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BUSINESS

New women's wellness center takes 'Root' in Northboro

Erin Bassler, Correspondent
From left, Stacey Paradise, Michelle Tricomi, Bobbi Mard, Jaye Duncan and Arielle Driscoll are members of the team at "Root & Sprout," which is opening Oct. 23 in Northboro. [Photo/Matt Wright]

The Root & Sprout Family Wellness Center in Northboro, scheduled to open Oct. 23, is a dream come true for Bobbi Mard.

Ms. Mard worked as a technology marketer for 15 years before she and her husband ran F3 – Fitness, Friends, Fun, a child-enrichment center originally managed by her in-laws, for four years. This experience helped Ms. Mard find her desire to empowering women, especially mothers, build themselves up to their best selves.

“My overall plan for Root & Sprout is to gain as much traction as I can with women in the community and fill gaps where there are gaps," said Ms. Mard, owner and CEO. "We want to enable women here who don’t feel heard or catered to, and be able to provide them with the programs and support that they need, even down to a health and wellness area that’s geared towards busy parents.”

Root & Sprout is intended to be a fitness center for women of all ages. Any woman, whether teenager to grandmother or mother of three to mother-to-be, can find a class or program produced to get the blood pumping, the mind opening, and the endorphins flowing.

The center’s classes are varied and of increasing difficulty to promote body-positive fitness. They include yoga, pilates, cardio, step, and barre classes, as well as P90X, PRX, Tabata, Insanity, Core De Force workouts and kickboxing.

The center heavily focuses on programs for mothers, both prenatal and postpartum. Childbirth classes are popular, as well as mindfulness and wellness programs for parents with children from newborn through preschool – infant massage, infant sign language, and sleep treatment. There are also a Child Watch program for early development and bring-your-own-baby (BYOB) fitness classes, where mothers wear their babies during exercise, barre, and even dance sessions.

Childbirth option classes, breastfeeding classes and support groups are also featured.

“If you had asked me five years ago, would I ever have a business like this, I would have laughed at you," Ms. Mard said. "It was the furthest thing from my mind, but after I started seeing women interacting with their children and each other at F3, I realized that there are a lot of questions that women have that are just not being answered and that creating connections, between moms especially, is incredibly powerful and incredibly important so women do not feel isolated.”

Root & Sprout has a certified staff of 12 female fitness instructors, six children's program instructors, and 11 childbirth educators, prenatal and postpartum specialists, nutritionists, IBCLC’s (International Board-Certified Lactation Consultants), a pediatric sleep consultant, a midwife, and a team of doulas – birth or post-birth companions.

Root & Sprout received the green light with much community support after appearing before the Northboro Zoning Board of Appeals.

“The most enjoyable part has been reaching a whole new group of people. We have people constantly emailing us and asking us questions, telling us that they’re so excited to become part of the studio,” Ms. Mard said.

The 10,000-square-foot wellness center is at 107 Otis St., between Routes 9 and 20. It shares space and some clients with Barrett Family Wellness Center, a behavioral, speech and occupational therapy center.

The first class with Root & Sprout costs $5. Appointments are available on a drop-in basis for $16 and five-class and 10-class passes are available for $75 and $135, respectively. Basic studio membership for 12 months and 6 months are available, with other packages, including Child Watch and Family & Fitness, that can be purchased in person or on the business’s website, https://www.root-sprout.com.

On Nov. 11, Root & Sprout will host holiday photo sessions by Knit Together Photography, with all proceeds going to Abby’s House in Worcester, a social welfare institution for women in need and their families.

“Women like to feel strong and powerful, and that doesn’t mean that you’re a long and lengthy woman, and our focus for creating programs for women that don’t necessarily fit the typical fitness studio mold, I believe is what sets us apart. We say, ‘fitness novices and curvy goddesses,' "  Ms. Mard said.