Deborah Szekely, philanthropist, social activist, teacher and entrepreneur, has been inducted into the Wellness Hall of Fame (WellHOF) as its inaugural Fellow on the day of her 100th birthday.

Szekely co-founded destination spa, Rancho La Puerta, and founded the Golden Door, as well as being a driving force behind the establishment of The International Spa Association (ISPA) and The Green Spa Network (GSN), among other organisations.

She is also a tireless campaigner and fundraiser for wellness-related, environmental and social causes.

In his commendation of Szekely on behalf of WellHOF, chair Andrew Gibson said:

“We celebrate Deborah for her rich life and her contribution to the health of many hundreds of thousands of people and their families over her career, which stretches back to 1940 and the opening of Rancho La Puerta.

“In an age where many in the wellness industry preach about the importance of self-care, but do not themselves live a well life, Deborah has walked the talk and has the incredible health, vitality and life force to show for it."

Read Gibson’s full commendation of Deborah Szekely here.

Liz Terry, founder of WellHOF, said: “It’s absolutely fitting that Deborah has been inducted into the Wellness Hall of Fame today on her 100th birthday.

“We celebrate Deborah as an enduring source of inspiration and enlightenment for the entire wellness community, with her incredible energy, wisdom, expertise, generosity of spirit and zest for life.

“We're also honoured for her to be the inaugural Fellow of WellHOF, as her example in her life and her work inspires others

“As Deborah celebrates with her friends and family in Tecate, Mexico, the love and best wishes of all in the wellness community around the world go out to her on this very special and symbolic day. Happy Birthday, Deborah.”

Terry added: “Those wishing to celebrate Deborah are encouraged to do so by sharing their recollections and messages via her profile on the WellHOF website at the foot of this page.

“Comments may be curated for permanent inclusion in the WellHOF library.”

More about the WellHOF

Launching today (3 May 2022), WellHOF recognises and celebrates the work of pioneers across the entire wellness industry.

It also enshrines their collective wisdom in a central WellHOF Library that is accessible to all, to share knowledge across generations and reflect the extraordinary work being undertaken in the wellness industries globally.

The library is regularly updated to ensure records are kept current, adding to the rich resource.

The organisation welcomes contributions, recollections and the sharing of knowledge from industry professionals via its comments pages.

WellHOF was founded to support the entire wellness community of spa, sport and recreation, health and fitness, exercise science, nutrition, beauty, mental health and self-care.

The WellHOF’s chosen logo device is the hexagon, representing the beehive – a powerful symbol of a healthy, energetic, productive, collaborative and functioning community.

WellHOF opens for nominations today via the WellHOF nominations portal at WellHOF.org