Celebrating 5 Years of yes2next: Looking Back and Ahead
Five years ago, my mom and I posted our first video on YouTube with the simple goal of helping just one person. Today, we’re grateful to have the honor of helping hundreds of thousands stay active and get stronger. Whether you’ve been with us since day one or just found us recently, we thank you for your support and the privilege to make a positive difference in your life.
For both of us, the yes2next family has given us a second act – me, after a 25-year corporate career and for my mom, a new purpose in her 80s. There is no greater gift than to give back and make the lives of others better.
How yes2next started
In March 2020, I was a personal trainer at a local gym in the Las Vegas area when the pandemic hit and businesses, including gyms, shut down. To help my clients, who were mostly older adults, stay active, I figured YouTube would be the best vehicle to share free and easily accessible workouts, so I created the yes2next, which means “say yes to your next steps to fitness and joy.” Since I live with my mom, I asked her to join me since she is in the age range of my clients. Plus, I thought it would be a great way for her to keep moving and build strength. We posted our first video on May 2, 2020.
Today, we are fortunate to have more than 475,000 subscribers on YouTube with over 50 million views on 300+ videos. Thousands more follow us on our social media channels, including Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and X.
Our growth accelerated after we posted a 10 minute walking video in October 2020 that now has more than 6.2 million views. I actually considered not posting the video since there is a rough cut near the end of it. But I’m glad we posted it!
To this day, we shoot all of our videos in our living room with me handling the camera, sound, and lighting. When we started, I knew nothing about recording videos. Our first videos were grainy with poor sound. (If you watch any of them, thank you for your understanding!) Over the years, I picked up tips to improve our videos, such as using wireless microphones for better sound, lighting, and a camera that shoots in 4K.
Plus, my mom and I were newbies in front of the camera. Throughout my previous career in communications and journalism, I was used to being behind the scenes, so having a lens focused on me was a shock to the system!
But like any new practice, including exercise, by being consistent, the quality of our videos improved and we became more comfortable in front of the camera. It was a great honor to be named a YouTube Creator on the Rise in 2021 and be part of its International Women’s Day celebration in 2022.
We were both upstaged by the natural talent of our cat Mochi, who makes cameo appearances in our videos every now and then. He was born the same month that yes2next launched (we found him at our local animal shelter). Our videos are a visual record of his growth – he made his first appearance as a kitten in October 2020 and has grown into a feline giant, weighing 20 pounds!
Being a YouTube Creator
I never intended to become a YouTuber so seeing the growth of yes2next has been a surprise and a gift. YouTube has given me an avenue to keep learning: our followers give us feedback that inspires us to keep making content, other YouTubers have shared their experiences and expertise with video creation, and YouTube has shared advice on how to improve my channel as part of the YouTube Partner Program.
YouTube is an incredible platform that enables anyone with a passion to share it with the world. The goal is to find your audience. Success can come with posting videos consistently and putting your spin on popular topics. We post our videos on Tuesdays at 6 am Pacific Time.
Our Incredible Community
Building a community focusing on fitness, joy, and fun is a gift. While our channel was originally designed for older adults, we have been surprised that our videos are helping people of all ages, including beginner exercisers and those with limited mobility due to illness or surgeries like knee and hip replacements, and women who are going through menopause. Every day, we receive amazing messages from people around the world who are healthier and stronger. Many of them tell us they are enjoying exercising for the first time in their lives.
One viewer in South Africa told us she exercises with us every day and feels stronger than she has in years. Another 69-year-old viewer told us that she has lost 64 pounds with us and has never been able to continue with exercise until she found us. This kind of feedback reminds us why we started yes2next.
Looking Ahead
We’re excited about the future and continuing to help as many people as we can to stay healthy and find joy in life through our videos. We’re excited to explore new ways to help our followers, including writing a book and looking into collaborations and courses.
To mark our 5th Anniversary, we’re excited to share our first live workout that premiered on May 20, 2025.
Thank you for being part of the yes2next family and making our five-year anniversary possible. We’re thrilled to celebrate this milestone with you and continue “living our yes2next” together! It warms our hearts to build a community of friends focused on staying healthy, building strength, and finding joy. We’re excited to continue this wonderful journey with you and help even more people around the world.
We’d love to hear how you found us or which video helped you the most—drop us a comment or email anytime!