Beth Segaloff, Founder of Tree of Life Centers
Name: Beth Segaloff
Founder: Tree of Life Centers
What's your elevator pitch? (Ie. In one sentence, what do you do?)
I am an EMDR therapist and yoga teacher who works with teens, families and communities who experience grief and trauma so they can shift from stress, anxiety and overwhelm towards calm confidence and connection through individual therapy, group offerings and Life School 360.
What's your story? Share how you got to where you are and WHY it is you do what you do.
Going through a divorce when my son was only two years old was incredibly challenging. And it led me to discover inner strength and bravery. I was blessed to find true love again. Six weeks into dating, Ben said, “I have good news and bad news. The good news is, we are getting married next summer on the beach. The bad news is that I am being deployed.” A little over one year later, two men in uniform knocked on my door and told me that Ben was killed in Afghanistan.
The weight of grief became unbearable, and it also opened doors to unresolved experiences from my adolescence and young adulthood— sexual assault and an eating disorder. Talk therapy was helpful but I still felt so stuck. I experienced profound peace when a friend offered me Reiki, which ignited a spark and led me towards a path of spiritual awakening.
Another powerful healing modality, EMDR, helped reshape my relationship with the past, while my yoga mat evolved into a sacred sanctuary where I could fully embrace and honor my emotions and physical sensations. I had been a school social worker for 16 years, but I knew I needed a shift. I wanted to give back to others in all the ways that I was healing. So I became a Reiki master, EMDR therapist, yoga teacher (yoga Nidra, yoga for kids, grief), and a breathwork facilitator.
I knew that I wanted to created and hold safe spaces for others. I wanted to be there for teenagers in the way that I needed.
A why: to create and hold loving space, to BE with others, to educate, to witness, to provide experiences to FEEL different possibilities.
My why with Life School 360: I WISH I had this growing up! As a culture, we are acknowledging mental health more but we need a different approach! I want to bring a new narrative and rebrand mental health, offering a Whole Health approach: mind, emotions, body and intuition.To offer teens, families and communities information, connection and resources.
BIG goals: to bring this to vulnerable communities that may not have access to this type of work. And to schools and organizations.
What does BEING a FoundHer mean to you?
Connection! To learn and grow from other women, and to be a resource of support where I can offer. To be aligned with a group of creative, smart, supportive women.
How do you support other female founders and women in business?
Listen with curiosity, ask questions, reflect back, ask first before offering a suggestion, encourage and cheerlead!! And celebrate all along the way.
At what point did you make your company a full time gig? How did you know the time was right?
When I left my school social work job in 2014. I was working in a school part time and trying to grow a practice at the same time. I knew I had to close one door to create space for a big unknown!
What lesson or skill did you take with you from a prior job to help you succeed in your role today?
How important communication is; to be as explicit as often as possible.
Let’s talk social media—who handles it for your company (you, an internal team member, an outsourced solution?) and what is the secret to making it successful? What is the biggest challenge?
I "handle" my social media. It's not "successful" and I have never stuck with a plan! I need help with this OR I need help hiring the right person.
What is something you do differently from the industry standard?
I use a very integrated approach I call “Whole Health”. For example, when doing a workshop, rather than talking about mental health I will offer information AND I will offer an experience. So, as I introduce the layers of the system, you will experience feeling the shift more than solely talking about it.
I offer multiple perspectives and learning styles to reflect the need to see from different perspectives.
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