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EPISODE 89 WITH BEA ARTHUR

SUMMARY:

Bea Arthur is the founder and CEO of Pretty Padded Room, which provides online therapy to women on their own time and in their own space. Through a secure, custom-built platform, their service connects clients with an all-women team of licensed therapists anytime and anywhere. Pretty Padded Room conducts online sessions via video chat or Digital Diary, which is an interactive journal that lets clients have written consultations with their therapist of choice.  Pretty Padded Room (PPR) transforms traditional therapy into an experience that is convenient, low-cost, and completely confidential.

Bea Arthur worked in various different jobs in different industries, and nothing was a good fit until she found the field of therapy.  After one failed business, she bounced back and took her second business on the popular TV show “Shark Tank” – only to be ridiculed and dismissed by the Shark Tank panel.  After the initial disappointment and embarrassment, Bea bounced back stronger than ever and now she not only runs a successful business but she has been featured everywhere from Entrepreneur Magazine to NPR.  Now, Bea Arthur is a successful therapist, entrepreneur, and women’s advocate. She has worked with several demographics including adolescents, addicts in recovery, couples in crisis, and victims of domestic violence. Her passion for the field of psychotherapy led her to start two wellness-based businesses and a private counseling practice, all before the age of 30.

About 4 Bea Arthur: 3:19

Bea Arthur  studied Management Communication at Emerson College in Boston for undergrad and has a dual masters in Counseling and Clinical Psychology from Columbia University. She was and raised in Houston, TX.

Personal and Professional Experience that took where she is today:

While Bea was in grad school, she babysat and some of the moms she worked with would sometimes pay extra just to talk to her after the day was done – they missed talking to other grown ups.  So Bea got the idea to start a social club for stay-at-home moms and started looking for a beautiful brownstone to give on-site childcare and grown up playdates for the moms. It was called MeTime and the purpose was to provide little escapes from their  little ones. They said it was a great idea and even found an investor but right when she  graduated in 2008 and was ready to launch, the economy crashed.

Bea Arthur’s investor encouraged her to wait because the women she was targeting were the wives of all the men who had just been laid off during the recession, but she went ahead anyway because she was 25 years old and overly confident. Then, the business failed and Bea became extremely depressed and in debt. She wanted to talk to a therapist but she was broke and didn’t know where to find someone good. Then she remembered an article that did a profile about a store in Japan where you can walk in, buy plates, and break them to release stress. She wanted something like that but with less collateral damage, and thus, Pretty Padded Room was born!

About her business Pretty Padded Room 19:43

Bea has built her passion project, Pretty Padded Room, into an innovative international company that has helped thousands of people all over the world receive therapy online. She is now a prominent figure in the entrepreneurial and women in tech communities where she regularly consults with new startups, runs a popular private practice in New York City, and is making her mark on media. This bold businesswoman has been named one of the Top CEOs to follow on Twitter, has an active speaking schedule, and has become the go-to girl for all things emotional and entrepreneurial.

Toughest thing she faced:  28:42

There’s been a lot of things that were tough on Bea because she wanted to have a counselling company but ended up running a tech platform with no money, no team, and no background in programming. The learning curve was very steep and she  stumbled a lot; that was really hard on her  confidence and she doubted herself daily, but she can’t imagine doing anything else.

The next thing about Bea Arthur. 43:48

Bea Arthur just hired seven amazing new therapists and she is excited to really expand her online presence for the next quarter. They have also rebuilt the entire back end  of the website so they are  finally in a position to scale the way they need to. She is also a coveted speaker on a lot of issues related to millennial women so she’ll be doing events to address the unique needs of the 20- and 30-something woman in transition.

Bea Arthur’s great advice: 46:45

Bea Arthur said, “You have to have a short memory and a long vision for what you’re trying to create in your business and your life. You’re going to get knocked down a lot but none of that will matter if you know where you’re going.”

Links:

Website:   www.PrettyPaddedRoom.com

Facebook:  facebook.com/prettypaddedroom

Twitter:  @prettypaddedrm