There’s something different about the house located at 1592 South 1100 East. But if the sign out front doesn’t tip you off, just take a step inside to discover why it’s not like the rest of the neighborhood.
Misty Beryle is the founder and owner of Mindful Living Wellness Center, the business which now inhabits the Edwardian-era house. And even though it’s now a business, the space still feels—well, like home.
Mindful Living is one of over 230 member businesses in the Utah LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce. In partnership with the chamber, Cyprus Credit Union is honored this year to present 12 member businesses with grants of $1,000 each as we recognize their contributions to the community. Mindful Living was selected as a grant recipient
The wellness center boasts a Himalayan salt room, an indoor meditation garden, and offers services including massage therapy, infrared therapy, and flotation therapy. Flotation therapy consists of entering a float tank filled with highly saturated Epsom saltwater, allowing the body to float without effort. While in the tank, the occupant is free from excess stimuli—like outside light and sound—in order to promote a relaxed, meditative state.
Misty’s hope is that the services offered at Mindful Living can help others to be in the moment, foster mindfulness, and provide relief for those experiencing chronic pain or anxiety.
Although she’s been in the healing and wellness industry for over 20 years, Misty’s perspective on personal wellness shifted after being diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Practicing mindfulness was just one of the crucial skills she developed to help manage her diagnosis.
“To be mindful is to be aware of your surroundings, to be aware of how you're taking in a situation, and how you're acting,” Misty explains. “It’s like the trunk to a tree of communication skills, people skills, knowing how you're taking care of yourself. I did these things, so I brought them to Mindful Living, because that's what helped me.”
Mindful Living is Misty’s first brick-and-mortar endeavor. Shortly after opening the business in 2020, she found multiple opportunities for growth by joining the LGBTQ+ Chamber of Commerce.
“They are the ones that turned me to the Women's Business Center. A lot of the resources that I gathered were from the chamber.”
The Women’s Business Center of Utah (WBCUtah) is an organization that helps women throughout the state to build their businesses through one-on-one business advising, workshops, trainings, and online webinars and courses.
In addition to the skills she developed through WBCUtah, Misty made the most of Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses, a program that gives business owners access to business education resources and capital.
These programs not only provided Misty with new skills and knowledge but also expanded her support system, something she says is priceless when opening a business.
“If you have a support system, one or many, I think that's huge. It's okay to have a team. Having a community is huge for me. And that's one thing that I brought with me to Mindful Living. I wanted to make sure that when people came in, they would feel a sense of community.”
With the support of her husband, coworkers, the LGBTQ+ Chamber, and others in her support group, Misty was able to make strides in her personal life as well.
“I actually came out [as bisexual] after I opened, because I got the confidence from the community and from the chamber,” she says. “I feel like I finally had the confidence and the voice to be able to be who I am. And I realized, ‘You know what? This is okay. This is who I am.’”
It’s this same sense of confidence and community that inspires Misty to help everyone feel welcome in her business.
“One of my intentions was to make a safe space, so that people that identify as LGBTQ+—or even if they don’t know—that they know they can come here and be safe.”
But creating the space she envisioned didn’t happen overnight. Misty is happy to share a couple of tips for anyone who dreams of starting their own business.
“Don’t be afraid to start small and build on it. I also really wish I would’ve gone through some of the business programs first. It would have saved me from a lot of hard knocks experiences and a lot of things that could have been prevented if I would’ve had some knowledge first. Goldman Sachs and the Women’s Business Center have amazing resources. And I found the Utah Microloan Fund through WBCUtah, so that was another resource. It all stemmed from the [LGBTQ+] chamber telling me where to go and helping me.”
Now in her fourth year of business, Misty’s invitation is the same as it was when she opened Mindful Living:
“Just step outside of the world. Unplug. Phones off. Reconnect with yourself.”
Mindful Living Wellness Center is located at 1592 South 1100 East in Salt Lake City. Visit them online at MindfulLivingWellnessCenter.com, Instagram (@mindutah), and Facebook.