Jason Bove, aka Doctor Bove, sat down with Nicole Moffatt for his monthly ‘Member of the Month’ chat.
One of the many perks of being a Pipeworks staff member is the connection to the ever-growing Touchstone community. Due to initiation specials and resolutions January is historically our biggest month, so we get to meet lots of new folks and joyfully welcome back some of our beloved Pipeworks family. For our new members it is a refreshing change to experience such a welcoming atmosphere. For the long-term guests, it is a pleasure and a comfort to walk in and be greeted by a familiar smiling face. If you have not yet had the good fortune to meet Nicole Moffatt, it is an honor to introduce you to a wonderful friend, healer, world traveler, and art aficionado.
For more than ten years, Nicole diligently held down the 6am – 2pm front desk shift at Pipeworks. After an impromptu change of gears and a small hiatus which included a trip to India, she has come back to the Touchstone family as the company Human Resources Manager. When asked if it were more comfortable in-front or behind-the-scenes for her now, she responded, “Strangely enough, I find them to be relatively similar. I had a lot of fun working the front desk, our members are awesome! However, getting to know them and how to provide a positive experience while at the gym was an interesting challenge at times. Now being in HR, I’m getting to know a different group of people, how they communicate, and see that their needs are met.”
I asked Nicole if her travels in India changed her view of life in the US. “Yes, it brought to my attention just how happy I am to be a woman living in the US, especially California. I was co-chaperoning a group of students from the University of Alabama and we only had 2 men in our group of 14. We drew a bit of attention when we went out even dressed as modestly as we were, often followed by groups of men. It got unnerving at times.
India is an intense place on every level: Great beauty next to great atrocity. You really can’t go there and not experience infinite examples of duality and polarity.” That being said, when I asked Nicole if there was one thing she could do before she died (if money were not an option), what would it be and why? She unhesitatingly replied, “Travel, Travel, Travel! You learn so much by encountering other cultures.”
Time for the nuts and bolts and getting to know more about the quiet woman that sat behind the front desk for so long…”What makes her tick, you ask?” Well, one of the many things that Nicole and I see eye to eye on is the need for art, creativity and good design. “I love Tiffany Bozic! Everything she does speaks on many levels to me. I think she’s pretty brilliant! I’ve been following Rodrigo Luff lately. I really like his compositions and his use of neon colors in his work…and Kazuki Takamatsu, what he does with black and white fascinates me. I’m also a big fan of the many unnamed street artists out there. I had a great uncle who was a painter. He lived in the Netherlands and when he’d come to visit we would always talk about art. Some of my earliest conversations were simply discussing art and how it communicated to me, and how art is everywhere. It’s one of the ways I view the world. It’s one of the ways the world speaks to me.”
Besides enjoying art and travel, Nicole devotes much of her time to the healing of herself and others through Craniosacral Practice. “I think the human body is amazing, and I was drawn to CST because I personally found it to be very helpful. I like that the goal of CST is to use the least amount of pressure to create a change, and the modality stresses listening to the body. You can learn a lot when you simply get quiet and listen.” I believe that all of us can learn lessons from that last statement, Nicole!
Although this story is drawing to a close for now, it is a small introduction to a very long tale that continues to be made daily. I wondered, since it had been over ten years getting to know Nicole thus far, where do you see yourself in the next 10 years? Nicole stated, “Wow! No idea. I have a hard enough time looking at the next year. I hope to have lived a happy life.” At this rate, we can be sure of it!
Please be sure to keep your eyes open for Nicole around the Touchstone gyms and remember to say hello if you see her.
Here’s to many more happy times and smiles shared together, thank YOU!
