Exploring Life & Business with Imani Nicole of Elemental Breath LA

Today we’d like to introduce you to Imani Nicole.

Hi Imani, it’s an honor to have you on the platform. Thanks for taking the time to share your story with us – to start maybe you can share some of your backstory with our readers?
A heart-led creative chameleon. Those words best describe who I am these days. I shapeshift and adapt to my environment, and I’m always moving toward places and people who bring me joy and fulfillment and are in alignment with the vision for my life.

I was born and raised in a big city with small-town vibes, San Antonio, Texas. Sports, civic engagement, and extracurriculars like Toastmasters, AAU, and the People to People student ambassador program were how I spent most of my time. I can’t say I was uber-focused on it, but I thought I had the talent to be a college athlete. Turns out, I was on a journey to discovering the creativity and gentle leadership that shines through me. I almost always had a digital camera, taking pictures and creating video mashups. After tearing my ACL in 2009, I made it a point to document everything, especially the track practices and meets I was no longer able to run in. I loved capturing memories then, and I really love it now. If you had a look through my Facebook pre-2011 and hard drive between 07’-11’, you’d see what I was talking about. It’s a hobby I’ve been able to fuse with my work as a well-being guide, creative, and marketer. Photography and videography, writing, leadership, and public speaking were all skills I enjoyed practicing, but at the time, it was all fun and games, and I didn’t consider those interests as viable career options or things I’d want to study in college.

So, I decided to study one of the most exciting yet least-paying – post-graduation – major options, Psychology. As big as Texas is, San Antonio felt so small, and attending 13th grade wasn’t an option for me, so I ventured out to Atlanta, GA, and attended Spelman College to develop a sense of self and understand human behavior. At Spelman, I thought I might become a Marriage and Family Therapist or Statistician. Instead, I was led to work in youth and adolescent education. I spent time interning at the Fulton County Juvenile Justice Center, leading the GED education program. Jostling in the background were more glimmers of who I am today. I was an actor (Vagina Monologues), I modeled (Woman of the Year), and my yoga practice began in this very special place for Black women, femmes, themes, and all others. While the glimmers of my future shined brightly, they were still just for fun.

Of course, post graduation it was difficult for me to find a job – read: a job that paid well and spoke to my interests, passions, and skills. I decided to forgo the ‘paid well’ part and took a role as a youth program lead for a STEM program through AmeriCorps in Seattle, Washington. Although I LOVEd working with youth, after a few years of rising to the management of before-and-after school care programs with the YMCA, I made the choice to start thinking about the income of things. The work was fun, rewarding, and fulfilling, but I had this itch to have an impact at scale and pad my accounts. Drowning in debt from undergrad student loans, I needed to figure out a way to earn more freedom to travel, and direct service wasn’t the way to go, or so I thought. So, off to business school, I went.

In Los Angeles, California, I began a new journey at the USC Marshall School of Business as a student of Social Entrepreneurship. Combining business and impact and focusing on the double and sometimes triple bottom line, sign me up! Here I explored financial literacy education through blog writing, a TEDx talk, and youth programs. I got my feet wet in the world of tech, startups, and capital allocation. I really enjoyed providing small businesses with technical assistance and sharing resources to help new entrepreneurs hit the ground running. Still, something was missing. I couldn’t put my finger on it, but the pandemic brought it out and pushed me to really lean into the foundation of wellness and well-being that up until that point, had primarily been a personal practice.

Fall of 2020, the live audio app Clubhouse caught a headwind, and I started reading tarot, leading breathwork and guided meditations every Sunday at 6:30 pm. It was nourishing and fulfilling, and I was good at it. The only thing missing was the income aspect. I invested in a breathwork certification program to enhance my natural abilities and expand my skills so I could offer a valuable service that I knew folks would pay for. By the spring of 2021, I launched my well-being studio, Elemental Breath LA, offering virtual and in-person breathwork and meditation services for individuals, corporate clients, and events. In a roundabout way, I got back to the life most present when I was younger. A life full of adventure, movement, rest, and creativity. I just had to try a few things here and there, develop my skills, and take the leap of courage to live the life I wanted for myself.

These days, I’m able to support myself through all of my interests: content creation, writing, wellness and well-being, business development, modeling, and acting. It’s not traditional and it works for me; that’s what makes it my life. Once I realized I had the power to create a life that gave me all that I needed, I didn’t look back. I’ve never been a 9-5 girlie, and I see why. My joy stems from living a life of exploration and creativity, trial and error, and helping others live their most joyFULL lives by prioritizing their well-being. I’m unapologetic about that. I’m happy. I’m joyFULL. I’m Imani Nicole, a creative chameleon and well-being guide.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Smooth is so subjective, what I think is smooth may be perceived as difficult for someone else. This is about me though, right? So… Yes… Generally, my life map has been smooth. Going through the storm often doesn’t feel calm, but once you’re on the other end of it, it doesn’t seem to be so big. I’ve certainly gone through some things, I have my share of traumas – multi-thousand dollar financial scam, trigger warning: sexual assault, and housing instability – but I’d rather not focus on that.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Elemental Breath LA?
Elemental Breath LA is a well-being studio helping people across cultures and generations discover their personal power to live longer and more joyFULL lives. We offer 1-on-1, corporate, and event services that include breathwork, meditation, and yoga and love working with individuals, schools, non-profit organizations, small-medium sized businesses, and wellness retreats. Our services are trauma-informed, personalized, and available virtually or in person. Yes, we will travel for engagements!

Our Breathwork Discovery program is most popular for first-time private clients. This program is an in-depth exploration of breathwork designed to help you discover, surface, and resolve repressed trauma in the mind and body. It includes three 1.5-2hr breathwork sessions. In this series, you’ll also learn techniques to help you self-manage stress and emotional regulation and work through emotional baggage.

The benefits of breathwork, meditation, and yoga are seen through sustained practice, so while we love to come in for one-off engagements, we especially love clients who are interested in retainer partnerships and booking ongoing services in and around LA (Inglewood, Long Beach, Orange County, etc.), the U.S. and internationally.

Schools, Small Businesses, Non-Profits, BIPOC, Women, and LGBTQIA-owned businesses are eligible for reduced rates depending on the business and booking terms.

What matters most to you?
My breath, my joy, and my peace. Everything I do stems from centering those aspects of life. Everything starts with the breath. If I can’t find my breath, I’m not aware and I’m not present. It’s the one thing I can go back to that helps me ground and refocus my energy. From there, I can ask myself what around me is or isn’t supporting my joy and peace and what I need to do to get back there.

Pricing:

• Breathwork Discovery Program starts at: $500
• Breath to Bliss 8-week well-being program: begins at $1,359
• Virtual: Breathwork (1.5 hr): $130 | Yoga (1hr): $85 | Meditation $50 ( up to 30 min.)
• Private In-Person (studio): Breathwork starts at $200 | Yoga: $125 (1hr) | Meditation $75 (up to 30 min.)
• Corporate Events: Start @ $500 for a single session up to 1 hr. (travel, support, and time are considered for the final rate)

Contact Info:

• Website: Elementalbreathla.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/maniidotcalm/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imani.nicole.56/
• Linkedin: https://instagram.com/elementalbreathla
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/ManiiPhresh
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@maniidotcalm
• SoundCloud: https://soundcloud.com/maniidotcalm
• Other: https://www.imaninicole.com/

Image Credits
K. Gill Photography