Meet Nicky Perry

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Nicky Perry a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Nicky , first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.
I haven’t overcome it yet. If you really care about the quality of service you provide to others, you should always be asking yourself “What more could I be doing for this client?” or “Am I able to provide everything this client needs?” I think this is healthy because it shows you aren’t complacent and it fuels the hunger and need to always be improving your skills.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I struggled with my weight on and off since I was a teenager. It was a nonstop cycle of yo-yo dieting and purging with excessive cardio. In my 30s, I was introduced to weight training and the world of fitness competing and I was finally able to achieve the body of my dreams. However, this raised the bar on what I considered to be my ideal body type and added another dimension to my eating disorder and body dysmorphia.

I decided to become a personal trainer and nutrition coach and educate myself on the science behind diet and exercise and finally was able to achieve a body that was part of a healthy and sustainable lifestyle.

I understand the self-image struggles many people secretly battle with. I understand not feeling comfortable in your own skin. And I understand feeling to self-conscious to walk into a gym to work out. So, my goal as a personal trainer is to introduce weight training and an understanding of macronutrients and nutrition to my clients so they can finally feel empowered, confident and be able to achieve their fitness goals in a way that can be maintained.

Today as a trainer I specialize in 3 things. Firstly, I am an expert at building butts (peaches)! I even trademarked the slogan “Pancakes to Peaches”. What most people don’t know about the glutes or butt muscles is that their role goes way beyond just looking good leaving a room! They are one of the most important muscles in your body and growing and strengthening them can improve your posture, alleviate low back pain and help you burn more calories throughout the day!

Speaking of posture, I also specialize in Corrective Exercise or examining posture and identifying which muscle of the body are tight and could benefit from mobility work and which muscle are under-active and could benefit from strengthening. Because of our work culture and sitting at a desk and staring at a computer or phone for 8+ hours a day, most people have developed some degree of Sitting Posture. This includes rounded shoulders, forward head position, weak and tight hip flexors and in some cases Dead Butt Syndrome where a person can no longer make the mind muscle connection to their butt or how to activate it, also called “gluteal amnesia!” All these things together account for the neck, shoulder and low back pain many of my clients come to me with. I share how simple mobility movements at one’s desk can reduce some of the pain and stiffness from prolonged sitting, and how very focused, customized resistance training can counteract some of those body positions and postural habits people have fallen it to over time.

Lastly, a big focus of my business is educating my clients about nutrition. Because a lot of clients come to me with the goal of losing fat, I have to manage their expectations early on by explaining that weight and fat loss is determined PRIMARILY by one’s diet and that exercise and weight training are for strengthening the heart and other muscles. The other thing I encounter a lot is clients coming to me asking for “a meal plan to lose weight”. Often, these are the clients that have been given a meal plan from another trainer in the past but then the client got bored of eating those same foods over and over and stopped seeing results. Or I see people who have followed some fad diet like Keto and again, saw results initially and then plateaued. My goal is to teach clients about the WHY behind their nutrition. I love to educate about calories and how to calculate your daily intake, the role of each macronutrient and how to calculate them, and the importance of eating whole, nutritious foods. By doing this, not only will my clients be able to build their own meal plans with foods they enjoy and can incorporate as a lifestyle, they can get off the fad diet cycle or stop relying on someone else to dictate what they eat without understanding why.

I think these things together – the work I put in to understanding each individual client’s lifestyle and wellness needs as a whole in addition to their esthetic goals, and my focus on teaching the “why” behind what we’re doing and eating, is what sets me apart as a trainer. It is important for me to help my clients look AND feel better so they thrive in all aspects of their life.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
I think the ability to make people feel heard and at “home” with you, consistently stepping out of your comfort zone, and the way you conduct yourself when no-one is watching are the things that have most impacted both my business and personal life.

We all struggle with self-doubt and self judgement. Being someone who makes others feel comfortable in their own skin is invaluable and a great gift to share with others.

Life is like a video game and it levels up exponentially every time you take a leap of faith and step out of your comfort zone. As trite as it may sound, if you can get comfortable with being uncomfortable and welcome those moments that your body inherently wants to turn away from, you open the door to experiences beyond your wildest dreams.

And lastly, being meticulous in everything you do, and going the extra mile for people when it is least expected, will create a level of trust and loyalty in your relationships that will set you apart from other people and other businesses.

What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
I have to say that the last year has finally brought me to a place of complete contentment. That is not to say I no longer strive to be better or to accomplish more. It is simply to say that I approach each day with a sense of gratitude for all my blessings, I aim to conduct myself with integrity and to be impeccable with my word (shout out to the book the The 4 Agreements), and I have complete faith that God will provide everything that is meant for me.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Natalie Warr

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Leadership Development
Empathy Unlocked: Understanding how to Develop Emotional Intelligence

“Empathy is the starting point for creating a community and taking action. It’s the impetus

Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Boosting Productivity Through Self-Care

When you have a never-ending to-do list it can feel irresponsible to engage in self-care,