Nicole the explorer
SHE’S reserved, curious, determined, adventurous and loves experiencing every aspect of nature.
In the daytime she works as a research and stockbroking manager at Victoria Mutual Wealth Management, but once she’s free, Nicole Thompson embraces the outdoors.
She tells All Woman that as a child she enjoyed nature and under the leadership of her mother, a nutritionist who has an adventurous spirit, her love for the natural elements further blossomed.
“I’ve always enjoyed the outdoors. When I was younger we would visit my grandparents in the country and they had a large property,” she explains. “My mother has an adventurous spirit and she would go on hikes and I would follow her.”
As such in her mid-20s Thompson started taking drives to the country as an adventure to experience nature and the unknown.
“I had people around who enjoyed what I did and would come along and explore new adventures. Being able to see what’s out there rather than just being in a room all cooped up is revitalising and energising,” she says.
Known as a ‘parish trotter’, Thompson, who holds a bachelor of science degree in actuarial science and a master’s in finance, economics and econometrics, is also a chartered financial analyst and financial risk manager. She says she enjoys stimulating her mind and being challenged. As a result she’s always seeking to explore and discover new things about the island.
As such she has taken a three-day drive around Jamaica, just to touch all 14 parishes, while taking pictures at the borders.
“I love to explore and I tend not to go to places well known or documented, so I’ll just drive to the country and go down a road I’ve never gone on before just to see what’s down there, and could end up finding a river I didn’t know existed or a waterfall,” she explains.
Some of her favourite places include Portland, St Mary and Clarendon, parishes she often visits with her hiking club, Jamaica Hash House Harriers.
She’s also into cycling, swimming and running, and though they all have health benefits, Thompson says she’s more into it for the fun.
“I feel rejuvenated and I don’t need a holiday, just a weekend or a day,” she says. “I love being in the sun, feeling the breeze, hearing the waves, seeing nature. I love the feel of grass and I love being in water. That’s where I’m most relaxed, most natural and most comfortable.”
Thompson also enjoys swimming, and was once a competitive swimmer with an undying love for synchronised swimming.
“It has a lot to do with strength, co-ordination and it’s all about sync– not only moving together but also being in sync with the music. The presentation is important and it acts as a confidence builder for swimmers as you have to have poise and confidence when doing it,” she explains.
Apart from her love of the outdoors, Thompson is always up for a challenge and has also done a triathlon, a swim across thE harbour, the blue hole ride in Negril, hikes in the Cockpit Country, and has gone spelunking in Jackson Bay.
“I want to try new things even if they seem difficult and I want to have good experiences. People will always be surprised, but I’m still the go-to person at work for fitness tips,” she says.
She’s also a lover of yoga, which she did sporadically as a child, as it was part of the whole package of synchronised swimming. But now she does mainly the ashtanga style of yoga, which she says is more rigorous and will allow her to work up a sweat while building her upper body strength.
An avid reader, Thompson enjoys John Grisham novels. She sees her adventurous spirit as an inspiration to other people to go after their dreams and realise that anything is within their reach.
“When I first did a triathlon as an adult I inspired people around me. They didn’t see it as a possibility and asked if it was within my reach and when I completed it they realised it was. After I did it a few of my friends did theirs and others tried 5Ks, realised they could manage, so they pushed themselves more and did 10Ks. When you complete that you realise the sky is the limit and you can do anything at that point,” she says.
