Franchisee Profile: Kristin Wood - MMSN Franchisee & Renaissance Woman

Fairfax, Virginia franchisee Kristin Wood, a former intelligence officer with the CIA and special to CNN national security commentator, links dedication, information, and recognition in her career to benefit almost everybody who comes into contact with her and Max Muscle Sports Nutrition.

"Community involvement became a natural extension of owning a Max Muscle Sports Nutrition store." said Wood, on the eve of launching the Max Muscle Virginia Celebrity Golf Tournament benefiting the CIA Officers Memorial Foundation. "As a Certified Fitness Nutrition coach as well, we meet a lot of people with varying needs. The three things they seem to always have in common is the desire for camaraderie & fellowship, to feel better, and to have fun. I just love being able to facilitate these things!"

Owning a Max Muscle store also means getting involved in her community. Every person who walks through her doors has a story. Every person is a piece of a puzzle, she says. "We are all connected to one another."

With nearly two decades as an Intelligence Officer with the CIA, Wood knows a thing or two about research. A skin cancer survivor, Wood left the agency and partnered with Corry Matthews to open their first Max Muscle store in Manassas, Virginia. Shortly after that, their cumulative success grew and a second store in Fairfax, Virginia was added. Her zeal for community-based programs blossomed as she introduced police departments, fire departments, government agencies, professional sports franchises, high school coaches and players, neighboring businesses, and a host of inter-connected networks of people to nutrition-centric promotions based in competition and fun.

"With my own kids sports, the team element has always been essential." said Wood. "What seems to happen every time is the domino-effect of these campaigns. The Fire Department has a challenge, the police department hears about it and wants to do the same. The two then 'challenge' each other in nutrition and fitness goals...that's what happened when we began the 'Maintain Don't Gain' challenge. It all began as an effort to not gain weight over the holidays and now Police & Fire Departments across the country are doing the same thing with their local Max Muscle Sports Nutrition stores."

"I'm doing the same thing you see in every Max Muscle Sports Nutrition store across the country. We're different. We have third party accreditation as Certified Fitness Nutrition Coaches...which often becomes a 'life coach'...and we're all passionate about that." Two decades later CNN, the world leader in online news and information delivery, contacted Wood in an effort to lure her to the network as their CNN Intelligence Authority. Never leaving the Washington DC area, or the intelligence community in which she still plays a vital role, Wood jumped at the chance."Within a few days they flew me to the studios and handed me an agenda of items to address...starting with the Gadhafi terror efforts and what was next for that regime, and most recently the 'after effects' of the death of Osama bin Laden."

Personally, Wood's son Logan had a condition literally reversed with the assistance of nutrition and supplementation. Logan, 12-year-old, had Asperger’s Syndrome, a form of high-functioning autism which experts believe affects 3 out of every 10,000 children in the United States. You can read this incredible story HERE!

This experience has been related to many a family across the nation, featured in Max Sports & Fitness magazine, and - of course - has made the Max Muscle Sports Nutrition store in her community the focal point for many a 'diet-related' illness.

When the world's news leader needs US Intelligence insight, they turn to Kristin Wood. When the communities of Manassas & Fairfax, Virginia need nutrition insight, they turn to Kristin Wood. When the various public and private entities that make our communities stronger - literally - need nutrition and fitness 'intelligence', they turn to Kristin Wood. Wood doesn't see herself as any different from the other 150 franchise owners in the Max Muscle system. "We all work hard to contribute to our communities. The only difference for me is that mine comes with hair and makeup!"

"Since we're all connected to each other in one form or another, and nutrition and diet effect the well-being of everybody, I see myself in a perfect situation that's different every day, and incredibly gratifying."