We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Dara Depaolo. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Dara below.

Dara, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear your thoughts about family businesses.

I want to start by saying that Nyx Training Center is a family business not only by blood but by relationships that have formed over many years leading into the opening of the gym as well as the relationships that have formed as the gym has grown. My business partner, Michael Johnson, and I met over 7 years ago at another ninja gym where we worked. We worked together for 4 years at that gym until it closed. By that time we got along like.siblings. With that gym closing we decided that we wanted to continue to work together no matter where that took us. We agreed, with a lot of support from a lot of families of the athletes we were coaching, and the support of our own families, that we should open our gym.
My family supports our dream in every way that they can. My dad came in and did a large amount of the buildout. My mom and my aunt come and work large events and birthday parties and will drop everything to come to the gym if needed. My cousin is our front desk manager and he is here almost every day working hard to make sure everything is running smoothly, My uncle is always willing to come in and help when I need it. Every aspect of how we built the business and what the business is centered around family. The families that we have, the families that have been created, and the families that stand by and support us. Because I have been very fortunate to be surrounded by the tremendous support of everyone that makes up my family. I could not even begin to imagine having to do this without them.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I opened Nyx Training Center In 2022 with my business partner Michael Johnson. The gym officially opened when I was only 20. On September 4th family and friends got together not only to celebrate the opening of the gym, but me becoming the youngest female gym owner in the country. That is such a surreal experience. The gym is a niche sports facility that focuses on ninja warrior, parkour, and world chase tag. I was introduced to the world of ninja warrior, and parkour while I was in high school. After watching the show and seeing that athletes were training at a gym in Marietta, My mom took us to check it out. I started going to open gyms fell in love with the sports and then became a coach. I have now been coaching ninja and parkour for 8 years. The gym has opened up a lot of opportunities. We became the first gym in the U.S with an official World Chase Tag quad. I have gotten to compete on season 15 of American Ninja Warrior, I have competed on ESPNS World Chase Tag and my team made it to the World Championships, and I am a Team USA parkour athlete. All of those experiences have helped me continue growing as an individual and a coach. My athletes are my greatest pride. I strive to be a great coach for them. I work hard to provide them with as many opportunities as possible and encourage them to strive for greatness.

Ninja Warrior and Parkour are great foundational sports for kids. Much like gymnastics, they help build coordination, strength, endurance, and confidence. Both sports require full-body movement but are adaptable to all ages and skill levels. We run classes for all skill levels and ages and have a large competitive team program that’s home to regionally and nationally ranked athletes. Michael and I who lead all of our programs are professional athletes with years of coaching experience behind us. We have created a facility that allows all of our clients to build strength and confidence and aim for greatness.

Any advice for managing a team?

I have learned that the way that works best for us when it comes to managing our team is to give them a structured place to grow and make mistakes. We keep open communication with all of our employees so that we can best support them, and we believe in leading by example. We want them to work hard so we work hard.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

I had to learn that making mistakes is ok. When you constantly push yourself to be perfect people start to expect perfection. With everything that I have done between the gym and the sports that I support and compete in I have a lot of people watching what I am doing all the time. I would stress myself out beyond belief if I didn’t think I could do something perfectly. Having to use the learn-as-you-go method to open and run a business means no matter what you are going to make mistakes, and it is impossible to never make a mistake in competition. Making a mistake used to make me feel as though I was failing and everyone was going to be disappointed in me, and I struggled with that a lot. I know that making a mistake is ok but I still struggle with the disappointment in myself when it happens.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nyxtrainingcenter.com
• Instagram: @nyxtrainingcenter @daradepaolo
• Facebook: Nyxtrainingcenter
• Linkedin: daradepaolo