Nikki Spoelstra and "Becoming:HER"
Updated: Feb 23
In this exclusive interview with Miami Living Magazine, Nikki Spoelstra, host of the globally acclaimed podcast The Know with Nikki Spo, opens up about her dynamic journey from inner-city educator and championship-winning dance team coach to empowering women through her storytelling platform. A former Miami HEAT dancer, Nikki's passion for growth, resilience, and personal transformation is at the heart of her mission. As she prepares to relaunch her podcast under the exciting new name Becoming: HER, Nikki shares her vision of inspiring women to step into their fullest potential and create the lives they’ve always dreamed of.
Miami Living: (ML): You’ve worn many hats throughout your career—educator, dancer, coach, creative director, philanthropist, and now podcaster. How have these diverse experiences shaped the way you approach the themes of self-discovery and empowerment on 'The Know with Nikki Spo'?
Nikki: It's important for me to note, first, that I used to feel a lot of insecurity around this. I think that many people in the generations that came before mine were wholly dedicated to their crafts and careers for the entirety of their lifetimes. People chose their professions, and many of them admirably dedicated their entire lives to those professions and found much success. As a result, those (singular) careers became defining elements of their identities.
So for a while, I felt a lot of shame around my desire to move in different directions, professionally. Since starting my podcast in 2021, I’ve come to embrace the concept that all of my life experiences have led me to one common mission, which is to help people. And that feels very good and pure to me. The themes of self-discovery and empowerment I approach on the show are an almost in-real-time account of my own personal growth arc, which I believe my community enjoys sharing and experiencing alongside me.
ML: Your podcast has received remarkable recognition, including nominations for the People’s Choice Podcast Award and the Gracie Awards. How has your personal journey influenced the kind of content and conversations you prioritize on your show?
Nikki: I have experienced the tremendous healing power of community and shared experience in my recovery journey. Over many years of personal therapy and group recovery sessions, I realized that talking about things openly can create space for more growth, especially when shared with other safe individuals. Self-awareness, honesty, vulnerability, and humility are all antidotes for shame. For me, releasing shame gives me more access to spiritual freedom, acceptance, love, and trust in myself and Source (God/Universe/etc.).
I realized that my pain wasn’t as unique as I originally thought it to be. I was not special in my suffering, even though I felt isolated and alone. The truth is, people everywhere are experiencing pain and suffering – it’s just packaged differently. Because of this realization, I decided to have vulnerable conversations in front of people IRL and in front of strangers online.
ML: You’ve been through some incredibly transformative experiences, from overcoming personal challenges to embracing sobriety and motherhood. What’s been the most surprising lesson you’ve learned about yourself along the way?
Nikki: It sounds really harsh, but the most shocking (though not surprising?) lesson I have learned is that no one is coming to save me. There is no “knight in shining armor” coming to rescue me. I’m Her. I’m the knight in the fairytale. I came to understand that I am the hero of my own story and I get to write and rewrite my narrative as many times as I need or want to. I realized that my resilience and tenacity through hardship (and joy) are unwavering, and it is for the simple fact that I LOVE… living. Even when things are hard.
ML: Do you have a creative ritual or habit that helps you connect with your inner knowing?
Nikki: I like to listen to music and dance naked in my bathroom and I always feel confident in doing that. I’ve never felt better about myself than when I do. Dance was my first form of creative expression and while the naked part isn’t required, I find that it’s freeing because it activates the agency, joy, love, and gratitude I feel towards the physical body which holds my soul and essence. I think other people should try it.
ML: With the relaunch of your podcast as 'Becoming: HER' on March 4th, what inspired you to rebrand, and how do you envision this new chapter helping women on their journeys of self-discovery and empowerment?
Nikki: I was in a much different space when I started the show in 2021. I was a new mom of two boys, I was married to a public figure, I was newly sober, and I was navigating a very real reckoning with my identity and what I wanted for my life as a grown woman who had been through… a lot. In a way, I was rediscovering who I was… while on the show, while also trying to be very mindful and considerate of what topics I could (or should) discuss publicly. It was a tricky balance.
As my circumstances shifted and I learned some life lessons, I realized that my audience, too, was growing with me. “The Know with Nikki Spo” was always about cultivating that deep sense of inner knowing which I believe so many of us crave. “Becoming: HER” is about OWNING that sense of inner knowing and becoming more of it… whatever that means for each individual. My goals are to have conversations that inspire women to become the “HER” of her highest desires and to help women see, understand, and believe their souls’ callings in order to embody more of it in their physical worlds.
ML: Having been a Teacher of the Year and coached a championship-winning dance team, you’ve had a front-row seat to the power of mentorship and leadership. How do you think these roles have prepared you to inspire and lead women through your podcast?
Nikki: In hindsight, I now see how… broken… I was while coaching and teaching. I was deeply sad during those years of my life. And that’s one of the most interesting observations I’ve made. Coaching and Teaching… was, in essence, an act of service which I was engaging in WHILE I was struggling. I was able to get out of my own suffering by being of service to young people. I didn’t have the words or understanding of it at the time, but that’s what I was doing. It gave me a tremendous sense of purpose to show up for my students and athletes. I believe that what I do today is simply an extension of that.
And something important for thought leaders to consider is this:
You cannot be a most impactful thought leader if your goal is fame or notoriety. Your impact on people comes from your purity and dedication to serving others. The money or fame or whatever secondary gains exist, will inevitably come, and they’ll be for the RIGHT reasons and a truly worthy energy exchange.
It’s a long game. The Return On Investment in the world of mentorship is usually not immediate. While I was teaching, my seventh graders were NOT telling me, “Wow, Mrs. Spoelstra, you really changed my life.” No. But every once in a while, now – over ten years later, a former student will stop me in the street to remind me of something I said that I don’t even remember saying, and how that impacted his or her life in some way. My point in sharing this is that - while staying true to your mission might not always garner an immediate ROI, it almost always lands its mark in the long run. Be patient.
ML: You've been a dedicated philanthropist, raising awareness and resources for causes in South Florida. What drives your passion for giving back, and how do you decide which causes to support?
Nikki: I come from a family of public servants. My father was a firefighter and my mom was a volunteer and substitute teacher. I grew up accompanying my grandmother to her volunteer services at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Gardens. I think their examples influenced my desire to give back. And… my family has been in Miami for a long time. While my mom was from Puerto Rico, I was born in Miami, as were my father and grandfather. My grandparents got engaged at Coral Gables High School as teenagers. So, caring for the local community is like caring for my family; it’s part of my identity.
I began serving philanthropically at age 17 with "Big Brothers Big Sisters of Miami". Mentorship has always been really important to me – probably because truly, I never felt that I had a mentor of my own. I went on to volunteer with animal-centered organizations, with programs for children and adults with special needs, and offered support for children and families with Cancer diagnoses. I was a board member on the Miami HEAT Charitable Fund and I am currently a proud board member of Florida International University’s Alumni Association.
I have dreams of creating parks and meaningful gathering spaces for children and families in my community. Ultimately, I care about people. I care about seeing Miami and its citizens flourish.
ML: As we look ahead to the relaunch of 'Becoming: HER,' what’s the one piece of advice or wisdom you’d like to leave our audience with, especially for those women stepping into their own power and potential?
Nikki: You are influential. You don’t necessarily need fame, visibility, money, or whatever in order to make an impact. You impact people every day with the purity of your intentions. You are strongest and most impactful when you surround yourself with like-minded, mission-centered individuals, and you will go much further together than alone. Lastly, women need to stop being catty toward one another and need to knock it off with the cutthroat competition. It’s for the birds. I’m sure you can figure out by now why one cannot compete with me… and that’s (truly) because… I want you to win, too.
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Image Credits
Photographer: Isangela Verdu
Location: Book The Spaces
Creative Director & Wardrobe Stylist: Sarah Akiba