DSU Spring 2025: Leadership, Technology & Resilience

Direct Selling University’s (DSU) Spring 2025 EVENT was an electrifying blend of innovation, inspiration and industry connection, welcoming hundreds of leaders from across the channel to explore cutting-edge trends and unify in a mission to improve the industry for all.

From AI integration and legal compliance to the evolving party plan model and payment processing strategies, the event was packed with a best-in-class lineup of speakers, workshops and invaluable networking. Attendees were equipped to advance direct selling in an unprecedented time of exponential change and exciting opportunity.

Kicking It All Off

The event started strong with an invite-only CEO Forum, attended by more than 100 C-Suite trailblazers. Transparent discussions on leadership, regulatory challenges, evolving affiliate strategies, AI integration and much more provided effective takeaways to push the industry forward.

The afternoon was packed with four detailed workshops that dove deep into some of the most pressing topics across the industry today.

The Legal & Compliance Workshop, hosted by Brett Duncan, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Strategic Choice Partners, returned due to popular demand, offering direct selling professionals a deep dive into navigating the industry’s evolving regulatory landscape. The impressive lineup of experts included Erin Barta (Mannatech), Mark Bennett (IDLife), Clay Brewer (Thompson Burton), Ed Burbach (Foley & Lardner), Katrina Eash (Winston & Strawn), Dave Grimaldi (DSA), Deborah K. Heisz (Neora), Gordon Hester (Florida Direct Selling Coalition), Sharon Su (Sunrider), Clayton Jones (4Life), Brent Kugler (Scheef & Stone), Eric Lewy (Momentum Factor), Nathan Moore (Texas Direct Selling Coalition), Chris Schmidt (Le-Vel) and Crayton Webb (Sunwest Communications).

The AI Workshop, hosted by DSU Founder and CEO Stuart Johnson, remained a highlight, blending corporate and third-party perspectives on AI’s practical applications. Featured speakers included Peter Griscom (Mannatech), Deb Bursley and Gareth Hooper (Sunrider), Dan Debnam (Conturae), Justin Belobaba (Nowsite), Patrick O’Neill and Glenn Sanford (eXp World), Archie Hollingsworth (Fyxer.AI), Brian Palmer (Fluid), Brandon White (Trevally), and Blake Mallen (Herbalife).

The LATAM/Hispanic Market Workshop, hosted by Alex Hoffmann, built on the success of DSU LATAM in Miami, featuring leaders like Armand Puyolt (Vida Divina), Laura Hiros (Mary Kay), Haraldo Darelli (LifeWave), Al Bala (Mannatech), Miguel A. Beas and Renzi Higinio (Zinzino) and Erika Gonzales (Betterware), who shared proven strategies for engaging the growing Hispanic market.

A DSU first, the Payments & Processing Workshop, hosted by Young Living CFO Melissa Bishop, tackled the critical mechanics of financial flows in payment processing and commission payouts. Experts included Rob Marriott (Gobi), Josh Gagon (Xyngular), Landen Fredrick (Mannatech), Crystal Holtzendorff (PayQuicker), Luis Ascencio (Immunotec), Natalia Yenatska (i-payout), Wei Jiang (Citcon), Walter Noot (USANA), Michael McClellan (Worldpay), Dreux Flaherty (Lacore Payment Technologies) and Travis Wilson (LifeWave).

Day 1 | Innovating the Future

Stuart Johnson, Founder and CEO of DSN, opened the day by presenting LifeWave Chairman and Founder David Schmidt with this year’s Bravo Innovation Award. Illustrating the company’s focus on the future, Schmidt appeared via hologram. He unveiled a bold roadmap featuring AI, hologram event appearances, drone-delivered humanitarian aid and documentary filmmaking.

Blake Mallen, Chief Strategy Officer at Herbalife and President of Pro2Col, delivered an emotional and transparent address about the recent loss of his family home in the Palisades wildfire, while finding gratitude and community amid the ashes. He urged industry leaders to view current struggles as preparation for future opportunities.

Gaya Samarasingha, Partner at Wyld Notes and a strategic innovator at Young Living, advocated for a balanced approach to affiliate marketing that integrates affiliate strategies into the network marketing framework. She explained Young Living’s recent launch of Wyld Notes—a natural fragrance brand with an affiliate program designed to complement—not rival—its legacy model.

John Addison, former Co-CEO of Primerica and author of Turn Your Fears into Fuel, blended personal anecdotes, historical lessons and leadership insights to reframe fear as a driver of success rather than a flaw. Reflecting on steering Primerica through its post-financial crisis IPO and facing high-stakes challenges, he urged leaders to transform uncertainty into unstoppable momentum.

Andrew Schmidt, Regional President of Amway West Markets, explained Amway’s “leading through paradox” approach—preserving core values, compensation plans and accessible entrepreneurship as unchangeable foundations, while reimagining products, tools and customer experiences.

Justin Belobaba, CEO of Nowsite, unveiled how his platform has become a leading AI sales tool, evolving from basic DIY marketing aids to a robust system featuring Agent AI—intelligent agents that act as strategic partners, guiding reps through tailored onboarding, sales and compliance steps. He showcased features like one-click compliant social posts, CRM automation and multilingual avatars.

In a revealing panel moderated by Heather Chastain, LifeVantage’s leadership—CEO Steve Fife, CMO Julie Boyster and CSO Kristen Cunningham—unpacked their transformative LifeVantage 360 initiative, leading to a full-scale reinvention across product strategy, compensation, digital tools, field experience, events and culture—all centered on boosting active accounts.

Gary Fitzgerald, CEO of Exigo, traced direct selling’s evolution from door-to-door sales to today’s digital landscape, warning that the industry is overdue for an ecommerce leap to tap the vast revenue potential. He unveiled Experience Builder, a conversion-focused shopping interface, and Engage, a mobile app with real-time, AI-powered insights.

Ørjan Sæle, Co-Founder of Zinzino with his wife Hilde, told their story of transforming a small Scandinavian startup into a NASDAQ-listed global wellness company driven by personalized, test-based nutrition. He and Hilde lead one of Europe’s largest field organizations with a high-touch, heartfelt approach.

Jeff Olson, Founder and CEO of Neora, and author of The Slight Edge, drew from his experience building billion-dollar brands and defeating the FTC with Neora by prioritizing real customers, emphasizing that success hinges on integrity and consistent, simple actions.

In a lively panel, party plan leaders Nancy Bogart (Jordan Essentials), Brian Dill (Norwex), Lynn Lippert (L’BRI) and Orville Thompson (Scentsy) explored the evolution of party-based selling in a post-COVID, digital-first world. They discussed a shift to workshops, training challenges, party resurgence and much more.

Brian Palmer, President of Fluid Studios, highlighted AI Commerce’s ability to blend ecommerce and direct selling into a unified, exponential model. He offered five practical strategies—embedding field social posts, prioritizing product benefits, ensuring attribution trust, enabling mobile data access and streamlining checkout.

Nate Frazier, President and COO of Modere, decoded how emotional, rational and habitual forces shape consumer loyalty. He revealed how physical product interaction boosts purchase likelihood and urged brands to fuse psychology and simplicity to make consumers feel they belong.

Eddie Garcia told his moving success story, rising from undocumented immigrant to the explosive launch of Realty of America—a national brokerage that notched $700 million in volume in six months. He’s committed to creating 1,000 millionaires before he retires.

Orville Thompson, Co-Founder and CEO of Scentsy, traced his journey with wife Heidi from a debt-ridden launch to explosive triple-digit growth and a COVID-era jump to nearly $1 billion. Thompson called for responsible leadership—emphasizing ownership as giving more than taking—to build a lasting legacy.

Day 2 | Inspiration, Unity and Direction

Hanieh Sigari Founder and CEO of EllieMD, gave a stirring account of founding her telehealth and longevity-focused company from the ashes of personal and financial collapse, crediting a protective “circle” of women. She called for an investment in the female collective as the future of loyalty and innovation.

Gene Tipps, CEO of Plexus, described how he led a reset of the wellness company by refocusing on basics after finding it plagued by “corporate imposter syndrome.” He enforced two mandates: “be brilliant at the basics” and “champion ambassadors and customers.” He underscored that this operational and field-first turnaround proved deeply rewarding.

Alexy Goldstein, Founder of New U Life, gave a raw, emotional address about his past distain for the industry, and the chaos he faced and mistakes made launching his company before surging to $250 million within three years. He emphasized the importance of unity over competition within the channel.

Aspen Emry, Co-Founder and CEO of Bravenly, accounted how she launched her company mid-pandemic in 2020, and rose from $1.5 million in 2021 to $50 million in 2023 driven by in-person “sip and socials” and digital coffee chats. She highlighted Bravenly’s growth pillars: intimate events, effort-based recognition, onboarding tools, transparent leadership and deep community.

In a dynamic SHIFT podcast-style panel moderated by Blake Mallen, top field leaders Melanie Mitro, Nick Martinez and Steve and Gina Merritt shared raw insights on navigating compensation shifts, affiliate pivots and growth, revealing the field’s pulse and corporate disconnects. The panel emphasized field/corporate partnership through early involvement and shared vision.

Jacob McLain, Chief Commercial Officer at Green Compass, gave a data-driven presentation on reshaping the vertically integrated CBD and wellness company, leveraging his Deloitte and Beautycounter experience. He explained how the company simplified compensation and fostered a “sales executive” mindset among reps.

Jennifer and Bret Bonacorsi, Co-Founders of jBloom Designs, shared the heartfelt story about growing their personalized jewelry company from Jennifer’s basement in 2005 into a national brand, emphasizing that their true product is connection. Their tight-knit, faith-driven consultant community prioritizes belonging over sales.

Heather Chastain, Founder and CEO of Bridgehead Collective, delivered a compelling address using her research and leadership experience to highlight critical blind spots direct selling companies must address to thrive. She urged leaders to make data-driven, emotionally honest decisions rooted in today’s reality, warning that Gen Z cares only about what works now, not past successes.

Wayne Moorehead, CMO at LifeWave, gave an impassioned talk blending humor and industry insight, framing direct selling’s current inflection point as a golden opportunity guided by four pillars: building innovation, reinforcing the hero product to maintain focus, overhauling clunky ecommerce systems and empowering brand partners with creative freedom.

In a timely AI panel moderated by Brett Duncan, visionaries Gareth Hooper (CIO, Sunrider), Peter Griscom (SVP of Global Operations, Mannatech), and Patrick O’Neill (COO, eXp Realty) shared practical wins embedding AI, such as Sunrider’s AI shopping assistants and churn predictors; Mannatech’s inventory-slashing demand forecasting and multilingual chatbots; and eXp Realty’s contract reviews and mentorship matching.

Kirsten Aguilar, EVP of Global Marketing at SeneGence, explored balancing in-person and digital experiences, contrasting the trust and connection of boutique shopping with the isolation of late-night online impulse buys. She urged leaders to amplify connection online with in-person vibrancy, offering purpose and belonging.

Longtime industry strategist Gordon Hester dissected the industry’s crossroads of rising affiliate models, declining legacies and shifting digital expectations. He offered frameworks for turnaround such as focusing on the customer-junior leader base, simplified success for “wannapreneurs” and prioritizing retention over enrollment.

Tech founder and AI advocate Brandon White highlighted AI’s rapid evolution from 1,700 companies in 2022 to more than 70,000 in 2023, with self-driving taxis and home robots already here. He urged leaders to prepare now or fall behind, closing with a compelling AI demonstration that illustrated the potential for personalized customer and distributor experiences.

Crayton Webb, CEO of Sunwest Communications, covered reputation management, stressing communication as an overlooked edge in an era where crises explode via viral video and silence fuels speculation. He urged companies to treat reputation like an asset built proactively, and to control the message not the outcome.

Dan Debnam, Founder and CEO of Conturae, helped frame a forward-thinking understanding that AI isn’t the future—it’s the present. And ignoring it means choosing to fall behind. He emphasized that we are in a radical shift in how we work, and individuals—not just companies—are now empowered with the tools of billion-dollar enterprises.

From the May/June 2025 issue of Direct Selling News magazine.