09/10/2023
Atlas Health has moved from Fairfax, CA to Corte Madera, CA.
In 2010 I took a chance when my landlord came to me and said he wasn't going to be renewing our lease, or anyone else on the first floor of Bolinas Square. He wanted a tenant that could consolidate the space so he had less to manage. I was way over my head but jumped at the opportunity. After speaking with the other tenants that would be leaving I realized I was the only one who was going to pitch him on the entire space. And I couldn't believe it-- I negotiated a sweet 5 year lease at below market. Peter was really impressed with the altruistic vision I had for the space. What followed was truly some of the most incredible experiences of my life and career. The city of fairfax wasn't so enthused. The mixed zone permit that was extended to yoga mountain before they left was revoked and my door was red tabbed meaning I could not practice in the new square footage. But my landlord still needed the rent :) The city of fairfax had mixed feelings to say the least about the restaurant next door not being renewed. I was vilified, and yes received actual death threats in the mail. One of the other tenants trashed the room they left behind vindictively. Another just left all of their junk everywhere with no effort to make it right for the next person. After over a year of paying 500% increase in rent, but unable to use the new square footage, or afford to repair the mess left behind I was starting to feel over my head. I was finally able to sit in front of the city planning commission and my zoning passed by one vote which meant i could use the rest of the space. Luckily I didn't go bankrupt in the mean time. What followed was a major evolution of the practice. Facebook videos and my national teaching increased our national profile and Atlas Health became a destination for patients to fly in to get a transformative experience. We had a massage school renting the main studio on the weekends, and were a place for several other practitioners to practice their healing arts. I was working with a professional chef and a michelin certified restaurant professional to create a healing kitchen that specialized in take home meals for patients that has special dietary needs and could not get tasty food, or didn't have the time to prepare tasty food, or were lost about how to eat well for themselves. We had a successful beta test. My landlord had an accident and passed away, the new landlord stopped and capped the pg and e line that allowed a kitchen to exist and my investment in that business was gone, w/ o warning mind you, and sadly my relationship with my business parters in that venture was never the same. Then the pandemic hit. No one was flying in, and all the the practitioners left and the massage school shut down. It was an incredibly sad time. My landlord did help me negotiate a smaller space for the duration of my lease. At the start of this year I was in serious talks about merging with a medical clinic in Marin. This fell apart in a surprising and unbelievable way days before my move, and before I was to leave the country to speak at a conference. My landlord was gracious enough to grant me an additional month beyond my lease and this is how I settled into my new home in Corte Madera. My new space is a beautiful space . I am looking forward to showing it to you. We sent out a newsletter and much like other announcements the unsubsribes come in. This is ok-- I built Atlas Health and the Atlas Method to provide a solution for folks slipping through the cracks in the conventional and alternative models. One that is curious, comprehensive, and collaborative. It focuses on process not protocol. It's an education more than a treatment and the goal is a transformative process. I am incredibly proud of what I have built and every day I am blown away by the changes I see. That is really that was what I will miss about this space. I was so not a medical space. I will miss the park across the street. I will miss the farmer's market on wednesdays. I will miss the strolls to all the restaurants the offer gluten free organic food. I will miss the fairfax vibe. It's a special place for me, the place I landed when I made the leap to move to California from North Dakota. There were so many experiences here. Thank you Fairfax, and thank you to all who supported Atlas Health through it all. Thank you to all who visited including those who challenged me to create a better model. On to Corte Madera....
