Nikki Morgan is a leader in macronutrient coaching, strength and conditioning, personal training, as well as emotional and mental fitness. As a childhood athlete, Nikki was always drawn to the preventative aspect of sports and fitness. After graduating from college with her Bachelor's of Science in 2015, she dedicated her time to helping as many men and woman make some significant changes to their physical, mental and emotional health. She is the CEO and founder of NDM Fitness with a goal of changing as many lives as she can while she can!
Nikki Morgan, Health and Wellness Coach
Introduce yourself! Please tell us about you and your life, so we can get to know you better.
Hi! I’m Nikki Morgan. I am 30 years young and grew up in Minot, North Dakota! I have a wonderful husband, Kameron, and my favorite little man, my dog, Chance!
I’ve always been very outgoing and I’m definitely not shy! I’m very outspoken and can end up being very blunt, but that kind of gives me a superpower when it comes to my career! I grew up an athlete playing all types of sports and was always very active and it’s truly stuck around into my adult life! Fitness has always been a passion of mine and I am so lucky to be able to share that with others and help others make some pretty big life changes!
My favorite hobby currently is taking Chance on morning walks through different paths and trails around town. He’s 13 now so I spend as much time as possible with him! He truly is my world – if anyone knows me and was asked, “Who does Nikki love the most?” I can guarantee they would all say “Chance!” ha-ha! Aside from that, I am a true crime junkie! Give me all the documentaries! Aside from that, I’m just truly out here living my life to the fullest without any regrets and loving my people as I go!
What initially inspired you to pursue a career in fitness and athletics, and how did your experiences growing up in Minot, North Dakota, influence your professional path?
I would have to say being an athlete my whole life up into college is what inspired me to pursue a career in the fitness industry. I originally went to college for Athletic Training and, after 2 years, switched to Corporate Fitness as it gave a much larger variety of jobs within the industry. So, out of college I became a Certified Strength and Conditioning Coach and trained athletes for a couple of years while also hosting some online boot camps for the general population.
Growing up in such a small town that’s focus is heavy on farming and agriculture, you didn’t really see a lot of people giving to much thought about their health. We’re a very meat and potato type of state and we love our carbs! I always knew if I wanted to pursue this path that, doing so in Minot, North Dakota, would prove to be a challenge. And I was right – so before Kam and I were married, we moved to Virginia, and I trained athletes for a year there before heading back home to a better economy. Being home for 5 years now, I can happily say that I have seen a huge shift in those that want to better their health rather than ignore it! I fell back into the corporate side of fitness for about a year before relaunching my business and rebranding as NDM Fitness!
What sets NDM Fitness apart from other fitness training companies, and what specific services do you offer to meet the diverse needs of your clients across the United States?
I think the main thing that sets NDM Fitness apart is me. I am so hands-on with every one of my clients. I think being a control freak by nature helps, ha-ha, but I think the 1:1 support is unmatched, and I am always 100% raw and real with my clients. I don’t sugarcoat, I tell hard truths and I am honest about my shortcomings, failures, falloffs, or whatever it may be so that they know they are human. I will always do my best to relate to every single client that crosses my path because people are fed enough false information online about health and wellness and I refuse to aid in that. I coach the entire you. I program to fit specific lifestyles, so no one has to feel like making changes is unattainable. And honestly, my programs are long-term and sustainable. Little to no restrictions, we just make changes and swaps. I am also a macronutrient coach, so all clients will get 100% hands on guidance with their nutrition as well. This isn’t talked about enough! One other major thing that sets NDM apart is the heavy focus on mental and emotional health – we strive to focus on overall health and wellness and that is not just the physical side of things, so emotional and mental health are talked about every single week during check-ins.
If you could change one thing about your industry, what would it be and why?
The number one thing I would change about my industry is how people view food. Specifically, women. Carbs and fats have been so demonized in society for so long – even more so for women! A lot of people will talk about the obesity issues in America and blame it solely on the chemicals and pesticides being sprayed all over our food, and how a lot of our food is banned in other countries. Which, rightfully so, but too many people are blind to the fact that a large percentage of overweight people are undereating and are stuck in starvation mode. When you severely undereat on a constant basis in the hopes of losing weight, you’re doing yourself a disservice. I want people to realize that your body is meant to be fueled properly with the nutrients that your specific body needs. Everybody is different, and everyone needs different nutrients and different amounts of macro and micronutrients to get through their day and achieve their goals. When we bring the body out of starvation mode and retrain the metabolism to burn fat the way it's meant to, that’s when people start to see the results they have been craving and starving themselves for. Society and social media have trained us that less food = less weight and that’s just simply not the case for some.
What motivated you to transition from working as a Strength and Conditioning Coach to launching your own training company, NDM Fitness, and what were some of the biggest challenges you faced during this transition?
My motivation was definitely the clients I was working with in my corporate job. I had transitioned from Strength and Conditioning to General Population years ago but going from training clients to the corporate side and running training departments for North and South Dakota was a big shift for me. I struggled a lot with the decisions that corporate was making and how it was affecting clients and members, and it took a toll on me. I decided that I no longer wanted my name attached to decisions I didn’t agree with, and I walked away. I relaunched my company so I could make the decisions I was comfortable with and that I could do everything in my power to help my clients – in any situation. I was no longer limited to what I could and could not do and what decisions I could and could not make.
The biggest challenge for me was definitely getting over the guilt I felt about no longer working 8-10 hours a day when my husband still was. Although, when you’re an entrepreneur, you pretty much work all the time. But, the difference is now you don’t have to. Once I got over the guilt and realized I can do 8 hours of work in 4, work from anywhere, check in with clients at any given time, and enjoy my life – the transition became easier! I was so stuck in this societal norm of working 8–10-hour days and that was a big reason I wanted out. I was sick of doing things I had to do and nothing I wanted to do! I wanted to spend more time at home, with chance, outside, and just doing things that filled my cup for once. When you’re in the health and wellness industry, your job is to help everyone fill their cup, but you forget that you can’t fill from an empty cup.
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