WHO IS INNERVATE?
Ignite your genius within

Innervate is lead by Michelle Wood, a Self-Mastery Coach and entrepreneur.

Michelle Wood

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Who was I? Who am I? Who am I meant to be?

 
Life is an unfolding mystery, a discovery of all that we are. It is in these moments, the ones when you take a deep breath and listen deeply, that we truly understand who we are.

 
Life was always simple for me; it worked: I set goals, I achieved, I got everything I wanted. I loved my life. Then suddenly, in my early thirties, things got a little harder. I was married at the time; we had moved countries; I had a great job at Nike in Europe, full expat contract, and suddenly everything that made me happy and that I wanted slipped away in one moment. It was regular day, but a day that would change my life forever.

 
Now it’s only when life throws you some curve balls, that you realise how well prepared you actually are. How fit are you really to handle the 'stresses' of life, to change and innovate? Are you resilient, or are you just playing it safe? If you don’t know how to handle your own stress; if you don't have the tools, skills or ability to ask for help and put support in place, what are the chances you’ll take risks, create great things, and live to your full potential? Chances are you’ll stay in your comfort zone (that uncomfortable, comfortable place) – which is not the 'zone' – rather than your flow state, where you feel and are your best!

 
I liken this to big-wave surfing: when you're about to have 400 tons of water landing on your head, you need to know how to get out of that situation. Big-wave surfers train for hours on their recovery. Why? Well, if they didn't know how to recover quickly, they wouldn't even get out there on the waves, far less try to take themselves to the next level, the next big wave.     Now my curve ball is my greatest blessing: it took me on a very different path than the one I thought I would be taking.

 

"Feeling truly powerful comes from being on purpose, being at peace with who you are and expressing your passions."

My passions have always been around brands and people and the connection between them, that defines, creates and makes them thrive.   I jumped ship from corporate world at Nike to entrepreneur land, and I was not really sure what I wanted to be, so I trusted my flow and reconnected with who I am – and here I am!   I’m now an ILS Master Coach, Transformational Breath Facilitator, and have spent seven years learning about various forms of energy healing. This unique combination of international business and management  experience, coupled with working with diverse teams and my own extensive exploration into the inner landscape, is what makes me uniquely able to guide people.

 
How does that help you? Western thinking has taught us that we should be rational when making decisions. Yet studies show that only 20 percent of our decisions are conscious, while the remaining 80 percent are unconscious. A healthy connection and approach to your conscious, super conscious and unconscious minds brings about alignment, which results in knowing. Often people misjudge, suppress or disconnect from parts of themselves, so limiting their self-expression. It is vital to understand that every part of ourselves has a positive purpose, which can allow us to make better and truer decisions, so we can become who were born to be.

 

One of the most successful people, and a great inspiration, was Steve Jobs, who said, "... have the courage to follow your heart and intuition. They somehow already know what you truly want to become. Everything else is secondary."

I believe that there are a million ways to be successful; your way is through self-mastery and a bounce partner to harness your unique way.

I never set out to be a coach, but I was so inspired by the value that these courses – which I took over two years – brought to my work. The result was a shift in my perspective, from powerful to empowering. It is a win-win process that values everyone involved. At Nike I was privileged to have experienced excellent training, but it was only after I did my InnerLifeSkills (ILS) coaching that I truly understood the true value of coaching skills. If I had one wish, it would be that everyone leaving school could be trained as an ILS coach. It offers such superb practical life skills, and for any corporate athlete, entrepreneur or freelancer in the creative world, it would add enormous value to an existing skill set – and ability to grow your business.

 

After leaving Nike  and being mocked silly by most, I completed 5 levels of training in breathing which was probably the most in-depth study in human behaviour.   I acknowledge the great power breath has in releasing stress and truly connecting you with your inner strength and purpose.  Interesting, isn’t it, how the best athletes know how to relax! This is the foundation of my work and truly actives your flow state!

 

Seven years ago if you had me asked me about energy, I would have looked at you blankly. But often what we don’t see, we don’t value. This energetic connection within, and the connections we have with others in our lives and in our teams are more powerful than many realise.   It can either derail us or empower us; not understanding energy limits our potential, our teams and our businesses.  I use to suffer extreme pain in my lower back, but studying and experiencing, practices such as Heartmath, Reiki, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, channelling, meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, Gestalt therapy, energy clearing, all of which proved very effective in dealing with my pain – and were vital skills I harnessed to compliment my practise.  Now I draw on all of these techniques in my work with individuals, teams  and businesses.

 

I spent 12 years specialising in brand management and marketing in the sports industry. I worked in South Africa for 7 years gaining experience in sports marketing, event management, corporate and public relations, advertising and digital marketing. Then I was moved to Nike’s European Headquarters, in Holland, to drive their $80 million Nike Women’s business as Senior Women’s Brand Manager for Central Europe, Middle East and Africa. Managing the women’s business for 69 countries, I increased year-on-year growth by 12 percent consistently, and took the Russian market to No. 1 in Europe.At Nike, Phil Knight use to say: "Change is the only constant and, once you accept this, everything is easy."