ABOUT
Coach Nicole Zapoli
Nicole is a professional fitness and wellness coach, certified personal trainer, athlete, and more! She offers 1-on-1 personal training, virtual personal training, semi-private training, online remote coaching, individually designed programming, nutrition coaching, small group functional fitness classes, functional gymnastics workshops, specialty classes, and more!
Nicole’s passion, purpose, and mission in life is to help empower others onto living their strongest, healthiest, happiest lives possible.
Nicole is also a proud mom to two amazing kids, and soulmate to the love of her life, Jon. She loves spending quality time with her family and friends, training, adventuring, traveling, being artsy, painting, music, playing in the ocean, dancing, yoga, and anything outdoors.
To empower others on toward living their strongest, healthiest, happiest lives possible.
From as early as eight years old Nicole knew she wanted to own her own gym business, be a coach, entrepreneur, and most importantly, knew she wanted to help people when she grew up. As a young girl, she loved how empowering, fun, and awesome it was to feel and BE strong, healthy, and happy. Nicole knew from then on she would be spreading my love and passion for fitness for the rest of her life!
Originally from Richmond-Sugar Land-Surfside Beach, Texas, Nicole began her lifelong fitness journey with dance at the age of two, gymnastics at four, and was competing in artistic gymnastics by the age of six. She later switched to rhythmic gymnastics.
By the age of fourteen Nicole had received the opportunity to train at the United States Olympic Training Center and was a 4-time Texas State Champion in rhythmic gymnastics, 4-time Junior Olympian, and a member of the US Junior Olympic Academic Team.
Following rhythmic gymnastics she cheered competitively for three years becoming a three time All American cheerleader. Nicole went on to dance and cheer professionally for the NFL Houston Texans and the NBA Houston Rockets along with various other professional dance companies specializing in modern/contemporary and hip hop/street jazz.
Nicole started her first business when she was 19 years old, a mobile gym business, offering in-home personal training as well as cheer, dance, and gymnastics coaching programs at private schools, day cares, and after school community programs.
A few years later in 2009 she discovered CrossFit and soon decided to become a CrossFit Trainer as well as a CrossFit Gymnastics Trainer. Soon after that Nicole was invited to intern and eventually join the CrossFit Gymnastics Seminar Team. For the past 13 years Nicole has had the opportunity to travel the world and teach gymnastics in the functional fitness and CrossFit world both as part of CFG as well as within her own business and brand, NZ Fitness. She has now booked, organized, planned, prepped, taught, coached, & led more than 130+ NZ Fitness gymnastics workshops worldwide, as well as another 40+ CrossFit Gymnastics Seminars worldwide.
Nicole has had the opportunity to be part of so many fitness community events locally to worldwide representing several fitness companies as an athlete, ambassador, business owner, seminar coach, etc.
The amount of willingness and dedication to her own personal growth and pushing past her comfort zone this has taken Nicole is beyond all comprehension. She is proud of herself for having the courage to say yes to new life opportunities.
The honor to receive and say yes to new, amazing life opportunities to level up always far outweighs fear!
Nicole eventually opened her own CrossFit affiliate when she was 29 years old and was brought on as a co-owner of another already established CrossFit affiliate when she was 34 years old.
In 2016, Nicole’s seventh entrepreneurial venture and business baby, NZ Fitness LLC was born; offering remote online coaching + custom programming, personal training, virtual personal training, gymnastics workshops, mobile custom nutrition app, and nutrition coaching support. You can also find NZ Fitness in-person training located throughout the county of San Diego; in-home and outdoor, resort and boutique gyms, CrossFit affiliates, and more!
Nicole’s lifelong fitness journey has allowed and continues to allow her endless opportunities to create, grow, learn, build, and evolve as a person, mom, athlete, business owner, and entrepreneur. She is forever grateful for the many people, experiences, adventures, and beyond that have shaped her into who she is today.
Nicole has also studied, trained, and competed in various sports such as Fitness America, CrossFit, USAW (weightlifting), USPA (powerlifting), PNBA (professional natural bodybuilding). She won Fitness America Texas in 2006 and Fitness America California in 2011 along with receiving the opportunity to be a contestant on American Ninja Warrior in 2013. She is the 2015 USPA California State Champion (48kg) and bench press record holder. She placed in the top 10% fittest ladies in North America in the 2021 CrossFit Games Open and the top 10% fittest ladies in the world in her age group advancing her into the Quarterfinals and the worldwide age group online qualifiers.
• Most recently, Nicole placed in the top 5% fittest ladies in in the world in her age group and the top 8% fittest ladies in the 2024 CrossFit Games Individual Open advancing her into the Quarterfinals and the worldwide age group online qualifiers.
• Nicole placed first in Sports Model and received Best Presentation at the 2023 INBA Southern California & Armed Forces Championships.
• She then went on to place first in Figure at the 2023 PNBA/INBA Zeus Classic where she also received her pro athlete qualification.
•She made her pro debut in Figure, received her pro card in Sports Model at the 2023 PNBA/INBA Team USA Championships. Nicole then qualified + went pro in two categories, Figure and Sports Model, at the 2023 Natural Olympia.
• She placed first in Pro Sports Model and second place in Pro Figure at the Mr. & Ms. USA Championships in 2024
• After 42.5 weeks of living that fun, fit pregnancy journey, Nicole gave birth to her second beautiful and healthy baby in December 2022.
• Nicole placed in the top 10% fittest ladies in North America in the 2021 CrossFit Games Open and the top 10% fittest ladies in the world in her age group advancing her into the Quarterfinals and the worldwide age group online qualifiers.
• She is the 2015 USPA California State Champion (48kg) and bench press record holder.
Nicole has over 20 years coaching experience and holds multiple coach, trainer, and specialty certifications in the following institutions.
• NASM
• OPEX
• Movement RX Physical Therapy
• CrossFit
• The Cooper Institute
• Yoga & Ayurveda Center
• And Many More
I am NZ Fitness and my mission is to empower others toward living their strongest, healthiest, happiest lives possible. I am passionate about supporting others on their fitness and wellness journey so that lifelong wellness and a high quality of life become the new norm in our communities and world, rather than the exception.
My ultimate goal is to support, guide, educate, inspire, both physically and mentally as well as create as strong, healthy, happy, consistent, and committed clients as possible while also creating culture within the community that centers around life long wellness and a high quality of life.
I am dedicated to providing a sustainable system that can be implemented by anyone regardless of current fitness levels for the duration of my client’s lives.
My top priority is creating a training protocol that revolves around safety via optimal body mechanics, technique, and building a solid movement foundation. I desire for my clients to progress across all domains as they continue building their base strength and overall conditioning.
My NZ Fitness training method builds strength, overall work capacity, and increases lean body mass so that my clients have a strong foundation and the ability to live their strongest, healthiest, happiest life possible.
Cheerfulness & Gratitude: Success begins with being grateful which is the root of joy.
Trust & Integrity: Being rooted in trust and integrity leads to longevity in every sense of the word.
Growth & Resilience: The best results come from overcoming obstacles and adversity.
Teamwork: Client and coach relationship should work together as a team matching each other’s efforts.
Enjoying the Journey: It is about finding the joy in the process and taking pride in mastering the basics.
What is NZ Fitness Strength & Conditioning?
NZ Fitness training method is designed to build strength, overall work capacity, and increase lean body mass so that NZ Fitness clients have the ability to live their strongest, healthiest, happiest life possible. All program designs are derived from over 30+ years of experience in training and coaching including artistic & rhythmic gymnastics, CrossFit Gymnastics, bodybuilding, power lifting, tactical training, Olympic weightlifting, yoga & ayurveda, adaptive training, and US Olympic strength & conditioning training and coaching methodologies.
Nicole’s top priority is creating a training protocol that revolves around safety via optimal body mechanics, technique, and building a solid movement foundation. She wants her clients progressing across all domains as they continue building their base strength and overall conditioning.