Thelma Beam

I began my career in marketing research in 1983, having graduated with a Specialist Undergraduate Degree in Psychology from the University of Toronto, and an MBA in Marketing from York University. I then spent the next 12 years working on both the client side (Kimberly-Clarke, Royal Trust) and the supplier side (Contemporary Research Centre, Westmount Research). I learned a lot about both qualitative and quantitative research methodologies. But more importantly, I learned how information is used by companies to make decisions.

In 1995, I decided to go back to my roots, and began training as a psychotherapist. I received my certification as a Regression Therapist, then my Certificate of Psychodynamic Studies, and finally I became a Certified Hypnotherapist and NLP practitioner. As a psychoanalyst, I was trained to use the principles of psychology in order to understand and help my patients. Instead, I found that it was my patients who taught me the most about what makes people tick.

That's when I started Mind Meld Consulting Inc. MMCI was created to help marketers understand their customers at a deeper level, so that they could make better decisions. I use the tools I learned as a psychotherapist to understand what people mean, at a deep unconscious level. I don't just listen to what they say, and take it at face value.

I have two areas of specialization: First, I love to work with financial institutions on projects about investing, insurance, or corporate image. Second, I enjoy collaborating with other research professionals in order to enhance their study findings. Working with other researchers has given me an opportunity to learn about food, consumer products, and government services.