Personal Reflections by Michelle Pryor
Meeting Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw in 1991 was an honor that changed my life. For me, getting to know Durk and Sandy was about understanding who they truly were and what drove their remarkable work. Our 30 year friendship was built on shared moments — exchanging birthday and Christmas cards and learning from their vast scientific knowledge and expertise.
A Dynamic Duo
Durk and Sandy were steadfast advocates for public access to health information. As leading anti-aging experts since 1968, their influential book, Freedom of Informed Choice: FDA Versus Nutrient Supplements, tackles the FDA’s restrictions on health claims. Jonathan Emord, a constitutional lawyer who Durk and Sandy enlisted in their fight for free speech and supplement advocacy, played a significant role in their legal journey that began in 1992 when they challenged FDA regulations limiting supplement health claims. In 1999 Durk and Sandy won a landmark First Amendment case with the U.S. Court of Appeals with Jonathan Emord’s help. This victory marked a major step toward public access to reliable health information. (Read more.) Meeting Jonathan Emord further strengthened our resolve to join the movement to make quality supplements available to everyone.
Behind The Scenes
In 1992, they made a decision to move from California to Tonopah, Nevada, where they sought to establish a quieter, more private life. Greg and I made the journey to visit them in this new setting, a remote quaint town with an old west flare, a mining history, one stoplight and a few businesses. Durk drove us around his newly acquired properties and took us on a tour of its historic mining sites and ghost towns. We learned that Tonapah is also an area with lots of Star Gazing and close to “AREA 51”. Tonopah was the perfect place for them — peaceful, private, and reflective of their desire to live life on their own terms and a place for Durk to play cowboy!
Getting Started
Our introduction to Durk and Sandy occurred around the time Greg retired from the MLB. As a former professional baseball player and athlete with a 16-year career, he never wanted to grow old. He understood the need to include nutritional supplements to help slow the aging process, help his body heal faster, and boost his energy. We soon became believers in Durk and Sandy’s Designer Food® formulas, experiencing the benefits of them personally. The results we experienced when we included Durk and Sandy’s Designer Food™ formulas in our daily regimen birthed a passion within us to share this good news on a broader scale, resulting in us founding Life Priority Inc. Health & Nutrition in 1994.
30-Years and Counting
In October 2024 we celebrated our 30-year anniversary as Life Priority. Over the past three decades, we’ve had the privilege of collaborating with pioneers in the industry like Durk Pearson and Sandy Shaw, as well as industry leaders like Bill Faloon of Life Extension, Will Block, Dale Fowekes, and Adam Dieter, all individuals who helped shape the health and wellness landscape as we know it today.
Life Priority was created with the support and help of Durk and Sandy, whose Designer Food® formulas were the foundation for Life Priority supplements and have changed our lives and the lives of our loyal customers. We will continue to make these extraordinary supplements available and will remain true to the quality standards and formulations they established. Durk and Sandy used the products they developed and received the Designer Food® formulas from Life Priority just as our customers do today.
In remembering Durk and Sandy, I will always remember their signature they always used: Live Long and Prosper.
Thank you, my incredible friends and Life Priority Designer Food® formulators. I will truly miss our weekly talks on health and great conversations on world events! Thank you for the time you invested in researching my questions on behalf of a client’s health issues. The deposits you made in my life will live on. Durk, you were our “wizard of Oz”. You and Sandy were like salt and pepper (Sandy was the spicy one). You are now back together!
Greg Pryor and Passing The Touch
I met Durk Pearson & Sandy Shaw for the first time in 1993 in Dallas, TX. I had become a distributor of a company that was licensed to sell their Designer Food® formulas. In that 3 hour meeting, I learned things from Durk & Sandy that would change my life forever. Durk & Sandy are national treasures and their wisdom and work have helped millions of people live healthier lives.
Michelle and I have worked with Durk & Sandy over the last 30 years. We will miss them greatly. We will continue to expose people to their Designer Food® formulas through Life Priority, Inc.
Since 1991, I have experienced the great results of using nutritional formulas that work and which were created by a genius and his wife that help people feel better, have more energy, heal faster, and slow up the aging process.
Although Durk & Sandy have both passed, Life Priority will continue to introduce as many people as possible to the formulas that changed my life in 1991 and that I use each day.
Thank you, Durk & Sandy, for leaving your mark on the health of millions of people through your Designer Food® formulas found at www.lifepriority.com
We celebrate your lives and the contributions you have made. We will carry the torch of health, wellness and longevity to the world.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. The products and statements made about specific products on this web site have not been evaluated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease. All information provided on this web site or any information contained on or in any product label or packaging is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for advice from your physician or other health care professional. You should not use the information on this web site for diagnosis or treatment of any health problem. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new vitamins, supplements, diet, or exercise program, before taking any medication, or if you have or suspect you might have a health problem.