Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Turner.
Nicole, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
Where it all began…
My interest in travel started at an early age, almost as far back as I can remember. Both my grandmothers were travelers and I would spend hours talking to them about the countries they visited and experiences they had. I couldn’t think of anything more interesting than hopping on a plane to see how other people were living their lives on different continents.
Fast forward to my junior year in high school, I decided to start cheerleading (as I had been a passionate gymnast and dancer growing up) and received the opportunity to travel to Hawaii to participate in the Pro Bowl half time show with the USA Cheerleading Association. Even though this was still the US, it was enough of an environmental and cultural difference that sparked the flame for an everlasting desire to travel for the rest of my life.
I was lucky enough to be invited back to Hawaii the following year, and as soon as I graduated high school, I was off on a jet plane to see the world. First stop, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. This trip then motivated me to leave my home in the Bay Area permanently to seek a slower pace of life in Lake Tahoe, California. During this time, I was going to college in the mountains and they announced a study abroad trip to Salamanca, Spain. I didn’t hesitate to sign up. This program took me to western Europe and I was fortunate enough to explore all over Spain, Portugal, the Canary Islands, Italy, Switzerland, France, Belgium, and Holland.
Travel Changes You
After this trip, I came home a different person. I could feel subtle changes in my thinking and behavior – which ultimately changed the experiences I had moving forward. After five years in alpine paradise, and acceptance into San Diego State University, it was time for another move. So, I packed my things and headed to the beach to pursue a business degree and a new chapter.
After I graduated, I was again very fortunate to land a job working with an environmental consulting firm that gave me the amazing luxury of PAID VACATION. I was beyond excited and thought this is as good as it gets, a company is actually paying me to go travel! Well not exactly. I needed to put in about 260 days per year of sitting at a desk in exchange for my two weeks of freedom, and to be honest, I was ok with that for about five years. This took to me to the Bahamas, South America, all over the United States, and Australia… which ended up being the trip that changed everything once again.
Going Down Under
The second I sat down in my seat on Qantas and heard the Aussie flight attendant start speaking, a surge of excitement raced through my veins, unlike anything I had ever felt. I was hooked and knew even before I landed in Sydney that this was the beginning of something magical. Needless to say, the trip was everything I had hoped for and more and I was already researching how I could get back to Australia before I got back to the US.
Once home, I started to reassess everything.
Five years of corporate life left me feeling unwell. Sitting at a desk for long periods of time was causing me major back and neck pain and I constantly had this burning desire for more. This was when I began taking yoga classes to help with the physical pain I was experiencing and I quickly fell in love with the physical, mental and emotional release and began practicing every day.
The next year was insane.
I decided to buy a house in San Diego and adopt my first furry life companion, Sierra. The two other things I spent a lot of time thinking about other than travel. I knew that this would make my dream of going back to Australia a little more challenging, but I didn’t let it stop me. I found renters for the house, a temporary home for Sierra and BOOM… about a year and a half later, I was on my second flight to Australia.
The Big Move
My intention was to stay three months this time and get experience working as an intern for an environmental non-profit, but the universe had another plan. After about two months, they offered me a 4-year visa and a full-time job. Within 6 months I was moving into a house with a yard for Sierra, and within a year, she finally met me down under.
We lived in Sydney, Australia for the next five years.
During this time, I again was fortunate to explore all over eastern Australia, Tasmania, New Zealand, Indonesia, Thailand, China, Japan, Vietnam, and Sweden. During my time in Australia, I continued to practice yoga and was introduced to standup paddleboard (SUP) yoga! This was a great way to enhance my land practice and I continued to make it a priority whereever I traveled. It was so interesting to see the different studios all over the world, experience all types of teachers and styles, and deepen my knowledge of the practice and its goal.
After all this travel around the world, seeing amazing sights and meeting beautiful people, I was again at a crossroads. This time, the desire for travel wasn’t to another country, it was within. I firmly believe that all these life-changing experiences and yoga classes finally permeated my inner core and soul and I began a new journey… to discover who I am and what my purpose is.
I have now been practicing yoga since 2005 and am a 500hr RYT Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher. I have participated in the following training and workshops and will always be a student first – learning and absorbing as much as I can from my teachers, peers, mentors and students.
~Zuna Yoga’s – 300hr Advanced Tantric/Hatha, Restorative and SUP Yoga Teacher Training Program
~Annie Carpenter’s – Moving Through the Koshas – Hands-On Assisting Workshop
~Carmen Aguilar’s – Inversions, Hips, Spinal Fluidity, Sequencing Theory, Adjustments Workshop
~Mark Carter’s – Sound Healing Workshop with Crystal and Brass Singing Bowls & Drums
~Body Mind Life’s – 200hr Yoga Teacher Training Program
~Body Mind Life’s – 50hr Art of Alignment – Assisting Program
~Rainbow Yoga’s – 100hr Kids Yoga Teacher Training Program
Now with all this life, travel, yoga and SUP Yoga experience in my pocket, I am ready to share what has brought me an INFINITE amount of joy and contentment – which is why I am so excited to launch my private yoga program called the ‘The Transformation Journey – with The Eight Limbs of Yoga’!
This program has literally been 14+ years in the making during my practice of yoga and then spending the last 3 years diving deeper in over 500+ hours of certifications and teaching in Australia, Bali and the US.
I was introduced to yoga as a way to stay fit and flexible, and I can say first hand, this is a beautiful place to start. A consistent 14-year practice has not only transformed my body, but it’s transformed my mind, which has helped me to bounce back after my own personal unravelment and then guided me to finding my purpose, true happiness, and contentment.
Now, I am SUPER passionate about helping others do the same. We will go through each limb to help you discover your inner guru, your true self and what your purpose is.
The aim of this program (and any yoga training) should be to unravel, become an observer, a witness, and step outside your normal everyday thinking patterns and physical routines to stir things up mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually.
Awareness and uncomfortable physical, mental and emotional situations NEED to arise, for you to deal with them, do the work and then finally let them go so you can transform and obtain the life you desire.
Keep in mind, the journey NEVER ends.
This is SUPER important, so I will repeat it, the journey NEVER ends.
If you stick with it (and I hope you do) long after we work together, you will just keep evolving, changing, growing and blossoming into a new, more fabulous you.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
The road of life will never be smooth, there will ALWAYS be ups and downs along the way. I truly believe that the key to coming out on top and achieving your goals is to learn yoga’s life-enhancing philosophies and tools that have been used for centuries before us and that continue to prove to help people succeed physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually. Practicing yoga on a mat is literally a practice of how to live life off the mat.
What else should we know about you?
When I’m not teaching yoga, I am geeking out on HubSpot – www.hubspot.com.
I am a HubSpot expert and work for a remote HubSpot Partner agency called Chief Martech Officer – www.chiefmartechofficer.com.
Our tag line is ‘We Make HubSpot Awesome’ and I couldnt agree more. Our best clients are smart, savvy professionals looking to elevate their businesses with the use of the HubSpot content management system (CMS)/ websites, marketing, sales, and customer service tools.
Who do you look up to? How have they inspired you?
I would say it’s been a combination of people and travel.
There is an immense amount of learning and absorption done when you travel to other countries, its a beautiful time to reflect and become more aware of what’s going on outside your little bubble.
People that stand out for me the most are my mom and grandmothers, my yoga teachers, my current boss at Chief Martech Officer and many other yogis, spiritual leaders, musicians, environmental and animal rights activists, and other change makers and leaders around the world that are dedicating their lives to positivity and making this world a better place for us all.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.nicoleturneryoga.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicole_turner_yoga
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/NicoleMarieTurnerYoga
Image Credit:
Away 2 Travel, Gaelyn Miriam Larrick, Ulrike Lakshmi Reinhold
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