HI, MY FRIENDS CALL ME NIK.

My life has been filled with circumstances that so many others have experienced and continue to face. I do not have a tragic or extraordinary story to tell. In fact, my story and my circumstances are quite ordinary. 
My parents were high school sweethearts and got married quite young. They divorced shortly after I was born and my childhood was not exactly traditional. I became pregnant with my first child the summer after my high school graduation and gave birth to my daughter 2 weeks before my 19th birthday. I dropped out of college after 1 semester. I lived in a crappy apartment, in a crappy part of town with 2 roommates whose main aspirations for life consisted of partying and playing video games. The jobs I held weren't glamorous but I always made ends meet. I realized at a young age that regardless of where I was working, my willingness to go above and beyond would always ensure that I stood out from the crowd. I approached my work with excellence, whether I was bussing tables or running the seating chart at a hostess stand. 
I was really able to put these skills into practice when I accepted a job working the front desk of The Woodhouse Day Spa at the age of 20. The spa had just opened the year before and there was so much to learn as we continued to grow. Less than a year after starting, I was offered Front Desk Team Lead position. My career continued to progress from there as I grew into the General Manger position by the age of 22, VP of Operations for both Cincinnati and Dayton by age 26 and now the Chief Operating Officer overseeing our 3 spa locations. 
Personal development has shaped and molded my life into what it is today. When I was offered the GM position, there were a million things I had no clue how to do, but I said YES and then I learned. It started with a boss who was willing to mentor me, a business coach I met with twice a month and a willingness to learn from my mistakes. Now I utilize my work commutes and evenings after the kids are asleep to focus on personal development through books (both audio and paper), podcasts and any other form of learning material I can get my hands on. I share this knowledge with my leadership team and my staff and now I want to share it with the world.