“I’ll never forget that. It was recent too – or at least within the last couple years. Someone asked – Greg was doing a Q+A at a Level 1 and one of the participants asked, ‘What’s the most important thing?’ – I don’t know if they said learn or do or know as a trainer. And he just said, ‘Care, care, and care. Everything else you can learn.’ And it’s really true.” – Nicole Carroll

You may know Nicole Carroll from her most recent role providing tips for the workouts each week of the CrossFit Games Open, or as CrossFit‘s Director of Training and Certification. She also happens to be one of the early members of Greg Glassman’s original CrossFit gym in Santa Cruz, CA. She helped to pave the way for generations of CrossFit females to come by performing muscle ups in a video of a workout called Nasty Girls alongside Annie Sakamoto and Eva T, and the workout called Nicole that you’ve probably done before – that was named after her. Since that time, Nicole has been a leader in the development of the CrossFit Training and Certification department and the preservation CrossFit’s core mission and culture even as the movement has grown tremendously over the past several years.

In this episode we discuss:

Nicole’s background in the arts and yoga and her move to Santa Cruz, CA

The original CrossFit gym and the early days of the CrossFit Level 1 Seminar

What led Nicole to take a leadership role in CrossFit Training

How Nicole’s role and the Level 1 have evolved evolved over the years

The “Nasty Girls” workout

Body image and CrossFit

How the workout “Nicole” got its name

Nicole’s perfect day

Words of advice to someone starting CrossFit today

Three things Nicole does on a regular basis that have the biggest positive impact on her health

One thing she struggles to implement that could have a big impact on her health

What a healthy life looks like to her

You can follow Nicole on Instagram and at CrossFit.com.

Links:

Related Episodes:

Ep 21 – Pat Sherwood on CrossFit, the Games and Quality of Life and Longevity

Ep 28 – James Hobart on teaching, competing, and the real purpose of CrossFit

Ep 29 – Dave Castro on Applying Lessons Learned as a SEAL, His Daily Routine, and Directing the CrossFit Games

Ep 35 – Coach Greg Glassman on CrossFit, Chronic Disease, and the “5 Buckets of Death”

If you like this episode, please subscribe to Pursuing Health on iTunes and give it a rating. I’d love to hear your feedback in the comments below and on social media using the hashtag #PursuingHealth. I look forward to bringing you future episodes with inspiring individuals and ideas about health every other Tuesday.

Disclaimer: This podcast is meant to share the experiences of various individuals. It does not provide medical advice, and it is not a substitute for advice from your physician or health care professional.

Question: I’ve always looked up to Nicole as a strong female role model in CrossFit, not only for her physical ability but for her leadership and steadfastness in preserving CrossFit’s core culture. Who is a female that you look up to? Tell me more about her in the comments below.