How to Feel Safe, Strong, and Confident in Your Body with Nichelle Laus
Survivor, cop, and self-defense expert Nichelle Laus on rebuilding confidence, trusting your instincts, and reclaiming your power after trauma, on this episode of Get Sculpted
Trigger warning: This episode contains open discussion of childhood sexual abuse and domestic violence. Please take care of yourself as you listen.
If you've ever felt like confidence was something other people were born with, like it's a trait you either have or you don't, this episode is going to change the way you think about that. Because what Nichelle Laus lived through, and what she built on the other side of it, is proof that confidence isn't handed to you. It's forged. Through survival, through movement, through the decision to stop letting your story shrink you.
Nichelle is a mom of four, a sexual abuse survivor, a former police officer of 15 years, a kickboxer, a fitness coach, and the co-founder of 413 Tactical, where she teaches women how to protect themselves, trust their instincts, and reclaim their power from a place of strength, not fear. This conversation is raw, real, and deeply empowering. And if you've ever felt small, unsafe, or disconnected from your own strength, it was made for you.
Here's what we cover:
How Nichelle's experience as a sexual abuse survivor became the foundation of everything she built, and how she found her first real sense of power in a kickboxing gym at 14
What it actually feels like to reclaim your identity after trauma, and why physical movement can be one of the most powerful tools in that healing journey
How 15 years in policing sharpened her situational awareness, emotional control, and intuition, and the real-life story of a domestic call where trusting her gut saved someone's life
What situational awareness actually means for everyday women, and why it's the one skill Nichelle would give every woman if she could
How to start building confidence when you feel powerless, the small, practical steps that create real momentum
Why women's self-defense is about so much more than fighting techniques, and what women actually walk away with after taking one of Nichelle's classes
What Nichelle teaches her four sons about strength, safety, and respecting boundaries, and how she models personal power for the next generation
The Safety Blueprint: what's inside Nichelle's handbook for women and why having it on your shelf might matter more than you think
How Jordanna's own experience with sexual assault connects to this conversation, and why this episode is one both hosts and listeners will carry with them
This episode is for the woman who wants to feel more grounded in her body and more confident in the world she moves through every day. It's for the mom who wants to raise kids who trust themselves. It's for anyone who's been through something hard and is still figuring out how to stand tall on the other side.
“Confidence grows when you prove to yourself that you could do something you thought you couldn't.” -Nichelle Laus
Meet Nichelle Laus
Nichelle is a former police officer turned women’s safety advocate and self-defense instructor. Drawing from 15 years of frontline experience, she teaches practical, realistic strategies that help women build confidence and take ownership of their personal safety.
As a speaker, author, and entrepreneur, she is passionate about prevention, awareness, and empowerment. She believes safety starts with knowledge and preparation.
Connect with Nichelle
This podcast is brought to you in partnership with Leah Bryant Co.
More about the Get Sculpted Podcast
Welcome to Get Sculpted, the podcast for women who want to gain muscle and lose belly fat, improve their metabolism, and create real results using science-based fat loss strategies and practical coaching.
We go beyond quick fixes and fad diets to give you sustainable fat loss, strength training for weight loss, and fitness tips for women who want results without burning out. You’ll learn how lifting weights supports fat loss, how to train smarter instead of longer, and how to build habits that fit your lifestyle. Think less about guessing, more about clarity, and about progress you can maintain.
Whether you’re getting started or focused on building muscle after 30, this podcast gives women the tools to lose fat, gain muscle, and feel stronger, without relying on endless cardio or restrictive plans. We emphasize fat loss without cardio extremes, so you can train with confidence and consistency.
We’re your hosts, Jordanna, Marilynn, and Tijana, fitness professionals with over 20 years of combined experience and 1,000+ client transformations. With a strong focus on helping women 30 and older, we specialize in strength training, improving metabolism, and weight training for sustainable, realistic weight loss.
We’ll cover questions like:
Can you build muscle and lose belly fat at the same time?
How does strength training support weight loss?
What’s the best way to lose fat without losing muscle?
What’s the best way to lose fat without relying on cardio?
How can lifting weights improve my metabolism?
Why am I not losing weight even though I’m working out and eating healthy?
How can I stop yo-yo dieting for good?
If you’ve been searching for sustainable fat loss, women’s nutrition, and weight training that actually works, you’re in the right place. Join us every week for practical guidance, honest conversations, and tools to sculpt a stronger body and a more confident life.
Connect with us on Instagram at @getsculted.ca
The unedited podcast transcript for this episode of the Get Sculpted podcast follows:
Introduction
Jordanna [00:00:00 - 00:00:39]: [00:00:00] Welcome back to another episode of the Get Sculpted podcast. [00:00:03] I am Coach Jordanna here with a very special guest. [00:00:07] I'm so excited to talk to her. [00:00:09] This is going to be a very powerful episode for you to listen to. [00:00:13] It's about strength and not just the kind that you build in the gym that we like to talk about all the time, but this is the kind you build when life forces you to rise up. [00:00:21] And I'm pretty sure you're going to connect with my guests on more than one level. [00:00:24] Nichelle Laus is a mom of four, a sex abuse survivor who refused to let her story define her limits. [00:00:31] A woman who walked into a kickboxing gym to learn how to protect herself and ended up transforming her entire identity and set the tone for her Future.Nichelle Laus's Background
Jordanna [00:00:40 - 00:01:34]: [00:00:40] She spent 15 years in policing, stepped into situations most people would run from, building not just physical toughness, but situational awareness, emotional control, and an unshakable courage. [00:00:52] And now she's the co founder of 413 Tactical, where she teaches you how to protect yourself, your home and your business. [00:00:59] Trust your instincts and reclaim your power not from a place of fear, but from strength, information, and tools that really work. [00:01:06] This conversation is about what happens when survival becomes empowerment, how your confidence is built, and why self awareness may be the most underrated form of strength and what it really looks like to model power for the next generation. [00:01:20] Our kids. [00:01:21] If you've ever doubted yourself, if you've ever felt small, if you've ever wanted to feel more confident in your body and in your presence, this episode is for you. [00:01:31] Nichelle, welcome. [00:01:32] I'm so excited to have you here.Nichelle Laus [00:01:34 - 00:01:39]: [00:01:34] Thanks for having me. [00:01:36] That was quite the bio. [00:01:36] You were already tearing me up even before I started.
Jordanna [00:01:40 - 00:01:45]: [00:01:40] I know. [00:01:40] I was starting to get a little emotional. [00:01:41] I was like, hold on, hold on. [00:01:44] We're like two minutes in.
Nichelle Laus [00:01:45 - 00:01:47]: [00:01:45] I know. [00:01:45] We haven't even started yet. [00:01:47] Can you.
Early Life and Defining Strength
Jordanna [00:01:47 - 00:02:02]: [00:01:47] You have such a powerful story. [00:01:49] Thank you so much for being here today. [00:01:50] I'm really excited for this conversation. [00:01:53] Let's start at the beginning, before the business, before policing, before kickboxing. [00:01:57] Can you share who you were as a young woman and what strength meant to you back then?Nichelle Laus [00:02:03 - 00:02:33]: [00:02:03] Oh, it starts so long ago. [00:02:06] But again, as you said in my bio, you know, it really did dictate who I am today. [00:02:12] And sometimes you have to go through the storm. [00:02:14] You have to weather it all to do all the good stuff after. [00:02:17] When I was young, I didn't have much strength. [00:02:20] I was brought up in a single parent home, my biological father. [00:02:24] I don't think I ever shared this with you, but my real biological father, I learned later him and my mom were involved in a domestic. [00:02:32] He had an accident.
Nichelle Laus [00:02:33 - 00:02:57]: [00:02:33] He was a heavy drinker, and he wasn't, well, mentally ill. [00:02:38] I didn't know this. [00:02:40] And he had an accident, hurt his head. [00:02:42] And anyways, he tried to kill me when I was about a year and a half. [00:02:46] So thankfully, a couple of my sisters at the time stepped in, protected me, kind of put me in the bathroom. [00:02:52] Police were called. [00:02:53] He was arrested and all that stuff. [00:02:56] So I never shared that part.
Nichelle Laus [00:02:57 - 00:03:48]: [00:02:57] So all I pretty much knew was a single parent. [00:03:01] So my mom remarried when I was 7 years old, and, you know, from one monster to next as the cycle continues, and. [00:03:10] And I was sexually abused for seven years of my life. [00:03:13] So my strength, if you want to call it strength, I didn't have much strength other than trying to find it within me to just live every day and hope that the monster didn't come in the room again, type of thing. [00:03:27] I would go to school. [00:03:28] I wasn't allowed to say anything, obviously, because usually abusers either promise you things or they threaten you, and it was both. [00:03:36] And so for many years, I didn't say anything. [00:03:39] And I think if anything, my strength, my actual strength, came when I was 14 years old, and I decided I was old enough now to actually.
Nichelle Laus [00:03:49 - 00:04:26]: [00:03:49] I don't know if it was take on the monster and just really be who I wanted to be. [00:03:54] So I just said, enough is enough. [00:03:55] And that's when I decided to. [00:03:58] My mom had gone out that day, as she would sometimes go for her morning coffee, whatnot. [00:04:04] And when she came back, an episode had happened where, you know, it was the last time where he tried to hurt me, and I pushed him off, and I said, enough is enough. [00:04:15] And when my mom came home, she found me curled up at the bottom of the stairs, just crying, sobbing. [00:04:20] She didn't know what had happened. [00:04:22] And through my breaths and my hyperventilating, I told her.
Nichelle Laus [00:04:26 - 00:04:35]: [00:04:26] And that's kind of when the process started to happen. [00:04:30] The healing process, the journey, the strength, the true strength come out.
Jordanna [00:04:35 - 00:04:36]: [00:04:35] That's incredible.
Nichelle Laus [00:04:36 - 00:04:38]: [00:04:36] Yeah, it's a crazy story.
Healing Journey and Finding Power
Jordanna [00:04:38 - 00:04:53]: [00:04:38] It is a crazy story, and I'd love to, like, connect that with the healing journey that you've been on. [00:04:46] What are the steps that you took to reclaim that power, to build confidence? [00:04:51] Where. [00:04:51] Where did it take you next?Nichelle Laus [00:05:23 - 00:05:50]: [00:05:23] I wouldn't say full on bullying, but it was more the snickers and the laughing, the mean girl scenarios. [00:05:29] That was brutal. [00:05:31] I decided to just reclaim all that for two reasons. [00:05:34] I wanted to learn something new and I wanted to protect myself so no one would ever hurt me again. [00:05:40] I lived in a little small town and I went into the city and I went to a kickboxing gym. [00:05:46] And literally that's what changed my life.
Jordanna [00:05:50 - 00:05:55]: [00:05:50] Yeah. [00:05:51] Do you remember what that first class was like? [00:05:53] Like, do you remember that moment?
Nichelle Laus [00:06:31 - 00:06:54]: [00:06:31] Just knowing the layers of rap that I'm rapping. [00:06:33] These are the layers of my life that I'm rapping. [00:06:35] And I. [00:06:36] It was just so powerful. [00:06:37] And when I started really picking up just the techniques in kickboxing, it just allowed me to channel all my emotions in a positive way because I had so many negative emotions. [00:06:48] I had such low confidence, such low self esteem. [00:06:52] I felt like crap. [00:06:53] I felt like nobody loved me.
Nichelle Laus [00:06:54 - 00:07:17]: [00:06:54] I didn't know where to turn. [00:06:55] I only had my mom and she was going through her own stress. [00:06:58] And every time I would punch those bags. [00:07:00] And then I started sparring with people because I wanted to take it a different level. [00:07:04] Cause I wanted to feel like I just, you know, it's so hard to explain unless you've ever felt that way before, but it literally just allowed to channel all my energies in such a positive way. [00:07:16] I absolutely loved it.
Connection, Competition, and Empowerment
Jordanna [00:07:18 - 00:07:57]: [00:07:18] I can totally relate to you on a number of levels. [00:07:21] I've also been sexually assaulted twice by two different people at two different points. [00:07:27] Once when I was 12 and once when I was 18. [00:07:30] And I remember just like the like lack of control you feel like from your body and how much shame you end up holding even though none of it was your fault. [00:07:42] And I, at the time, was a swimmer. [00:07:44] And for me, swimming was like that place where nobody can touch you in the water. [00:07:51] Like, you're moving so fast, you're swimming, you're flying. [00:07:54] Like, that was, like, my home base.Jordanna [00:07:57 - 00:08:19]: [00:07:57] And I can totally relate to the fact where you just get into this rhythm where you check out of your emotions and you check into your body, and you just get to do and feel really powerful. [00:08:08] And that's what brought me to competing, actually, in swimming. [00:08:12] And that's where you took kickboxing for a while, too. [00:08:16] Can you tell me about, like, why you brought it into that level?
Nichelle Laus [00:08:20 - 00:08:43]: [00:08:20] I brought it to the level just really because I loved the sport so much. [00:08:24] And back in the day, I mean, this is going back a few years ago. [00:08:26] I'm 51 right now. [00:08:28] And, I mean, started when I was 14, but I started competing when I was 16. [00:08:32] Yeah, it was just an incredible experience. [00:08:35] And the reason I just wanted to do it, I just wanted to further myself. [00:08:38] Because back in those days, to be honest, there wasn't many kickboxers or. [00:08:41] Or boxers for that matter, females.
Nichelle Laus [00:08:43 - 00:09:12]: [00:08:43] Well, especially in Montreal. [00:08:45] So I always came from, like, a grit gym, which is now actually world renowned. [00:08:48] It's called tristar. [00:08:50] Like, all the fighters, GSP comes from there. [00:08:52] In fact, we grew up together, and, you know, David Loiseau, if anyone knows who that is, they're all world champions. [00:08:59] But we were all kids together. [00:09:00] And so these were just moments and places of, you know, that safe spot, the ring was just a place where you could be. [00:09:08] Where you could feel powerful, where you could feel confident, where you.
Nichelle Laus [00:09:13 - 00:09:41]: [00:09:13] You can feel strength. [00:09:14] And not only physical, emotional, like, all that stuff. [00:09:18] You just felt so glorious and people cheering you on and, like, go get it. [00:09:24] And, you know, usually it was the opposite. [00:09:27] I was always being brought down. [00:09:28] So it was just a really nice feeling, you know, and the training was just insane for it. [00:09:34] So it just kept me mentally fit, it kept me physically fit. [00:09:38] Since I was 14, I always wanted to be a police officer.
Nichelle Laus [00:09:41 - 00:10:14]: [00:09:41] So I knew it was keeping me fit to be that, because I knew that even the physical training to be an officer, you needed to be physically fit. [00:09:49] So it just all encompassed that one, like, to me was, oh, it's the best sport. [00:09:54] And I just wanted to take it as far as I possibly could. [00:09:56] So it was neat, too, because at that time, I don't think even maybe, you know, this, but Nike. [00:10:03] Back in the day, I did four commercials for Nike, and it was because of kickboxing. [00:10:09] Yeah, Actually, the commercial itself was called. [00:10:11] In French, it was called Parfait. [00:10:13] I mean, perfect.
Nichelle Laus [00:10:14 - 00:10:35]: [00:10:14] But what it was, if I remember the script correctly, it was like, the perfect legs were long and lean. [00:10:21] The perfect arms are soft and delicate. [00:10:23] The perfect chest is 34B, and the perfect ass is. [00:10:28] Anyone who still believed all that crap. [00:10:30] And it was like, boom, boom, boom, boom. [00:10:31] It was about, like, strength and. [00:10:33] And I was in there. [00:10:34] I was talking.
Nichelle Laus [00:10:35 - 00:11:06]: [00:10:35] It was just, like. [00:10:36] It was just such a cool experience. [00:10:37] And that all came from kickboxing. [00:10:40] And in fact, I made enough money back in that day with those commercials to get my laser surgery, which in turn allowed me to become a police officer because I had, like. [00:10:50] I had really bad eyes. [00:10:52] Everything kind of. [00:10:53] I wouldn't say it fell into place, not without hard work, but, you know, it just happened to be there at that moment, and they liked me because I worked hard. [00:11:02] And so sometimes out of bad things, good things happen.
Realizing Identity Shift
Jordanna [00:11:07 - 00:11:18]: [00:11:07] That's so true. [00:11:08] And at what point did you find I'm not the same woman who walked into this gym on that first day? [00:11:13] Like, what point did you realize, like, my identity has shifted?Nichelle Laus [00:11:19 - 00:11:54]: [00:11:19] I would say almost immediately, I literally would walk in with my head down and my shoulders down, and I walked out like, no one's ever going to touch me again. [00:11:29] I swear, I have never, ever looked back. [00:11:33] I'm sure of myself. [00:11:34] I am confident. [00:11:36] It was almost instantaneously. [00:11:38] Obviously, you know, there's a little bit of overlapping in there, but I would say everything changed. [00:11:44] Just the way I thought about myself, the way I carried myself, the way I spoke. [00:11:50] You know, it was a little bit of overlapping at first, because, of course, you always.
Nichelle Laus [00:11:54 - 00:12:12]: [00:11:54] Especially coming from abuse or someone taking control of the time, and you're not allowed to say anything. [00:12:01] Like, it's a little bit of an overlap. [00:12:03] But when you finally realize that no is a complete sentence, then it's no. [00:12:08] Like, I didn't mess around with that anymore. [00:12:11] So it just is so empowering.
Motherhood and Teaching Strength
Jordanna [00:12:13 - 00:12:26]: [00:12:13] That's incredible. [00:12:14] And, like, if you're listening right now and you don't know the power of your no yet, you need to be listening to this on repeat, because Michelle's no is really powerful. [00:12:25] You feel it, like, in your gut.Nichelle Laus [00:12:28 - 00:12:32]: [00:12:28] But, you know, I can be soft and delicate when I want to be. [00:12:31] Of course.
Jordanna [00:12:32 - 00:12:48]: [00:12:32] Of course. [00:12:32] That's the duality of being, like, a woman. [00:12:34] Like, we're complex. [00:12:36] Right. [00:12:36] And you're also a mom of four boys. [00:12:39] And tell me a little bit about how that motherhood has, you know, helped you define strength even Further, how are you also, like, imparting that with your kids?
Nichelle Laus [00:12:48 - 00:13:24]: [00:12:48] Well, it's definitely something that, you know, especially being a mom of four boys, it's. [00:12:54] It's hard. [00:12:55] And, you know, I always teach them to be strong, but it's hard because they're. [00:13:01] Well, they're teenagers now, but to, of course, respect always, you know, especially since what I've been through and they don't know the story, to be honest, fully, I've never sat them down and said, this is what happened, because to me, it wasn't time yet. [00:13:17] I will tell them. [00:13:18] To me, it's just not a thing that you're going to sit down. [00:13:20] Let's have a family meeting and discuss this. [00:13:22] Now, some people might disagree with that.
Nichelle Laus [00:13:25 - 00:13:46]: [00:13:25] I don't know. [00:13:25] It's just the way I parent. [00:13:26] I want them to see me for me and not feel bad for me. [00:13:33] It's hard to explain where that piece comes from, but that's just. [00:13:36] It's my decision. [00:13:37] But I always teach them that, you know, to be strong and I'm strong for them. [00:13:43] I always show them the way. [00:13:45] I'm patient.
Nichelle Laus [00:13:46 - 00:14:15]: [00:13:46] I like to be present for them. [00:13:47] And, you know, all those are kind of keys to being strong. [00:13:51] And we talk about a bunch of things too, you know, like, in terms of safety and protection, situational awareness, communication, trusting your instincts, listening to those guts, you know, how to handle uncomfortable situations. [00:14:04] If there's anything, just let me know. [00:14:06] I even told my son. [00:14:07] The other day, they went to a party. [00:14:10] I said, something's going on. [00:14:12] Just text me a random word, like a safety word.
Nichelle Laus [00:14:15 - 00:14:25]: [00:14:15] No ice cream, something, anything. [00:14:17] No hesitation. [00:14:18] And then I'll call you and act crazy and say, get the hell home and blame it on me. [00:14:24] That's all you need to say. [00:14:25] I don't care.
Safety Tools for Kids
Jordanna [00:14:26 - 00:14:28]: [00:14:26] I have the same system with my daughter and she's only 12.Nichelle Laus [00:14:28 - 00:14:29]: [00:14:28] I love that.
Jordanna [00:14:29 - 00:14:55]: [00:14:29] But I told her, send me a strawberry. [00:14:31] Yeah, if you send me a strawberry and just, like, pick an emoji. [00:14:34] Because words can sometimes, like, trigger other people too, where, like, you're around them and it's like, oh, whoops, I accidentally sent my mom an emoji. [00:14:41] Like, so weird. [00:14:42] And it'll be so meaningless. [00:14:44] And so she'll send me a strawberry and be like, that's her signal to say, I don't want to be here anymore or I don't feel safe or I want to come home. [00:14:51] I've been here too long. [00:14:53] I'll call her and be the crazy mom.
Jordanna [00:14:55 - 00:15:08]: [00:14:55] Be like, listen, I totally messed up the schedule. [00:14:58] Like, I have to come and get you. [00:14:59] Like, I'll be there in 10 minutes. [00:15:01] And then she doesn't seem like the one that said, I want to go. [00:15:04] It's like, oh, my mom is so nuts. [00:15:05] Like, she's going to be here in 10 minutes. [00:15:07] So, like, sorry, guys, I'm out.
Nichelle Laus [00:15:08 - 00:15:22]: [00:15:08] Yeah. [00:15:09] And I love that you do that. [00:15:11] And so many other parents are picking up on doing that. [00:15:14] I love that. [00:15:14] I don't remember having that as a kid, so I like that so many more parents are really thinking of that. [00:15:21] Like, they're more in tuned with that.
Jordanna [00:15:23 - 00:15:50]: [00:15:23] Yeah. [00:15:24] And also, like, I think that with our kids now, we have different tools than we had when we were kids. [00:15:30] Like, there were no cell phones. [00:15:31] It was kind of like, go out on your bike, come back when it's dark, and your parent would have, like, no idea what was happening to you or what could happen or what didn't happen until you eventually came home. [00:15:42] So I think using those tools so smartly and it's a nice way to help your child feel empowered, but know that you've got their back as well.
Nichelle Laus [00:15:50 - 00:15:55]: [00:15:50] Absolutely. [00:15:51] Yeah. [00:15:51] It's a little bit of both. [00:15:52] Right. [00:15:52] And at some point you do have to let them go. [00:15:54] Like, even now, my.
Jordanna [00:15:55 - 00:15:56]: [00:15:55] No.
Nichelle Laus [00:15:56 - 00:16:03]: [00:15:56] You know, I know my oldest moved out and he's in the military, and I just still say, are you okay or what do you do? [00:16:02] You know, you just never lose that.
Jordanna [00:16:04 - 00:16:04]: [00:16:04] Yeah.
Nichelle Laus [00:16:04 - 00:16:06]: [00:16:04] So they know that I'm always a phone call away.
Transition to Policing
Jordanna [00:16:06 - 00:16:22]: [00:16:06] I love that. [00:16:07] And you spent 15 years in policing. [00:16:10] Like, talk to me about, like, you've always wanted to be a police officer. [00:16:14] So what was it like when you stepped in and you're like, I have arrived. [00:16:17] Like, I am here. [00:16:18] Like, what was your ambitions in policing when you started out?Nichelle Laus [00:16:22 - 00:16:53]: [00:16:22] You know, the reason I wanted to be an officer is actually because of what happened to me. [00:16:27] The officers were really the ones who supported me 100% the entire way through so much of it. [00:16:34] And I always said I wanted to give back. [00:16:36] I wanted to give back to people who were in similar situations like me. [00:16:40] I wanted someone to know that I'm there to help them. [00:16:42] I've been through this. [00:16:43] I know what you're going through. [00:16:44] Or similar, you know, to teach them that the fear or the uncertainty, it's information, or, you know, it's not weakness.
Nichelle Laus [00:16:53 - 00:17:27]: [00:16:53] You know, we can use this to help you out and to help you navigate through everything. [00:16:59] And there was moments where I felt a little bit of tension or I would feel really bad because, you know, like, I. [00:17:06] I would Go to situations like literally really bad situations. [00:17:10] But I had a job to do and put on the brave face, put on the brave suit when it's over. [00:17:16] Locker room talk, all that. [00:17:18] Let's like have fun or let's get over it. [00:17:20] Like it's an excellent career, it's an excellent opportunity. [00:17:24] There was not one day that I regretted.
Nichelle Laus [00:17:27 - 00:17:46]: [00:17:27] I would have loved to stay. [00:17:28] Like sometimes I think I miss it, but then again I love what I do now. [00:17:33] So it's just, there's nothing wrong that I could say about what I did anyways. [00:17:37] I did lots. [00:17:37] I worked in this schools. [00:17:39] I worked just, you know, regular street cop. [00:17:41] I did criminal investigations. [00:17:42] I did community oriented response.
Nichelle Laus [00:17:46 - 00:17:51]: [00:17:46] I worked on, on so many things. [00:17:48] You know, if anyone gets an opportunity to ever do something like that, I definitely recommend it.
Power of Intuition
Jordanna [00:17:52 - 00:18:09]: [00:17:52] And you talk a lot like in your book about building up and trusting your intuition. [00:17:56] And where did in policing that really get amplified? [00:18:01] And was there like a scenario that pops in your head where you're like, this saved me like learning to be in touch with my intuition. [00:18:08] That was major in that moment.Nichelle Laus [00:18:10 - 00:18:28]: [00:18:10] If I can almost pinpoint one specifically was. [00:18:14] And it wasn't saved me so much, but saved the situation. [00:18:17] It was a domestic call. [00:18:19] We didn't know it was a domestic call. [00:18:20] It was a 911 call. [00:18:22] And back in the day. [00:18:23] Cause I say back in the day because I don't know what they do specifically. [00:18:25] Right now we got a 911 call.
Nichelle Laus [00:18:28 - 00:18:55]: [00:18:28] When you get a 911 call with a hang up, you have to go to the house to check that they're okay. [00:18:33] Because sometimes someone will say it's a kid or if it's a kid, okay. [00:18:38] And it happens where you know, you're learning, your kids are learning how to, how to dial 911 and they try and they hang up. [00:18:43] Or back in the day pay phones, people used to just call 911 and hang up. [00:18:47] It's silly. [00:18:47] We have to go and check those to make sure that it was nobody. [00:18:50] So we went to our house one day. [00:18:51] I remember this specifically, like it was yesterday was a hang up.
Nichelle Laus [00:18:55 - 00:19:15]: [00:18:55] We get to the door and a woman opens the door crack. [00:19:00] She's like, yes, I had you called 91 1. [00:19:02] No. [00:19:03] And there was a man behind her, I'm assuming. [00:19:05] Well if I did assume it was maybe her husband or somebody, her partner. [00:19:09] No, I didn't call 91 1. [00:19:10] Are you sure? [00:19:11] Is everything okay here? [00:19:12] He's like, yeah, everything's fine. [00:19:14] Okay.
Nichelle Laus [00:19:15 - 00:19:36]: [00:19:15] But I don't know, my intuition was telling Me, something is not right. [00:19:19] But I didn't want to let her. [00:19:20] I couldn't talk to her. [00:19:23] So we went through the house. [00:19:25] Everything seemed okay. [00:19:27] So we left. [00:19:27] Like, okay, second, I was leaving. [00:19:30] I just gave her a look, and I just, I, I, I, I kind of basically said, like, go upstairs, do something.
Nichelle Laus [00:19:36 - 00:19:49]: [00:19:36] Tell me something. [00:19:37] She read my eyes. [00:19:38] Yeah. [00:19:38] I swear to God. [00:19:39] So we leave. [00:19:41] We're at the bottom of the driveway, and we're just chatting. [00:19:44] And I look up and she's in the window. [00:19:47] She's calling me, like, just with her hand.
Nichelle Laus [00:19:49 - 00:20:09]: [00:19:49] At the time, we didn't know that, you know, the symbol, international, state. [00:19:52] Yeah, I said, I knew it, I knew it, I knew it. [00:19:54] We went back, and then we actually arrested the guy. [00:19:56] And we found out later she did call 91 1. [00:19:59] She was getting assaulted. [00:20:01] It was domestic abuse. [00:20:02] And, like, I listened to my intuition, my gut, my woman feelings were telling me there's something wrong with her. [00:20:07] But, you know, they didn't say.
Understanding and Using Intuition
Nichelle Laus [00:20:09 - 00:20:18]: [00:20:09] She couldn't say. [00:20:10] And, you know, at some point, like, you have to go against the brain and go with that intuition. [00:20:15] And I'm so glad I listened to it because she told me after, like, you saved my life.Jordanna [00:20:18 - 00:20:21]: [00:20:18] Wow. [00:20:19] Gives me chills. [00:20:20] Yeah, it really does.
Nichelle Laus [00:20:21 - 00:20:25]: [00:20:21] It's crazy because I could have just all left and who knows what would have happened, right?
Jordanna [00:20:25 - 00:20:35]: [00:20:25] Yeah, you could have done your job, which was like, that's what you did, and left. [00:20:30] And then that whole situation could have gone much differently. [00:20:33] But you trusted your intuition in that moment.
Nichelle Laus [00:20:35 - 00:20:36]: [00:20:35] Totally agree.
Jordanna [00:20:36 - 00:20:56]: [00:20:36] And, like, what do you feel women need to know right now? [00:20:41] Or they misunderstand about their intuition. [00:20:43] Because, you know, what I, I see around is, like, people are so disconnected from listening to that voice inside. [00:20:51] And how do they start to tap into that? [00:20:54] What do they need to understand about their intuition?
Nichelle Laus [00:20:57 - 00:21:59]: [00:20:57] I think the main thing would be to listen to it because I think everyone knows what a gut feeling feels like. [00:21:04] Or even as you're growing up and you're young, you may not know, but you know there's a feeling in your stomach, that butterfly sensation. [00:21:11] Just that's the moment where you have to think, okay, what is happening right now that's making you feel that way? [00:21:17] Let's say it happened to you a while ago, and you go back and you go, okay, when I felt that feeling, what happened after that? [00:21:23] Was it a bad thing or a good thing? [00:21:24] If it was a bad thing, then that's the feeling that when that happens again, you have to listen to it. [00:21:29] So it's kind of like finding your baseline, you know, finding the area like that's your baseline and then listening to that afterwards. [00:21:36] And I just think that a lot of us almost feel that it's anxiety. [00:21:41] And it partially is because you get anxious when you're in a situation that has you up against the wall or you're just unsure. [00:21:48] So part of it is anxiety. [00:21:49] But kind of differentiating between the anxiety and that gut feeling and always listening to it, because every time we don't listen to it, something happens.
The Shift From Policing to Fitness
Nichelle Laus [00:22:44 - 00:23:13]: [00:22:44] It was a completely organic change that I never expected in my life to really break it down. [00:22:51] I wanted to become pro in boxing. [00:22:54] So when I moved to Ontario at the time, amateur kickboxing wasn't allowed, only kickboxing was allowed. [00:23:01] So I went up to the police chief and I said, I would like to become pro. [00:23:05] He said, no. [00:23:07] Oh, okay. [00:23:08] So I had to make a decision. [00:23:09] I don't really want to leave policing because I was like two years in.Building the Business and Transforming Women
Nichelle Laus [00:25:10 - 00:25:42]: [00:25:10] So anyways, I just started doing it, and what ended up happening, it was like, a really beautiful thing, because Dave, my husband, at the same time, was doing photography for the same reason. [00:25:20] Because when you're doing competitions, all the fitness models want to do photo shoots and all that. [00:25:25] And Dave is like, well, I could do photo shoots for you. [00:25:27] You don't have to go to so and so and pay all this money. [00:25:30] And so he started doing photography. [00:25:32] So we just created this, like, crazy snowball effect where I was transforming women. [00:25:38] He was shooting them after, like, photography. [00:25:41] Cause he was also a police officer.Jordanna [00:25:43 - 00:25:45]: [00:25:43] made you, like, the right kind of shoot.
Opening the Gym and Challenges
Nichelle Laus [00:26:02 - 00:26:28]: [00:26:02] Cubby hole where I could train some of my online clients. [00:27:06] Oh no. [00:27:07] He gets a ginormous 10,000 square foot place that. [00:27:12] Oh, this would be good. [00:27:13] And I go, no, that's a full on gym, Dave. [00:27:15] I just wanted a space space, like an 8 by 8 or 6 by 6 or whatever. [00:27:19] No, this will be fine. [00:27:20] So we opened the gym, it was called otc, which was actually, it was supposed to be OPC because it was supposed to.COVID, Tactical Store, and Continuing Impact
Nichelle Laus [00:28:16 - 00:28:59]: [00:28:16] But what ended up happening with our business and leaving, that was really Hard Covid happened and we had to shut down the space permanently. [00:28:24] And that was kind of the end of that. [00:28:27] Even to this day have all my online clients. [00:28:29] So that was kind of like an extra layer of craziness, I guess. [00:28:34] And now we've turned that into a tactical store which is basically providing gear equipment to all frontline officers or emergency services personnel. [00:28:43] So we deal like with the services and all our friends, like if you were still in the service, we'd be in 26 years now. [00:28:50] So all our friends that we know are all in positions of, you know, making decisions and whatnot. [00:28:56] So it still kind of feels like I am back in it where I'm not.Impact, Coaching, and Encouragement
Jordanna [00:29:15 - 00:30:01]: [00:29:15] And you also paved the way for women like me who transformed their careers. [00:29:20] I was spent 15 years in the corporate space and you really paved the way for the online coaching space and what that program could look like, how coaches are supporting women. [00:29:30] And my sister in law actually worked with you and she had the best experience and I helped her like pick outfits for her photo shoot with Dave and it was such a highlight. [00:29:40] She had such a beautiful experience with you and it was such a nice way to be like introduced to that. [00:29:46] Cause I was still working in corporate at the time and I was like, yeah, one day I'm going to do that. [00:29:53] And you never know where it can take you, like the journey, like you can keep evolving. [00:29:56] Which is so nice for women to hear and see examples of that. [00:30:00] Yeah.Self Defense Training
Jordanna [00:30:50 - 00:31:01]: [00:30:50] And one of the things I got to do with you back in September was take your self defense class and be live in person. [00:30:57] I have like my broken wood right back there on my shelf.Nichelle Laus [00:31:01 - 00:31:01]: [00:31:01] I love it.
Jordanna [00:31:02 - 00:31:18]: [00:31:02] So proud of myself. [00:31:03] And I was like, boom, karate chop that in. [00:31:05] Talk to me about that self defense training that you do for women. [00:31:09] And what do they leave with? [00:31:11] Like, what is that change that you see women walking in, they take the class, they leave. [00:31:16] What do you notice is the shift?
The Safety Blueprint Book
Jordanna [00:33:04 - 00:33:24]: [00:33:04] I love that. [00:33:04] And that brings me actually to the safety blueprint. [00:33:07] We got a copy. [00:33:08] Like, I want to know, like, what prompted you to write this? [00:33:11] Is it, you know, an opportunity for you to have something in somebody's pocket so that they could have you like in their head sometimes have like extra support tool. [00:33:22] But like, why put it all down in a book?Building Yourself Up From Powerlessness
Jordanna [00:35:30 - 00:35:40]: [00:35:30] If a woman is listening today and she feels powerless right now, she hasn't done some of this work yet, where should she start building herself up? [00:35:39] Where would you guide her?Lightning Round
Jordanna [00:36:43 - 00:36:50]: [00:36:43] Totally. [00:36:44] I agree. [00:36:45] And before we wrap up, I would love to do a little lightning round with you, if that's okay.Nichelle Laus [00:36:50 - 00:36:53]: [00:36:50] A little fill in the blank scheme, if that's okay.
Jordanna [00:36:53 - 00:36:56]: [00:36:53] So I'll start the sentence if you're open to finishing it.
Closing Remarks and Contact Information
Jordanna [00:38:39 - 00:38:47]: [00:38:39] And, Nichelle, if someone is listening and thinking, I want to feel that kind of confidence, too. [00:38:44] I want to learn more. [00:38:45] How can they connect with you? [00:38:47] Lay it on us.Nichelle Laus [00:38:48 - 00:39:04]: [00:38:48] Honestly, I keep it really easy. [00:38:50] My first name and my last name, as long as you don't mess up. [00:38:52] My first name, Nichelle Loss. [00:38:55] That's.com is my website or on social media. [00:38:58] Nichelle Loss. [00:38:58] You can find me pretty much anywhere. [00:39:00] TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, you name it, I love it.
Jordanna [00:39:04 - 00:39:24]: [00:39:04] And to everyone listening, if this episode spoke to you, share it with a woman in your life who's ready to step into her power, too. [00:39:11] You can level up together, because strong women don't just transform their bodies. [00:39:16] They transform how they move through the world. [00:39:18] And we will see you next time on a new episode of Get Sculpted. [00:39:22] Thank you so much, Nichelle.
Nichelle Laus [00:39:24 - 00:39:25]: [00:39:24] Thanks for having me.