Be Well Integrative Health Services
Those who have recently spent time on Bank Street in beautiful and historic Morristown may have been delighted to find a colorful doorway nestled on the corner of a standard brick building. The vivid arabesque images hint at warm sunbeams and suggest a peek through flowered vines and sweeping branches to a lush forest beyond. Unabashedly boisterous and intriguing, the entrance hints at warmth within. Especially here, on a side street blanketed with concrete facades.
Hung above the door is a simple black sign with a bright lotus flower, inviting you to ‘Be Well.’
Nearly 15 years ago, Dr. Marisa Sweeney, a board-certified registered dietitian, envisioned a place where she could devote her energy to helping others invest in their health and wellness holistically, using disciplines from around the world, both old and new. With this iconoclastic theory and an entrance to match, Marisa founded Be Well Integrative Health Services.
I recently spoke with Marisa to learn more about how she defines integrative health, the Be Well ideology, NJ VegFest, and the many ways she encourages others to invest in wellness in all its forms.
You opened your doors in 2012 – what made you take the leap into business ownership?
I was previously a dietitian in private practice for a few years and quickly realized that health is not based on diet alone. It’s multifaceted and relies on mental wellness, meaningful physical activity, and the nutritional quality of the food we eat. We have to address all the pieces universally for true wellness.
Tell me more about your team and how they support your vision for wellness.
I’m not a mental health pro or a personal trainer. I wanted to assemble a team of experts to manage and direct patient care across all aspects of wellness. So we have counselors who are Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs). This means they must complete supervised clinical hours to counsel patients. While we primarily focus on women’s health, we serve patients of all genders.
Women’s health is finally getting attention.
I strongly believe that women are underserved in health and wellness. With that in mind, we support our patients holistically, cater to each individual, and view them through the lens of how women experience the world.
Of the mental, physical, spiritual, social, and lifestyle factors that contribute to wellness, which would you say is most ignored or not centered enough?
We like to say it’s “choose your own adventure” for patients who come in. I compare it to bumper bowling. We guide you with guardrails to get you where you want to go. It’s so individualized depending on what each patient needs and wants. But I would probably say mental health falls in the middle. Each facet touches mental health, like the center of a Venn diagram.
If you had only one sentence or tagline to pique the interest of a potential patient, some might say your elevator pitch – what would it be?
Be Well is a coming together of licensed health and wellness providers to serve women in a holistic capacity.
Tell me more about the Be Well Academy.
We offer yoga teacher training and are certified by The Yoga Alliance, a national credentialing agency. I’m so happy to offer this as part of our portfolio, as it’s one of my favorite things to do. We believe yoga should be accessible to all, regardless of income.
I always say I feel like the world would be a better place if everyone did yoga!
I agree!
I see you also offer Corporate Wellness. What does that mean, exactly?
Typically, we offer a lunch-and-learn session. It depends on what the company wants. We start all inquiries with a survey to narrow down the scope. Sometimes it’s a nutrition class where we cover meal prep for those who are limited on time, or it can be disease-specific, where we give tips on heart health. A popular one we offer is what I call our myth busters to debunk common misinformation. We try to keep it light and fun. We also offer an ergonomics lunch-and-learn hosted by our acupuncturist. Stress management is a big one.
I’m going to put my jealousy of your overachieving accomplishments aside and mention that you also founded New Jersey Veg Fest. Let me hear more about that.
That one is kind of my side quest, but it turned into a full-time passion. It was at the height of the vegan movement in 2016 when we launched, and even all these years later, we still host two festivals per year. The one in Asbury Park is always the weekend before Memorial Day, when everyone is itching to get out after a long winter. We moved the North Jersey festival from Morristown to Montclair, which has historically been held in November. Watching the vendors change and grow each year has been very rewarding. And of course, being together with others who share similar values about the food we eat.
When we discuss investments, health and wellness aren’t typically the first words that come to mind. In considering the old saying, “Health Is Wealth,” we are reminded that a sound body not only enriches our enjoyment of day-to-day experiences but also directly enables us to invest elsewhere.
Our health is a lifelong journey. Investing in the different demands of a woman’s body, during each stage of life produces positive results long-term. Dr. Sweeney says, “To truly be healthy, a multitude of mental, physical, spiritual, social, and lifestyle factors must be considered and supported for women of all ages.”
And it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution. The Be Well IHS mission is “to provide science-based and empirically-supported holistic health and wellness services that lead individuals to an optimal state of health and happiness.” The keyword is INDIVIDUAL. Each body, each life-stage is different.
Investing in wellness now not only improves your immediate health but also your future journey through life.
Learn more at: https://bewellihs.com/
We have to address all the pieces universally for true wellness.
I was previously a dietitian in private practice for a few years and quickly realized that health is not based on diet alone. It's multifaceted.