Meet Tricia Karabas | Owner
We had the good fortune of connecting with Tricia Karabas and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Tricia, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
Short Version: To provide a culture that my employees know when they start, we have a culture of trust, honesty, and respect. We are a business that catches employees doing great things. My goal has been to create a space where everyone knows they are essential to our success. I want a culture where we honestly look at each other as humans and treat each other with the utmost care and concern.
In my past career life, I was not afforded kindness, care, or respect for the value that I brought. Starting this business was about creating something I didn’t get from the employers I worked for in the corporate world.
Long Version
It has been a journey for me. My past experiences, like many others, are how I got to where I am today and why I started my business. My family consisted of a carpenter father, a mother who was a secretary, and a younger sister. We were a very blue-collar family trying to make a living in the midwest. My father lost his job due to an injury when I was just a teenager. After losing his job, my father became severely depressed. We were down to one source of income. At 13 years of age, I quickly learned to become a responsible adult.
If I wanted what my friends had, I had to get a job. Starting with babysitting, then McDonald’s at the age of 15, working 5 am shifts. After high school, I acquired school loans to start college at MSU. I chose to live by myself to ensure I was focused on succeeding and having a secure job at graduation.
There were many difficulties, but I managed to push through and graduate. I knew what I wanted to do, but it took a couple of jobs before getting there. My goal in college was to work in the pharmaceutical industry. During college, I found a mentor in medical device sales who graciously allowed me to intern with him. His kindness was vital to getting my foot in the door.
Once, I realized I had reached my dream. I was doing very well and had an excellent salary, health benefits, company car, etc. I eventually got married and continued to climb the corporate ladder. I was happy growing and taking on new roles. The drive I had acquired out of necessity in my younger life kept me moving to the next level. I went from sales rep to training manager to Brand Marketing Research Analyst with dreams of more.
Here is where the real story begins. Once inside the corporate walls, I was exposed to another world filled with things I could never imagine. I had my fair share of #metoo moments, but those weren’t really what had the most significant impact on me. Those I would shrug off and ignore. The most difficult times came when working in the training department. During that time, my husband and I were having difficulties getting pregnant. At this point, we had tried everything except for IVF. I was exhausted, working hard, and emotionally spent. My direct male manager and department director did nothing but make my life within their walls a living nightmare. There was no support for me and what was happing to me personally. The actual lack of empathy was downright scary and hard to comprehend.
It was evident that I needed to find a safe and more supportive environment. I decided to look for other positions within other departments. I found an excellent opportunity to get me out of the toxic climate and allow me to grow.
The new opportunity was within a female-led department, which meant that I would be around those who understood. I requested to interview for the position and was granted the ok, with a caveat. The department director took me to lunch and told me was that I was putting my personal life in front of my business life. His goal was to make sure I understood that this move might impact my career in the future.
I moved forward and began my interviews. There was a total of six I would have to get through. Between my third and fourth interviews, My direct manager and department director decided they no longer supported the move. They had informed me they had spoken with my potential new department director to stop the interviews, and he had agreed. I went immediately to my future director and discussed the situation. He told me he disagreed with their request and suggested I continue with the interviews. If given the job, I should take it or make demands for changes in the current department. I went back to both the manager and director and told them I would be continuing. I was told to fine but watch your back; you will be on the black ball list.
Well, I was offered the position and quickly left my old department. I was in a great place. It was a godsend to be around other women who understood the importance of work and life balance. I had found peace in my new role. Once I felt safe in my new department, my husband and I moved forward with infertility treatments. This time more aggressively with IVF.
My life changed forever within less than a year of finally finding peace. The company decided to restructure. I found myself once again the previous director. Then it was an all-out war for me. He would proceed to give me projects that were far beyond my capabilities. His goal was to watch me fail. My direct manager, who was female, was not comfortable with conflict. While she recognized the situation and supported me privately, she never stood up to him. I was falling fast and didn’t even know it. I told myself over and over that he could not win. I am a hard worker, intelligent, and deserve to be treated better.
There was no #metoo movement during those times, so going to HR was not an option. It would’ve created a more significant storm. Before I knew it, I had another miscarriage and was doing everything to keep it together. I held it all inside; I didn’t want anyone to think, even my husband, that I was cable of breaking.
Then beyond my control, I broke. I was in the car with my husband, and everything around me started to go black. My heart was pounding through my chest as if it would rip through my chest. I told him I was dying. He called an ambulance, and I was rushed to the hospital. After numerous consultations, I was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia and panic disorder. I was immediately put on medication to slow my heart rate. I went on short-term disability, became sickly thin, and was no longer myself.
Being in a constant state of panic is not what I had envisioned for myself. I immediately began ordering books to learn and understand what I needed to heal myself. I was not going to become a victim and give up. It took much work. My healing became multi-faceted from medication, counseling, and exercise.
When I returned to work, I was half the person I was before. Going back this way was the most defeating moment in my life. I was in a highly fragile state. A male-dominated environment continued to surround me still. My welcome back continued with a lack of empathy; they exuded a definite sense of pride in that they succeeded in breaking me. Beyond belief, upon my first day back, one of the guys in marketing said, “Your husband travels a lot.” Yes, and? “Well, I bet you get lonely. I know a store I could take you to to help with that issue.” I knew I was done working at this company when I reached out to the sales director to consider an outside role. His response to me look elsewhere, then proceeded to hand me business cards of other companies. I ran out of the building crying so hard I couldn’t breathe.
That was it. I was making six figures, and this was my life? Something inside finally came alive, and I realized that life isn’t about what you make or your title; it’s much more. To put me first, I needed to walk away. The next day I went back and gave notice. I told my husband that if the director dared to approach me on my last day, I would burn a bridge, as I never wanted to cross that bridge again. As I packed up my desk, the director approached. He said he wanted to talk to me before I left. Are you kidding me? So, right then and there was the moment I learned to stand up for myself as a person and woman. I told him he lacked empathy and that I felt sorry for him. I expressed how lucky he was that I was too exhausted to pursue a lawsuit. Then as I left, I told him to love his children because I have none. I told him; you know you did everything you could to make it impossible for me. I hope you can live with yourself knowing what you did.
From there came a very long sabbatical. During that time, I created a small company selling jewelry at large conventions, my first step back into being me again. After several years of success, I felt good about myself again. We decided to move to Arizona seven years ago. I shut down shop and packed up my life for something new. Once we got to Arizona, I took time off to regroup and think about what the next chapter might bring. I found long-distance hiking, and it quickly became my new way of dealing with anxiety. I loved it so much I hiked the Grand Canyon rim to rim in one day. I spent a couple of years enjoying my newfound healing hobby. I involved myself in volunteering at St. Vincents Depaul. In addition, I took the time to become a certified yoga instructor. However, no matter how busy I kept myself, my career path had disappeared before I was ready. I knew in my heart that I wasn’t done.
My new search began in the health and fitness industry. It was the one thing I found that deeply impacted my life and brought about significant healing. I knew I would never work for someone else ever again, and after several years of searching, I came across something that spoke to me personally. The NOW Massage was in the health and wellness industry. Its brand represented how I lived my life. The foundation of the business was about being in the moment and healing both mentally and physically. It’s all about self-care—all the things I had to teach myself after leaving my corporate job. I strive every day to be the best version of myself for my team. I go to great lengths to ensure every employee feels appreciated, supported, and cared for at The NOW Massage.
Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
It has been a journey for me. My past experiences, like many others, are how I got to where I am today and why I started my business. My family consisted of a carpenter father, a mother who was a secretary, and a younger sister. We were a very blue-collar family trying to make a living in the midwest. My father lost his job due to an injury when I was just a teenager. After losing his job, my father became depressed and suicidal. We were down to one source of income. At 13 years of age, I quickly learned to become a responsible adult.
If I wanted what my friends had, I had to get a job. Starting with babysitting, then McDonald’s at the age of 15, working 5 am shifts. After high school, I acquired school loans to start college at MSU. I chose to live by myself to ensure I was focused on succeeding and having a secure job at graduation.
There were many difficulties, but I managed to push through and graduate. I knew what I wanted to do, but it took a couple of jobs before getting there. My goal in college was to get a job in the pharmaceutical industry. During college, I found a mentor in medical device sales who graciously allowed me to intern with him. This kindness was the key to getting me into the industry.
Once, I realized I had reached my dream. I was doing very well, with an excellent salary, health benefits, company car, and more. I got eventually got married and continued to climb the corporate ladder. I was happy growing and taking on new roles. The drive I had acquired out of necessity in my younger life kept me moving to the next level. I went from sales rep to training manager to Brand Marketing Research Analyst with dreams of more.
Here is where the real story begins. Once inside the corporate walls, I was exposed to a whole other world filled with things I could never imagine. I had my fair share of #metoo moments, but that wasn’t really what had the most significant impact on me. Those I would shrug off and ignore. The most difficult was when working in the training department. My husband and I were having difficulties with having children. At this point, we had tried everything except for IVF. I was exhausted, working hard, and emotionally spent. My direct male manager and department director did nothing but make my life within their walls a living nightmare. There was no support for me and what was happing to me personally. The actual lack of empathy was downright scary and hard to comprehend.
It was evident that I needed to find a safe and more supportive environment. I decided to look for other opportunities within other departments. I found a great position that allowed me to grow and remove myself from the toxic environment.
Most importantly, it was a female lead department. Which meant to me I would be around those who understood. I requested to interview for the position and was granted the ok, with a caveat. The department director took me to lunch and told me was that I was putting my personal life in front of my business life. His goal was to make sure I understood this move might impact my career in the future. I moved forward and began my interviews. There was a total of six I would have to get through. Between my third and fourth interviews, I was called by my direct manager and told that he and the director no longer supported me to interview for the position. They told me that they had informed the director of the marketing department to stop the interviews and that he agreed. I went immediately to this person and discussed the situation, and they told me in no way did they agree with what they had requested and suggested I continue with the interviews. If given the job, I should take it or make demands for changes in the current department. From there, I went back to both the manager and director and told them I would be continuing. I was told to fine but watch your back; you will be on the black ball list.
Well, I was offered the job and quickly left the department. I was in a great place. It was a godsend to be around other women who understood the importance of work and life balance. Once I felt safe in my new department, my husband and I moved forward with infertility treatments. This time more aggressively with IVF.
My life changed forever within less than a year of finally finding peace. The company decided to make changes and move directors to other departments. My previous director now became my director once again. Then it was all-out war for him. He would proceed to give me projects that were far beyond my capabilities. His goal was to watch me fail. My direct manager, who was female, was not comfortable with conflict. While she recognized the situation and supported me privately, she never stood up to him. I was falling fast and didn’t even know it. I told myself over and over he could not win. I am a hard worker, intelligent, and deserve to be treated better.
During those times, there was no #metoo movement, so going to HR was not an option. It would’ve created a more significant storm. They would have pulled him aside, mentioned what I said, and then said, just thought you should know. Before I knew it, I had another miscarriage and was doing everything I could to keep it together. I held it all inside; I didn’t want anyone to think, even my husband, that I was cable of breaking.
Then beyond my control, I broke. I was in the car with my husband, and everything around me started to go black. My heart was pounding through my chest as if it would rip through my chest. I told him I was dying. He called an ambulance, and I was rushed to the hospital. After numerous consultations, I was diagnosed with supraventricular tachycardia and panic disorder. I went on short-term disability to get the time I needed to recover. I went from a healthy weight level to a sickly thin person. I was no longer myself.
Being in a constant state of panic is not what I had envisioned for myself; I immediately began ordering books to learn and understand what I needed to heal myself. I was not going to become a victim and give up. It took a lot of work. My healing became multi-faceted from medication, counseling, and exercise of all types.
When I returned to work, I was half the person I was before. Going back this way was the most defeating moment in my life. I was in a highly fragile state. A male-dominated environment continued to surround me still. My welcome back continued with a lack of empathy; they exuded a definite sense of pride in that they succeeded in breaking me. Beyond belief, upon my first day back, one of the guys in marketing said, “your husband travels a lot.” Yes, and? Well, I bet you get lonely. I know a store I could take you to to help with that issue. Next, one of the sales directors told me to consider looking elsewhere. I was not a good fit. He then handed business cards of other companies to me. I ran out of the building crying so hard I couldn’t breathe.
That was it!! I was making six figures, and this was my life. Something inside finally came alive, and I realized life isn’t about what you make or what title you have. It’s so much more. I needed to walk away, to put myself first. The next day I went back and gave notice. I told my husband that if the director dared to approach me on my last day, I would burn a bridge, as I never wanted to cross that bridge again. As I packed up my desk, the director approached. He said he wanted to talk to me before I left. Are you kidding me? So, right then and there was the moment I learned to stand up for myself as a person and woman. I told him he lacked empathy and that I felt sorry for him. I expressed how lucky he was that I was too exhausted to pursue a lawsuit. Then as I left, I told him to love his children because I have none. I told him, you know you did everything you could to make it impossible for me. I hope you can live with yourself knowing what you did.
From there came a very long sabbatical. During that time, I created a small company selling jewelry at large conventions, my first step back into being me again. After several years of success, I was able to feel good about myself again. Seven years ago, we decided to move to Arizona. So I shut down shop and packed up my life for something new. Once we got to Arizona, I took time off to regroup and think about what my following chapters could bring. I found long-distance hiking became my new way of dealing with anxiety, and I loved it so much that I did rim to rim at the Grand Canyon in one day. I spent a couple of years enjoying my newfound healing hobby. While also volunteering at St. Vincents Depaul. I also became certified as a yoga instructor. However, no matter how busy I kept myself, my career path had disappeared before I was ready; I knew I wasn’t done in my heart.
My search began in the health and fitness industry. It was the one thing I found that deeply impacted my life and brought about significant healing. I also knew I would never work for someone else ever again. After several years of searching, I came across something that spoke to me personally. The NOW Massage was in the health and wellness industry. Its brand represented how I lived my life. The foundation of the business was about being in the moment and healing both mentally and physically. It’s all about self-care. All the things I had to teach myself after leaving my corporate job. I strive every day to be the best version of myself for my team. I go to great lengths to ensure every employee feels appreciated, supported, and cared for at The NOW Massage. My business is not about making money it is about changing peoples lives my staff and our guests.
Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Day 1 – Relax by our pool with a few cocktails, bbq and enjoy the scenery from our back yard, which is all preserve
Day 2 – Hike one of the following Pinnacle Peak, Toms Thumb, Granite Mountain depending on skill level; then grab lunch in Cave Creek at Local Johnny’s. Then finish the day with dinner at La Hacienda. We love this when the winter lights are up.
Day 3 – Consider a day trip to Sedona and hike Devils Bridge
Day 4 – Take them out, jeeping in the wash next to the Rio Verde. Finish up with food and drinks at Ravens View and enjoy looking at the national forest.
Day 5 – Before departure, walk around Old Scottsdale, do some shopping, and have lunch at the Cornish Pasty.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
My number one supporter has been my husband. We work together as a team. We have been through a lot. We believe that whatever challenges come our way makes us stronger. We are better together.
Website: www.thenowmassage.com/northscottsdale
Instagram: Sanctuary Junky
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheNOWmassageNorthScottsdale/
Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/the-now-massage-scottsdale-2
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