Public invited to open house at Zen One Health and Wellness in Beach Haven May 23

Kelli Grace, 25, of Beach Haven was supposed to get married and move to Florida in April. Instead, she listened to her intuition and decided to live out her dream as the owner of a holistic health studio on Long Beach Island.

“As the wedding date approached and more and more external influences started to cause problems and interfere, I knew I had to surrender to the universe and listen to my gut. I knew this was not the right path for me,” she writes on her blog. “As hard as the decision was, along with many sleepless nights, I knew I had to trust myself. The Universe had a better plan for me. It was as if I was forced to let go of who I thought I was in order to become who I really am.”

Photo by Ryan Morrill
Kelli Grace is living out her dream
as the owner of a holistic health
studio on Long Beach Island.

Zen One Health and Wellness, located at 805 North Bay Ave. in downtown Beach Haven, officially opened Wednesday, May 21. The new, year-round facility is dedicated to helping others follow their own intuition by nourishing the mind, body and spirit. The center currently offers yoga, meditation, massage, nutrition classes, reiki and life guide and transformation programs.

“I grew up in a very holistic family, and a few years ago I knew I had to make a change and follow the holistic path. I went through a total transformation,” Grace told The SandPaper. “I would like for everyone to just come together, filled with love and support. I want to offer them a peaceful environment for them to come to, to learn and go through the transformation themselves. (The center offers) something new, rather than just having yoga,” she added.

Although the studio is open to both men and women, Grace said it is mostly geared toward women’s well-being.

“Women are struggling to take care of themselves. We all need each other, and that’s what we want this to be about. That’s our mission,” said Grace's mother, Gina Walker, who will be leading the life guide program. “We all need nutrition physically and emotionally. So many people are stuck. We’re the ones who help them cross over the bridge, step by step,” she added.

Originally from Point Pleasant, Grace said she visited the Island with her family a few years ago during Chowderfest and immediately fell in love with the area.

“The first time we came, we knew we loved it and had to get down here,” she said.

With the dream of one day opening a health and wellness center, Grace eventually moved to the local area with her family.

Although she continues to work in property and casualty insurance, a job she has had since she was 17, she has also dedicated her time to studying nutrition, meditation and neuro linguistics. She plans to head to the Bahamas in January to receive her yoga teacher certification.

An open house for the public to meet with the owner and check out the new studio space will be held on Friday, May 23, from 6 to 8 p.m. Appetizers and live music by the Grateful Ukes will also be available.

For more information about other upcoming events scheduled at the center this summer, visit zenonehealthandwellness.com or call 609-341-6884.

— Kelley Anne Essinger


This article was published in The SandPaper.