Meet Nicole Contos of Summit Accessibility

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Contos.

Nicole, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I have always wanted helping people to be a major part of my life. It began in my childhood, assisting with my dad’s special education class and in the activities department at the nursing home where my mom worked. I also began heading down the entrepreneur path at a young age, making and selling beaded jewelry at craft shows alongside my family.

Occupational Therapy (OT) found me when I was guiding outdoor adventure trips here in Colorado. OTs began bringing their patients on my trips. I got to collaborate and design new prosthetics and come up with ways the patients could do the activities they loved. There is nothing better than the twinkle in someone’s eye and joy illuminating their face when they do something that they thought was impossible. Seeing that was a huge catalyst in guiding my professional life to revolve around helping others achieve better health, reach their goals, and live life to the fullest.

I followed these passions and made a career out of it – I am now an Occupational Therapist, Personal Trainer, and Core Centering Practitioner. I was blessed to start my career at Craig Hospital in Denver where I was able to hone in my skills and learn from amazing people both staff and patients. Working at this hospital with patients with spinal cord injuries ignited a fire in me to develop new products and services as well as connect people to existing resources and products that can serve the greater community.

It slowly became obvious to me that to make my ideas into realities, I needed to quit my full-time job, which I did at the end of 2019 to become an entrepreneur. Over the past few years, I started three separate companies, and recently combined these into one overarching business with different types of services. I adapted to the pandemic, and have spent most of that time with a heavy focus on health and wellness, creating inclusive programming for all abilities. I am excited for the next chapter.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I would love to say it has been a smooth-sailing journey, but that is rarely how life works. A big part of my story I often leave out is that I personally have a neurologic and sensory pain disability. I am ambulatory but still carry a cane with me since my leg can collapse at any moment. I fall a lot but I don’t let it hold me back; I adapt and modify, and I can still rock climb, bike, hike, snowboard and more. It sometimes slows down the progression of the company but also motivates me. I love life and can’t wait to continue helping others reach their full potential by creating a forward thinking, inclusive company that empowers people to live their best life.

Another struggle was the death of the initial co-founder of one of my companies. This hit hard, and I sometimes feel alone and overwhelmed trying to launch a business by myself, but I try my best to turn all these emotions into positive forward momentum – it gives me more drive to bring the company to success.

Big dreams need to have a strong foundation to jump off from, and on top of the normal steep learning curve of starting a multi-tiered company by myself, there is also a worldwide pandemic. I am part of the community who found themselves without work and struggling to make ends meet. Many projects had to be put on hold and it felt like everything was coming to a halt. It has been a time of personal growth and business development. I now teach online fitness classes and workshops which have been a ton of fun. I have built great community partnerships and relationships with incredible mentors. I am continuously reminded to be patient and as gracious with myself as I am with others. All the struggles and turns in the road are just part of the journey that are leading me to making my dreams come true.

We’d love to hear more about the business.
Summit Accessibility is your one-stop source for services and products that empower. Summit Accessibility is centered around helping people live life to the fullest, focused on those who live with short and long-term disabilities. However, you do not have to have a disability to use our services – we offer programs for all abilities, and can cater to the individual, entrepreneurs, small businesses, and corporations. The three main areas of the company are health & wellness, shopping, and Occupational Therapy (OT) consultation services.

Health & Wellness: The health and wellness side of Summit Accessibility is called Life Journey Fitness. Life Journey Fitness creates inclusive mobile personalized fitness programs for all abilities, specializing in mixed ability groups and bringing inclusive fitness to the community. We can create a customized program for any of your needs, including personal training, small groups, and corporate/entrepreneur wellness. Train where you live, work, or play. We can do in the moment non-traditional and creative training. For example, if you are having pain when you hike, we will go hiking with you and help correct your posture, gait, or muscle imbalances in the moment and then give you a training plan to get you hiking pain free. A few of Life Journey Fitness’ specialties include adaptive sports, neurologic diagnoses, rehabilitative Tai Chi/QiGong, functional movement, injury prevention and recovery, and senior fitness.

Shopping: The Summit Marketplace is a marketplace for clothing, home goods, leisure, gadgets, health & wellness, and more. We offer new items, as well as a used marketplace designed specifically for people to sell their gently used things. To enhance safety and ability to pack and ship items Summit Marketplace offers delivery assistance. Personal shopping assistance is also offered in-person and virtually to help you find the products that meet your medical needs and fit your style.

Occupational Therapy Consultations: Ergonomic and posture assessments are offered for home and office. We can help make your products and services more accessible and universally designed. Home modification evaluations are also offered for your current home or we will join you in your new housing search.

If you had to go back in time and start over, would you have done anything differently?
I would tell myself “follow your dreams; your heart knows where you are headed, trust it.” I would stop just dreaming and start living the entrepreneur life sooner with less excuses and enjoy the adventure that every good journey has.

Pricing:

• Pricing varies. Services starting at $40

Contact Info:

• Website: www.summitaccessibility.com
• Email: hello@summitaccessibility.com
• Instagram: @summitaccessibility
• Facebook: @SummitAccessibility
• Other: YouTube Channel: Life Journey Fitness

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