"Keep an open mind for change" with Nikki Walter
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Nikki Walter, the 40-year-old fitness enthusiast continues to put those half her age to shame, winning one bodybuilding competition after another becoming one of the top ten finalists in the US for Bodybuilding.com. Her single-minded focus is on bringing health and well-being to others so they can move forward in their lives.
Can you tell our readers about your background?
I grew up in central South Dakota in the middle of the prairie. The home town had five houses. I had aspirations in high school to join the Airforce because I love aviation and wanted the opportunity to have my education supported. The week I was due to visit a recruiter, my father instantly lost his life in a car accident. I was 17 and decided not to leave for the military, I opted for a state college, where I pursued a Business Management, Health & Wellness Bachelors Degree. My desire to expand in health and wellness kept me busy teaching group fitness and becoming a certified personal trainer. Following my college career, I was not able to move from South Dakota, I married at the age of 22, which lead me to a successful career as a leader at the Chamber of Commerce, earning me a spot in the top 30 under 30 in Prairie Business Magazine for my efforts of membership recruitment efforts and programs, as well as grant writing which secured national recognition for our community three years running for the 100 Communities for Young People. At 26 I became a mother, and at the age of 32, I was widowed after my husband fought eight months for his life with AML and a bone marrow transplant.
This life change left me a single mom at 32 years of age, and I wanted to give back, later finding out that five generations of cancer run on my late husband’s side of the family. Which lead me to efforts researching, educating families to work with their children on healthy habits. During this time I became a six-time national bikini athlete in the NPC leading me to a career in modeling, bodybuilding, and providing content as a fitness and health expert to many online sites as well as magazines. In addition to the national health projects, I took a successful six-figure job in corporate America managing three states, while owning a rental property, to support my daughter and me.
What inspired you to start your business?
My daughter. I noticed how many people were asking about the discipline of my dietary restrictions for my goals, yet many shared with me they wanted help learning how to balance work and family life. My daughter at age 6 asked if she could help me change people’s lives and we created a passion project and weekend business to work with local families.
Where is your business based?
We are an online business. We did work with families in our home state in their homes. Due to COVID19, we are in the process of adjusting our program to serve families one on one online.
How did you start your business? What were the first steps you took?
We engaged our following online with private facebook challenges offering prizes and weekly meeting sessions.
What has been the most effective way of raising awareness for your business?
Working with local groups to book sessions, as well as media recognition.
Our Feature in US Weekly August 2019 was also a BIG opportunity for us to work with others and reach a demographic.
What have been your biggest challenges and how did you overcome them?
We have been lucky to serve many, with good results. Our biggest challenges, in the beginning, were serving the high demand and trying to handle the logistics. I hired a web designer Elmo Creative and worked with the local college to bring on a couple of interns to help expand and provide services.
How do you stay focused?
The focus was easier being a single mom, on the weekends my daughter and I would work hard, but it was also a fun opportunity to learn and communicate with each other. In the past two years, my corporate job kept me working days on the road, and I was able to tie in my lifestyle while on the road to work with travel professionals on their lifestyles, which was a game-changer and a wonderful way to expand on my services.
How do you differentiate your business from the competition?
We offer a perspective of actual life experiences which vary from loss, parenting, faith, fitness, focus, and work-life balance. I feel most health professionals have not had the extent of life experiences my daughter and I have had together. I know many are skilled, and everyone has a story but we have a lot of work to do with kids, family, and working professionals.
What has been your most effective marketing strategy to grow your business?
We have grown word of mouth. Social Media was helpful in the beginning, but now we are looking into our other options to reach our audience as we expand modeling, lifestyle, travel, and struggle to give others hope and help them through their obstacles.
What's your best piece of advice for aspiring and new entrepreneurs?
“Don’t let anyone make you inferior without your consent.”
If you are passionate enough you will find a way. Keep an open mind for change. It is hard when we see competition, to stay focused, but competition is good. It gives us a way to keep challenging ourselves, expand and serve our customers, and more importantly help us grow as leaders.
What's your favorite app, blog, and book? Why?
I love following Thrive Global and enjoy books that cover leadership, and motivation.
Who is your business role model? Why?
Arianna Huffington. I aspire to leave a legacy and reach lives as she has done. My favorite quote of many of hers is “Fearlessness is like a muscle. I know from my own life the more I exercise it the more natural it becomes not to let my fears run me.”
How do you balance work and life?
LOL. I role with the punches. I have learned that plans and schedules are great but life can change in an instant. It has exercised my mind and helped me learn the skill of flexibility and re-shifting. I was always about the pattern, and controlling my goals until a higher power decided to show me a lesson.
When I was visiting with families and my late husband in the cancer wing of the hospital for months, I learned that living moment by moment and accepting it only comes from facing rock bottom. After that, can we only learn to appreciate that the control isn’t in our hands, and we should live for what matters most?
I always promised myself I would never put work before my daughter, or my passions. I did ok but there were moments I had to bring myself back to snap out of pleasing others and remember I am working to provide, not sell my soul to corporate America.
What’s your favorite way to decompress?
I love working out, taking long walks, cooking, and playing Uno with my daughter.
What do you have planned for the next six months?
As I enjoy being retired from corporate America and being a newly married woman again, my first priority is to be the best attentive mom I can be to my daughter. I have for the first time in my life the flexibility to enjoy her without being on the road. I enjoy getting to know and spend time with my new husband, and we are adjusting to being a family. Nine years as an independent single woman, I got set in my ways and habits. We are working on a rebrand and a new phase to expand our company online. I am in the beginning phase of finally writing a book and would like to pursue my master’s and doctorate degrees in Sports Psychology.
I would like to expand our public speaking for women’s groups, cancer awareness, and parents.
My daughter and I are trying to commit and grow our podcast, and when Covid19 subsides I hope we can pursue modeling together.
How can our readers connect with you?
They can email me at www.nikkiwalter.com or follow and message me on Instagram or Twitter
@_nikkiwalter
@F.itpodcast
Nikki Walter-Nemickas
B.S. Fitness Management
Family Lifestyle & Health Coach