Staff photo by Clay Schuldt
Members of New Ulm’s WELLness Collective gather to celebrate their last day of renting the building at 15 S. Minnesota St. The nonprofit became full owners of its building after six years in operation. Top row, from left: Danielle Deopene, Sara Duck, Joan and Roger Lindhold, Diane Goosen, Janice Sellner and Bonnie Beranek-Fortwengler. Bottom row: Kayla Bartlett, Jan Schwarzrock, Lori Mathiowetz, Kelly Meissner and Lisa Hoffmann.
NEW ULM — The WELLness Collective celebrated its last day on Wednesday as renters of the building at 15 S. Minnesota St.
The WELLness Collective — aka The WELL — was created in 2016, providing a space for qualified health and wellness practitioners and instructors to come together under one roof.
The collective operates as a nonprofit, which allows a diverse group of professionals to contribute to the overall health and wellness of the community through education, resources and professional services.
The collective model was chosen to allow individual-owned businesses with a common mission to operate independently but collaboratively, sharing space and resources. In a few years, the WELL grew from six women to nearly 20 working in the health and wellness field.
Joan and Roger Lindholm are the angel investors who made it possible for the WELL come into existence. The Lindholms acquired the building and the providers were able to pay dues that eventually allowed them to buy the building as a collective.
Looking back, Joan Lindholm said she was delighted with the investment.
“I could have put my investment in the stock market, but I put it in people,” she said.
The WELL operates differently than most nonprofits. Executive Director Lori Mathiowetz said, “Instead of adopting an ‘If you build it, they will come’ philosophy, we did the opposite and adopted a philosophy of ‘If they come, we build it.’”
The approach worked. The WELL has been incredibly popular. Most nonprofits are forced to knock on doors or hold fundraisers to cover expenses, but since each partitioner at The WELL pays rent, they were able to self-fund and eventually put a down payment on the building.
With the building now owned by the collective, the rental payments can go into other programming.
• Danielle Deopere wants to bring a relaxation class for parents of children with disabilities.
• Jan Schwarzrock suggested a play therapy group for children who have experienced trauma.
• Lisa Hoffmann would like to provide massage therapy for pregnant mothers and those who have recently given birth.
Kayla Bartlett said The WELL is now in a place where it can rise to be whatever the community needs.
Based on recent events in the community, Mathiowetz believed The WELL could be a safe space for the LGBTQ community.
The WELL’s aim has always been a four-quadrant approach to health that includes physical, emotional, intellectual and spiritual health. If a person is not healthy in all four quadrants, their well-being will suffer.
Mathiowetz said there was a link between mental health and self-expression. A lack of self-expression can lead to depression. At the same time, mental health suffers without physical components.
The 19 providers operating out of The WELL already cover a wide range of health services. As owners of their building, those services will only grow and provide for every member of the New Ulm community.
“We have something for everyone,” Mathiowetz said. “And when you have something for everyone you can be welcoming to everyone.”
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