We were lucky to catch up with Nicole Waller recently and have shared our conversation below.
Nicole, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about how you went about setting up your own practice and if you have any advice for professionals who might be considering starting their own?
For many years I was in the customer service and financial sector of the career world. I was the first female franchise owner of a national plumbing chain and did well with that for years until my divorce and it was sold. I then went on to work for other small businesses doing their bookkeeping and always felt that there was supposed to be more to my life than working for other people and building their businesses. I’m a mom of 4 teenagers and always seem to be on the go, but never had time for myself. I had an accident in 2017 that required major spinal surgery including a rod, plate and screws in my spine and that recovery was brutal especially after the 3rd degree burns left as a result of the surgeon setting his power tolls down on my back during the surgery instead of the table. I was so discouraged during the recovery and physical therapy process and that led to an enormous weight gain. I also found myself in a relationship that was not going to be healthy mentally or physically for myself or my children and decided to end that relationship. Days later I was attacked by this person and assaulted and left for dead for hours in my apartment before I was able to get help. This caused me to spiral into depression filled anxiety and developed PTSD. I didn’t want to leave the house. I didn’t want to socialize. I didn’t want to live life. It was difficult to find joy in anything and laughing didn’t feel right. I was miserable and just wanted to hide from the world. At one point I even made a plan to end my life because it felt like that would be easier than dealing with the pain, depression, anxiety and anger I was feeling. I didn’t even recognize myself anymore at this point because I was pushing almost 300 lbs and hated looking in the mirror. I decided to start trying to work out AGAIN but thought in the back of my head that it would be just like all the other times that I started, tried and failed. But, I thought “here we go”. Before I had always tried to push myself on the treadmill or bike and it was boring and never kept my attention very long. So, I started with weights and that was the first day that would lead to the rest of my life. It felt incredible to lift heavy things and feel powerful. It felt great to push myself to new limits and see how strong I really was. I released so much frustration and anger and tested my body. I moved onto resistance bands and it felt the same way. I continued to increase the weight of the equipment and get stronger and stronger. I set a goal to lose 20 lbs and did. I set a goal to lose 50 lbs and did. And kept going. My friends and family were noticing and social media was responding and it motivated me to do more and not stop. I lost 125 lbs total and it felt absolutely incredible and powerful. Then others started asking what I was doing and how I was doing it and there it was. The opportunity to help others and inspire others and also support myself. I got certified as a personal trainer and that’s when COVID hit. The gyms shut down and I panicked. How was I going to stick to my routine now? Was I going to gained it all back? I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wiped out Academy and made my garage a gym. People started asking if I’d train them and if they could use my gym. I started taking on clients and providing meal plans and work outs along with motivation and inspiration to keep going. I was doing it helping other women to become stronger in their body as well as their minds. A friend invited me to go to a dance class and I went with her to find a similar group of women who’s mission is to inspire community and confidence and I felt like I fit right in. At the end I knew I wanted in on this opportunity and it was a huge tug on my heart. I sat in my car for the next hour and cried because I felt that everything in my life had led up to this very moment. This is what I was built for! This is why I survived! This is why I got stronger! To help other women do the same thing! I began the process of getting all the information I could about this company called DivaDance and how I could be an Owner myself. I discovered that a woman by the name of Jami Stigliano and she was in NY at a dance class one day and after class she realized there needs to be a dance company that welcomes all shapes, sizes, ages and backgrounds no matter who you are or where you’re from. No clicks, no judgements, no dance experience…just fun and full of cardio and something that inspires confidence and community. So she did just that. I wanted to be apart of that amazing idea. So, I began the process of becoming an owner myself. I now own the North Central region of DivaDance and have 2 locations with a third coming soon and will continue to grow and apply myself to expanding this amazing dream come true. I opened my first location in Bulverde, TX in Feb of 2022 and was amazed at the number of people that were drawn to my business. They were looking for the same thing I was back then. Inspiration, a community of strong women to share fellowship with and a safe and comfortable environment with no judgement to feel right at home…and get some cardio in while doing it all. It took careful planning and time and money but I was able to open a second location just 8 months after that and I’ve experienced the same reaction in Boerne, TX as well. The squad is growing and we are expanding and even moving to a larger location in Dec in month. I can’t wait to expand to Dominion and then who knows where else. Without Jami and her courage of launching a business concept that was so necessary and amazing I would never have the opportunity to touch and impact the lives that I do today. I have an amazing staff of 4 instructors and 3 hostesses that continues to grow with our community and the sky is the limit from here. It has taught me that I am a fighter and I am a warrior for women. I am a survivor. I am NOT afraid and I will NOT back down. Fear has no place in my heart or my mind and I have faith in God that has carried me through the fire and the storm. I am grateful for all the ups and the downs and I will continue to be the place of hope and inspiration for others to come to. We are showing women that you can do anything you want to do and be anything you want to be. I hope that my children will see the fire inside of me and know they are also unstoppable and that they are capable of anything they desire. I have always said from the beginning and will always say “A candle never lost its flame by sharing its fire” and those words are so true. Sharing my journey and my experiences has given hope to so many women and being on the other side of pain and depression and anxiety shows them that they can overcome and heal and be powerful. Don’t give into the dark times they are just that…dark times. There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it is greater and brighter than you ever imagined. I can’t wait to see where DivaDance North Central goes from here.
Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.
For many years I was in the customer service and financial sector of the career world. I was the first female franchise owner of a national plumbing chain and did well with that for years until my divorce and it was sold. I then went on to work for other small businesses doing their bookkeeping and always felt that there was supposed to be more to my life than working for other people and building their businesses. I’m a mom of 4 teenagers and always seem to be on the go, but never had time for myself. I had an accident in 2017 that required major spinal surgery including a rod, plate and screws in my spine and that recovery was brutal especially after the 3rd degree burns left as a result of the surgeon setting his power tolls down on my back during the surgery instead of the table. I was so discouraged during the recovery and physical therapy process and that led to an enormous weight gain. I also found myself in a relationship that was not going to be healthy mentally or physically for myself or my children and decided to end that relationship. Days later I was attacked by this person and assaulted and left for dead for hours in my apartment before I was able to get help. This caused me to spiral into depression filled anxiety and developed PTSD. I didn’t want to leave the house. I didn’t want to socialize. I didn’t want to live life. It was difficult to find joy in anything and laughing didn’t feel right. I was miserable and just wanted to hide from the world. At one point I even made a plan to end my life because it felt like that would be easier than dealing with the pain, depression, anxiety and anger I was feeling. I didn’t even recognize myself anymore at this point because I was pushing almost 300 lbs and hated looking in the mirror. I decided to start trying to work out AGAIN but thought in the back of my head that it would be just like all the other times that I started, tried and failed. But, I thought “here we go”. Before I had always tried to push myself on the treadmill or bike and it was boring and never kept my attention very long. So, I started with weights and that was the first day that would lead to the rest of my life. It felt incredible to lift heavy things and feel powerful. It felt great to push myself to new limits and see how strong I really was. I released so much frustration and anger and tested my body. I moved onto resistance bands and it felt the same way. I continued to increase the weight of the equipment and get stronger and stronger. I set a goal to lose 20 lbs and did. I set a goal to lose 50 lbs and did. And kept going. My friends and family were noticing and social media was responding and it motivated me to do more and not stop. I lost 125 lbs total and it felt absolutely incredible and powerful. Then others started asking what I was doing and how I was doing it and there it was. The opportunity to help others and inspire others and also support myself. I got certified as a personal trainer and that’s when COVID hit. The gyms shut down and I panicked. How was I going to stick to my routine now? Was I going to gained it all back? I wasn’t going to let that happen. I wiped out Academy and made my garage a gym. People started asking if I’d train them and if they could use my gym. I started taking on clients and providing meal plans and work outs along with motivation and inspiration to keep going. I was doing it helping other women to become stronger in their body as well as their minds. A friend invited me to go to a dance class and I went with her to find a similar group of women who’s mission is to inspire community and confidence and I felt like I fit right in. At the end I knew I wanted in on this opportunity and it was a huge tug on my heart. I sat in my car for the next hour and cried because I felt that everything in my life had led up to this very moment. This is what I was built for! This is why I survived! This is why I got stronger! To help other women do the same thing! I began the process of getting all the information I could about this company called DivaDance and how I could be an Owner myself. I discovered that a woman by the name of Jami Stigliano and she was in NY at a dance class one day and after class she realized there needs to be a dance company that welcomes all shapes, sizes, ages and backgrounds no matter who you are or where you’re from. No clicks, no judgements, no dance experience…just fun and full of cardio and something that inspires confidence and community. So she did just that. I wanted to be apart of that amazing idea. So, I began the process of becoming an owner myself. I now own the North Central region of DivaDance and have 2 locations with a third coming soon and will continue to grow and apply myself to expanding this amazing dream come true. I opened my first location in Bulverde, TX in Feb of 2022 and was amazed at the number of people that were drawn to my business. They were looking for the same thing I was back then. Inspiration, a community of strong women to share fellowship with and a safe and comfortable environment with no judgement to feel right at home…and get some cardio in while doing it all. It took careful planning and time and money but I was able to open a second location just 8 months after that and I’ve experienced the same reaction in Boerne, TX as well. The squad is growing and we are expanding and even moving to a larger location in Dec in month. I can’t wait to expand to Dominion and then who knows where else. Without Jami and her courage of launching a business concept that was so necessary and amazing I would never have the opportunity to touch and impact the lives that I do today. I have an amazing staff of 4 instructors and 3 hostesses that continues to grow with our community and the sky is the limit from here. It has taught me that I am a fighter and I am a warrior for women. I am a survivor. I am NOT afraid and I will NOT back down. Fear has no place in my heart or my mind and I have faith in God that has carried me through the fire and the storm. I am grateful for all the ups and the downs and I will continue to be the place of hope and inspiration for others to come to. We are showing women that you can do anything you want to do and be anything you want to be. I hope that my children will see the fire inside of me and know they are also unstoppable and that they are capable of anything they desire. I have always said from the beginning and will always say “A candle never lost its flame by sharing its fire” and those words are so true. Sharing my journey and my experiences has given hope to so many women and being on the other side of pain and depression and anxiety shows them that they can overcome and heal and be powerful. Don’t give into the dark times they are just that…dark times. There’s light at the end of the tunnel and it is greater and brighter than you ever imagined. I can’t wait to see where DivaDance North Central goes from here.
Any stories or insights that might help us understand how you’ve built such a strong reputation?
I believe that being relatable to my clients has been extremely helpful in building my business. It has given me credibility that makes them feel confident in my ability to bring them a service that they can believe in and depend on. I have proven to myself and others that I have lost weight and gained confidence and I inspire them to be apart of what I started. I market my business as a place where can feel safe and comfortable and a place where you can let your hair down and have fun while getting in a great work out and I have shown them that I practice what I preach. I make it a point to talk to everybody that walks through my studio doors and uplift them in some way. I want them to feel better when they leave than when they came in. We also do this by using the best songs and I have hired a great staff and when I instruct my classes I’m sure to tell them how wonderful they are doing and how great they look doing it. We play loud music and have the coolest hot pink lights shining all around the room and we offer a segment of the end of class dedicated to take photos and videos and share with others what we’re doing in class that night.
We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?
A lesson in life that I had to unlearn was that I have limits. I was conditioned by bad relationships in my past with bad men that either told me that I was not good enough or too overweight or had too many children or not this or that and made me feel that I wasn’t capable or worthy enough for these great things. That’s simply NOT true. I am worthy and I am capable and I’m proving that now. I was niave enough because of a lack of self confidence and self esteem to believe the lies that they wanted me to believe because they felt bad about themselves. I think that when some men see that you are capable of reaching the stars…maybe even passing them up along the way. They try to hold you back and stop you from reaching your goals. My Dad past away in 2010 from lung cancer and before that not only were we best friends but we were also business partners. He always made me feel like I was capable of extreme potential and that I was not limited to any box or label. But, after he passed I looked for that in other men and it just didn’t happen. My ex husband was unfaithful and that made me feel humiliated and embarrassed and ashamed as if there was something wrong with me instead of something wrong with him. Boyfriends after that were verbally and/or physically abusive and that made me feel like I wasn’t worthy or was less of a woman. It caused me to keep shame in my heart and secrets in the dark. I was conditioned to feel unloved and incapable of greatness. It wasn’t until I was at rock bottom and literally beaten down and hurt so badly that I almost died before I decided to fight my way out of that cycle and out of that box they put me in and learn who I really was. I am worthy. I am beautiful. I am smart and capable and unstoppable. It wasn’t me at all. It was them. They were the ones with the insecurity issues and the moral issues and they couldn’t see my potential, or they did and it scared them. I learned that I was none of the things they said I was. Even my doctor/surgeon told me after my spinal surgery in 2018 that I’d never be able to do the same things I once did before. But, I learned to walk without pain and rebuild my strength and prove that he was wrong. Now I own an amazing business sharing my gifts and my talents and my story to help others. Maybe he was right in a way…I wouldn’t do the same things I once did before. I WILL DO BETTER THINGS!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://divadancenorthcentralsanantonio.pike13.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fitgirlfitnessbynicole/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicole.wallerbitner/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-waller
- Other: DivaDance North Central FB Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/divadancenorthcentralsanantonio DivaDance North Central IG: @divadancencsatx