Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Kristen Nicholson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Kristen, thanks for joining us today. Let’s start with the story of your mission. What should we know?

I spent 22 years in corporate healthcare before completely burning out, and was looking for a change. It was 2020 and health/wellness was at the forefront of everyone’s mind as we navigated something we’d never experienced before. After spending so long in healthcare it occurred to me how reactive our system is. Would we be in the same situation if we all took a more proactive approach to our health? I was no different. While I work out and eat whole nutritious foods, I was burning at the candle at both ends with an “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” mentality.

Having not been much of a risk taker before, I knew life could not going on the way it was. I quit my job and began establishing Urban Sweat. My goal was to offer self-care for our guests while appealing to their senses. It makes my day when people enter our doors and say they’ve been looking forward to their appointment all day or that they really needed the time they spent with us. Once our first location was opened in Nashville, I knew this was something I wanted to take nationwide so I established Urban Sweat as a franchise and cannot wait to see where our next location will be!

Kristen, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

Urban Sweat offers 3 modalities: infrared sauna, red light therapy and cold plunge. Our goal is to be the best part of our guests day offering time to unplug, and to leave feeling ahhhh-mazing. We engage your senses with a fresh aroma when you enter the studio. to the white, clean lines in the decor, to the chromotherapy in the sauna, to the sound therapy that plays in the suites and of course to feeling hot or cold (or both) depending upon which modalities our guests choose.

After spending 22 years in healthcare prior to opening the studio, I geek out over the improvements our guests see in their mental and physical health. We’ve seen physicians send cancer patients to the sauna the day before chemo/radiation for their bodies to absorb their treatment better. Cleared up cases of eczema and psoriasis with red light therapy. Used sauna for part of mold detox protocol. We’ve seen sleep improve with all modalities. We see bone to heal faster under red lights. We see anxiety lessen and depression improve with all modalities, especially contrast therapy. And muscles recover faster for our elite athletes to improve performance. I see the little things we can do to support our well-being that doesn’t come in a pill and I love see our guests show it on their faces.

I’m proud of our guests for giving time to themselves to improve their health, and thankful for them for telling others about their experience. We stand apart from others in the industry by building the relationship with our clients and being proactive with their needs. We know time is valuable, and we are grateful that our guests choose to spend it with us. Now, we’re ready to replicate it and build Urban Sweat nationwide!

Do you have any insights you can share related to maintaining high team morale?

Throughout my career I’ve lead large sales teams, and now Urban Sweat has a small (but mighty) team. With each team, no matter the size, it’s important for me to instill a sense in my teammates that I will always have their back, I lead with no judgement, I am honest, and I want them to feel the business is their own. I try to lead by example by showing that authentic relationships matter and being proactive in anticipating customer needs is key. That’s why there is such a focus on the senses at the studio, it’s the experience and we’ve tried to think of every little touch to ensure our guests leave happier than when they entered the doors.

I love the fact that former teammates from my first job still reach out to me as a trusted advisor. I’ve never been a transactional business person, and know that making people feel seen is important in life and in business. I’ve worked for people that call themselves leaders who’ve been the exact opposite, and left those engagements feeling uninspired and weary. I just think it takes more effort to be a jerk than it does to care. I can’t imagine living that way.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

This question gives me pause. It’s funny, I’ve been asked by people before where my drive and work ethic comes from. I’ve always had more than one job, sometimes even more than two, and I don’t know how to answer that. It’s like I’ve always been stuck in go mode. But when I think back to things that I’ve overcome when things got hard, I’m even more proud of what I’ve built and can’t wait to see where we grow.

The industry I have been in prior to opening Urban Sweat has been male dominated for a long time in Nashville. So I might have been the hardest working person in the room, promised promotions and titles, etc and then had to train the man they brought in instead, and helped train the 4 people I helped to hire to replace me when I’ve left. I find it interesting when people make decisions because it’s always how it’s been. The lack of growth mindset in those situations is worrisome especially if ‘leaders’ are unable to hear or learn a different way.

There have been plenty of things that have happened ‘for me’ to test my resilience, and I have to look at it as just that. For me, not against me. I might not always see the why while I’m in it but I have hope that better things are to come and my resilience fuels me. Watch me.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.urbansweat.com
• Instagram: @urbansweatsaunastudio
• Other: TikTok @urbansweatsaunastudio

Image Credits
Sarina Kurrimbukus