Nia and the Shift in Body-Mind Fitness

Change. Sometimes it takes a while for the deeper, more meaningful changes in life to occur. When such change happens, it causes a dramatic shift in the order of things–in the way life unfolds on many levels. It is this kind of profound change I sensed during my time at Inner IDEA and IDEA World in July with thousands of other fitness and wellness professionals. I sensed a change in the way that the fitness and wellness industries think, and operate. This change is what Nia has been about since its beginning.

The Medical, Wellness, Fitness, Personal Growth, and Body-Mind industries are converging and adopting what Nia has been teaching – holistic fitness and well-being brought about by the fusion of all these industries and disciplines. The pioneers of these industries just 3 to 5 years ago were considered too edgy. Their ideas and concepts were not then respected to the degree that would allow them to change the way of thinking of their peers and to inspire their peers to adopt the evidence that the science of the human dynamics requires a holistic approach, that there is no separation between Body, Mind and Spirit. Now, everyone is listening to each other and as a result a new community is being born, one that is grounded, balanced, and quickly maturing. Nia is at the apex of this convergence and is even being recognized for the contribution that Debbie and Carlos and the all the rest of you have made toward catalyzing this change.

When Debbie and Carlos were selected to be first-time presenters at the IDEA conference in 1984, their selection was contingent upon them wearing shoes while presenting Nia. Debbie and Carlos refused. IDEA moved off its position and let Debbie and Carlos present sans shoes. I believe this one action is one of the catalyzing events that has led to the convergence of industries we’re seeing today where we can all benefit from the knowledge, enthusiasm and experience of our peers. These changes all mean opportunity and growth, and will certainly have an effect on all our businesses.

How We Are Preparing for The Future, and The Now

Nia–the core business and all of you–is in a good position to benefit from the growth in the industry that is coming about from the convergence of disciplines. We have been preparing for this convergence and growth opportunity for some time, and we have focused our energies on team building, systems building, and strategy development.

For a year now I have been working with Nia Black Belt and business development specialist Karri Winn on creating an overview of the state of our business, its weakness, it’s strengths, and opportunities. Karri and I began our relationship at her White Belt dinner several years ago. We immediately hit it off and talked business all night. Over the years we have continued to talk about business and Nia, and Karri has continued her Nia training, and is a Nia teacher. Karri has been privy to my visions and strategies through much of the development of Nia over the past 6 years, and because of her acute knowledge of Nia as a student and teacher and her extensive background in business development she was the perfect candidate to help us organize and create actions to improve our business model.

In this past year with careful analysis and the support of all the Nia team we have put together a very detailed outline of the overview of the state of the business, and two months ago we began working with another business specialist David Curtis. David and I have been friends for many years, and he, too, has been one of my closest confidants. David has extensive experience in corporate strategy, and has always been interested in Nia. David has “talked shop” with me over the years and has witnessed Nia’s growth, and he helped us on an unofficial basis part time for a couple of years. Now we are pleased to be working with him on a fulltime basis as we refine the new Nia business model and stragegies.

I must admit it has been a privilege and a treat for me to see Karri and David get together and take off with helping us develop the next steps for Nia. They immediately teamed up with Dick and Kali and took all we had put together and pulled together a solid plan. With the support of the entire staff we are off and running into a new era for Nia. I believe you will all be very pleased with the proposed plan.

These are exciting times for Nia as a business, and Nia as part of the convergence of fitness and well-being industries. The holistic fitness market is changing, opening up, and what we offer is becoming more and more in demand. We are positioned to meet the demand. Hang in there for more details to come. Meanwhile, keep the dance floor shaking.

All the best to all of you.

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Jeff Stewart
CEO Nia Technique, Inc.

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