May 15, 2017

Meet Beth Szabo of 7 On Centre in Brookline

Local Stories

Today we’d like to introduce you to Beth Szabo.

Beth, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I opened my first holistic health & wellness business in 2001 in FrankIin, MA and fell in love with reiki and how it worked as a healing facilitator in the lives of my clients. By 2011 I was ecstatic to hear that Brigham & Women’s and Dana Farber were launching a reiki volunteer team to offer treatments to patients. I knew this was history in the making, and I knew I had to go to Boston to be a part of it! I became one of the first original members of that team and volunteered giving treatments in the trauma/burn units, the ICU, cardiology, and oncology. I loved all the patients and never stopped being amazed by the healing I got to witness, but I especially fell in love with the oncology patients. In 2012, I extended my volunteering services to cancer patients at the AstraZeneca Hope Lodge in Jamaica Plain and after several years of driving from Hopedale to Boston multiple times every week to volunteer, I realized it was time to make the city my home.

I established 7 On Centre in 2012 and have continued to grow and expand my services over the years to include wellness coaching, spiritual guidance and homeopathic remedies. There seems to be an incredible demand for reiki and other holistic therapies both as a compliment and alternative to traditional medicine. I feel blessed to help people on their path to wellness and want to do as much as I can to help as many as possible.

Has it been a smooth road?
Being in the business of alternative/holistic healing in Massachusetts in 2001 was not exactly a mainstream thing to do. A lot of marketing, mostly focused on educating the public on the benefits of holistic therapies, went into my first 5 years. Energy healing was not readily accepted and I’m sure a lot of people, including my friends and family, thought I was crazy to think I could have a successful business.

Bumps in the road… Let’s just say things didn’t go as planned but I am a firm believer that we set the plan and God determines the route we will take to get there. From my experience, it’s certainly not a straight line. There have most definitely been some struggles, set-backs, disappointments and surprises yet I am so glad I didn’t give up when I felt like it. I had to close my first business after a tough divorce in 2003. It took me 2 years to recover financially and emotionally. I opened a new location that was going strong, I had the support of a local chiropractor and an established spa owner and we were headed into partnership when the bottom dropped out. My friend and colleague backed out after $50,000 in build-out had been completed. To say heartbroken would be putting it mildly.

Over the years I’ve also dealt with chronic Lyme’s disease and its unpredictable symptoms and in 2016 it reoccurred and did it’s best to take me out of the game but I am not one to give up. Healer, heal thyself is something that I have to live by. As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to work all the time because I’m fueled by passion and it doesn’t feel like work. The challenge is always balance. I need to be reminded to take time for myself and to enjoy…

So let’s switch gears a bit and go into the 7 On Centre story. Tell us more about the business.
The core of 7 On Centre is most definitely reiki treatments, though over the course of time, in response to clients’ needs, I have expanded services to include health and wellness coaching, homeopathic remedies and spiritual guidance – people are looking for more than just a “treatment” to feel better, they’re looking for guidance and support. I guess that’s what I’m most known for – my personal investment in supporting my clients to feel well and to live a life they love. I invite my clients to call, text, or email me with questions any time they need support. I really want to be the person they can come to when they feel there is no one else to turn to. I’m known for – caring, beyond the hour or so they pay me for, caring enough to direct them to other resources and support systems, and mostly caring enough to consistently empower them to feel perfect, whole and complete as soon as possible.

As a company, I’m most proud of being able to give back to the community. We contribute to some amazing non-profits through Social Seam – charities like Revolution of Hope, Food For Free, Green Streets Initiative, FabLab Hub and many more. We’ve also sponsored an event I created in 2015, T.H.I.S. Day (There’s Hope In Sight), a vision board workshop for cancer patients at AstraZeneca Hope Lodge and I’m looking for a larger space this year to offer it to cancer patients throughout the city. The patients loved it and were so grateful – I’m excited to do it again. I’ve also in the planning stages of creating a fund for cancer patients to receive free reiki treatments outside of the hospital setting. I see a real need, but I can’t do it alone. I’m open to any guidance or support to make this happen. It’s amazing what a team of passionate people can create!

How do you think the industry will change over the next decade?
Wow, great question! I get excited about my industry and where it’s headed. I think alternative and holistic therapies will be mainstream in 10 years. I can see it already with Reiki and other therapies readily available to patients in all the Boston hospitals. I also see things going more mobile with an increase in skype appointments. As a Health Coach I already spend a lot of time with phone appointments and I think it’s important to people that they can get the help they need without always having to walk in to an establishment. I also would expect to see continued growth in Apps that allow people to monitor their own well-being and/or to report it in to their practitioner as an ongoing practice.

I guess mostly I see practitioners and patients forming a partnership, working together to determine which lifestyle choices and support systems will help the patient achieve their wellness goals. I think it’s going to be so refreshing and empowering for people.

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