Madilynn Beck, a licensed psychotherapist, saw an unmet need in the mental health care community — a lack of affordable space for professionals, and a lack of access to care for patients, particularly those who were looking for alternative treatments. And there wasn't an effective online community to connect the two.
So in 2018 she launched The Better Spot, a startup that looks to offer flexible lease space for wellness professionals that specialize in alternative care — like acupuncture, meditation, dance therapy, energy healing, massage therapy and more, while also giving patients access to those professionals all in once place.
Beck originally launched the business in Los Angeles and was under contract for a building space in east L.A., then Covid struck.
She relocated back to her hometown of Chicago, where she says she plans to open her first space in Andersonville in the fall.
It will allow wellness professionals to book space for the day, week, month or year, and patients can come in for on-demand care or sign up for a membership to access a variety of specialists in one central location, Beck said.
"It's essentially the WeWork of the wellness space," she said.
Next month The Better Spot plans to launch its app, which will serve as a digital hub for wellness professionals and their clients. Part professional network, part social network, Beck says the startup's app will be a "space for community, connection and resources."
The Better Spot's physical space will look to provide more affordable lease options for healing professionals, and make a range of care easily accessible for patients. Beck said a patient could come in to treat a back injury with a therapist, and leave with appointments for a range of other experts who can treat their condition.
"If you get into a car accident, you can see a chiropractor. But you’re probably going to have some trauma from that experience," she said. "Maybe you should talk to a counselor ... It's being able to have the knowledge and understanding of holistic healing."
Alternative medicine has become less "alternative" in recent years, as patients look for solutions in addition to, or outside of, traditional medicine. But even as those treatments become more mainstream, that doesn't mean they're always easy for patients to find.
"Just because it's becoming very trendy doesn’t mean people have the ability to access it," she said.
Beck said she's raised some funding from friends and family to get the business off the ground. She said she hopes to soon close the contract on the Andersonville location and begin construction in time for a fall launch.
