Authenticity in an Influencer World

I owned an in-person studio in a small rural community prior to the Covid pandemic. In March of 2020, my studio closed and I leapt into the world of online content creation. That's the same year I turned 40! I had no prior knowledge or skills in video editing, marketing, website creation or anything related to having an online business. I've had to continually push myself beyond my comfort zone and stay committed to learning and growth. It's been an incredible journey, but not without its challenges!

I was born and raised on a farm in Nebraska. Honesty, integrity and the value of hard work were ingrained into me from an early age. It takes courage to show up and be yourself online when so much of what we see on social media is a dog and pony show. It can be incredibly hard not to compare myself to other fitness content creators and wonder if I'm doing it right.

 The online wellness community has become filled with influencers trying to sell you the next best product including equipment, supplements, protein powders, and more. As my own platform grows, I get daily offers to represent and sell product for profit. I am committed to staying true to my mission, which is to provide a safe and welcoming environment for people of all ages, sizes, shapes, and abilities in order to bring greater health, happiness, and well-being into the lives of those in my community and around the world. One of the things I'm most proud of is the trust and rapport I've built with my participants and I wouldn't risk that for anything.

I get asked on a daily basis what rebounders I recommend. I'm always truthful and give my honest opinion. I've often wondered if it was a mistake to start doing rebounder reviews on my YouTube channel, because some people get upset when I don't love the rebounder they own, but what's done is done. This brings me to my final point. Authenticity and transparency are incredibly important to me. I want to be transparent about any companies I work with and why. I currently work with two brands, JumpSport and more recently BCAN.

In 2020, I reached out to JumpSport because I really love their PRO series rebounders. I've been recommending them to my participants for years. I started officially selling them in 2023 because it's a high quality rebounder that works for most body types and abilities. It's the rebounder I chose to co-brand with the Earth & Owl logo! Unfortunately, the PRO series is out of some people's price range. I have not found a suitable low cost rebounder that I felt comfortable representing until now. BCAN has approached me MANY times over the last 2-3 years, but it wasn't until they created the "soft land" rebounder that I felt comfortable giving my stamp of approval. You see, I have to truly and honestly believe in a product in order to recommend or represent it. The BCAN Soft Land has my stamp of approval as a budget friendly alternative to the JumpSport 350Pro. The JumpSport Pro is still my favorite and my "splurge" recommendation while the BCAN Soft Land is my lower cost "save" recommendation.

There are definitely other good rebounders on the market, but these are the two that I've chosen to work with for the time being and I wanted to be straightforward about that. If you're interested in either of these two rebounders, it certainly helps my small business if you order through me. If you ever see another brand pop up on my website, know it's because I truthfully feel it's a good recommendation. If you're still reading this, thank you so much for your time!

Nikki