Inside Emily Dooley’s Journey to Merge Massage Therapy and Mindful Movement
I spent a little over an hour with Emily Dooley, the founder of True Center Yoga, and came away with a clear sense of how much care she brings to her work. She has been a massage therapist in Randolph for more than 22 years, and that experience shapes the way she teaches yoga. Her approach is grounded in functional movement and a practical understanding of how people move, compensate, and heal. It is a steady, thoughtful style that reflects both her training and her years of working closely with clients.
Becoming the center of Randolph’s mind-body revival
Her yoga story began 15 years ago in the old barn at the Three Stallion Inn, a dusty, half-forgotten space with an often broken jacuzzi in the back. “It was an immediate hit,” she told me. “I had people lined up outside the door… who knew this was going to happen?” That early community followed her from the barn to Main Street, to Zoom during COVID, to the Healthy Randolph building, and now, finally, to her new home on Merchant’s Row. The journey between those spaces was anything but smooth. She weathered a pandemic shutdown that forced her to abandon a thriving studio, a three-year lease she had to walk away from after investing $10,000 in renovations, and various other difficulties. At one point, she was ready to quit entirely. “I had just given up,” she said. “I was over it.”
But then came Gene Bianco, her longtime student and now her landlord, who kept calling her in off the sidewalk to see the progress he was making on the old computer store. “You should make this a yoga studio,” he kept telling her. “I really want a yoga studio.” Slowly, she let herself imagine it again. Gene paid for the materials. Emily and her partner Mike did the drywall, the painting, the cleaning. “It was a job,” she said. “I started on October 15th and didn’t have it ready until New Year’s Day.” Today, when you walk into True Center, you’d never guess what the space used to be. It feels intentional, warm, and deeply cared for, a reflection of Emily herself. And now, with new street trees on Merchant’s Row, the block feels like it’s entering its own new chapter. Her studio sits right in the middle of it, a sign of what’s possible when people choose to invest in place.
Emily also talked about who comes through her doors. “In a room of ten people, maybe one or two are men,” she said. “Thank God those one or two men show up, they show up all the time.” Why the imbalance? Her answer was simple and true: “Women ask each other, ‘What are you doing for self-care?’ Men don’t have that same support system.” She’s right. In Randolph, a town where nearly 90% of downtown businesses are owned or run by women, the culture of care is strong. Women encourage each other to rest, to breathe, to take time. Men, culturally, are taught to push through. But Emily sees that shifting. “Men need care too,” she said. “Men have as many mental health crises as women do. Hopefully, we’re evolving in that direction.” Her studio is part of that evolution, a place where anyone can walk in, roll out a mat, and begin again.
Randolph’s strength has always come from its circular economy, people supporting people, businesses supporting businesses, neighbors investing in neighbors. Emily’s work fits squarely into that ecosystem. Massage and yoga aren’t luxuries here; they’re part of how people stay healthy enough to run restaurants, teach school, raise kids, care for aging parents, and keep our community moving. True Center is a place where downtown workers take a mid-day class to reset, retirees build strength and balance, couples come to reconnect, people in crisis find grounding, entrepreneurs refill their cup, and newcomers find belonging. It’s a wellness hub, yes, but it’s also a community anchor. A healthy community is a strong community and True Center is helping keep Randolph strong.
Emily’s approach blends her 25+ years of massage therapy with her 500-hour yoga certification, giving her a rare depth of anatomical and functional knowledge. Her classes are accessible, thoughtful, and informed by how bodies work. Her weekly schedule includes morning, mid-day, and evening classes, with offerings from gentle flow to deep stretch to core-focused movement. She now has two additional teachers, Lauren Priestap and Leanne Hoppe, who bring their own styles and help create a diverse, sustainable schedule. Membership options include a monthly unlimited pass, as well as 5- and 10-class passes that never expire. Massage appointments are available but book out months in advance, a testament to her reputation and skill. She offers 60-, 75-, and 90-minute sessions, as well as a unique two-hour movement-plus-massage hybrid for people dealing with chronic pain or mobility issues.
There's no place like home
After multiple moves, True Center finally feels settled. “It’s been a process of elimination,” she said. “Fifteen years of trying to operate yoga studios in Randolph has taught me a ton.” Merchant’s Row, with its new trees, its growing energy, and its mix of old and new businesses, feels like the right place for her. A place she can grow into. A place she can stay. And honestly? It feels like a win for all of us. True Center gives people a chance to pause, breathe, reflect on where they are in their health, and find guidance on how to improve their time on this earth. That’s pretty awesome. Thanks, Emily!
Fun Fact - True Center Yoga's logo was designed by Valerie Schoolcraft
