Today is perhaps one of the most thrilling days of my life—thank you for sharing it with me. My spa journey began well over a decade ago and never did I believe that I would become a coFounder of a spa technology company. Hold on for a few, there’s a story coming, so I appreciate your patience. I promise, future posts, will be not be quite as lengthy, but launching a company is a once in a lifetime experience and those of you who have met me understand my need for sharing (and talking).
I’ve always been a believer in the timing of life events. We have all heard it, things happen for a reason when they should. It’s all about being in the right place at the right time. Last year, I had reached a crossroads in life and had the opportunity to have some time to think about my next move. I am very fortunate to have worked with many spas and spa schools with product selection, sales training, brand development and other fun things and I also owned a luxury day spa for a while and I was wondering what could I do to find happiness and help others. As I took this time for myself to figure out my next chapter, I knew one thing for sure—I love spas.
I love meeting new people and building relationships so I’ve always enjoyed spa people (the people who work there and the guests who come to visit) and the overall experience of helping others to feel better, look better, and helping them achieve their definition of wellness. Moreover, I am in love with spa products, from understanding ingredients to the stories of why people create brands to the amazing results we’ve all seen in treatment rooms nationwide. I also love helping people and businesses succeed by learning and understanding how and why they do what they do and offering solutions on how to help them do it better. And finally, I love education and learning. The first couple of years I worked in our beloved industry, I spent much of my time supporting spa schools. I sat in classrooms and listened and this gave me a great understanding of spa modalities and treatments. As I progressed in my career, my education of the spa and wellness industry involved visiting and working with hundreds of spas—day spas, resort and hotel spas, medical spas, and visiting with independent spa professionals across the nation. I’m forever thankful for this opportunity that has now helped me to share information and strategies that have helped them and me to grow.
So, let me move the story along. Last year, sitting on a patio in Texas, I shared a vision for wanting to build a spa products company built on supplying products that worked and made good sense for spas, educating spa professionals and leaders to increase success for everyone, giving back and raising awareness for a community I love, and doing it all with the latest and greatest in technology so more people could benefit from it. Luckily for me, the young lady sitting across from me that day, also at a crossroads in her life, said, “let’s do it together.” And with that, Tori Clark, became my business partner and our friendship has only blossomed with time—in fact, Tori and me and our better halves have become “chosen family.” With a handshake and mission to align our values, experiences and strengths, The Spa Mart was born. (P.S., Don’t miss out—Tori’s amazing story will be shared in an upcoming blog post.)
I titled today’s blog post, “Defying Gravity,” and I want to explain why. As we continue these blogs and our podcast series, much of what myself and other spa pros share will be business oriented and focus on how we all grow our businesses together. However, I feel like in the first post, I can provide a little more personal insight and share more about what makes me tick. I’m an avid fan of Broadway shows and I have watched “Wicked the Musical” eleven times. Many of you I’m sure have also enjoyed a performance and realize that the penultimate moment of the show occurs at the end of the first act when Elphaba and Glinda sing “Defying Gravity.”
I have no doubt that my connection to this show is that I’m drawn to this song—it’s become a bit of a mantra for me. Defiant and courageous yet providing a unifying message, the lyrics are powerful because all of us have been in this place in life where we must make a big decision about next steps. The song is also about believing in one’s self and taking that leap and defying gravity. In your free time, go check out the song on the link below, but here some key lyrics that always get me thinking.
“I’m through accepting limits
‘cause someone says they’re so
Some things I cannot change
But till I try, I’ll never know!”
&
“Together we’re unlimited
Together we’ll be the greatest team there’s ever been”
Spa industry, we can do anything together and being a part of this spa and wellness community, our home, is an honor and a privilege. What an amazing calling we all have!
Spa friends, colleagues, Tori and Tiffany, my better half, my brother and my sister, my brother in law and niece and nephews, the rest of my family, my amazing father and stepmom, and my majestic mother in heaven and all those folks (you know who you are and there are too many to name) that have helped this dream become a reality, I am humbled and give you thanks for your love and support. I am so thankful to serve this industry and am honored to introduce you to The Spa Mart on behalf of Tori and our amazing team of spa professionals.
Today, let’s all take a leap of faith, be happy with the decisions we make, forget regrets, give everyone a chance to fly, leave limits behind, and focus on teamwork without limits.
“It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap, it’s time to try…
DEFYING GRAVITY!”
Come join me….
With sincere thanks and unabashed enthusiasm,
– Teddy
I came home to this surprise one day! This is how it all started, encouragement in the form of an office, new furniture and décor ready to go!
Every office is a little better with some Dolly! I am thankful for my Southwest Virginia roots and our local branding expert and one of my icons, Ms. Parton!
This card will mean more than you ever know! Thanks Ricky!
