Meet Nicole Miller | Massage Therapist, Manual Lymphatic Drainage Therapist, Yoga Instructor

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nicole Miller and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I think the most important factor for the success of my business is building consistent and authentic relationships with my clients and students. I am a comprehensive wellness practice that exists to help others feel better in their mind and body. The rush of everyday life is what I’m trying to unravel in most bodies I see for massage therapy and yoga instruction. Keeping this goal in mind with every person that works with me is the best north star I could utilize for my brand.

Can you give our readers an introduction to your business? Maybe you can share a bit about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
Nicole Miller Massage + Yoga is a comprehensive wellness practice offering a range of services to cater to your needs.
Nicole is a Certified Massage Therapist (CMT), Manual Lymphatic Drainage (MLD-C) specialist, and a 200-hour Registered Yoga Teacher (YTT200). With her expertise, she provides a holistic approach to bodywork and aims to create a relaxing and healing experience for her clients. Yoga is taught in a style that uses support of blocks, bolsters and straps so that Yoga may meet you where you are in your practice and experience level.
She began her career in the city of Chicago, where she practiced massage in Chiropractic and clinical based settings for 10 years. She began her journey as a Yoga Instructor in 2017 to work with bodies of all types and sizes, and supply accessible wellness to her community. In Oct of 2017, she relocated to San Diego to pursue business on the west coast. Shortly after restarting her business in a new location, a pandemic hit and created the biggest challenges small businesses had seen to date. Taking some time off, she came back in 2021 to further apply All-Body based accessible wellness for those in her community, offering support in the form of discounts to marginalized individuals in San Diego. This decision came from Nicole’s own mixed race identity and experience, witnessing civil uprisings in 2020, and seeing a large collection of individuals that needed wellness care but were mostly not getting what they needed.
It is important to me and my practice that I’m offering Accessible Wellness to all people of my community, not only a certain demographic. Wellness should be for all, as all bodies have experienced some form of trauma in one way or another. Therefore all bodies should have wellness care to support healing.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My first stop would probably be Donna Jean, one of my favorite vegan restaurants to take visitors. So far, half my immediate family has eaten there, plus some friends. Then I think a walk in Balboa Park is in order, we have such a beautiful natural space in the middle of our city (which I leaned is bigger than NYCs Central Park). I’d eventually take them to the beach, probably La Jolla Shores or Windansea. Peace Pies in Point Loma would definitely get a visit, they’re my birthday meal splurge every year. Raw, vegan, soy and gluten free– and so so delicious. Next I think a visit to the mountains would be great. Mount Laguna off of Sunrise Hwy would be the destination. You can drive or hike with your buddies, still a very good trip. A sunset would have to happen during this trip, so maybe sunset cliffs or Cabrillo for that. A drive up the coast is always fun, ending at the Self Realization Meditation Gardens for some peaceful coastal bliss. There are endless things to do in San Diego, these are things I’d do with an older crowd, but I’ve always said this is a city with something for everyone.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I want to shout out Robin Taylor at MVMNT Studio. I have been teaching body-loving yoga with her studio and connecting with the fantastic members there as well as being uplifted in a community of strong and intelligent women. It fuels my passion to continue helping my community and solidifies why I’m doing what I’m doing.

I’d also like to shout out Suzanne Sauve from Enlighten Massage SD. I have worked beside her practice as Massage Therapists and without her support and friendship this journey these last few years would have been a lot more challenging. Sometimes you meet new people and then the doors open up for you, both Robin and Suzanne have done that for me. I’m wildly grateful for them.

Website: https://www.nicolemillermassage.com

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicolemillermassage?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/nicolemillermassage

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@nicolemillermassageandyoga?si=N2kTdfqHnxRpWvxG

Image Credits
Massage photo with me in black, by Kristen Karhio aka @karhiocreative.