The Brightside: Building strength and confidence

SALISBURY, Md. – Nicole Bellamy is an early riser. She’s up at 4:45a.m. each day.

She gets her day started at her Pilates gym, Eastern Shore Core in Salisbury. What started as a dream for Nicole quickly turned into a passion project.

“The opportunity came up here when it was Meta Yoga, to bring a couple of reformers in and teach a few classes a couple of times a week, and then that unexpectedly evolved into me taking over the studio,” Nicole said.

Every day Nicole teaches groups of women Pilates skills, helping them build strength and confidence. She’s cultivated an open, welcoming space for her classes.

“I wanted this to be not only a third space between work and home life, where people could really feel comfortable to be here and be themselves– I wanted this to be a space that wasn’t intimidating for people who might want to try something new– but they are afraid that they won’t fit in or they won’t belong,” Nicole said.

Although her business is new in the area, it has a promising future. Nicole said she’s seen steady clientele and has good outreach in the community and she’s always ready for new growth.

“I think that the people who want to be here and want to contribute to a really welcoming and empowering environment, they find us and they feel at home here,” Nicole said. “I hope that more people will come, and they’ll feel that energy and contribute their own good energy and good vibes to this place.”