43: Dads Who Empower - Terry Shorter

In this heartfelt episode of Group X Appeal, co-host Terry Shorter opens up about how fatherhood transformed his approach to fitness, career, and life itself. Join Kimberly and Terry as they explore the beautiful intersection of being a devoted dad and fitness professional. Terry shares honest insights about learning patience, the art of scheduling quality time, and why being your child's first health role model is both a privilege and responsibility. If you're a parent seeking to balance career demands with meaningful family connection, this conversation will inspire you to embrace the journey

What You'll Learn:

• ✅ How fatherhood develops patience and transforms your fitness philosophy
• ✅ The importance of intentionally scheduling quality time with your children
• ✅ Why parents are the most powerful health and fitness role models for their kids
• ✅ How a fitness career can actually provide more flexibility for family time
• ✅ The art of enjoying the parenting process instead of rushing through milestones
• ✅ How children naturally emulate their parents' actions and energy
• ✅ Strategies for creating a fun, connecting environment in your home
• ✅ Why presence and positive energy matter more than perfect parenting

Perfect for dads who are navigating parenthood and seeking balance, or any parent wanting to model healthy living for their children. Terry's wisdom reminds us that life doesn't have to be perfect to be deeply enjoyable and meaningful.

Follow Terry on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/terryshorter/

And learn more @ https://www.rippedplanet.com/

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Questions or topic ideas? Email us @ groupxappeal@gmail.com

Get your FREE Guide To Holistic Well-Being here: https://gxaguide.com/

Stay Connected with Kimberly:
- @kimberlyspreenglick on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube
- email: kimberly@theinspiredlifeuniversity.com
- website: www.theinspiredlifeuniversity.com

Stay Connected with Terry:
- @terryshorter on Instagram & Facebook
- email: terry@rippedplanet.com
- website: www.rippedplanet.com

Transcript

Welcome back to Group X Appeal, the show where group fitness meets real life. And this week we are diving deep into a powerful series we're calling dads who empower, celebrating dads this month. So today's guest isn't just any dad. He is a pioneer, a creator, a motivator, and yes, my brother from another mother here. I have the honor of flipping the mic on my co-host and my dear friend, the one and only Terry Shorter.

Terry is the founder of Ripped, the one-stop body shop, a nationally recognized fitness format that has impacted thousands of instructors and participants across the globe. But beyond the brand, Terry is a dedicated father and a man on a mission to uplift lives through movement and music and mentorship. And in today's conversation, we go behind the scenes of the spotlight to talk about fatherhood, balance, discipline, and the responsibility that comes with being a role model.

both on and off the mic. So buckle up because today, Grubbeck's appeal gets personal with one of the realest ones in the game right here.

Kimberly/terry (01:41)
Welcome back. I could not be more excited about the episode that we have for you today because this month, the month of June, of course, this is father's day month. So we decided to focus on dads out there who are in the health and fitness industry, who are doing the great work of empowering others while being amazing fathers. And I happen to have one of the most amazing fathers in the world.

sitting right across the table for me. So I get to ask you some questions today. Awesome. can't wait. What do we, what do we have? ⁓ we got some goodies. have 50 questions. 50 questions. they multiple choice? Where's my scan? Fill in the blank. It's okay. You can use chat GPT. That'll work. Let's go. Let's go. I love it. Shall we dive in? Let's dive in. Let's dive in deep. First question I have for you, Mr. Shorter.

So how has being a father influenced your approach to your personal fitness and then also the work that you do in the fitness industry? Great question. And thank you for asking. well played. Well played. So I think how being a father has influenced my personal fitness and as a fitness professional would be just one word, patience.

Wow. It's patience. Tell me more. would have to say, you know, being a dad of a daughter, you know, has definitely brought a much greater sense of patience for so many different reasons. Number one, I'm one of three boys. So I've got two, two younger brothers. I'm the oldest. I'm the, the, the example, the test, the crash dummy, whatever you want to call it. And so growing up with boys is a lot different than

have, you know, dealing with females, I wasn't accustomed to that. so raising a daughter, ⁓ I had to be a lot more in tune with first of all, my emotions, no doubt. And, ⁓ and her emotion and her emotions. Absolutely. And so, ⁓ that was the, you know, one of the biggest lessons that I've learned and it's still, you know, it's still, I'm still working progress. ⁓ and how that has kind of overflowing into my.

personal fitness is, ⁓ you know, before I was a dad, I wanted things right now when it came to fitness, I wanted to, you know, get stronger. I wanted to get leaner. I wanted to get faster as quickly as possible. I wanted that like yesterday, right? ⁓ but after, becoming a dad and developing this greater sense of patience, I'd say, ⁓ I've learned to really enjoy the process that I'm in at that, that

that present moment that, you know, the here and now and know that it's a journey. It's not a race. You know, I'm in it for the long haul to get the results that I want from a personal, you know, for my own personal fitness. And then in terms of how patients kind of flows over into my work, ⁓ it's the same thing, just being, you know, I think patients goes hand in hand with being mindful, you know, being a lot more mindful, being a lot more present with people.

⁓ spending more quality time with them, looking them in the eyes and like pretending like there's nothing else that's going on around any distractions or anything going around us. ⁓ when we're having a one-on-one or winter, even in a group, you know, setting, try to make eye contact with every single person that I'm working with and have that, that sense of patience with. can say from experience, you're very good at that. Thank you. I try my best. So I'd say that's, ⁓ that's the number one quality that I think I've had the, the.

the great chance and privilege to develop from being a dad. You heard it here. Patience. Patience is the key. So what strategies have you found most effective for making quality time available with your daughter while juggling managing? mean, you don't just have a career. You're an entrepreneur. You started R.I.P.P.E.D.

which is the one-stop body shock. And you got Ripped Planet, which now also encompasses Rumble. If y'all don't know Rumble, that's another fitness brand that incorporates martial arts, and it's just phenomenal. So you've got this juggling of quality time with your daughter, and then the time that you gotta put into your career and the work that you're doing and the business that you've built and all the different projects that I know you take on to be able to make a difference in the world. How do you do it? What are your strategies?

I think, you know, my, daughter, Tawnie who I call Smoothie Yeah. She goes, her stage name is Kiyoné She's got so many different names. I am Kiyoné. Yeah. She's all over the place. She's, she's grown up now. She's a woman. She'll be 22. Yeah. 22 in the next three months, three months from now she'll be 22 years old. So, um,

And she's off and running. She's doing her own thing. She is living her best life and she's doing it well, you know, taking her talents, her aspirations, her love, her passions. And she's making it or making a career out of those things, which makes me so, so happy as a dad. But, you know, in the earlier years when, ⁓ when Tina and I first had our own, ⁓ when we were working together in the banking industry,

We were super, super busy. We're constantly on the telephone, constantly on, you know, on our computers, sending and receiving emails. We were constantly texting. We're working. We were ⁓ running our own sales office and we had to make it a point in order to have that, that, that solid quality of life that we wanted as a family. And for our daughter, we knew that it was important to make sure that we put aside and scheduled quality time with her.

So work wouldn't overflow and kind of take over our lives completely. And so I mentioned this on one of our earlier podcasts, we created what was called Tawnie Time. Tawnie Time, I remember. So ⁓ yeah, we had to create Tawnie Time. we had to, you know, didn't have to, what we chose to do was block out a specific, you know, time on our schedules. ⁓

where we would not answer the telephone, we would not answer texts, we would not be on our computers, it would be completely focused, devoted ⁓ time, committed time to her, whatever she wanted to do. And so ⁓ from that career moving into fitness was an interesting transition because ⁓ banking wasn't something I enjoyed at all, it wasn't something I felt was my Really, that's shocking. I thought for sure he would just stay in It was not. It was not.

⁓ But making that transition from banking into fitness, ⁓ we wanted to maintain that same harmony and that same alignment that we developed when we were in the banking industry. so ⁓ what fitness allowed us to do was to, like you said in one of the earlier episodes last month during the moms who inspire episode that you were featured in, ⁓ by having our own business, we were able to

create our own schedules. We're able to have the latitude, the flexibility to, ⁓ enjoy Tawnie's, ⁓ go to her rehearsals, go to her softball practices, volleyball practices. What else does she do? Horseback riding. She did everything swimming as an only child. wanted to make sure that she experienced as many different activities as possible, extracurricular activities as possible so she can find what really spoke to her.

But also we wanted to find different activities where she could collaborate with other people and cooperate with other people in team environments for the most part. But in any event, one of the things that we did ⁓ was again, we carved out that time for her practices to go to her rehearsals, to go to her shows, ⁓ to go to any special events that she had. It had to be scheduled. ⁓

And one of the great things that fitness allowed us to do not only gave us that flexibility, that latitude, ⁓ well, because we got that flexibility and latitude, we didn't miss a thing. Yeah. Never missed a single event of hers got to drop her off at school, got to pick her up after school. And so that afforded us that quality of life that, ⁓ that I always wanted, you know, I never saw myself chained to a desk.

that was something I was just absolutely not going to do because I knew the importance of spending that quality time with my children. Even as kid, I knew that I wanted to make sure that I was doing essentially what my mom and dad were doing. They went to all our practices. ⁓ They went to all our games, all our rehearsals, all our shows and everything, ⁓ myself and my brother. So they set, I think, a really great example of that. ⁓

early on. So I wanted to model that. So, you have it's worked. right. Yeah. Well, it's pretty well. Tawnie has grown into an incredible woman. As you said, woman, 22 year old woman. What's weird to say that. I know it feels really weird to say that. I can only imagine. Yeah. It seems like yesterday was holding her in my arms and just

I know it's cliche, but it really does go so fast. Like when they used to say, whenever you have a baby, does everyone say? Don't blink. Like don't blink. But it's kind of true. It is true. my goodness. It is true. If I only knew then what I know now. Yeah. Right. ⁓ I have another question for you. So how would you guide other fathers to be able to help them help their kids have a healthy relationship with

health and fitness.

Do the do. Do the do, like Mountain Dew? Not that dew, not the D-E-W, the D-O. Don't just talk the talk, walk the walk. Kids don't listen, they see, they watch, they watch us, they ⁓ emulate, they wanna emulate whatever it is that we do. And we have to be the example, we have to be the role models, we have to be the ones that are walking the walk, not just talking the talk. And so, you know,

that was a super and still is a super important part of my life is ⁓ not just saying I'm going to do something, but actually getting out there and doing it. Taking the necessary steps, taking the necessary action and following through. Because at the end of the day, when our kids can see that we're taking action and we're setting specific goals, we're pursuing those goals and then we're

you know, working hard to pursue those goals on a regular and consistent basis. When they see that we accomplish those things, they see the possibilities for themselves. And so, whether it be working out on a regular basis, going to the gym, you know, ⁓ was, ⁓ was and still is a very important part of, ⁓ of our day, ⁓ and of our week and of our lives. It's part of our lifestyle. I know Tawnie's taken your classes too, your dance class. She has. ⁓ and to be honest, ⁓

She did not enjoy going to the gyms early on as a young child. gotcha. Sure. Yeah, because she was usually going to the kids club or... Yeah, Tyler hated that too. Right? Could not stand it. But once she reached the age of being able to go to the gym on her own, that's her thing now. She's doing Pilates classes. She's lifting. She goes and does strength training on a regular basis. Good for her. When it comes to nutrition, same thing. Do the do. Right? Don't just...

talk a good game ⁓ if you're wanting to lead a healthy lifestyle. And 90 % of that is eating well, balanced. she learned that very early on. think at six years old, she knew what her macronutrients were. She knew she could look at a plate and know where the proteins, the carbs and fats were. She knew how to balance that out. And we always discussed, it's not about getting skinny. It's not about losing weight. It's about being healthy. It's about being strong.

And so she is a 21 year old strong, know, disciplined young woman, which is incredible to see. And of course that ⁓ really fosters confidence and that fosters, you know, independence as well. ⁓ And it's, serving her really well at this point in her life. And it will serve her well for the rest of her life. would, I would, no doubt in my mind. He's like, I hope so.

I do. Yeah. That's a nugget. That's a golden nugget right there. You got to do the do. You know, so often I think parents- the D-E-W. Not the D-E-W. No Mountain Dew. Definitely don't We are not promoting Mountain Dew here at all, ever. But yeah, like I think that so often parents fall into the trap of just telling kids what to do and telling them what's important in life and what to focus on. But you really don't have to tell them anything if you're living it. Yeah. Be the model. Yeah. So the role model is do the do. The D-O.

Do the D.O. So let's kind of flip that and looking now at your experience as a parent as Tawnie's dad, Smoothie's dad, how do you take that experience as a parent to better connect with the community that you serve in the fitness industry? Well, I think when it comes to group exercise, for example,

⁓ Whenever I ask how many of you guys are moms, how many of you are dads, it's the majority of the participants, right? And so right then and there, ⁓ there's a connection point immediately. We can relate on that level. so relatability is the first thing, being able to relate to fellow parents so we can have that conversation. I've been pretty much at every stage along the way. The next step is, I would imagine, perhaps marriage and children.

Perhaps. Those only last. You can tell you're not sure how you feel about it. Puppeteer. I don't know about how that sounds. We're to take our time on that. Slow down. But I think that's the first connection point. You know, as a parent is being able to speak to other fellow parents. We have very a lot of us have very similar experiences. Right. That's true. So it is a shared experience that bonds us for sure.

Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And so that is the first connection point. then I think because of that, that's before class, that's after classes, during class we can connect on that level. But because we are parents, we're able to kind of create that kind of, I don't know, kind of deepen the. ⁓

the level of connection with those people as opposed to just ⁓ superficially. If I didn't have that connection with some of these folks, I can't imagine going on hikes with a lot of these people that we do, having lunches, like post-workout lunches or even pre-workout breakfasts with a lot of these people, hanging out with these folks on ⁓ different occasions, holidays and whatnot. So that's been the biggest. ⁓

connection point, I think that's the, that is the question, right? ⁓ So, yeah. I think the other thing that's really cool, I mean, kind of going back to role modeling. So you, you've got people in your classes who are there experiencing you as a fitness professional, as a leader in the room. So they know that you take exercise seriously. Then when you talk about nutrition, they know you take nutrition seriously.

But I think when you talk about the fact that you're a dad, they take that seriously too. That's another relation point. And the fact that you're making that a part of the experience just shows them by example, hey, I can be a great parent and still show up for my fitness. Cause here's this amazing teacher, Terry, he's doing it. Like he's, talks about his daughter. He's got this amazing daughter. She's doing great. And yet he's here.

Ha, he's always talking. But he's here, he's showing up, and ⁓ so I can too. So it's another opportunity through your role modeling, which you do such an amazing job of. Thank you. Well, I think just- an impact. Yeah, it just allows us to show that the human element, right? Rather than just that professional element. element. We all deal with the human element. yeah. It is true.

So the last real question I have for you is, and this is one you asked me when the tables were turned, we didn't really turn the table. We're turning them now. We're gonna turn it out. But if you could go back to your younger self, what bit of guidance and direction, what bit of advice would you give yourself as it comes to the idea of forward facing, just thriving as both a dad

and a leader? I think ⁓ I would say take your time. Is patience a theme here? It really is. ⁓ Yeah, just in reflection, I would definitely say take your time. And this is something that my dad always said when I was a teenager, because I was always go, go, go, playing three different sports, going to dance classes, going to singing classes and performances and games and everything.

I was always on the go. And he noticed a lot of the times I was always in a rush and he would see me, both my mom and dad would see me get overwhelmed because there's so many and trying to maintain, make sure that I got really solid grades as well. ⁓ They saw that there's, I was creating a lot of pressure for myself. And I think what he meant by slow down, right? Or take your time.

was enjoy the moment, right? Enjoy these moments because you know, our parents, our parents, we didn't think so at the time, but they do, they really do know better, you know, and I really wish I would have taken that advice to heart and live that advice. ⁓ I think it wasn't until that I mentioned this in one of the past episodes, I really have not appreciated the present. I really haven't appreciated, ⁓ you know,

this moment until I went through the YTT, the yoga teacher training, ⁓ that really caused me to slow down and appreciate the time that I'm currently in now, because I'm never getting it back ever again. So that's what I would tell my younger self. I would say it again. Listen to your dad. Slow down. When I was young, my mom always used to say,

stop rushing, it's only going to slow you down. Meaning when you rush, you tend to like make more mistakes, overlook things, and then it just, slows you down. You trip, you forget something, whatever, because you're constantly in go, go, go mode. So I always, when I find myself rushing and I like, I'll forget my phone or my sunglasses, whatever, I'm like, slow down Kimberly. Cause when you rush, it's going to slow you down. So Absolutely. I, I, I, I hear my dad's voice say the exact same thing and I like smile and I chill the

heck out. Yeah, I love it. That's so awesome. So, ⁓ yeah, so that's, think the, the best piece of advice, but it's not, it's not my own, you know, it passed down from my dad and, generally generational, if I could say the word advice is some of the best it is. It is. They've been there. They've done it. And, so have we now, ⁓ we get to pass it down. Tawnie Tyler, watch out. Right. kinds of golden nuggets of wisdom coming your way.

I bet you already do find yourself passing things down to Tawnie that your parents shared with you. for sure. Yeah, there's lots for 21 years. Yeah, there's lots of lots of valuable stuff and ⁓ you know, hopefully if she hasn't picked it picked any of it up now Hopefully, you know when she later on in life when it when it applies maybe even more so the seeds have been planted Yeah, yeah. So before we wrap this up, is there anything else?

that when it comes to the fact that you happen to be a father in our industry who empowers others every day and makes a positive impact on the world, anything else you'd like to share with our listeners? know, I think I would say have fun in this process, you know, as a parent. A lot of us, because of the different hats that we wear as parents, as

business owners, as employees, pillars in our community and whatnot. A lot of times I think that... ⁓

You know, I think that ⁓ we take life really, really seriously, too seriously. know, everything, we kind of talked about this earlier on your episode, but ⁓ everything has to be perfect or as perfect as possible. We try to get as perfect as possible. And I think it's just enjoying the process is what we have to do no matter what, whether it's parenting.

whether it's our fitness journey, have to enjoy, figure out a way to enjoy the process, be creative if we have to, get advice from somebody else, how can I make this more fun? So I continue to do more of it and I continue to do it consistently and I continue to do it well, again, whether it's parenting, whether it's fitness related and or both. ⁓ That is one of the things I just see so many people.

When I go to the gym, it's more like a have to rather than a get to. And then also I see some parents who treat having to take their kids to the practices or their games or their shows or their rehearsals as a have to rather than this is a get to. Absolutely. So enjoy, enjoy, enjoy, and make it a fun, fun experience. And it'll just make life so much sweeter.

And I think it makes your connection with the people you care about that much deeper. Absolutely. When you're in the moment with someone and they can tell that you're enjoying the moment, the experience being with them. It's a game changer. ⁓ for sure. For sure. Unforgettable. I love it. That is great advice. Really great advice. Well, beautiful people out there. I, I love that conversation. Thank you so much. I'm so glad that I got to ask.

My brother from another mother here, some questions I told you he was going to show up in the only way Terry knows how and that is with his whole heart and with humor and straight up wisdom. So to all the dads out there, just some reminders, your presence matters, your energy echoes and your ability to empowering, to empower others, starting with your kids. That is a gift that keeps on giving. to my cohost and

My brother here, my dear, dear friend, Terry, thank you so much just for being a living example of what it means to lead your life with intention and with impact and with integrity because we're calling this series Dads Who Empower. And anytime I get to spend time with you, I am both inspired and feel empowered. And I know for a fact that anyone else...

that spends time with you feels the same way, whether it's in a group setting in your classes or one-on-one in any scenario. And that is just a gift that you give the world. And I just want you to know that we, as the world, appreciate it. You're the entire world. I'm representing the world here. But the fact of matter is, it wasn't at Mother Teresa that said, don't leave another person without making them better. There's something along those lines. I remember the words. you're just.

You live that. So thank you for that. listeners listening or watching on YouTube, please do share this episode. If something lifted you up that Terry shared, and I'm sure that it did so many golden nuggets there share with others that could be inspired by it. If you're on one of the podcast platforms, we would love to get a review from you. It really helps us out in a big way. Follow the show, download the episodes.

Check us out, leave comments on YouTube or connect with us on Instagram. And we're doing dads who empower this the whole month of June. So more to come, but until next time, we just want you to keep moving, keep showing up, keep living your healthiest, happiest life. else? That's it. This is Group X appeal and we appreciate you showing up for us. Thank you for the questions. was a pleasure. And that is it for today. And so.

As always, we encourage you to make it a great day and why, Kimberly? Because it's a great day to have. Yes, it is. Thank you. Much love.