Meet Michele Zipper of The Well Center

As we approach 2023, wellness is on everyone’s mind. In Westchester, one of the best hubs for all things holistic wellness is at The Well Center. Located in Armonk, The Well Center offers numerous services such as Chinese Medicine, Massage, Energy Work, Chiropractic Care, Astrology, Personal Training, and Functional Diagnostic Nutrition. They also host events in Westchester and have a curated shop of holistic gifts, supplements, hemp products, oils, and more. To learn more, we spoke with co-founder, Michele Zipper, who shared. more about how the company came together, its many offerings, and her recent degree in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition.

Westchester Family: How did the idea for The Well Center come about?

Michele Zipper: My co-founder Deb Ross and I both moved to Armonk the same month, and it was instant friendship. When we met, I knew moving to a new town where I didn’t know anyone would be ok. She had been practicing Acupuncture for over 15 years and always had the dream to open a wellness center. After many years of working with health issues in people close to me, I had gone back to school to become a health coach. My AHA moment was when I realized that something I was eating had been giving me stomach issues for over 10 years.

My mission became to help as many people become familiar with alternative ways of healing and to help people understand that they have control over their health. Unfortunately, too many people learn that lesson too late after they or someone they know has to go through some sort of health issue. We knew we needed a space to help people. My thirst for opening up people’s eyes to the idea of natural healing combined with Deb’s love for the art of Chinese medicine led us to opening up The Well Center three years ago.

Westchester Family: What can people expect from The Well Center?

Michele Zipper: There is something for everyone…depending on what your comfort zone is. And then we’ll try and get you out of your comfort zone, because that’s where the real growth happens!

Clients can expect personalization, warmth, knowledge, and expertise when coming to The Well Center. We are small, but mighty, with every practitioner who works here at the top of their field. We offer Acupuncture and Chinese Medicine, Functional Diagnostic Nutrition, Massage, Energy Work, Holistic Chiropractic Care, Personal Training, and Kids and Adult Mindfulness Programs. We host events with experts in our field, silent dance parties, meditation classes and more.

Westchester Family: Tell us more about your shop and what people can find.

Michele Zipper: We have the cutest little retail shelves, which carry natural holistic gifts, basically anything and everything we’d want for ourselves – delicious bath salts, crystal candles, mindfulness journals, crystals, smudge kits, coconut oils, CBD, herbs, and supplements. And everything is online on our website as well – we have local delivery and ship anywhere in the country.

Westchester Family: We recently heard that you received a degree in Functional Diagnostic Nutrition. What new services will this allow you to offer?

Michele Zipper: I’m beyond excited to offer these new services! Being an FDN-P will allow me to help people who are struggling with symptoms like fatigue, brain fog, headaches, stomach issues, joint pain, skin issues, and so much more, to go through a transformation to start to feel better. I’ve learned all too well that we normalize symptoms that shouldn’t be there and I’m ready to guide people through functional testing to uncover hidden stressors that are underlying causes of their symptoms.

As a health coach, I worked with a lot of patients that were struggling and needed more answers. They would make changes in routines, food choices, and health habits, however I knew instinctively there was more answers we needed to really understand what was happening functionally in their body. So that led me to FDN, where I dived into the science behind functional nutrition and supplementation and fine tuned my skills to look at each client’s test results and health history to drive their healing.

Symptoms show up differently in each person which is why I create a unique, custom protocol that is designed solely around finding the root cause of your discomfort. Every BODY is different and that’s why I use our lab tests to see what is happening inside your body.

Westchester Family: How do people book these services with you?

Michele Zipper: We’ve made it really easy…everything is bookable on our website thewellcenter.com – there’s a big button on the top right to “schedule an appointment”. We are also very accessible and friendly if you call us needing any guidance! I do offer 20-minute free consultations for anyone that is looking for advice on where to start.

Westchester Family: Anything else to add?

Michele Zipper: Everyone has a why, and that becomes the motivation. The motivation behind feeling better, the motivation behind striving to meet your goals, and the motivation sometimes to keep going even when things aren’t easy. Owning and running a small business is challenging, but knowing your why keeps you connected to the mission.

In the beginning, Deb and I were warned about opening a business as friends, and it’s proving to be such an incredibly rich experience. Communication is key to any partnership – marriage, business, or friendship. We did a lot of work in the beginning to understand each other’s communication style so that we made sure there weren’t any misunderstandings. We are so supportive and respectful of each other and it shines through in everyone we interact with.