailyhiit.com/hiit-blog/hiit-diet/healthy-recipes/bodyrocks-food-fit-week-1/Also, BR posted this:
So some Fit Fella Facts instead of Fit Chick Facts. I like it.
Comparable HIIT Bar equipment:
I have been looking for the HIIT bar for a less expensive price. I haven't found the exact same thing, but I did find something VERY similar for a whole lot less - about $60!
Check it out. :) BAR and here are the WEIGHTS.
She posted it will be 9.99/month again
ReplyDeleteI just saw that! Thank U!
DeleteHello.
ReplyDeleteI'm writing because quite frankly someone needs to go on record - it's long overdue - and I am somewhat uniquely positioned to comment because I know all the parties involved having worked closely for some time with the principle at Watch It Now Entertainment Daren.
There has been a series of gross injustices, back stabbing and unbelievably cut throat behaviour over the last 3-4 years that I have been witness to. The recent events of Zuzana or Zuzka as she now styles herself is just the latest and no doubt won't be the last. It has been suggested on certain social media accounts that WIN "screwed over" Zuzana. Having worked with WIN I can go on record that this was simply not the case. I have a tremendous amount of respect for Darren and his company WIN. He has built a business out of working with many top fitness stars and personalities. If anyone has screwed over anyone, I'm afraid it's very clearly been Zuzana. In retrospect it now appears that she used Daren and the resources of his company to secure her Green Card as she herself wrote in a post that was hastily deleted - but I screen captured it before it was deleted. See what you guys don't understand is that Z doesn't write her own posts. There are people assigned to manage her social media. When you read a post from Z you are actually reading something a social media PA is writing. When Z goes off script and writes on her own accord you get messages like the green card post - that then has to be deleted. The person you think you know is not who this person really is. But what do we know? Her 7 year career in porn that she has cleverly hidden behind her ex-husbands last name maybe? And although I was not at WIN during her transition from BodyRock, that move was strategically planned to devastate BodyRock and essentially take all of the followers away with her. BodyRock got her to LA, then she dropped it. WIN has gotten her a green card and now she was dropped them. It's always someone else's fault - in both cases she has acted ruthlessly to use people and step over them the moment it suits her. This person plays the victim card expertly - and it doesn't stop with former business partners. She has essentially washed her hands of the people who spent their money on memberships - pushing the responsibility back to others. Sometimes I'm simply astonished that people can't see through this. She has used everyone in this journey to become 'Zuzka Light' - it would be more honest if she went by her real name 'Susana Majorova' but like everything else that was no longer useful to her plans, she left that identity behind at the expense of someone else. Susana Majorova or Susana Spears or Zuzana Light or now Zuzka Light - who ever you are - not everyone is blind to you. Stop pulling good people down. Your motto "Never Give Up" should read "Never Stop Using People". WIN is just the most recent cast off. There will be others. Great role model people.
Thanks Fitness Truther for your post. I appreciate the time it took to write that and I find what you have to say very interesting. I too have the same question as Lexxie - how long were Zuzka's workouts REALLY on her own time? I got a screen shot of the green card comment as well. I did not know that Zuzka didn't write her own posts. Right now I am uncomfortable supporting Zuzka as well as BR- I've had some unfavorable things done by him. I never realized when I started this blog what I was getting myself into. Ha! If you have more info, please feel free to comment here! :) People can't see through this because they don't want to. They don't want Zuzka to be the villain, they want her to be the victim. Some have had enough of her, some still love her. Same goes with Freddy - some love him and support BR know matter what while others have had it with him and his tactics too. I just write about it and try and to review the workouts, keep them safe and on point, and help others find what works best for them. :)
DeleteI do not believe this person at all. 1) If the person really worked with Darren/WIN, why would they risk the reputation of that company to spill the beans on Z.
DeleteMost of us (her followers) already know her past and we are fine with it. If people like Kim Kardashian and Sibel Kekilli (Shae from Game of Throne) can turn their lives around after having sex tapes or doing porn, why can't Z. Today's society isn't like our parents' society.
Majority of us are not going to be outrage over someone from the sex industry trying to better themselves. There are tons of rapists, murders, women beaters, gangsters, prostitutes, porn stars, etc. that grace our TVs, radios, and internet screen in the form of Hollywood celebrities, singers, professional athletes, etc. I don't condone what these people done in their lives but I'm not going to go crying to the President of the United States to pass a law stating sex workers should stay in the sex industry.
So thank you for the reminder. Just shows us how far she has come as a person and as a trainer.
2) If telling the truth is so worth it, why hide behind a false name? Reveal yourself. By not revealing yourself you are making people assume that you are simply Z's bitter ex who is jealous of her success and trying to pull her down. He's written several times trying to bring down her reputation. But heck the people of today are pretty strong. If Chris Brown can beat a woman and still have a singing career (something I don't agree with by the way), Z's going to have fans despite her past porn career and her ex trying to bring her down. The more he does it the more people will side with her.
3) Can you tell us why WIN/Darren tried to steal Z's fan by redirecting her site to Sweat Factor and making it difficult for so many to cancel their subscription with WIN/Darren? Seems to me he is the money hungry and unprofessional one who used Z for her fans.
Maybe you will come back and answer. Maybe you won't. IMO, you are nothing more than a coward. Furthermore, if you are Freddy, you aren't doing such a great job keeping your brand positive by constantly trying to bring Z down.
I've unsubscribed to BR and now, thanks to "Fitness Truther" I will make sure I don't give my view or money to anyone under the WIN umbrella.
If you, "Fitness Truther," have no problem "revealing the truth about Z" what's to stop you from trying to ruin other workers who try to leave WIN. I cannot support a company who works with a rat like you to damage the reputation of others.
So thanks "Fitness Truther" you successfully ruined a brand for me and I'll pass this along to my family, my friends, and associates as well.
Fitness Truther-
ReplyDeleteThanks for the post. Very interesting! I noticed her blog and FB posts were better written the past while. I figured someone was just editing them due to English not being her first language.
I have also noticed some of her posts are very unprofessional, such as if someone questions her form or her diet etc. I wonder if those are replies from her and not her help?
The green card is another example, but you said it's deleted and it's not (I just checked).
People keep blaming WIN for why Zuzana has not addressed the changes, specifically about the financial end of things. Although I figured there may have been some contract, legal reasons etc as to why some things won't be discussed in detail, I do find it strange that NOTHING has been addressed by her. I felt there was more to this as I just can't see how she can't address anything at all. I also think she should be offering members of the old zgym a credit at the new one given what has happened. I was taken aback that she offered us just one free week, and yet seems to think it's a big favour. She only gives us one week for this mess and then grabs our money again.
On a more personally level, I have begun to distrust her advice the past year. She flip flops about diet i.e.: 'go vegetarian' and then a month later writes an blog post trashing that diet and saying how it lacks nutrients and is a poor choice. I didn’t get this. It’s not like just a month before, when she started the vegetarian diet, that she didn’t have access to this same info. People can change their minds about things, but this is an example of where she is just all over the place.
She also is clearly dishonest about her exercise regime. I would love to hear your input on this specific topic. How much does this woman really exercise?
I'm not sure if there really was a post about the Green Card, but there was this comment about it which is screenshot in Gina's post.
ReplyDeleteWhat seems really odd to me as well, is the fact that Zuzana doesn't address the problems and try to help and explain everything. There have been problems with the website and workout posting times etc for such a long time and after all that when she announces 1-2 days before the launch of her new website (which was planned at least from the summer) and all hell breaks loose (understandably), she still fails to take action right away. When the initial new website launch post went live on facebook and people were confused and angry, she didn't offer any explanations as to why this change is happening. People were of course speculating and she just replied to one of those something like "yeah, that's pretty much it".
I mean.. ?? I really don't understand this, how could she not see that this kind of response was coming and people want their money back and so on.
People do have a limit.
As for me this limit came in August, I think. She was doing the guns and pistols series, I wasnt too keen on it or I just got more interested in yoga, when I found Yoga with Adriene on YouTube. So I haven't done Zuzanas workouts since then,
I think Zuzana may just be the kind of person who wants to do things all by herself, so she can have all of the control over what's happening, but really it is too much to handle.
As for BodyRock, I can see that they really do give a good customer service, but I stopped following after the Zuzka-Freddy split. I did the older workouts for a while, then came Lisa, but I didn't like her style - too agressive for me. I understand why it might be motivating, but it's not for me. I did follow them on facebook, but stopped when my feed was flooded with the butts in tiny pants and so on. Right now I also think, they post too much, 1 post every hour.
So since September I've been doing fitnessblender's workouts and I'm loving their reasonable advice and creative workouts :).
I agree with you Zusie- people do have a limit and I think I have reached mine. Never ONCE did I complain about the $10/month fee. Even when her service was very poor, I just told myself that there was still value in the low rate of $10/month. However, I really don't know if I can support her anymore with what recently happened. She just really comes across as not caring about us paying members. Another thing is since she went to the paying method, I have not recommended her to people. The reason why isn't because, like I said, I had an issue with the $10. The reason was that I was willing to put up with her poor customer service and inconsistent quality, but I know many others wouldn't be. In truth, I was now embarrassed to recommend her product because of the quality. I am more patient than other people may be (and rightfully so-- I don't know why I am so patient with her!).
DeleteTx Zusie and Lexxie. I don't know what to make of the whole mess! But it is a mess right now.
DeleteI am a bit lost I am naturally a positive person and right now strangely feeling drained with all this stuff! honesty is the best policy
ReplyDeleteI agree that honesty is the best policy! I was so let down when I felt like Freddy twisted around what I said with the interviews, but then again business is business. He was able to use that to drum people up to support BR even more. I get it. As the saying goes though - be careful who you step on the way up the ladder because you'll see those same people on the way down. Same goes for Zuzka. I hope she is not stepping all over people to get where she is. The comment from Fitness Truther was disturbing. I thought for sure WIN had taken advantage of her especially since Freddy didn't seem to like them and his business sense is clearly top notch. Secondly, I thought that Fitness Truther might be Freddy himself, but this person speaks highly of WIN and Daren so I doubt it. I hope someone clears things up. I know some people don't care and will pay for the service to get a good workout and I understand that. But forking over money to people who knowingly don't deserve it - I personally have a problem with. But that's me!
DeleteI'm sorry but I'm sure that Freddy is the Fitness Truther! The comment sounds exactly like him plus he knows about your blog. I would not give too much thought to what he writes.
ReplyDeleteMy experience with BR is similar to the zusie's.
My fitness journey with metabolic workouts started with Zuzana back then. Although I can't go without my heavy training (for 18 years), I just love to finish my training with a metabolic curcuit. I owe her learning how to perform pistol squats, clapping push ups, wall hand stands, double unders, all kinds of burpees and so much more!
I think the old BR workouts are unique and creative and offer very much variety. I still keep going back to the old workouts.
There are of course a couple things I don't like about Zuzka like the lack of communication, putting one arm in guard instead to the side for balance performing one arm kettlebell exercises and the constant tucking her loose hair behind the ear (jeez, get a hair pin!). I also was dissappointed in many ZShreds that looked like the same old with exercises intercepted by 1 minute jump rope inbetween. I miss the old creativity and fun workouts (on the minute, ladder workouts etc.).
But Zuzka is still my fitness queen and I've been a huge fan of hers.
BR always uses the same protocol of 10/50 seconds. I hate, hate, hate it! Why not 10/30, 10/20, AMRAP or any other protocols? Obviously, I love variety. Their exercises are strange combos just for the lenght's sake. And the incessant jumping :S. I stopped following BR on FB long time ago because of the flooding my news feed. I'm also sorry to say that I don't like Lisa. I'm not a native english speaker, but I just wanted her to shut up! I also don't need motivational talk because I exercise out of love and fun and not because someone tells me to do so. BR's challenges don't make any sense to me either. There is no progression, just some workouts to do every day.
Hey 'elliotreed' - thanks for your comment. I too was wondering if Fitness Truther was Freddy. but now I don't - because Freddy called WIN a company in soulless pursuit of money. FT spoke highly of WIN.
DeleteI too love my heavy weights AND love a metabolic circuit at the end of my workouts and both BR and Zuzka come in handy for me there. I'm a huge fan of Zuzka;'s workouts - most of the time, but her lack of communication has really turned me off. I adore Lisa's personality, but her workouts are too much jumping around - for ME. I don't think either BR or Zuzka give much progression type work. I would really like to see that from one of them.
I agree Gina, but it's easy to explain. Since WIN and Zuzka are parted for whatever reason, WIN is now the good one for Freddy. The FT claims to know both sides, but he doesn't provide any details as what happened between Z and WIN.
DeleteThen, he mentions her porn past and her real name and Z's hiding behind her ex-husband last name. Who cares about that but Freddy? What does that have to do with Zuzka's current business?
He commented on Zuzka's youtube channel with fake names in the past and it was always about the porn and how bad she is/was.
And last but now least, the FT seems to read every one of Zuzka's posts. How come he knows about several green card messages and them being deleted afterwards?
Guys, go to lovingfit.com. If you don´t know the site yet. The Best fitness site ever. And surrounded with lots of love. <3
ReplyDeleteI have been doing Tatiannas workouts for over a year now and I love many of them (especially real time cardio ones), but a lot of her workouts are too fancy for my tasting and she currently puts very few workouts together.
DeleteOther than that I like Melissa Ioja. She have some bad ass workouts, although I think she sometimes makes them unnecessarily hard :)
That's what I love about Zuzana's workouts-- they tend to be simple moves.
DeleteNice to hear that you have done Tatianna´s workouts! =D I personally like her the most, because her workouts are so creative and fun and really hard at the same time. And as a person she is very lovely. I actually don´t do Zuzka´s workouts that often anymore. I signed up to ZGym just for a try for one month early this year, and I still haven´t done all the workouts I wrote down that time. =D And current BR workouts I never do. Too jumpy and boring to my taste. =D Melissa is interesting, I have to admit. =D
DeleteI never thought FT was Freddy because of the positive stuff about WIN. But I did find it odd when I was reading that FT said Zuzka used BR to get to LA. Freddy has made a similar comment in the past. Maybe all that stuff about WIN was just a distraction.
ReplyDeleteIf so (and that was my initial thought but honestly I'm hoping I'm wrong since I live in the real world and not high school), then well... may the odds be ever in his favor, lol
DeleteWhatever it is, I was all "oooh, this is gon' be good" as I started reading the comment (strangely enough as I was working out on the recumbent bicycle yesterday). And it is most definitely juicy.
Who knows? Mystery poster, come out, come out ;)
It is what it is.
Why don't you just check the IP address on the comment from FT, and compare it to the comment made by Lisa? (If she and Freddy use the same computer...)
ReplyDeleteI doubt it was him, but it's written by someone who knows quite a bit about her past names and how many years she did porn. Could be a former "close friend" from WIN perhaps?
I'm not sure what to feel about Zuzana now...
But I've also noticed her posts and typos that are typical of her to write ;-) I think the nutrition-posts are written by her, because the "czhenglish" is all over the place in them :-P
PS: Check out Melissa Benders page and youtube-channel :) She is a real sweetheart <3
Hege I don't know if I can look at the IP addresses but I'll look into it!
DeleteGina, you might be able to if you have a counter/statistics tracker set up on your blog.
Deletedoesn't look like I can track it. I tried a couple of different ways. Bummer!
DeleteThere are a ton of free traffic counters to choose from, if those kind of stats are of interest to. Considering the tons of comments you've gotten re: certain issues, it might be a cool thing to look back on. Also, such counters can show what pages you've received the most traffic on, and from where in the world, what the entry and exit pages are (aka if you've been referenced elsewhere on the interwebs), so it may help overall if you're thinking of future content and such. (shrugs) Just a suggestion! :)
DeleteI am able to get much of the items you listed, but I do not have access to people's IP addresses. That part I cannot figure out!
DeleteHmm, detective work, lol :) If I think of anything, I'll let you know!
Delete