Empoword Community

Friends Spread the Word About Wellness

Highland Park residents and longtime friends Wendy Lutter and Stephanie Ross have launched Empoword, a new product-based business that is built on the premise that focusing on the right mantra can lead to changes in a person’s life.

Their products include such everyday items as T-shirts, water bottles and vinyl decals that are emblazoned with a single word and graphic image to promote positive thinking.

Ross grew up in Mendota Heights and graduated from St. Paul Academy. Lutter grew up on Summit Avenue and graduated from Central High School. They both attended Smith College as art history majors and have been friends since they moved back to St. Paul and met in a college book club.

They worked on special events and fundraisers around the Twin Cities together while raising their children. When Ross, a holistic wellness coach, came up with the idea for Empoword, she turned to Lutter, who along with being a close friend is a marathoner with an MBA in marketing.

Once the partnership was formed, both women marveled at how they had been independently testing the Empoword concept for years to attain personal and professional goals.

Empoword products are now being sold in shops, fitness studios and wellness centers in four states and are expected to expand to three more states by July, Lutter said. Locally, they are being carried at the SweatShop on Snelling, the Bibelot Shop on Grand and Inner Strength Fitness in Minneapolis. They also may be ordered on-line by visiting www.thinkempoword.com.

Published May 7, 2008
Reprinted here with the permission of The Villager

Almost two years ago, the idea for Empoword (pronounced empowered) began to germinate. We knew it involved using a single word as the jumping off point for bigger things. We knew it was about creating your life, not just living it. We knew it was about using the power of thought to manifest change. We knew it was about being empowered.

We sent out an online survey to 120 people across the country ranging in age from 20 to 70. From a list of over 100 words, we asked them to pick the top 10 items on the list they wanted to be, do or have. The response was amazing. The shear number of replies stunned us (over 65%), but what was more dazzling was the number of unsolicited comments people sent along with their rankings.

Some of the comments were poignant. Some were very funny. A few actually took our breath away. People wanted to know more. They wanted to talk about the words. They wanted to talk about their choices. And they wanted to talk about how the words were defining their lives.

We learned a lot from the survey. Most of all we learned: words matter. Words make up the stories of our lives. They describe who we are. And they guide us as we create who we want to be.

We started Empoword because we wanted to create something meaningful, something that mattered. You matter. That is why the key ingredient in all Empoword products is you. You pick the words, and you give them meaning. Your positive thoughts turn single words, mantras, into life stories.

We wanted a place for people to tell their stories. It is our intention that this blog will be that place – a place to talk about the power of words and how they shape the stories of people’s lives.

You asked for a place to have a conversation about words. Here it is. So let’s get started, tell us your stories, tell us your thoughts, tell us about the words that matter most. Say it, think it, be it!

In March, Empoword was at the Mind Body Life Expo in Minneapolis. Dan Lipman of Video Your Story graciously put together this fun little video on Empoword. Thanks Dan!

Gratitude is Empoword’s first Word of the Month. We are especially grateful that it is finally spring here in Minnesota. We are grateful for green grass, buds on the trees and longer days. And, of course, we are grateful for all the wonderful mothers in our lives.

What are you grateful for this month?

This section of the Empoword blog will highlight empowering people who are empowering others. Look for our first profile soon.