Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Nikolic.
Hi Michelle, so excited to have you on the platform. So before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
I am the owner of ReRoot Yoga in Toms River , NJ. I opened the wellness studio 4 years ago to connect with the community but more so to introduce the many benefits of yoga to the wonderful people in our community. Yoga saved me mentally. I was in an awful marriage a very long time ago, over 25 years ago. I experienced alot of physical abuse, sexual abuse, imprisonment, embarassment, and 24 hours a day of control from my abuser. Luckily for me I found a way out for me and my infant daughter. We continued to flourish and have a really nice life, but emotionally and mentally I was a mess. Even though I was out of the abuse and many years had passed, I carried my scars with me and along with that so so much fear. I ran from anything that scared me in the slightest way, I felt fake alot of the time maybe even broken. My mind was utter chaos of thoughts , negative thoughts, what might happen that could resemble the past. What might happen if I ever experienced that again. I felt my mind and thoughts just continued to spiral . With my daughters now grown, I finally LOL after 40 years found someone who is completely good to me, a partner and one who loves me and supports me and uplifts me. Yoga , the practice of yoga, gave me ME back. It gave me a mental vacation from all those scary and negative thoughts. It gave me back control of the mind. I didn’t have to live this way anymore and I realized I wasn’t broken. I learned so much about myself through yoga, I felt the strongest I have in my entire life since those terrifying experiences. I was able to process things differently, my outlook changed and I believed yoga healed me from the inside out. It continues to heal me. So my sole goal for opening the studio was to just help anyone and everyone who might be dealing with hard things. I just wanted to create a community , a family where we could support each other’s healing, whether it be from loss, grief, struggles, anxiety, etc.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Whew, It’s an up and down roller coaster. I have so many emotions over the last 4 years. Stress, worries, but also I feel whole. It’s such an amazing experience to watch students walk off their mats after practice stronger and always feeling better with whatever they had going on in life. Owning a studio is very expensive as we all know. Rent, staffing, Insurance, utilities. Our students are spoiled though. I know life is very costly right now, I always run sales to help everyone afford their practices. Hence, I’ll never be rich as an owner, and I think I’m ok with that because it is a labor of love for me to share with this community.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I have had a lot of hats in my career. I am currently also a Full time Dental Practice Manager, I have been at this job for 32 years. I also taught Dental Radiology for 14 years at a local vocational school. I have taught yoga to teens who were placed in a transitional state program/home coming from abuse, sexual trafficking, etc. That was such a rough job, I learned so much from those kids. It was a really hard path but one I will always treasure. I opened ReRoot Yoga 4 years ago and with my wonderful supportive husband, Uros, we have tried every day to keep it going and it’s doors open.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
Hang in there, Enjoy the ride, Find gratitude for everything good , even the small good. Don’t compare yourself to others or other studios. As long as you lead with your whole heart, you can never truly fail.
Pricing:
- Buy One get One Free $25.00
- New Student Month $55
- 2 Month Unlimited Package $99
- 6 Month Unlimited Package $400
- Senior Drop In $15
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.rerootyogastudio.com
- Instagram: @reroot.yoga
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michellererootyoga/
- Youtube: Michelle Nikolic ReRoot Yoga
