Abdullah Boulad is a man of many talents. Being the CEO and founder of 'The Balance Healthcare Group'; one of a rare ultra-lux addiction and mental health clinics in the world, it further treats royals, celebrities, and pro-athletes.

Born into war-torn Lebanon, and escaped with his family at the age of eight to Switzerland and started his first company at the age of 16, designing websites when the internet was in its early days. 

The company witnessed its inception after Boulad experienced an immensely serious burnout from work alongside watching his seven-month pregnant wife fall down the stairs that led to his unfortunate heart attack in his early thirties.

But Boulad came back stronger than ever as he took seven years off to attend school and commit to his education again as he pursued and garnered qualifications in: Psychology, Integrative Health & Medicine, Nutrition & Food, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Mindfulness (MBSR), Life Coaching, and Addiction Treatment. 

Boulad then decided to launch 'The Balance Rehab Clinic' in 2019 in order to transform into becoming a part of the solution. 
'The Balance' is a perfect amalgamation of luxury and comfort and its business model aims to function on the mind-body connection providing expertise in every aspect of healing including ancient and cutting-edge technology. 

'The Balance' has since then doubled its revenue four years in a row and is currently on a steady incline of 40% growth as the organization operates across three countries- Spain, Switzerland, and the UK, and have also expanded their branches into two new programs: 'Cogniful Therapeutic Community' and 'Senses Wellness Clinic' aimed to treating burnout, trauma and PTSD, depression and anxiety, sleeping and eating disorders, enhancing performance and overall longevity.

We recently had an insightful chat with Abdullah Boulad about his inspirational professional journey, how 'The Balance' came to be, what he has in store for the future, and his advice to the youth and anyone currently facing any sort of mental crisis. 

Hi there, Abdullah. Thank you for joining us on ReVamp! How are you doing?

I am doing very well, thank you for asking!

Beginning this interview, I would love to start our conversation by asking what it was really that brought you closer to the field of mental wellness.

I know you have experienced some immensely challenging times but what was the moment that made you realise, this was something you wanted to pursue professionally in order to help others.

My mission began with my own health crisis. I was running a Swiss venture capital firm and overworked completely. I was way too active, working twelve-hour days and rarely having lunch. Everything revolved around my business and my family. This came to the surface when my wife fell down the stairs seven months pregnant and was immediately rushed to the hospital. 

The medication she was administered stunted our child’s growth. The year following his birth was a toxic cycle of stress that led to my eventual heart attack. I was only 35.When my wife fell – everything stopped. I was paralysed. I was so caught up in taking care of everything else that I forgot how to take care of myself. When something like that happens, there is returning to who you once were. I was changed irrevocably. I ended up going back to school to get my master’s in business engineering. I studied everything that I could about health and wellness. 

I learned everything I wish I had known when I was running my company. There was no one thing that fixed me. It was a vast set of experiences and knowledge that let me transform my life. I would not have healed if I did not approach my health holistically. Everything in my mind shifted towards this topic. I knew it was where I needed to be. I’ve always been an entrepreneur, and I will always be one. Now, my skillset aligns with my mission - and there is no greater feeling.

Talk to me more about 'The Balance Healthcare Group'. First of all, huge congratulations on establishing such a prominent and much-needed company!

Thank you! It’s been hard work, but when you do what you love and witness people’s lives change daily - it doesn’t feel like work.

How did this idea emerge into your mind that you wanted to establish a platform that can holistically provide both a mental health aid as well as a luxurious lifestyle amalgamating healing with comfort?

The idea came because I saw what was missing in the healthcare systems around me. My story sent me down a path of learning and experiencing how people heal and what resources are available around the world. There are so many incredible techniques out there but they, for the most part, remain isolated. Nothing is bringing it all together. That’s what I wanted to do. I wanted a clinic where your doctor, psychotherapist, and sound healer knew each other and spoke to each other about how to best support you. Where no healing technique was dismissed. 

The other part of this is that I understand high-performing individuals. I know how hard it is to find practitioners that are attuned to your lifestyle. There’s a huge empathy gap when it comes to affluent individuals. People do not care about wealthy people’s problems. But we understand how difficult it all can be and how hard it can be for people to understand what you’re going through. There is so much pressure at the top. We wanted to provide a space for those individuals to be supported in their healing process.

How are you enjoying the reception that you have currently garnered from your company since its evolution?

Any success I have is only a reflection of my brilliant, caring team. They are my second family; without them, I would not have achieved any of this.

You also took seven years off to go back to school in order to achieve several qualifications in:- Psychology, Integrative Health & Medicine, Nutrition & Food, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP), Mindfulness (MBSR), Life Coaching, and Addiction Treatment.

How would you say have these accreditations further helped you in terms of the entrepreneurial elements of your life?

You have to practice what you preach. I could not start a rehab and mental health clinic without a deep understanding of the human brain and body. I needed to carry this knowledge with me to lead by example. It’s given me a profound insight into how we as people heal. It is so complex, so individual. This is why I have set my clinic up with a one-person-at-a-time approach. People respond to different things; that’s why we have every healing technique—both ancient and cutting edge—in-house.

What would you consider to be the most memorable and biggest accolade of your professional career?

Every time someone tells me I’ve saved their life. There is nothing that compares to this. This is not just a business; it’s not about a product or keeping customers coming back. It’s about giving people the knowledge to move through their suffering and empower them beyond it.

What I am most proud of is how my team operates. People don’t just fall into mental health - it’s a calling. That bonds us together. They care so deeply for people, no matter who they are or where they come from. And we listen and support each other the way we do our clients. We operate like an orchestra. The song we play depends wholly on the client we treat.

You unfortunately suffered a heart attack in your early thirties as a consequence of your immense work pressure and personal life obstacles, but you're back on your feet and thriving more than ever!

Yes, it seems like a different life. It’s as if that time period happened to someone else. I’ve become someone my past self wouldn’t recognise.

For the current youth, is there any significant piece of advice that you'd like to bestow upon them to either prevent such an incident or help/advice the individuals who might be suffering a similar ordeal of not being able to keep up with the constant stress?

Everyone needs to self-reflect. This aspect of life cannot be avoided. It is how we grow. I was forced into self-reflection. I forgot to check in on my brain, body, and spirit, and it had to make me check in. Our bodies are great communicators; if we don’t listen, problems often arise. 

People who want to perform well must balance their lifestyles with time off. We weren’t put on the earth to work. If you are not in balance, you cannot achieve what you want.

You very recently expanded "The Balance Rehab Clinic" into two more branches; 'Cogniful Therapeutic Community' and 'Senses Wellness Clinic'. What can you tell us about these two new programs and what do they entail?

We began the company working with one client at a time, helping people with addictions and severe mental health issues move beyond their diagnosis and empower them to live a life in balance. We’ve achieved so much in just five years that we wanted to expand to a broader audience. 

Based on the enquiries we were getting and looking at industry trends, we expanded our offerings. The Cogniful Therapeutic Community is our group program for people who want individualised care within a community setting. We are the only rehab that works in this way. 

We know that the care people receive has to be individualised. The Senses WellnessClinic allows affluent individuals to access our unbelievable team and undergo a 360-degree analysis of their mental and physical health. The programme is two to three weeks long, as opposed to our one- to two-month treatment programmes for more severe conditions like addiction and eating disorders.

How do you think "The Balance" has helped you in your own personal life? Is there a specific healing/therapeutic technic you absolutely love to immerse yourself into when facing stress?

 I work with our incredible practitioners on a weekly basis. I take advantage of the vast knowledge around me and learn from my team daily. When it comes to my own stress and well-being, movement has always been the place I go to cleanse my spirit. It brings me back to center. I have to move to keep my brain and body speaking. 

With that comes recovery; that’s when I turn to my team for massages, sound healing, and yoga. I am always balancing the work I do with recovery. This is the only way I can be in the best state to support my team and tackle challenges as they come up.

Why do you think people should approach "The Balance"?

The Balance approach is completely unique to us. Everywhere in the world, the care people receive is broken down by symptoms. If our back hurts, we go to a spine specialist or osteopath; if we have mental health struggles, we go to a therapist. This is not to say this is wrong, but it isolates the issue. Sometimes, the pain we feel, mental or physical, does not come from the place we feel it in. 

Somatic pain is very deeply tied to the psyche, and internal imbalance can show up in ailments in the body. If you don’t go somewhere that treats you holistically, it’s like looking at a couple of the puzzle pieces. We always zoom out to see the bigger picture.

What's next for you, Abdullah? Any other projects for you or 'The Balance' in the pipeline for the rest of this year?

The mission is always to reach the people who need us most, which means expanding our offerings and moving into new countries. We have some exciting things in the works, but I can’t give too much away now. Our goal is to help as many people as possible with The Balance healing approach.

Lastly, I would love to ask you if there's any message that you'd like to convey to your supporters currently reading this interview?

It’s never too late to learn about yourself. It’s never too late to change careers. The worst moment of my life ended up leading to the best moments. Be patient with your journey, and know that resources are out there. I didn’t begin my health journey properly until I was in my mid-thirties. 

The world is filled with wisdom and knowledge about healing, and just because the conventional methods haven’t worked for you doesn’t mean you won’t get better. Everyone needs to heal; it’s part of life. Don’t ever feel it’s too late for you to do so.

“Empowering people beyond addiction & mental health”

The Balance RehabClinic: https://balanceluxuryrehab.com

The Senses WellnessClinic: https://senseswellnessclinic.com

The Cogniful TherapeuticCommunity: https://cogniful.com