🔒Q&A: Beyond The Queen’s Cups

In July, Renee Diaz closed her Worcester bakery The Queen’s Cups after 13 years in business, chronicling her entrepreneurial journey in the WBJ column The Hustle is Real. As the bakery was closing, Diaz leaned on her friend, Liz Belliveau, after the two became close as members of the WBJ 40 Under Forty, Class of 2016.

Over the past decade, Belliveau has grown her Worcester mental health business, Enlightened Interventions, from 25 employees at one location to 70 employees across five locations. She had just launched an additional business, Balanced Recovery Center, providing mental health and substance use treatment services. She asked Diaz to join the team, and now Diaz is helping Belliveau expand Balanced Recovery to a second location in Worcester, which opened on Jan. 26. Renee, why did you join Balanced Recovery after The Queen’s Cups closed? Diaz: I had always looked to Liz for guidance in every aspect of my life. Even before we closed, I probably knew in my heart that The Queen’s Cups was coming to an end, but I wasn’t sure where to go after that. My bachelor’s degree was in psychology, and I always wanted to do therapy, so Liz encouraged me to go back to school. So, even before the bakery closed, I was in school at Bay Path University for my master’s degree in mental health counseling. Liz was one of the first people I told I was closing the bakery. Within a few days, she texted me, “I have a job for you. When this is all over, take some time to grieve, and then we have a job for you in East Longmeadow.”

Because I’m a mom and my daughter has special needs, I always thought I eventually wanted to work in maternal mental health. I wasn’t so sure about recovery or group work, like Balanced Recovery does. But then Liz said to me, “Group work is so inspirational. Wait until you try it.” I dove in headfirst. Now, I love group work. I love seeing the recovery of the clients. I was really thankful for Liz’s guidance and taking me under her wing. Belliveau: Renee has an innate ability to hear clients and figure out what’s going to work for them. How did you two become friends? Diaz: We were in the same class for WBJ 40 Under Forty, Class of 2016. Liz had come into the bakery before that, and she was always so welcoming. She welcomed me and my husband to any party she was having. But then we were in 40 Under Forty together, and ever since then, she’s been a great friend to me. Belliveau: My whole life, I’ve been drawn to authentic people, and Renee is just as authentic as they come. Renee and I clicked really early. At the time of 40 Under Forty, we were both business owners and in the early stages of our business. Because of that, we were really cheerleaders for each other in a world that can be really cutthroat. Why is Balanced Recovery expanding into Worcester? Belliveau: We were serving clients out in Western Mass., but we saw an uptick in the number of clients resonating with our model based in Central Mass. These clients were traveling a long way to come to services. Besides that, my large outpatient private practice – Enlightened Interventions – is located in Worcester, so it made sense to have a location in Central Mass. How many clients do you serve? Belliveau: We see ourselves as a boutique agency, so we keep our census at 20 to 40 clients at all times. That creates a better individualized experience. Diaz: We often get a prescreen of people looking for help. I see what the need is and how they fit into our program. We service both mental health and substance use. Belliveau: The services in Worcester are a bit of a choose-your-own adventure. We offer the same services you would see in a day program, like our East Longmeadow location, but clients can cultivate the treatment plan model that works best for them: group therapy, one-on-one therapy, crisis work, couples therapy, family therapy, coaching calls, and all the holistic wellness pieces. What’s the goal for these clients? Diaz: We view it as a journey. People can come to us and need therapy five days a week for a little while. If they feel more comfortable, that might get scaled back to three times per week. Some people move slower than others. Our goal is to give them the skills to move onto once-a-week therapy. Belliveau: We help clients live their best lives. With the Worcester location now open, what’s next? Diaz: Whatever Liz needs me to do. Belliveau: For me, careers are about chapters and not final destinations. One of the things I love about 40 Under Forty is how I get to see each chapter unfold for all these wonderful people. They are doing these fun, new creative things, which is really inspiring. When I first met Renee, she was a cupcake baker. Now, she is a therapist. This interview was conducted and edited for length and clarity by WBJ Editor Brad Kane.