A Valpo Life in the Spotlight: Amanda Cole

A Valpo Life in the Spotlight: Amanda Cole

Amanda Cole may not have the kind of superpowers people see in movies, but she certainly does have an enviable amount of power and strength. As a part-time nurse practitioner student, part-time bartender, full-time business owner, and mother of three, Cole is truly a superwoman in the Valparaiso community. 

Cole grew up in Portage Indiana and graduated from Portage High School. After high school, she attended Ivy Tech and worked at a few different places, but it was not until recently that she figured out what she would truly like to do with her life. In 2019 Cole decided to go back to school at the University of St. Francis and get her nursing degree. 

However, Cole’s dream wasn’t just to become an NP—she was too softhearted for that. Cole’s ultimate goal was to create a place that combines both beauty and natural medicine. A place to help people feel good about themselves while at the same time offering them a more natural approach to healing.

On March 17, 2022, Cole started Bodyody Boutique in Valparaiso and has been working hard ever since to finish up her schooling and strengthen her business. Once she has her nurse practitioner's license she’ll be able to start offering clinical services along with her beauty services to fully round out her med spa. 

“I started my med spa with a beauty aspect to make women and men feel great about themselves, and in the end, my med spa will be kind of split. I’ll use my nurse practitioner license and make my med spa a clinic as well where I hope to offer vitamin infusions, B-12 shots, and male testosterone replacement shots. It’ll have a clinic side to it while keeping the beauty side,” said Cole.

The story of how Cole became interested in natural medicine is very personal to her and her family. When Cole’s daughter, Kaylee, was 13 she was diagnosed with Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). POTS is a disorder that affects blood flow, and it causes Kaylee to pass out at random times. 

Many doctors will prescribe a beta-blocker, a type of heart medication, to help people with POTS. However, for a young, incredibly active athlete like Kaylee, a beta-blocker would be devastating. She wouldn’t be able to play sports the way she loved to, so Cole searched for alternative ways to help her daughter. 

Cole changed Kaylee’s diet to make sure it was high in sodium and electrolytes. Also, to help keep Kaylee from passing out while playing sports, she started taking her to clinics to get vitamin infusions. This natural approach to combat Kaylee’s POTS has been life-changing, and ever since Cole has wanted to help people the way others have helped Kaylee. 

“I’m hoping to offer a place that people can come to when they too don't want to be on medicine or are ready to get rid of some of their medications and they want to try a different approach. I'm hoping to be a safe and more natural place. I know there's a place for medicine but I want to offer a safe, more natural place, where people in the community can feel comfortable coming to and asking me questions,” said Cole. 

One of the biggest challenges Cole has faced in her life is affording her new business. She’s decided to pay for her business completely out of pocket so she doesn’t have to take out any more loans on top of her school ones. It’s been difficult, but she’s thankful for what it’s taught her.

“I feel like it's even providing me with more appreciation. And I know that I don't owe any money back and that I've done all of this by myself,” said Cole. 

Time is also a huge obstacle that Cole has had to tackle, but she’s learned to manage her time well and refuses to give up on her dreams.

“I go straight from school, to bartending, to working at my business, back to school, to bartending, to taking care of the kids, but that's my goal,” said Cole. 

When Cole isn’t busy with work or school, she likes to spend as much time with her kids as possible. She loves taking them to the dunes for hikes and playing with them on the beach. She’s grateful that Northwest Indiana’s beautiful environment allows her to watch her daughter play beach volleyball, a sport that a lot of people aren’t often able to play in the Midwest. 

“We're so blessed in Northwest Indiana to live so close to such a beautiful beach. Just three hours away in Illinois they don't have all of the stuff that we have,” said Cole. 

Like most others, Cole has many special people in her life. However, one of the most important people in Cole’s life is her mom. Cole choked up with tears when talking about her mother and the fantastic role model she has always been for her. 

“My mom was a single mom, and she worked at Quaker Oats downtown Chicago and raised three girls completely on her own. We always had what we needed and she worked so hard for us and taught us at the same time. She taught us discipline and how to put our lives together, and she just really is a great role model,” said Cole. 

Cole appreciates how much her mom has helped her become who she is today: a mom, a business owner, and a student all rolled into one. Not everyone can take on as much as Cole has, but for a superwoman like her, she’s ready for anything. 

To learn more about Amanda Cole and her new business Bodyody Boutique, visit https://bodyody.glossgenius.com/.