Pamela : Hi, this is Pamela Wirth with the Encourage of Wellness podcast, and today I have Bershan Shaw. She is the CEO of an international warrior coach training and motivational speaking program. Bershan, your background and your bio are so extensive, I’m barely touching 1% of everything you’re involved in. Thank you so much for being here.
Bershan Shaw : Oh, thank you so much. I’m so glad to be here. Thank you for inviting me.
Pamela : So, tell us a little bit about your background, how you’ve gotten to where you are, some of the pivotal moments, and what you’re doing now to help so many people.
Bershan Shaw : Oh wow, it’s been a journey. About 15 years ago, I was diagnosed with stage one breast cancer. Then, two years later, it progressed to stage four. The cancer had spread all over my body, into my bones, everywhere. Hearing you have stage four cancer and a doctor telling you that you have terminal cancer with no cure really shakes you up mentally, physically, and spiritually. That just couldn’t be my journey. I remember getting on my knees when I heard the news. I prayed and said, “God, if you keep me alive, I will motivate and inspire people all over the world. Just keep me alive.” And that’s what launched my journey as the warrior coach. I became passionate about living. When you’re told you have stage four cancer, it’s like you’re going to live or die. Which one will you choose? I chose to live. The journey began when I heard it. I remember clearly, the doctor asked if I believed in miracles, and I said, “Hell yeah, I believe in miracles.” I’ll see you in 10 years, and it’s been 15 years. Cancer wakes you up. It woke me up in a big way to start living, activating, doing, and supporting everything. It activated me.
Pamela : That’s a huge thing to digest. When you’re going through this process, it’s not only a physical game but also a huge mental game. What helped you stay focused? I’ve had diagnoses, and thankfully, they didn’t go the way they initially thought. I’ve helped others with serious diagnoses, including my mom with her stage four cancer. I find that in the middle of it, you can’t think straight. Who did you lean on, and how did you get your brain together?
Bershan Shaw : Yeah, it’s really hard. Who did I lean on? God. My faith grew stronger. You talk about faith a lot, but do you really follow through? Faith and fear don’t operate in the same place. Faith is something you really have to lean on. Also, my friends. It’s a mental game, a really strong mental game. I realized I had to be strong and show up for myself.
Pamela : Did you have a routine, a certain meditation, or something specific you did?
Bershan Shaw : Oh yeah.
Pamela : What did you do?
Bershan Shaw : Every morning, I’d wake up, meditate, listen to something positive, light candles, burn sage, and really get into myself. I wrote down positive affirmations like “I’m healthy,” “My body is healthy,” “Every bone in my body is healthy.” It’s really a mind game. This mindset transformed into my business, my success, and who I am. I tell people when I coach large organizations or companies, giving up is easy. Pushing through is hard. It’s a mental thing.
Pamela : When you’re helping people through this and coaching, do you have a specific set of steps you follow? Is it more flexible based on the group? Is there a certain workbook or framework you use?
Bershan Shaw : Yes, I have a method called the “You Are a Warrior” method. It involves personal development, self-improvement, motivation, and support. Everyone goes through my method. Personal development is about developing yourself, self-improvement is about improving yourself, motivation is about staying motivated, and support is about community and whatever you need to help you get by. These are my four pillars of life. No matter what you do, cancer is just a disease. I always ask, “What is the cancer that’s holding you back?” Even in a job, if you have personal development, self-improvement, motivation, and support, you heal. You become happier and healthier.
Pamela : You can’t just start on January 1 and hope for the best. What’s your follow-up and cadence? When do you stop and take a look at yourself, write things down? Sometimes I do it daily, sometimes I fall out of rhythm and it becomes weekly. Do you have something that helps you stay on track and reminds you?
Bershan Shaw : You know, yeah, good point. I try to get up every morning and meditate or read, or do something positive. It's a regimen. I have to start my day with something, or you just wake up groggy and tired. Get up with a smile, say, "I'm alive," say, "I made it another day," say, "I did this." You have to tell yourself that, or you're just surviving, not thriving.
Pamela : That's true. I have to circle back for a second because I know people are going to want to know: when you were going through the cancer treatments, did you do anything outside of the regular radiation, chemo, and surgery?
Bershan Shaw : Oh yeah, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. I did everything. Let me tell you, Pamela, I did everything. I changed my diet. I no longer eat meat. I exercised, I did Reiki, I did green juices, mushrooms. You have to take control of your health. You cannot put your health in someone else's hands. I tell people this: it’s not just Western doctors, it’s Eastern doctors, it’s exercising, it’s eating well. It’s a regimen.
Pamela : Yeah, you know, I think a lot of these diagnoses are a sign that your body is totally out of whack. The question is, what's it going to take to get it back to where it needs to be? I think we're still learning a lot about what that means in terms of energy, nutrition, and past things that have happened to us. You know, going back to Reiki, I think there are really cool things we’re still learning about in different modalities. So, I love that.
Bershan Shaw : Yeah, so I think when you face something like this, it’s like, do everything. I mean exercise. My doctors always say I’m the poster child because I did everything. One thing they can say is, "Bershan, you did everything." I did and I still do today.
Pamela : So, do you find you’re mostly vegan now?
Bershan Shaw : You know, I was vegan for like 14 years. I do eat a little fish, just for my hair and stuff like that. But yes, I definitely haven’t had meat in 15 years.
**Pamela**: Yeah, and then supplementation is kind of tricky too because sometimes doctors say it helps cancer cells grow, and sometimes they say it doesn’t, that your body needs the nutrition. What sort of supplements have you found helpful, or ones that you went against the grain and took anyway?
Bershan Shaw : Oh, I think I went against the grain with everything. During chemo, they said don’t juice, and I juiced every day. I ate something healthy every day. I cannot believe that you want your body to not have nutrients while going through chemo; it doesn’t make logical sense to me. I wanted to stay as healthy as I could, so I juiced. I still do. I take vitamin D, turmeric, garlic, elderberry—I do everything to keep my body strong.
Pamela : What about a vegan Omega or something? I know a lot of people don’t like fish omegas, but there's something to be said about the inflammatory benefits. Do you do any algae or anything like that?
Bershan Shaw : I do spirulina, I do chlorophyll. Yes, I do those too. They’re very important.
Pamela : Yeah, isn’t that the truth?
Bershan Shaw : We are on the same page. Yes.
Pamela : Okay, back to coaching. You've been on television shows. What are some of your favorite ways of being with people, helping people? What really gets you jazzed?
Bershan Shaw : You know, it’s funny. I was on these shows as a coach, and now people say I’m an actress. I’m far from an actress, but the shows got millions of hits, so people say I’m an actress and it gets 40 million views. I’m not an actress, but okay. Coaching people—I get hundreds of DMs, emails, and calls a day.
Pamela : Wow.
Bershan Shaw : Right? People ask what to do, how to stay healthy—all of that. I get it all the time. Reaching out to people is so important to me.
Pamela : Do you have an automated system, a class, or a course? How are you able to help so many people? It’s impossible if you’re getting that much outreach.
Bershan Shaw : Yeah, no. I have free audibles, free recipes, and I have a team. I have a huge team of coaches, and that’s what I love. I love giving back.
Pamela : Any particular age range that you prefer, or do you work with men, women, specific skill sets?
Bershan Shaw : I’ve got to tell you, I’m a woman’s gal. I love women because we’re the underdog in life. I love coaching women, helping them get their mindset right. I go to companies all around the country, helping them gain focus and clarity. It means the world to me. So, probably 40s, 50s, 60s.
Pamela : Yeah, mature enough to handle feedback.
Bershan Shaw : Yes, exactly. Mature enough to handle feedback, right? Because it's not personal; you’ve got to get it together.
Pamela : Yeah, isn't that the truth?
Bershan Shaw : Powerful. It's so, so powerful. So, tell me about Encouraging Wellness.
Pamela : Yeah, thanks. The Encouraging Wellness podcast is really important to me. I feature really cool healing stories, such as your own, and doctors with unique ways of healing people through different modalities. The way I got into this was through my two healthy teenage boys now, but one of them was misdiagnosed with OCD, Tourette's, anxiety, depression, and autism. He was regressing quickly, and I was told I’d have to take care of him for the rest of his life. I thought, no, there’s got to be another way. I kept going to doctor after doctor until I finally found one originally from the Philippines, educated at UCLA. This doctor suggested pulling some blood work to find out what was going on inside. The blood work showed he was low in vitamin D3, B12, and had a genetic marker MTHFR, which means he doesn’t detox properly or absorb vitamins and minerals if he has any folic acid in his body. He needed methyl folate. The solution was simple: remove folic acid from processed foods and add methyl folate, which costs about $9 a month. He also had CMV, a common virus with flu-like symptoms, and high strep titers, even though he was negative for strep throat. The doctor explained that all these issues made his immune system stop working, and the infection had crossed the blood-brain barrier, causing motor, vocal, and mood problems. The doctor assured me it was totally reversible, but it would take about a year to fix his gut. So, we used organic prebiotics and 15 different probiotics daily, removed gluten and sugar, and treated the infection. About a year later, he popped back and hasn’t left us since. He’s now a straight-A student and a lead athlete. This journey taught me that one in every five people has an autoimmune disorder, and we might not be looking into why our bodies are inflamed. The same goes for autism; maybe we’re just not looking at everything 100%. I know that’s controversial, but the research supports it.
Bershan Shaw : Was that a special doctor or a regular doctor?
Pamela : MD neurologist, believe it or not.
Bershan Shaw : Oh, wow.
Pamela : I know, super cool. This doctor taught me how to make supplements at home and about certain powerful herbs. I ended up writing a book along with other doctors and families, then launched the podcast and a supplement company. Recently, I became a certified health coach to have some legitimacy behind it. It’s fun and interesting. My mom was diagnosed with kidney cancer 20 years ago, then stage four ovarian cancer six years ago, and stage two breast cancer 18 months ago. She’s supposed to have been dead a long time ago, but after 18 chemotherapies and two radiations last year, we went to a renowned medical institution. They said it was time to plan for the end, but she didn’t want to. So, we started looking into alternative treatments. She began writing positive things, reading positive books, disassociating from negative people, and we took her to Mexico for stem cells and natural cancer-killing cells.
Bershan Shaw : Which place?
Pamela : We started at Biomedical, then moved to Oasis of Hope for a more amped-up version. They did a PET scan after the other institution refused. The PET scan showed only five tumors in her abdomen, all ovarian cancer. They surgically removed one of the tumors with margins, took it to the lab, and combined it with her super T cells to teach her body to kill that type of tumor. So far, so good.
Bershan Shaw : Oasis of Hope did that?
Pamela : Yep, it’s awesome.
Bershan Shaw : So it's like immunotherapy, which they did.
Pamela : Yes, but what I found is there's all different kinds of immunotherapy. One immunotherapy is not the same as another.
Bershan Shaw : Yeah, exactly.
Pamela : So, yes.
Bershan Shaw : Wow. And so what do you have her on in terms of supplements and vitamins and stuff?
Pamela : Yeah, so they have her on a number of things, and I continue to keep her on things that are anti-inflammatory in nature. Right now, she's on a vegan diet with meat once or twice a week, plus fish occasionally. This has been a big change for her. She went from keto to now trying to be 100% vegan, but she feels terrible on a fully vegan diet. So, we meet in the middle, and she can have meat or fish once or twice a week. That seems to be working for her; she looks forward to those.
Bershan Shaw : Love it. Do you have her on any supplements or vitamins?
Pamela : I have her on prebiotics, probiotics to keep her gut clear, turmeric, oregano, olive leaf extract, cinnamon, garlic, and omega.
Bershan Shaw : Yeah, yeah, yeah, okay, good. That sounds promising; it sounds good.
Pamela : Yeah, and what's been really fun is every time I go down there, I meet new people with super cool healing stories. There was a girl with brain cancer, and her tumors were palpable on the top of her head. Within three weeks, they were gone. It's amazing what can be done.
Bershan Shaw : Are they still alive? I pray they are surviving.
Pamela : Oh, yeah, they're doing well.
Bershan Shaw : And this is just from doing immunotherapy and all the different things they do?
Pamela : Yes, they also did the hyperthermia where they heat your body up and then cool it down, ozone IVs where they pull out some blood, run it through ultraviolet light and ozone gas, and put it back in. It helps your body focus on what's really important.
Bershan Shaw : All of this stuff is so good. I know, but it's expensive, right?
Pamela : It's much cheaper in Tijuana than it is up here. Most of the stuff we get up here costs four or five times as much. For her to be down there for a month was $35,000. To put it in perspective, Medicare pays the internationally known medical institution $55,000 every time she got chemotherapy, and she had 18 of those. If you're thinking about the system, maybe we could consider changing it a bit.
Bershan Shaw : It's true. Oh, God, it's so true. I feel so bad for people who don't have the funds because it's hard to navigate.
Pamela : Or you're too clouded and freaked out, or you don't know. I thought this whole thing was crazy, and she thought it was crazy until she was told that's it. Then she thought, what do I have to lose? Sure, let's do it.
Bershan Shaw : Yeah, yeah, wow, wow.
Pamela : But you shouldn't have to get to the point where you feel like there's nothing else to lose before you go and do that.
Bershan Shaw : True. Oh, what a beautiful story. Yes, we have a lot in common.
Pamela : Yes, so when people are thinking about hiring you, how do they find you? What do you like to do the most?
Bershan Shaw : I love to coach companies and retreats. What I really love to do is change mindsets. Most people are stuck in the same old ways; they're comfortable. I help people get uncomfortable because that's how you reach your goals for a successful, happier, healthier life.
Pamela : You've got so much that you touch on when it comes to diversity and law. What is your background educationally?
Bershan Shaw : I went to Syracuse for undergraduate. I was president of the university, so I've always been a leader. I was a Communications major and then went to NYU for business and Communications.
Pamela : Okay.
Bershan Shaw : Masters, right. So, everything with me has always been communicating and business, and I've always had the entrepreneurial spirit. I'm an entrepreneur at heart.
Pamela : Yeah, it's fun to create and grow. When you're working through a dysfunctional team and resolving conflict, I always find it's an interesting dilemma between being 100% transparent and being careful about making someone feel embarrassed or excluded. What do you do to raise that for discussion without anyone feeling put out? Challenging it can be beneficial too, but it has to be done carefully.
Bershan Shaw : First of all, I make it a safe space for people to share. That is the number one thing. I tell everyone, "Let's sit down, take the ego out, take the bravado out, take the sizing someone else out. I'm better than him, he's like... let's take all of that out. Let's really talk, have a 360 talk, because this talk is here to help and heal, and let's move forward in a positive way." When you take those things out, it's funny. I remember coaching a woman who was very high up in a top hotel brand. She could be CEO, but she never thought she could because of her mindset. She always thought no one liked her, but she was holding herself back. We have these notions like, "This person doesn't like me, they don't think I'm good enough." I said, "Change it. What if you asked and found out you were wrong?" She thought two top people didn't like her because they weren't connecting. When I told her to ask, it turned out they thought she was avoiding them. We get it wrong because we're in our heads and always judging. That's the thing with teams. Someone might say something about a team member, but you don't know what someone's gone through. They missed a meeting, but maybe their mom died, or their daughter is struggling with substance abuse. You don't know.
Pamela : That's true. In business, there are a lot of frameworks for creating operational efficiencies, but I don't know if any of them also do well in culture, communication, and fostering togetherness. Have you found any that are good at that, or do you have to be aware and force that into some methodologies?
Bershan Shaw : I find that I have to force it in when I come in. We're not in the 80s or 90s where your boss tells you what to do, and you do it and shut up. Now, it's about culture and communication. If you don't set that well, you lose. People quit in a heartbeat, or it goes viral if it's a horrible place. There's a million different things. Now, it's all about the culture and communication. If you don't have that, you lose people, productivity, bottom lines, and a good environment. Bad apples and people who don't care emerge. I see it in companies all the time. That's why I have a system and do regimens with my teams all the time. We're having a big in-person meeting this weekend for team building. It's very important.
Pamela : How often do you do a skip level where you talk to someone below your direct report to make sure they feel heard? Do you prefer more of an open communication style?
Bershan Shaw : All the time. We're in different times. We're not in the 70s and 80s. If you don't do it, you'll miss out big time. You've got to have people heard. I read about Louis Vuitton. When LVMH started making a huge profit, the CEO started going down to the mailman. Bernard Arnault, the head of LVMH, went down to every department head to see what's really happening. He wanted them to be heard. That was huge.
Pamela : That is huge. Any last thoughts? Anything I missed?
Bershan Shaw : My whole mission is about finding your inner warrior. What I ask everyone is to find your inner warrior, find your strength, purpose, and passion. It doesn't matter if you have a hiccup, a health journey, a psychological journey, a financial journey, or whatever. Find your inner warrior.
Pamela : That's awesome. Thank you so much, Bershan. How can people find out more about you? We'll put those in the show notes as well.
Bershan Shaw : Thank you. Everything is under Bershan Shaw. LinkedIn, Instagram, and my websites are bershan.com and warriortraininginternational.com.
Pamela : Awesome. Thank you so much.
Bershan Shaw : Thank you. What a great interview.