I Feel You, A Fortify Wellness Production
Bettina Mahoney the Founder/CEO of @atfortifywellness is a rape survivor who started her brand after struggling to not only find a therapist, but multiple mediums to heal through her trauma. Fortify Wellness is a 360 holistic platform offering therapy, coaching, fitness, and meditation on one subscription platform. We dive deep with our trailblazing guests about overcoming adversity.
I Feel You, A Fortify Wellness Production
Building Resilience and Community with Sage + Sound's Owners, Lacey Tisch and Lauren Zucker
Ever wondered how life's greatest challenges can become the catalyst for transformative change? Join us as we sit down with Lacey Tisch and Lauren Zucker, the visionary co-owners of Sage + Sound. Discover how these formidable women turned their struggles into a thriving wellness sanctuary on the Upper East Side, emphasizing the power of authentic connections and a supportive community in their healing process.
About Lacey Tisch
Lacey was born with a rare congenital syndrome that causes a slew of medical setbacks, some of which continue to affect her health today. Throughout the years, she received many external treatments. Seven years ago, she began dealing with medical PTSD...a result of years of being poked and prodded by doctors to “fix” her.
The medical PTSD was exacerbated by being unhappy in her job and actively engaging in her alcoholism. She could not figure out a way forward. After getting sober, Lacey wanted to find remedies that didn’t require taking medication or having procedures. She developed a major interest in exploring wellness. She would always ask Lauren and other friends, “who do you go to for this?”, “what products do you use?”, and “where can I find XYZ?” As a native New Yorker, she knew these answers would mean spending a lot of time traveling throughout the city in search of these highly sought-after practitioners and wellness techniques. This felt stressful in and of itself. Thus, she wanted to provide a space where customers could come to access all their wellness needs under one roof.
Lacey is proud to live a sober life and resides on the Upper East Side with her sons Lucas and Aby, husband Jonathan, and her two dogs Maggie and Ollie.
About Lauren Zucker
Lauren always thought her life would be lived linearly, that things would go according to a certain plan that included work, marriage, and kids.
And then, life happened. Several people close to her were struggling with addiction and were in denial about it. She was also going through a painful divorce. After years of trying to ‘fix’ and help others, she realized, ultimately, she could only change herself. She made the decision to fully commit to her own path of healing. This sparked curiosity about all things self-development, healing, and wellness. She met with practitioners and self-discovery experts all over the world in search of peace and happiness, reaching the conclusion that a sense of community and connecting with like-minded people was the most integral part of her healing journey.
In a city where everything is at your fingertips, why was self-care so difficult to experience in one place? This gave her the idea to create a brand where the best healers, practitioners, and brands could exist under a single roof, creating a type of community she had once searched for. She is excited to be helping people connect with themselves and others through a mind, body, and soul connection.
Learn more about Sage + Sound: https://www.sage-sound.com/
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**This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have questions or concerns pertaining to your medical or psychological well-being. All of the linked products are independently selected, and curated by the fab Fortify team. If you love and buy something we link to, we may earn a commission.**
Hey Fortifiers, thank you so much for listening to I Feel you a Fortify Wellness production. We are into season six, where we sit down with trailblazing women in their industry to chat about overcoming adversity, moments of fortitude and, of course, anxiety. This information is not to be misconstrued as medical or psychological advice. Please contact your medical team if you have concerns pertaining to your overall well-being. I'm your host. Bettina Mahoney, the founder and CEO of Fortify Wellness. Today I am so excited to welcome the co-owners of one of my favorite spots on the Upper East Side Sage Sound, lacey Tisch and Lauren Zucker.
Speaker 1:Lacey was born with a rare congenital syndrome that causes a slew of medical setbacks, some of which continue to affect her health today. Throughout the years, she received many external treatments. Seven years ago, she began dealing with medical PTSD, a result of years of being poked and prodded by doctors to fix her. The medical PTSD was exasperated by being unhappy in her job and actively engaging in her alcoholism. She could not figure out a way forward. After getting sober, lacey wanted to find remedies that didn't require taking medication and having procedures. She developed a major interest in exploring wellness. She would always ask Lauren and other friends who do I go to for this? What products do you use and where can I find XYZ? As a native New Yorker, she knew these answers would mean spending a lot of time exploring throughout the city in search of these highly sought after practitioners and wellness techniques. This felt stressful in and of itself. Thus, she wanted to provide a space where customers could come to access all their wellness needs under one roof. Lacey is proud to live a sober life and resides in the Upper East Side with her sons Lucas and Abby, husband Jonathan and two dogs, maggie and Ollie.
Speaker 1:Lauren always thought her life would be lived linearly, that things would go according to a certain plan that included work, marriage and kids. And then life happened. Several people close to her were struggling with the and we're in denial about it. She was also going for a painful divorce. After years of trying to fix and help others, she realized ultimately she could only change herself. She found the decision to fully commit to her own path of healing. This sparked curiosity about all things self-development, healing and wellness. She met with practitioners and self-discovery experts all over the world in search of peace and happiness, reaching the conclusion that a sense of community and connecting with like-minded people was the most integral part of her healing journey. In a city where everything is at your fingertips, why was self-care so difficult to experience in one space? This gave her the idea to create a brand where the best healers, practitioners and brands could exist under a single roof, creating a type of community she had once searched for. She's excited to be helping people connect with themselves and others through a mind, body and soul connection.
Speaker 1:I am so honored to welcome two people that did just that building community and building a safe place for other people. Please welcome Lacey Tish and Lauren Zucker. Thank you so much for joining me. I'm so happy that you're here, lauren and Lacey, and thank you for creating Sage Sound, which has been such a safe haven for me. So thank you for creating Sage Sound, which has been such a safe haven for me. So thank you for creating such a safe place for people. How?
Speaker 2:are you having us? We're good, we're excited to be here and we, you know, love having you and love having you as a ambassador to our brand. It's really nice when people, um, who are in wellness really appreciate what we created, so thanks.
Speaker 1:Yeah, you did such an incredible job. Everyone there is very authentic and we talk a lot about having that authentic voice, so that really spoke to me and I feel incredible every time I'm there. So thank you again. And, of course, you've done such incredible things in your lives and your career so far, even beyond Sajan Sound, and I'm curious for you, as we get grounded in this place, when you take away all of those titles, who are you? And I guess we can start with Lauren.
Speaker 3:Lacey's like thanks, that's good. I want to hear her answer. I love it. We're very good partners like that. You know that's a really tough question. I have to say I think you know when I think about who am I now, you know it really evolves right. Like if you were to answer, if I were to answer that question 10 years ago, it would have been very different than where I am today. 10 years ago it would have been very different than where I am today.
Speaker 3:And I think who I am first is a mother.
Speaker 3:I'm a single mother and I really take that on with so much of you know. I think as mothers you realize you know you sometimes you realize you don't realize like you have these little people in your lives and you want to instill wonderful, important, meaningful values and morals and guide them the right way. And we had a really traumatic life experience. My kid's father passed away about a year and a half ago and where I am now, when you say that of who are you, is really a mom that's guiding my kids to becoming the best humans that they can possibly be becoming the best. I think of that as a mother, as a co-founder, as a friend, as a daughter. I think the most important piece of where I'm at and I spent a lot of time in Kabbalah and mindfulness is really honing in on my morals and values and really making sure that that's aligned, and I think that's really important as, like a leader and a mother and a friend and a daughter, and making sure that that comes out to support and love and guide people.
Speaker 1:So that's that's me, wow. Thank you for sharing that. I'm so sorry for your loss.
Speaker 3:Thank you and it for sharing that. I'm so sorry for your loss. Thank you.
Speaker 1:It's been challenging, Wow, and, I'm sure, creating Sage and Sound, a place where you know we talk about this a lot, like taking pain and turning into purpose. I'm sure has it been fulfilling for you to kind of provide a place for people where they can feel balanced and grounded and safe. Oh my gosh.
Speaker 3:Yeah, I mean, when we started Sage and Sound, you know like we talk about that, this is life. There's so much that comes up and you go through really tough times in life and then things are stable. And it's that roller coaster of life really tough times in life and then things are stable. And it's that roller coaster of life. And I think when we're really going through hard times, especially to create a place and space that's safe, where you feel this warm hug and you feel like you have your people and you may not even know them, but you just feel it is just so important. And I know that.
Speaker 3:You know, I personally felt that before starting Sage and Sound and when we started it, it felt even more like this is, this is, and Lacey and I went through different journeys of like we're here to help people, we are here to help support people. And I think you know, going through what I went through, you know, a year after opening Sage and Sound with grief and loss, I felt that even more because I was going through it and then I really now wanted to help other people going through that, to feel that. So, yes, very, very much so.
Speaker 1:That's beautiful. Thank you so much for sharing that with me, lacey, I'm so excited to hear your answer.
Speaker 2:Oh God, well, hi, I'm Lacey, I am a work in progress. I always say I call myself a whip, like. I don't know if I've ever told you that. Lauren, like when, everyone like work in progress. I'm always trying, and Lauren and I have talked a lot about this and we've been on the same page. One of the reasons why we started Sage and Sound is that we're always trying to better ourselves, no matter what. That's why we always give each other feedback and take each other's feedback to really be the best partners we can be.
Speaker 2:So I'm also a co-founder and a co-CEO. I'm a mom. You know me and Lauren, that's how we actually met. I'm a mom of two boys. I'm a boy mom. I'm a wife and a divorcee. Yes, so I'm currently a wife, yeah, uh. Yes, so I'm currently away. Yeah, um, and I am a sober woman in recovery and you know, I think that's one of the things that allows me to be everything else the fact that I'm sober and I can be a present partner, mom and work in progress and friend and daughter and sister and cousin and aunt and whatever Not a grandma yet, thank God, thank you for your vulnerability both of you.
Speaker 1:I really appreciate it. I know it's so hard to share and be so vulnerable and sometimes you don't realize it in the moment and then an hour from now you can go wait. That felt really heavy. So thank you for doing that. I really appreciate that. And, you know, I think sometimes pain can be transferred into purpose, and that's kind of what happened with my app.
Speaker 1:I raped when I was in college and it changed my life and many different ways. But one of the ways was I was trying to find, you know, the way that I could heal, like I needed therapy, but then I realized I needed coaching and meditation and fitness. You know this three six approach, which I think is interesting, because I think in a lot of ways your practice is a 360 approach, which is really interesting those parallels but I really couldn't find that on my own. I'm like why is there not something on one platform? That's where Fortify came into play. It's a 360 approach offering therapy, coaching, fitness and meditation on one subscription platform, and it was a huge healing journey. It took a lot of guts to be able to look at myself in the mirror, create a way of healing that worked for me and for my body, and another part of my practice is going to Satan's home and doing a sound bath.
Speaker 3:I love that.
Speaker 1:I tell everyone I'm like you have to try this sound bath. It's amazing. And everyone's like, okay, I get it. I tell everyone I'm like you have to try this sound bath. It's amazing, and everyone's like, okay, I get it, I get it. You like the sound bath thing. But I really do, because I think the body just like just transcends and gives us so much information. We have to listen to it, and so different practices and modalities help us do that. So, but I'm curious for you and you kind of touched upon this, you can start with Lacey this time I'm curious was there a moment in time that pivoted you into this chapter, this headspace you're in today?
Speaker 2:Oh, yes, actually. So I have had in my past a lot of medical trauma, like growing up it was really not great. Like I had over 13 surgeries before the age of seven and it wasn't like one spot, it was like every major area of the heart, like urinary tract system, kidneys, like facial, cranial, um so and, and a lot of that stayed with me. Like you know, I had a lot of surgeries growing up but it was at crux and, you know, as you said, your body holds on to it and all that stuff, um, and then, you know, in my 30s I don't know what was going on, but I had like late onset PTSD from all of it, like I was not in a great place, I didn't know how to heal myself.
Speaker 2:And you know, I think that really started my journey into like recovering one and like healing in different modalities, because like, yeah, I can do whatever I do for my recovery, but like there are other things I need to do for like my soul and my body, um, and so I would always, you know, after me and Lauren met, I would always be like Lauren, you know, where do I go to for this? What do I do for this? Acupuncture, like what, what meditation should I do? Because you know, on the ends of the wellness spectrum, like I'm over toe dipping and Lauren's over like doing a sound bath with the bowl on her head, you know, like she's finding those new crazy modalities that I've never heard of. So she really was like my Sherpa, yeah, and, and I started learning and learning and then, yeah, and that really started me on this journey and now I I'm almost at the level of knowledge as Lauren, but not definitely, definitely not practice, but yeah yeah, I think that's beautiful and I think like there's something to putting the oxygen math gone, which I think is hard as women, because we want to give, give, give and sometimes we are left feeling like we need that oxygen.
Speaker 1:You know we need to breathe and have that space and I think that's an ever, you know, even just taking that hour to go and, you know, take the sound bath class. You know, for me, you know, a while ago I've been like I can't do that. But the minute you say you don't have time to do something that's good for your wellness care is when you know you actually need to do it Absolutely.
Speaker 2:I do want to say like I'm so sorry about the experience you went through. That's horrible, but what you've created out of it is so beautiful, so I did want to say that thank you.
Speaker 1:I think, um, you know, in a lot of ways, like we have choices in life, to like this is going to sound kind of harsh, but to sink or swim. I've chosen to swim and to kind of take what has happened and start something that can hopefully, you know, help a lot of people in the same way that you guys have helped a lot of people you know in person in New York City. So that's really really cool to me. I hope more people can experience it to be able to.
Speaker 3:really it's scary and fearful to be able to be out there and to put your story out there publicly and to really want to help others and support others, and that also helps you in your own journey. So really really powerful, bettina, what you're doing.
Speaker 1:Thank you, I appreciate it. Yeah, I mean, I think like the key for me was to just I had to be able to take care of myself in a way that would feel authentic. To create a platform that was kind of my non-negotiable with myself is like you're going to have to deal with your stuff and then be able to transcend that over to other people. So I think the healing journey is ever flowing, but I think keeping it into practice and being very diligent and being nice to yourself is where it starts. You know, saying yes to that therapy session, saying yes to that session at Sage and Set or whatever it is, it's important for your own wellbeing and I just think it's interesting the parallels. I'm really big on mind, body, soul experience, and you guys are too. I'm curious. Maybe we can start with Lauren. Where did you guys see that market opening? Because it's so fascinating to me. I've never seen it anywhere else where you're like okay, this is the time to bring to market a practice that's so holistic and affordable.
Speaker 3:Yeah, you know, it's interesting because, to your point, and you do the same thing which kudos is. We really lean in on self-discovery and finding out what works for you, because, as Lacey just talked and spoke about, what works for Lacey is very different than what works for me and we really we celebrate that. You know, and I think it's really exciting when people can lean into understanding what they love. You know, you always try to say that to your kids find out what your passion and what you love, what you do. It doesn't feel like work, and that's the same thing with healing or a workout or a mindfulness practice. So I think what we saw in the market was there was these either expensive membership places where there was somebody at the forefront who put you on a path and a plan and then sometimes, if you didn't follow that, you'd feel really guilty about yourself that you were spending money on a membership that you weren't using or you weren't following the plan or you didn't do. You know we didn't want to, we didn't want to look at it in a negative way. And then there was a lot of places that were just one thing, like just acupuncture or just massage. Let's say right and what we were really looking at is.
Speaker 3:This is a holistic approach of really looking at. We've got the food, we have a cafe, we have products and you can take some of those products home. You have treatments. You have some treatments you can do with a friend. You have some treatments you can do with a friend. You have some treatments you can do with yourself.
Speaker 3:Some of those treatments are really in-depth and spiritual, like Reiki or energy, and some are really more amazing and facial and beauty-centric. And then we have the study, which is like a deep spiritual practice, and some are deep like coaching. Some are amazing, like fun things you can do with friends, like astrology or tarot, or some are meditation and you know, really creating this to what you do, this mind, body, soul approach felt like and we even think about that like there's not a lot of competitors out there that are doing that. Now it is a lot to operate, but we love it and we believe in it. So we're excited to grow that and be able to always offer new treatments and new classes and new things to customers, because we always want to be growing and feeling like you can discover more new things.
Speaker 1:I agree, and I think it's so nice because not only is it holistic, but it's really about the people that are working with you, to be honest, because sometimes you'll go into a center like a wellness center and it feels like you're not welcome. Yeah, About you is it's clear that, as leaders, you to transcend your energy onto the people that work for you, which is so important from the minute you walk in, which is something that I noticed, you know, as I build my startup and launch, I care a lot about the experience. I want everyone to feel like they're a part of a community that they're, you know.
Speaker 3:So you know it's, it's interesting because and and Lacey and I spend a lot of time on that because there are some brands out there that do an amazing job, and we are all about energy and vibe. Right, like Lisa's like I can't hear this vibe, but it's true. Right, we say you feel it, and that is one of the things that we feel really good about is, you want to feel that warm hug from every person there, and you know that's something that we spend a lot of time on, because we want people to walk away feeling that, and that's super important, especially in New York city, absolutely.
Speaker 1:Understeven of the year because everything's go, go, go. The energy is intense and it's nice to feel grounded somewhere, you know. But I'm really interested in your both of your dynamics, how you both bounce off of each other.
Speaker 2:I'm really curious for you, like how you transcend this energy to just create something every day, maybe when the days are harder than others, to really empower and uplift each other as women I mean, well, lauren and I I we are not married, but I feel like I have to put that out there we spend more time with each other than like I do with my husband and kids. I you know, lauren, as I was getting sober was so supportive. I'm going to be four years in October and we have seen each other like through like pretty dark time. We also are creating this business where we have, you know, gotten, you know into the push and pull of, well, you know, what do you want, but I want this and I want it this way, and so we have gotten into that.
Speaker 2:But I think, over, I mean, we've been working on this for a while and in those couple years, you know, we have learned each of us how to communicate better with each other and, in turn, like that has made me a better communicator with my family and my um, and you know I always am like Lauren tell me, you know where I can do this better and talk to that person better. Or you know, what do you see here, what do you see there? And I think learn is the same way a lot. And you know, I was actually just away, um, in Singapore on vacation for two weeks and I was like when I thought about Lauren a lot, I have to say I miss you, um, but I think that you know we're like yin and yang like. We balance each other out and we also make each other better.
Speaker 3:Definitely yeah. It's a really beautiful partnership. Truly we are both. We have so much gratitude, appreciation, love, respect and I feel very, very lucky and grateful for it.
Speaker 2:And I think we're also very vulnerable with each other. There are some things that I get insecure about, that Lauren knows and she'll like say you know, lauren, I will call and be like, just so you know, this is where I'm coming from. Like we always try and level set and speak to each other from the language of the other person, if that makes sense absolutely, and I think that's really hard to come by.
Speaker 1:So you both are really really lucky. It's super hard for that person that that yin yang and that person that you can completely open up to and be vulnerable with it's it's like really, really important. So that is incredible that you both feel that way, and it's clear in what I've seen at Sage and Sound and this is not an ad. I'm just honestly super. I love authenticity. When I see it, I don't see it very much and then I really cling to it because it's so refreshing to have. So, with that being said, is there anything coming up at Sage and Sound that you'd like to share?
Speaker 3:Oh, yes, wow, you know it's really nice to hear Bettina, because I think what we've really worked hard at is really aligning ourselves with, like expert. You know, the worst feeling is when you take a class or you get a treatment and you just don't walk out feeling different. Right, like we, our goal at Sage and Sound, and we're not going to say that it's going to happen every time. I'd love to, but you want to walk out feeling different than when you walked in. You want to feel and look like anything. It takes practice, but you know our teachers are incredible. You've witnessed. But you know our teachers are incredible, you've witnessed.
Speaker 3:So we've got new workshops that we're launching in the study which are really exciting, which we can dig into, and we do, probably every month, two or three workshops and they're with, just you know, amazing, like Nick Pratley, if you've I don't know if you've ever taken his class before.
Speaker 3:He's been away for the summer but he's back and he's doing a deep reset workshop. He does biofield breath work and it is just amazing, amazing. So we'll dig into some more of the workshops coming up, but we have a very exciting in October lymphatic launch that we're working on and we cannot wait to unveil what it will look like, but it's been in the works for quite some time. We really see the power, the way you feel different with meditation, lymphatic massage. You really feel the difference when you whether you come once a week or you come once a month you just your whole body. There is really something to say with just ridding the toxins and the benefits that lymphatic can do for you. So we have a beautiful new space in the back that we're unveiling with a whole new protocol and we're really excited about it.
Speaker 2:I would like to add to that you know, as we said, who are we. We're moms, right, and we are also really excited that we will be launching a kids in sound class. Yeah, so we know what the benefits of sound are and you know Lauren's kids have done it. My kids dabble Well, they love music definitely, so like it has all these healing and powerful transformative benefits that we believe that kids, if they start earlier to learn the tools that they can also help self-regulate.
Speaker 1:Um, I've been saying this for so long. We need to like I agree with you like we need to continue to talk about emotions, even throughout adolescence, into adulthood. It can really help people. You know I that's incredible. It is programs.
Speaker 3:Yeah, probably one of the most important things for us, because we are moms and I think we look at well I shouldn't say think, I know we look at our journey and when we had that aha moment in 40, and when we had that aha moment in 40, if we could have dealt and, you know, recognized and you know, if you have that strong emotional, you know emotional awareness, you can just really begin to just address and conquer. And it's just so much at a young age that we really are passionate about and it's really an important thing for us and we're excited of how we can really embrace it within the brand.
Speaker 2:I know that eventually, like we want to figure out how we can do a breath work, because I'm always telling my kids like, well, my 6-year-old, you know not as much my 13-year-old, I tell my 13-year-old to chill, I tell my 6-year-old to breathe and you know, even so, I for them to not always get it from me will make it less like onerous, like, oh my god, now I have to breathe to regulate. Um, and like lauren is like a breath work fan yes so yes my kids.
Speaker 3:I mean, I am very deep into putting my kids to bed with meditation and sound and you know, even you think if your kids are very big into sports, right, and my son's a huge lacrosse player and before he gets onto the field he gets anxious and nervous. So I've taught him how to breathe correctly and that makes a huge difference. And kids don't even understand that or know that.
Speaker 1:Yes, and they also don't have the life perspective to know that. You know it gets better. Like, as a 13 year old life can feel like the world can feel very heavy, you know. So that not understanding the basic foundation of like why breath is important, you know, as a teenager I could see myself going like, okay, you know, but having that education empowers people to make important decisions about their lives, which is what I'm doing with Fortify, because I think it can help a lot of people. I needed it when I was going through a lot and I think the more that we can educate young people, the more empowered they are to make really informed decisions. So I'm really excited that you're doing that and I hope to collaborate more with you.
Speaker 2:Oh, we are so excited to collaborate with you.
Speaker 3:We would love that. Yeah, bettina, do you do a lot with kids or teenagers?
Speaker 1:I do, we're. We're adding in a program with Fortify Wellness to to do like some really like, like guided, like breath work and sound healing work with Fortify Wellness. And then we're also working with the college aged, you know, kids, helping them like in their next chapter.
Speaker 1:Oh that's amazing, yes, but I I'm really excited. I believe a lot in practicality and like, how do we educate, provide the services and then help them sustain it into everyday life? Yeah, that's what I'm about, so I appreciate your time today. It's so valuable. You've created something that has made such an impact in my life, so I appreciate your time today. It's so valuable. You've created something that has made such an impact in my life. So, thank you so much, and um I, it was such an honor to have you guys on today, so thank you.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much for having us. We love what you're doing and you know, this is just the beginning of our beautiful life.
Speaker 3:Yes, next time, please. We will take a sound class with you, so let us. I love, we love that you're already coming in, so we'd love to to join you next time, thank you.