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'This is his calling' | Charlotte army veteran is changing lives through physical and mental fitness training

In 2016 Jeff Witherspoon started his business Eager 2 Motivate with 10 clients. Now he has 220,000.

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Jeff Witherspoon’s passion is community and he has been striving to create a positive impact in the community since 2016.  

“I was super focused on the military," Witherspoon explained to WCNC Charlotte's Nick Sturdivant. "The military was my life, and I did well in the military."

After serving over 20 years in the Army, Witherspoon decided to go full-time with his business, Eager 2 Motivate, also known as E2M.

“Once I started to get the feel-good emotions of helping people with health and fitness, that’s when it started to really pull on me,” Witherspoon said about E2M.

E2M is a virtual weight loss program with workout and meal plans. The group also travels across the country to host in-person meet-up events. 

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Since starting the program, business has grown for Witherspoon.

“I started with 10 people that believed in me and wanted to give me a shot. I took those 10 people and multiplied it by 20 ... Now I’m at 220,000 clients,” Witherspoon explained.

Titus Iglehart is an E2M client and said he decided to make healthy lifestyle choices for his family by joining the program.

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“My biggest motivation was my mother," Iglehart said. "She passed away at the age of 79 years old. At the time she passed, I knew I wasn’t in physical shape to make it to her age. I wasn’t going to make it."

Since joining, Iglehart has lost over 100 lbs.

“When I first started E2M I was 255 lbs. Initially, I lost 40 lbs. [Then] I got down to 154 lbs.,” he said.

But Witherspoon is not only focusing on fitness but also on mental wellness.

“Within my group, I have four mental fitness coaches. They are licensed counselors," Witherspoon explained. The mental fitness coaches focus on helping people make the right choices, from how to stop stress eating to helping clients get out of mental health slumps.

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Witherspoon credits his time in the military as an inspiration for building this holistic community.

“Fitness became my outlet for me. I’ll tell any soldier or anybody that deals with stress or a high-stress job or high-stress lifestyle, it was healthy,” he stated.

“I feel like this is his calling. That’s the gift that God has given him to motivate people,” Iglehart added.

WCNC Charlotte is committed to reporting on the many issues facing the communities we serve. We tell the stories of people working to solve persistent social problems. We examine how problems can be solved or addressed to improve the quality of life and make a positive difference. WCNC Charlotte is seeking solutions for you. Send your tips or questions to newstips@wcnc.com.

 Contact Nick Sturdivant at nsturdiva1@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.  

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