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Meet Monica Nordlin

Today we’d like to introduce you to Monica Nordlin.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I grew up in Finland, Northern Europe. I grew up in a very loving, supporting and stable family. I had an amazing childhood and was fortunate enough to be able to travel at an already young age. I have a very small but close family. I have a younger brother and we were both raised to become very independent, goal oriented hard working individuals.

I grew up as a dancer. My mom took me to my first ballet class at the age of 5 and thats where my journey began. I was a professional ballet and jazz dancer for ten years. I danced in several Musicals throughout Finland and attended numerous Dance Competitions.

I started teaching dance at the age of 15 at the Dance School I myself attended. I taught ballet and dance fundamentals for children ages 3-6. It was such a great learning experience for me and I absolutely loved every minute of it.

For as long as I can remember my dream was to be a dancer. I wanted to do it for the rest of my life! While I was in High School, I decided that I wanted to transition into more Hip Hop and Show Performances. I wanted to dance in music videos and dance as a backup dancer for an artist. This became my biggest dream and goal I set out to reach. So at the age of 19, I moved to Los Angeles, to make this dream a reality.

I am so happy that I can actually look back at my life and say that I did achieve my dream. I did dance in numerous music videos and I got to dance as a backupdancer for an artist. My dream became reality!

I worked as a professional dancer in LA for about two years while attending Dance School in Hollywood. But my passion for dance slowly started to dwindle. I hated the competition. The feeling of never feeling like you were talented enough. Of always being criticized.

During this time I got scouted for modeling and soon found myself navigation the modeling world of LA.
I had a lot of fun, learned a lot and made some great memories but just like the dance industry, the modeling world can be brutal. You definitely need to have a thick skin to not take the criticism you receive too personally.

Fitness has always been a huge passion of mine. Alongside dancing, I always spent time in the gym and my mom and I would together attend different group fitness classes, such as spinning and Zumba. Fitness soon became more apparent in my life and I started spending more and more time at the gym.

Today I am a Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Yoga Instructor and Health/Nutrition Coach.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
It hasn’t always been smooth. Moving alone to a fully new country you’ve never even visited before at a young age is hard. I moved straight from the comfort of my parents home to Los Angeles. I had no one to show me the ropes or teach me how things were done in America. I had to learn on my own.

I have definitely faced some struggles but I have been very lucky to have a small but strong support group around me.

Today I consider LA my home. This is where I became an adult. It is the only place I have ever rented an apartment in, paid taxes in and bought a car in. This city is my home and moving so far away on my own so early in life has taught me a lot but also left me feeling like I am a lot older than I actually am. I have been on my own for so long now.

Monica Nordlin – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
I am a Personal Trainer, Group Fitness Instructor, Yoga Instructor, and Health/Nutrition Coach.

I love my job. My motto is mind over matter and my goal is to help my clients live a healthier, happier life. I want to help my clients push past the boundaries they set upon themselves and discover how much strength they actually possess.

What is “success” or “successful” for you?
I define success as being happy, content and proud of where I have gotten in life. To me success is not a measured by the amount of money I have, but how much work I have done and how far I have come from where I first started to where I am now headed.

Contact Info:

Image Credit:
Dan Roman, SunshineHeadshots, James Loy

Getting in touch: VoyageLA is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you know someone who deserves recognition please let us know here.

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