When electrons from the Earth enter the human body, they neutralize the excess positive charge and balance the electrical potential in the body, a process that is beneficial to our health, also known as “grounding.” This very concept is the driven force behind Pluggz, a brand of footwear that is embedded with a proprietary “grounding” technology that maintains the wearer’s health with every step.
In 2011, veteran entrepreneur Sharon Whiteley founded LiSTEN Brands Inc., an innovative enterprise that serves the needs of the health-conscious and the informed.
“I was attending a health and wellness conference, and it was there that I learned about the concept of grounding, which is also called ‘earthing’,” Whiteley says. “As I learned more about it, [it] just came to me in a big aha moment that there will be no better way to ground people than through their feet.”
That idea soon became a groundwork that spawned a line of footwear that enables the wearer to stay healthy without requiring much energy; grounding also boasts a long list of benefits that it brings to the human body.
“Grounding reduces inflammation, and inflammation is proven to be a really major cause of many conditions and even diseases, so that’s a huge benefit,” Whiteley says.
Aside from decreasing inflammation, electrons stabilize blood pressure, increase circulation and reduce stress.
With a solid concept, Whiteley and her team dedicated a whole year to researching and 
developing the most great-looking and comfortable shoes they possibly could.
The reason for that dedication is that Whiteley didn’t want her product to appeal only to the health-conscious. She wanted to target the mainstream marketplace, so she set out with a goal to make footwear that looks and feels great.
Comfortable with the design, Whiteley launched the first line in the Pluggz brand last fall. She said that the reception she’s received from customers has been terrific.
“There are some women probably buying them because they’re great looking and very comfortable,” says Whiteley. “And there are people probably buying them because they ground you.”
Whiteley believes another selling point of her products is that they use natural energy to benefit wearers, a concept with which a lot of people can get on board.
“People understand nature and the fact that there’s a lot of natural energy near us, so it’s an incredible concept and it’s really beneficial to peoples’ bodies,” Whiteley says.
The shoe market is a battlefield filled with countless brand names and shoes that come with limitless sizes and shapes, but Whiteley is confident that her products have what it takes to stand out from the flock.
“We’re the only shoe company that has grounded footwear,” claims Whiteley. “We’re really a company that has gone through great effort to make a shoe that is very well-engineered and well-constructed – but also very fashionable.”
Riding on positive reception, Whiteley is looking forward to expanding the Pluggz brand with new products that boast new design – launching this Fall. Whiteley also shares her plan to include more product choices for men.
Feet-on Impression:
I had the opportunity to try out a pair of Pluggz flip-flops myself, and it’s unlike any footwear I’ve put on before. The difference is immediately noticeable, as the pair gave my feet the sensation as if they were bare. Due to the unique design of the flip-flop – it has a little bump right at the middle, which took me a bit of time to get used to, but when I eventually did, it became my default pair of flip-flops. And – it works great with the hot, dry weather of a Phoenix summer.
Pluggz can be found online at http://www.pluggz.com
