Introducing Shirley, a trailblazer in the realm of holistic eating and wellness. Since embarking on her teaching journey in 1971, she has been on a relentless mission to unravel the complexities surrounding body size and weight. Recognizing the disconnect between our natural eating instincts and the modern-day struggles with food, she delved deep into the realm of intuitive eating and developed innovative tools to guide individuals back to their innate eating boundaries.
Shirley’s groundbreaking work culminated in the creation of Innergetics, an online platform offering transformative courses and personalized coaching to reclaim the joy of eating while fostering self-love and respect. With a vision to eradicate eating and weight issues globally, her unwavering dedication to empowering individuals to live in harmony with their bodies continues to inspire and uplift countless lives worldwide. Join us in celebrating her remarkable journey and her commitment to making the world a healthier and happier place, one meal at a time.
We at CIO Business World considers itself fortunate to interview Shirley. Below are the highlights of the interview:
Brief our audience about your journey as a business leader until your current position at your company. What challenges have you had to overcome to reach where you are today?
From the time I started teaching in 1971, I knew my mission and passion. I always had a slight frustration with body size and weight. It seemed like it just didn’t match up to my usual achievement accomplishments. It appeared as if the more energy you put into it, the more it took over your life. I saw this in my students as well. So, after teaching, I was on a mission to discover why something as simple as eating had become so complex. After my first child was born, I realized we were all on the wrong track in this country. My infant already knew her eating boundaries and they were strong! There was the answer! But there was no system how to guide the individual back and resurface their original eating boundaries. Intuitive eating was great but how do you get there? I developed a few tools and published Inner Eating in 1991 with the forward written by Dr. Michael Jensen of the Mayo Clinic. As I worked with individuals, I continuously created more tools to guide them to their boundaries. Hence, Innergetics was created. I was continuously working with the gut-brain. Eventually, the medical world caught on when Dr. Michael Gershon, in 1999, called the gut-brain, the enteric brain.
The challenge was to reach the masses. But with technology, I was able to create a course online with coaching so I could reach more people. And since I was never raised with all the technology that has always been my greatest challenge!
Tell us something more about your company and its mission and vision.
It offers an online course with one-on-one coaching. My mission is to resolve all eating and weight issues in this world! Eating was meant to give us energy, not drain our energy. We are not meant to have storage (my term for fat–stored information and energy) because the purpose of storage is for a famine. And, as of yet, we do not have one here in the States.
How do you build and manage a motivated and effective team?
The excitement of changing lives is the motivation. The coaches know this is the only way to recapture the forgotten joy of eating while living in a body one loves living in. They have lived the process and had case studies so I knew they not only lived the process but could teach it.
Where do you envision yourself to be in the long run, and what are your future goals
for your company? Just to keep doing what I am doing and train coaches so we can reach more people. At present, I have four certified coaches around the world. One from South Africa, one from Australia, and two from the UK.
Describe in detail the values and the work culture that drives your organization.
When you own your eating boundaries, there is mutual respect between you and the outside world. That is the beauty of Innergetics. Because you have respect for self in relation to what sustains your life – food – you will feel if you are respecting others and if you are respecting yourself. Mutual respect is the foundational value of Innergetics.
What advice would you offer to aspiring entrepreneurs who are looking to enter and succeed in various industries, as you have done?
Have a passion for what you do that will bring joy to others or help others. Then develop that passion and continuously learn and grow. Be in this world to make the world a better place because you were here.
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