Betty Runkle, of Liberty, never planned on becoming a naturopath or owning a health food store.
For nearly 30 years, her world was the chemical industry, where she worked as a chemical analyst, laboratory technician and quality-control manager. Then one of her three sons became seriously ill, and a mother’s search for answers sent her life in an entirely different direction.
Her son began having recurring health problems when he was just 9 months old. The illnesses continued for years. At one point, Runkle said, he had strep throat 21 times in a single year. By age 8, he had undergone four surgeries and had been treated repeatedly with antibiotics, steroids and other medications.
Desperate for answers, Runkle eventually took him to a naturopathic practitioner in Houston.
At the time, she knew very little about naturopathy, but she was desperate for answers for her son’s medical issues. What she learned through that experience, and the improvement she saw in her son’s health, sparked a curiosity that eventually became a calling.
Runkle began studying natural health, nutrition, herbalism and other approaches to wellness. As she learned more, other mothers began coming to her with questions about problems their own families were facing. Eventually, she decided that if she was going to continue helping people, she should pursue her certifications and make it her profession.
Today, Runkle and her husband, Rob, own The Health Fix Store and Pack Ship & Copy at 1808 Sam Houston Street in Liberty. She has developed her own supplement line, Revolution 22, and continues her naturopathic education.
Her desire to serve people has also carried her beyond the family business. Runkle now serves on the Liberty City Council and has been designated as the city’s film liaison as Liberty works toward becoming a Texas Film Friendly Certified Community.
Finding a new path
Runkle started by studying natural health, nutrition and herbalism, eventually expanding her education into traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and other approaches to wellness. What began as a mother’s determination to help her own child gradually became something she was using to help others.
Her previous career also gave her an unusual perspective. After decades working in laboratories and quality control, Runkle was accustomed to asking questions about ingredients, testing, manufacturing processes and standards — questions that would later influence the products she chose to recommend and sell.
Her interest in naturopathy, however, didn’t turn her against conventional medicine. Her studies have exposed her to nutrition, herbalism, traditional Chinese medicine, Ayurveda and other approaches to wellness.
She is also careful to point out that she is not a medical doctor and does not have medical training. Her education and certifications are in naturopathy, and she recognizes there are limits to what she can do.
“I’m not anti-medicine at all,” she said.
How often does someone walk into her store and ultimately get told to see a physician?
“Every day,” Runkle said.
She said she has developed a good relationship with Liberty’s medical community. Medical professionals sometimes send people her way for nutritional support, while she refers customers to physicians when their concerns fall outside her scope.
“We’re all here to help,” she said.
Runkle’s approach has mellowed since her early years in natural health. She admits she once could be extreme, returning home from a nutrition class ready to clean out the family’s pantry.
Today, she focuses more on balance, education and changes people can realistically maintain. That philosophy also applies to supplements.
Runkle said people sometimes start taking one vitamin, hear about another and add it, then another and another, without reconsidering what they are already taking.
Some customers arrive with lists of supplements recommended by their physicians. Others walk through the door overwhelmed by the choices and unsure where to begin. Among the most common concerns customers bring to her are chronic pain, sleep problems, anxiety and weight management.
Runkle said part of her job is education. The store provides books, magazines and other resources, and she also shares information through social media.
If she could convince people to make one health change that doesn’t require buying anything from her store, her answer is immediate: cut back on sugar.
Putting her own stamp on a Liberty institution
The Health Fix Store has roots in Liberty that predate the Runkles. The former Carol Bond Health Food Store enjoyed a great reputation and operated on Main Street, and the Runkles took over several years ago.
Bond had built something much larger than a neighborhood vitamin shop. Runkle said Bond developed her own supplement products, had a television show and built a substantial mail-order operation that reached customers across the country before online shopping existed.
Runkle has continued part of that tradition with Revolution 22, her own supplement line, which she said now includes about 25 products. The store also carries products from other manufacturers, and this is where Runkle’s first career comes back into play.
Her years in laboratory work and quality control taught her to pay attention to testing, ingredients, manufacturing practices and certifications. She wants to know where ingredients come from and how products are tested before she puts them on her shelves.
Some people call her a “supplement snob.” She is fine with that.
The Health Fix Store carries more than vitamins and herbal remedies. Shoppers also come in for natural soaps, essential oils and other wellness products.
The Runkles eventually moved the business from Main Street to Sam Houston Street, in part because Betty worried about older customers having to cross the busy roadway at the former location. The move also gave them room for Pack Ship & Copy.
Customers can purchase shipping services or drop off packages for UPS, FedEx, DHL and the U.S. Postal Service. The business also provides copying, laminating and related services.
The operation is very much a family business. Rob works alongside Betty, and their daughter, Jensyn, helps keep things running when Betty’s other responsibilities take her away.
Runkle said she is particularly proud of the atmosphere her family has created. People do not always come through the door simply looking for a product. Sometimes they are dealing with illness, grief or other difficulties.
Faith is part of the business as well. Runkle said it isn’t unusual for Rob to pray with a customer who is going through a difficult time.
Answering another call to serve
Runkle previously served on the Liberty Community Development Corporation board before being elected earlier this year to the Liberty City Council. She is still relatively new to council and acknowledged that some of the decisions facing city leaders are not easy.
On the day of the podcast interview, she was preparing for a meeting that included discussion of a proposed sales-tax election and possible changes involving LCDC.
Runkle said she had been talking with residents and listening to their opinions. Ultimately, she said, she wants to make decisions based on what is best for Liberty and the people who elected her.
Asked which is harder — owning a business or serving on City Council — Runkle wasn’t ready to decide.
“Yet to be determined,” she said with a laugh.
She did have an answer when asked to choose between a City Council budget meeting and a root canal. She would take the budget meeting.
Putting Liberty on the film industry’s radar
Runkle’s newest assignment might also be her most unusual. She has been designated Liberty’s film liaison as the city works toward becoming a Texas Film Friendly Certified Community.
She was quick to note that Liberty is not certified just yet. Runkle said the remaining steps include having filming guidelines reviewed by the city attorney and adopted by the City Council. Those guidelines will establish requirements and protections for film and entertainment productions wanting to work in Liberty.
Runkle and LCDC board member Margaret Gardzina recently attended Film Friendly training in Galveston.
One requirement is the designation of a film liaison who can serve as the primary contact when a production company expresses interest in the community. For now, that’s Runkle.
If a production company contacts Liberty, she would help connect its representatives with city officials, property owners, businesses and whatever local resources they might need.
She explained that the requests could be unusual — livestock, vintage vehicles, an old barn, a particular building or any number of other things a movie might need.
That role suits Runkle, who describes herself as a “connector.”
Seeing Liberty with fresh eyes
Film Friendly training has already changed the way Runkle looks at Liberty. She was surprised to learn that location scouts aren’t necessarily searching for the newest or prettiest properties. Sometimes they want exactly the opposite.
An old barn might be perfect, but so might a vacant building, aging storefront, historic home or wide-open field. Liberty has plenty of all of these.
Runkle has begun driving around town and taking photographs, looking at familiar places through the eyes of a location scout.
Liberty has historic downtown buildings, the railroad depot, the Sam Houston Regional Library and Research Center, older homes, rural properties and other locations that could potentially fit a script. Private property could also be considered.
Runkle is working on information for business and property owners who might want their locations promoted to the film industry. Permission would be required before privately owned properties could be submitted.
If a production actually wanted to film at a home, business or other property, additional agreements and protections would be necessary.
Depending on the production, there could be insurance requirements, permits and other safeguards. Runkle said the goal is to protect both the city and property owners and have productions leave Liberty in the same or better condition than they found it.
During training, she learned about productions that made improvements to properties in order to use them for filming. That possibility has Runkle dreaming a little about some of Liberty’s older buildings and hoping that movie scouts might see the potential in them.
For Liberty, the real attraction is not having a celebrity show up in town. It is economic development. Film crews need hotel rooms, meals, supplies, transportation, equipment and other services. Even a commercial could bring money into the local economy during a relatively short stay.
A movie or television production could mean considerably more, including possible opportunities for local residents to work as extras or for area businesses to provide goods and services. Then there is what can happen after the cameras leave.
Runkle pointed to Smithville, where the 1998 movie “Hope Floats” was filmed. Decades later, fans still visit the community to see locations associated with the movie.
Runkle believes Liberty’s proximity to Houston could also work in its favor. During Film Friendly training, she met a Houston film industry representative who acknowledged Liberty had fallen off his radar. Runkle didn’t particularly like hearing that, but she saw an opportunity.
If Liberty has been overlooked, then it is time to remind people that it is here. She is beginning to make contacts and learning how to get Liberty’s properties in front of location scouts and producers.
Dayton is also pursuing Film Friendly certification, and Runkle said she has talked with representatives there about ways the neighboring communities can help each other.
Lights in Liberty is an inspiration
The Film Friendly effort has an interesting connection to another project Runkle collaborated on with other city leaders. She, as well as City Councilwoman Debbie Duggar, serves on the Lights and Liberty steering committee, which helped transform downtown Liberty during the Christmas season.
The goal was to give local families something special to look forward to each year. Runkle credited Dugger as a driving force behind Lights and Liberty and praised the larger team that worked to make the event happen.
Runkle’s own wish was simple: She wanted downtown Liberty to look like a Hallmark movie. Before long, she found herself on the steering committee and, at one point, near the top of a ladder at the gazebo hanging bows.
Now, with Liberty working toward Film Friendly certification, the idea of the city becoming the backdrop for an actual movie does not seem quite so far-fetched.
“We just want to be able to give the community something to look forward to every year,” Runkle said.
To hear the full interview with Runkle, click the YouTube link below:
Betty does a lot and does everything beautifully. We should expect to see film crews soon!