Online coaching and masterminds can be a bit of a superpower.

You get access to different ways of thinking, different industries, and people from all over the world, all in one place. These days, it’s often facilitated by Zoom (not sponsored).

In this episode of the Kaffeen Authority Builder podcast, I’m joined by Tess Masters, actor, presenter, coach, podcaster, and author of three cookbooks with Penguin Random House, including The Blender Girl.

Through her Skinny60 health programmes, Tess and her team of dietitians have helped thousands of people improve their health using science-based food and lifestyle strategies. Her work has featured in the LA Times, the Washington Post, and on the Today Show, and she’s collaborated with major brands like KitchenAid, Vitamix, and Whole Foods Market.

She also hosts the podcast It Has To Be Me, where she interviews trailblazers about taking action on what they’re dreaming about.

What we ended up having was a wide-ranging conversation about building authority, retention-driven business models, energy, and why collaborations and community matter more than most people realise.

What is the 60-Day Reset, and who is it for?

Tess’s flagship programme is the 60-Day Reset, a gut health and metabolic reset led by a team of dietitians.

Although it supports people of all ages, the primary demographic is women over 40, particularly those aged roughly 45 to 75.

What stood out is that Tess doesn’t treat it like a one-size-fits-all plan.

The programme begins with a detailed questionnaire and evaluation so the team can meet each person where they’re at, not just what their lab numbers say.

They consider real-life context, including:

• Workload and schedule
• Whether you’re caring for children or relatives
• Injury recovery
• Activity levels
• What you’ve tried before
• Food preferences and constraints

The goal is sustainability.

Because if you don’t enjoy what you’re doing, you won’t keep doing it.

Why 60 days (and why it’s live)

The live guided support runs for 60 days, and there’s a strategic reason for that time frame.

It covers two hormonal cycles, which matters because hormones, blood sugar, gut health, and metabolism are closely connected.

Participants also get enough time to:

• Implement new strategies
• See what’s working (and what isn’t)
• Tweak with support
• Turn practices into habits

Support includes two live calls per week:

• A dietitian Q&A focused on science and strategy
• Tess’s open office hours, often covering the broader life context around food

A retention rate over 75% (and what that really means)

One of the most fascinating parts of Tess’s business is the retention.

At the time of recording, Tess shared their retention rate is over 75%.

At first, she even worried: are people coming back because it isn’t working?

But the reality is more nuanced.

People return because:

• It works, and they like how they feel
• They want ongoing community
• They value the “safety net” of dietitian support
• Life circumstances change (perimenopause, menopause, injury, stress)

Importantly, the programme isn’t built on an all-or-nothing mentality.

Tess emphasised that real life doesn’t work like that.

Some people stay in the community for years, not necessarily attending every call, but staying connected because it supports their long-term health.

Food as a portal (and why the work goes deeper)

This was a key coaching insight from Tess.

Although the programme is nutrition-based, Tess uses food as a portal of discoverability.

Eating is tied to everything.

So when people start changing their relationship with food, they often begin changing other areas too.

Tess shared that participants commonly:

• Ask for promotions
• Start businesses
• Let go of relationships or patterns that don’t serve them
• Travel and pursue goals they’d been postponing

In that sense, it becomes a broader reset, not just a diet plan.

Build authority through collaborations (not competition)

This is where the conversation really tied back to authority building.

Tess attributes a lot of her compounding authority to two major moves:

• Publishing successful books with Penguin Random House
• Building long-term brand partnerships (including KitchenAid)

But the principle underneath both is relationships.

She strongly rejects the idea of competition and instead focuses on collaboration and “communion”.

She even shared an example from her publishing career: when other blender books came out, she would still support them, blurbs included, even when others advised against it.

The mindset is simple:

Relationships beget relationships.

And being open to collaboration expands reach, network, and perspective.

Personality-led vs product-led (and knowing when enough is enough)

Tess has built multiple brands and programmes over time, and she’s a natural creator.

So yes, she understands the pull of shiny object syndrome.

But right now, she’s deliberately choosing not to create new programmes, not because she can’t, but because of capacity and quality of life.

She looks at decisions through a combination of:

• Data (profitability, resources, time)
• Sweat equity
• Energy and wellbeing
• Work-life balance

The bigger question she asks now is one she didn’t ask as much 10 years ago:

When is it enough?

Energy, boundaries, and the power of a compassionate no

We also spoke about energy, particularly as life changes with age, hormones, and family responsibilities.

Tess described the importance of honouring who you are, including recognising how you recharge.

She also shared advice she received years ago that reshaped how she sets boundaries:

A compassionate no is an act of love.

If you can’t give a full yes, the other person deserves the chance to find someone who can.

This directly ties into business growth too.

Every “yes” has to be supported by lots of “no” decisions behind the scenes.

If Tess had to rebuild authority in the next 90 days

The tactics have changed since 2014, but the fundamentals haven’t.

If she were starting again, she’d take a multi-pronged approach:

• Secure the basics: a simple website and consistent social handles
• Control the first page of Google for her name/brand
• Tell her story through content (blog, social, guest podcasting)
• Consider starting a podcast (solo or interviews)
• Join communities where her audience already is
• Show up by adding value, not hijacking conversations

She also highlighted something many people forget:

You don’t need to be “famous” to be useful.

Often, the best teacher for a third grader is a fourth grader. You only need to be one step ahead to help someone.

Over-teaching, marketing, and “you’ve given me a lot to think about”

Tess openly shared that over-teaching has been one of her biggest challenges as a coach and marketer.

In the early days, her webinars contained so much information that it overwhelmed people.

One practical fix that helped was focusing on the next three steps, rather than delivering everything at once.

She also shared feedback from her team that’s worth paying attention to:

If someone says, “You’ve given me a lot to think about”, it can be a sign they’re overwhelmed.

The job is to help people move forward, not feel buried under information.

Listen to the episode

If you want the full conversation, you can listen to the episode here:

Build Authority Through Collaborations and Community with Tess Masters

It’s particularly useful if you’re building authority through content, community, partnerships, and a long-term business model that doesn’t rely on constant new product creation.