Shirley Billigmeier is the founder of Innergetics, a holistic weight loss program that she created decades before mindful eating became popular. She has worked with over 10,000 clients and has refined Innergetics to become a comprehensive solution that goes beyond just mindful eating.
Through Innergetics, Shirley offers tools that enable her clients to take a conscious, structured approach to eating, so they have more confidence over when they start and stop eating. She believes that every individual is born with the innate ability to know what to eat and how much, and her process helps people rediscover that knowledge. Clients who follow the Innergetics process, not only lose weight, but keep it off permanently without feeling deprived or relying on willpower.
Outside of work, Shirley enjoys exploring new ways to incorporate wellness into her daily life. She loves spending time with family and friends, traveling, playing tennis and bridge as well as practicing yoga. She is a teacher at heart. Her father was an entrepreneur in the cattle industry and her mother was a teacher. Both allowed her to choose what she wanted to do. This is still the cornerstone of her life and her process. Family, education, and religion were key to her upbringing which created a strong internal foundation!
Shirley is a passionate person with a clear mission. Her mission is to help people regain the true joy of eating and learn how to tune in to their bodies’ needs so they can live a fulfilling and healthy life.
Path to Discovering One’s Own Eating Boundaries
After obtaining her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Minnesota, Shirley began teaching Physical Education and Health in 1971. As she worked with students, she noticed a high level of anxiety surrounding eating and weight-related concerns. This realization led her to make it her life’s mission to address and resolve these issues.
After leaving teaching, Shirley established an in-home fitness studio and began conducting her own research into eating and weight issues. She planned on pursuing a PhD degree but the University, in the late 70’s, did not allow her to include multiple areas such as nutrition, exercise, psychology, and kinesiology. She assumed the answer did not lie in one area. Nevertheless, this restriction turned out to be a blessing in disguise as it spurred Shirley to undertake her own research and collaborate with other researchers across the country.
During her research, Shirley observed that hunger was a seldom-discussed topic. However, she realized that hunger was meant to be the driving force behind our decision to start and stop eating. She drew inspiration from infants who instinctively know when to begin eating, what foods taste good to them, and when to stop eating. Infants possess over 10,000 taste buds which allow them to discern what foods are suitable for their consumption. Shirley believed that all individuals possess these innate eating boundaries, which are governed by hunger and taste, but we tend to overlook them and allow external factors to dictate our eating habits.
Shirley noticed that eating, which is a natural process, had become unnecessarily complicated due to our tendency to ignore our internal eating boundaries and allow others to tell us what to eat and what not to eat. As a result, she made it her mission to help people connect with their hunger through a multitude of tools she has developed. These tools help reestablish their own internal eating boundaries.
Shirley consolidated her research and teaching methodologies into her book, “Inner Eating,” which was published in 1991 with the foreword written by Dr. Michael Jensen of the Mayo Clinic. Her expertise led to an invitation to speak at the National Convention of Compulsive Eating in 1995, which confirmed to her the widespread need for this information. This realization prompted her to launch Innergetics.
Serving with Integrity
Maintaining integrity with the process is of utmost importance to Shirley. To become certified coaches, her coaches not only need to live the process, they need to complete case studies to show they know how to teach the process. This process is now offered online where these coaches from around the world are available to work in small groups or individually. The ultimate mission is to eliminate eating and weight issues from the world, allowing individuals to move on to other pursuits. Imagine a world where food and weight concerns do not occupy one’s mental space. Instead, people eat what they want when hungry without overeating while truly enjoying the taste and refueling their energy. Shirley envisions such a world and works tirelessly towards that goal.
Shirley finds the greatest joy in witnessing her clients achieve complete freedom from their eating and weight issues through the process. The testimonials on her website serve as evidence that these issues can indeed be resolved. Eating is not a disease but rather a matter of being out of order, and once the individual’s eating is in order, they discover the full depth of this process. Shirley takes pride in knowing that her process can guide individuals towards putting their eating habits back in order. She believes that while eating itself is simple, life is complex.
Keeping Authenticity
Shirley remains committed to the authenticity of her process. She firmly believes that her process is the ultimate solution to all eating and weight issues as it is not just another plan imposed on someone, but rather a comprehensive approach that guides individuals back to themselves and their innate eating boundaries of hunger and taste.
Extending Reach
Until 2022, Shirley only provided one-on-one consultations, However, realizing that it was time to reach the masses, Shirley decided to explore other options. Shirley was fortunate to collaborate with Course Creek professionals, who instructed her on how to launch her course online. Furthermore, she now has a team available to assist with marketing efforts. As a teacher by nature, Shirley chose to use Learn Worlds as her platform for launching the course.
Shirley’s focus has never been on staying ahead of the competition, but rather on making the process clearer and easier for the clients. The ultimate goal is to help clients regain confidence over their eating habits and live their lives with energy and pleasure, as eating was never meant to be a draining experience.
Words for All Leaders
For aspiring leaders, Shirley’s advice is to have a strong passion for your mission. It is important to truly believe in what you are doing and to lead by example. Living out the teachings you are sharing is essential for inspiring and guiding others towards success.
