Empoword Community

Empoword: See it, Think it, Believe it

Stephanie Ross ’82 learned about the connection between mind and body when she was a junior at St. Paul Academy and Summit School. She became seriously ill and was taken to a hospital where she endured surgery, IVs and more. Learning visualization techniques helped her control her body’s responses to the illness and medical interventions, and that memory of the mind-body wellness connection stayed with her. Later, as her mother struggled with ovarian cancer and turned to complementary and alternative approaches to treatment, Ross was again reminded of the importance of the mind-body connection.

“My mom had to go from 0-60 in learning about these differing approaches and it was very challenging for her,” Ross explained. “Watching her experience started my own journey to figure out how to help people find manageable ways to incorporate everything — mind, body and spirit — into wellness.”

Ross began graduate school at University of Minnesota-Twin Cities and finished her degree in Human Development at St. Mary’s University of Minnesota. Her concentration was in how imagery can be used in the healing process. Since then, Ross has become a holistic wellness practitioner with a specialization in the use of imagery in transformational processes. In other words, she encourages people to use imagery to help them heal physically, emotionally and spiritually.

“Throughout my life I have seen example after example of how positive thinking, visualization and believing in our own potential can significantly impact outcomes,” Ross said. “I have also seen all too often how easy it is to give up and let negative thoughts and attitudes take over.”

Ross has long used imagery in her life by assigning meaning to a word and then visualizing a specific outcome every time she thinks of that word. Convinced of the benefits of a visual reminder as a quick and easy helping strategy, she and business partner Wendy Lutter launched “Empoword,” a product-based business that believes focusing on the right mantra can lead to very real changes in one’s life.

The Empoword product line includes words such as focus, gratitude, breathe, imagine, strength, love, bliss, real, awake, balance, brave, giggle and wonder emblazoned with a matching symbol on Tshirts, decals, coffee mugs and more. The words and symbols are intended to remind you of your intentions and to support your efforts, goals and dreams, Ross said, while serving as a point of encouragement along the way.

“Empoword was born from my belief that giving up — on a new exercise program, on staying healthy, sometimes even on yourself — is easy and happens more often than we would like,” she explained. “I wanted to create something that would make sticking to your goals easy, and what is easier and more powerful than a simple, single, well-chosen word?”

More than just a marketing ploy, however, Ross explained their concept is based on very real science.

“There is a branch of science — psychoneuroimmunology, or PNI — that is exploring how the mind, nervous system and immune system interplay and work together,” Ross said. “Simply put, the research shows that our thoughts are affecting our physiology.”

Ross said she gathered a lot of information that supports her business’s objectives from two books: Candace Pert’s Molecules of Emotion, and Herb Benson’s The Relaxation Response. Pert discusses how thoughts and emotions impact the cells in our bodies, and Benson’s book reveals how meditation and the use of mantra are efficacious forms of treatment for hypertension and other disease.

“The challenge we are presenting is to give the locus of control back to the individual,” said Ross. “Empoword is built on the premise that setting intentions, staying positive and mindful, leads to greater happiness, wellness and fulfilled dreams. Our products are accessible tools to support personal growth, transformation and overall mind-body wellness.

“New Age guilt is not what we’re about,” she added. “Sometimes life is overwhelming. This is about doing what you can to control outcomes. We don’t need science to know that our attitude can make a big difference in any endeavor.”

Ross reminds that unconscious thoughts can also influence you, and that those thoughts can impact your life as well. Empoword places subtle reminders on everyday items to encourage you when you need it the most.

“It’s not about having total control,” she explained. “It’s about taking control where you can. Positive affirmation is something everyone can benefit from, and Empoword serves as a little extra support and inspiration.

“What we’re really selling is a concept,” she continued. “The key ingredient in all Empoword products is the user. They are the ones who give the word significance and meaning. Our graphics are designed to remind you of your intentions, support your affirmations and encourage you along the way.”

To learn more about Empoword, go to www.thinkempoword.com. Empoword products may also be found locally at Bibelot Shops, Bachman’s, The Marsh, SaraCura and The SweatShop, to name a few. To learn more about Ross’s private practice, go to www.intuitivehealthmanagement.com.

Published Summer 2008
Reprinted here with the permission of St. Paul Academy and Summit School