The Inner Mammal Institute helps people build their power over their mammalian brain chemistry. Happiness comes from chemicals we’ve inherited from earlier mammals: dopamine, serotonin, oxytocin and endorphin. When you know how they work in animals, your ups and downs make sense. Our happy chemicals evolved to reward survival behaviors, not to make us feel good all the time. But you can feel good more often when you understand nature’s operating system. The IMI has all the resources you need to make peace with your inner mammal: books, videos, podcasts, infographics, slideshows, blogs, facebook, twitter, a zoo tour and a training program. And check out our MEDIA page and praise page to find out what people are saying about the Inner Mammal Method. It’s not easy being mammal, but you can build your power over the quirky brain we’ve inherited.
Read the Core Concepts of the Inner Mammal Institute
Loretta Graziano Breuning, PhD
Founder and Author
I am Professor Emerita of Management at California State University, East Bay. As a teacher and a mom, I was not convinced by prevailing theories of human motivation. Then I learned about the brain chemistry of animals, and everything made sense. I knew this information could help people, so I set about creating resources. I’m thrilled that they’ve helped thousands of people around the world, and have been translated into Spanish, Russian, Chinese, Arabic, French, Turkish and German.
Before teaching, I was a United Nations Volunteer in Africa, where I learned about the mammalian custom of bribery. Later, I volunteered as a Docent at the Oakland Zoo, where I gave family-friendly tours on the social behavior of mammals. I’m a graduate of Cornell and Tufts, and the proud mother of tax-paying adults. And every day I appreciate the similarity between the field notes of a primatologist and the lyrics to a love song. More about me below.
William Sharp

Chief Technology Officer
Bill keeps everything running at the Inner Mammal Institute. Technology fails, but he persists. He is also the composer of our podcast’s theme music!