Vista
For 25 years, Vista resident Sherry Zak Morris and Gayna Scott of Tucson, were self-described “corporate warriors.”
They both worked in business development for a handful of high-tech software startup companies and were on call 24-7. They spent their days traveling, meeting sales quotas, sitting in front of computers, running reports and constantly checking their BlackBerries.
“The amount of e-mails I got each day were over the national average, which is about 76 a day,” Scott said. “You're dealing with so many issues.”
Today, Morris and Scott have a new mission. They want corporate America to take a break. They hope office workers will visit their take5moment.com, where they will find a library of five-minute videos featuring experts offering tips on everything from health and wellness and nutrition and diet, to meditation and motivation.
Users can register and have access to a variety of topics that give them a reason to take time out.
“With all these experts at our disposal, I feel like Oprah Winfrey sometimes,” said Morris, who met Scott in 2005. Two years later, they began creating their own startup company around the kitchen table.
“I brought my husband and Sherry brought hers, and we realized that between the four of us we had the makings of an interesting business,” said Morris, whose husband has more than a decade of Web site experience and provided the technology.
The goal was simple: “We're really trying to think about that person sitting behind the computer,” Morris said. “The core message is: Take five minutes for yourself and take a break.”
Once the idea hatched, the pair began recruiting experts to feature on the site. Morris, who co-owns The Yoga Vista Studio in downtown Vista with Danielle Osicki, used her networking skills and got several health and wellness experts on board. Morris has a degree in community health education.
“I pursued a career in high-tech because that's where the money was, but my passion was always in health and wellness,” she said. “That's one reason why I bought the yoga studio. In such a male-dominated, high-tech, fast-paced world, I needed to balance my energies.”
Morris also has contracts with Tri-City Medical Center and the San Diego County Library system to teach yoga on site.
Scott, a former ice skater with a degree in psychology, also had a background that helped build the Web site's foundation.
“I have always been involved in sports and understanding the mind-set of being healthy and taking care of yourself,” she said.
Within a few months, they had made contact with several experts in Southern California who agreed to tape segments for the site.
“My philosophy is, 'Don't be afraid to ask,' so I just sent an e-mail (and a letter) and made a plea,” Morris said of her request to fitness guru Richard Simmons. “He got my letter in the mail and wrote back that day and said, 'How can I help you? I'm interested.' ”
She brought her film crew to Simmons' Beverly Hills fitness studio and filmed him between his classes.
Scott and Morris say the site has had visitors from all but three states, and the team is hoping to launch about 40 more videos in the next few weeks.
“We'd love to take it on the road one day,” Morris said. “The pace we live in is just so intense. We just want to give people the opportunity to pause and take a breath.”
Leah Masterson: (760) 752-6754; leah.masterson@tlnews.net
