Her Story
About Niki
I began my journey in the wellness industry in 2017 as a PE teacher, a role I held for about 4 and a half years. During that time, I started the first girls basketball program at my elementary/middle school, which only had volleyball for girls at the time. Our first year was rough - we didn't win a single game - but I convinced the girls to stick with it, and the next year we took second at the championship. That program is still thriving today, and some of those girls went on to play college basketball. After resigning from teaching, I transitioned into personal training for about 3 years, where about 98% of my clients were women. Through networking with my clients, I found my current position as a facility manager at a wellness studio. My boss was actually my client at one time, and now she's not only my boss but my mentor. She's a physical therapist who has shown me the recovery and rest side of wellness, which I never really experienced even as a collegiate athlete. In my current role, I make sure equipment is running functionally and that clients are getting the appropriate treatment for their needs. I guide clients to the right amenities based on their individual situations. My inspiration comes from my mom, who was a bodybuilder when I was younger and is now a retired PE teacher who volunteers at the local YMCA working with senior citizens in group classes. She's always been all about fitness, eating right, and mental health. I want to continue inspiring women the way she inspired me, and I'm slowly diving into social media to share my experiences and advice with other women going through similar journeys.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Niki
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Just continue to be open-minded. You know, sometimes we get stuck in our ways, whether from our professional side, or experience side, or education side, and we think this is the way to do it. But working with kids, working with adults, working with senior citizens, I've learned to know that there's not one right regimen for everybody. What works for you might not work for me, and vice versa. In the wellness world, everything is always changing, it's never going to be the same. So just being able to be open-minded and adjust to the new studies that come out - like peptides was never a thing, now it's peptides, saunas are now a whole thing. Just be open-minded to the new stuff that's coming out and don't be afraid to dive in. Once you dive in, then you can really ask yourself, okay, is this worth it, or is it not? And being able to experience that yourself is how you're going to really help other people.
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