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

Erica, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Starting something new can always be scary and risky. For me, when I decided to go all in on my health and wellness business, I was honestly terrified! I had major imposter syndrome and could list a thousand reasons that could have gone wrong and questioned myself on if I truly was equipped to be successful at it. I’d ask myself, “What if I don’t get any clients? What if I’m not ready? What if I fail?” and everything in between. After having a few close friends and my husband hype me up and ensure that I could do it, I finally did! I launched my website, announced I was accepting clients and doing group coaching, and didn’t look back…and I’m SO thankful I didn’t let those fears stop me.

Doing new things, like starting your own business (especially in a competitive industry) can be so hard. Risks are scary, yes, BUT they can also be life-changing. Had I let the negative thoughts win, I wouldn’t be where I am at today.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers

I am a Certified Personal Trainer specializing in pre/postnatal fitness, as well as a Performance Enhancement Specialist and Certified Nutrition Coach. I’ve always been pretty active, but never fully understanding the how’s and why’s about exercises or nutrition were until the last few years. Being a mom of two (5 and 3) I want to help moms know that they CAN remain active in pregnancy and show them how to, as well as the importance of health in the pre and postnatal phases. I want to help people understand the importance of how to fuel your body and do so in a sustainable + realistic manner; that you can enjoy your favorite foods while reaching your goals and you don’t have to restrict or deprive yourself. One of the big things I focus with my clients on is their relationships with foods/exercise and ensuring that both are healthy, realistic and sustainable. Both exercise and nutrition are both a mental thing that has to be tackled as well, so once that is understood and able to be practiced, it makes everything a lot smoother. And as far as training goes: I want to help people understand that we want to train for life and the importance of moving our bodies in a way that we enjoy so we can continue to do so as we grow older. Preventative health is key!

Can you tell us about what’s worked well for you in terms of growing your clientele?

Letting my work do the talking for me. I am so thankful for the amazing people who I have gotten to/currently are working with for sticking with their program and being all-in on it. A majority of my clients I have gotten through word of mouth versus social media (which is wild these days with such a social-media focused time), and that actually means more to me that way. Staying genuine to who I am and how I want to serve my clients while keeping their goals in mind are so important. Knowing that I am listening and hearing what each person’s concerns are and everything along those lines not only helps me better help them, but also builds a level of trust that I value so much. That in turn has them telling others about their successes from working with me and not giving up on themselves!

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

I first started studying to become a certified personal trainer in 2016. I found out I was pregnant and put it on hold as I wanted to focus on being a stay at home mom during that time. Fast forward to 2019, after having my second child, I wanted to have something that felt like it was my own. I became lost in my identity and only felt like I was “mom”, so I started the journey of becoming a CPT again and this time I haven’t looked back.,,and boy, am I glad I didn’t. It wasn’t easy by any means; I now had to study with a 3 year old and 1 year old which was HARD. But I kept at it because I wanted it BAD. I’m glad I didn’t quit when it was hard and that is definitely something I want to instill in my kids as well (working hard for what you want is going to be difficult, but it IS possible). If I had given up on myself, I wouldn’t be where I am at today nor would I feel as fulfilled as I do knowing I have helped SO many people on their journey.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.fitandhealthywitherica.com
• Instagram: elnickelson
• Facebook: www.facebook.com/fitandhealthywitherica

Image Credits
David Mullis Chelsea Easter Ashley Simmons Lisa Kuper