My Story

How’s life? That’s my defining phrase. My name is Nikki Abramson. My mission in life is to inspire others on their life journey through teaching, performing, mentoring, directing, speaking, leading, and writing. My desire is to inspire others through various paths as they seek to find hope and success in their life journey.

We all have a journey and a story. We all go through challenges, but it is how we look at them and use them that matters. It is all about overcoming and dealing with them. I use my teaching skills and background as well as my creative and performing arts side to teach people to live fulfilling lives.

I graduated with my masters of arts in K-12 Education from Bethel University (St. Paul, MN) in 2017 after receiving a Bachlors in elementary education/early childhood education from the same school. I hold a technology license as well. I have taken courses in business marketing, sales, and small business from Dakota Community Technical College. I also currently take online courses through the Kari Margolis Method of acting, acting courses through Normandale Community College, Stevie Ray’s Improv. Education is constantly at the core of who I am, what I do, and what I love.

I really love helping others find their sense of purpose, identity, hope, and gratitude for their life. I try to encourage people in their life journey. I am an advocate and mentor, helping others to make positive change in their lives. I desire to help others live in the present. My ultimate goal is to teach people to be leaders, learners, thinkers, and life-changers. I am so passionate about people and seeing what makes them “tick” and what is at the heartbeat of their life.

Strengths Finder:
Strategic
Activator
Achiever
Communication
Woo

Insights: motivating director

Myer’s Brigg’s ENTJ (Extrovert, Intuitive, Thinking, Judging).

To get to know me even better my passions are: Caribou Coffee, Disney World, musicals, the color blue, Tex-Mex food, board games, bettering myself through leadership courses, and anything that has to do with kids.

Tell me about you!

Stay Hopeful,
Nikki

How I help others:

Teacher    Actor    Renew Hope    Speaker   Author   Planner    Coach    Boards

Teacher

Education is the key to success in life. Nikki has believed that from her youth and has always valued the education she has received. She is a constant learner and enjoys learning and teaching.

Nikki holds a masters of arts in K-12 Education from Bethel University and a bachelor of arts in elementary education and preprimary education. She has licenses in pre-primary (pre-school), K-6th grade (elementary), and computer, keyboarding, and technology. Her master’s thesis, however, was about the transformative power of theater arts in the classroom in 21st century learning. Nikki is proficient in Spanish, holds certification for First Aid and American Heart CPR. 

Nikki loves helping the students who struggle in school, as that was her in school. She loves seeing students’ light bulb come on when they master a concept. Nikki has developed curriculum and taught curriculum for all ages, levels, and skill sets. Nikki is a lead teacher with Sylvan Learning Center and tutor for Club Z tutoring. She helps to implement, design, teach, and design curriculum. Nikki is also a substitute teacher for various school districts including International School of MN, Edina Public School, Bloomington Public School, and Minneapolis Public School. She taught many years with Roseville public school summer school program. Nikki enjoys her work as a teaching artist working with Upstream Arts, Artistry, and other community work where she teaches acting, improv, and choreography. 

Her philosophy is to be a teacher of change. A teacher inspired her in 8th grade to go into teaching by saying “You can do anything you set your mind to do.” This stuck with Nikki and she carries this in whatever she does.

Actor

Nikki Abramson is a performer at heart. She has performed and worked with numerous local community theaters and choirs as an actor, dancer, teacher and singer.         

As an actor, Nikki has worked with a variety of companies including Artistry (BCT), Wonderlust Productions, and Toolbox Theatre. She has studied under Kari Margolis (Margolis Method), Stevie Ray (improv), and Sara Truesdale.

Nikki is a teaching artist as well with Upstream Arts, Artistry, Stages, Stepping Stone, and Youth Performance Company. She teaches acting, improv, and choreography.

Nikki directs and choreographs for youth theatre companies. She’s currently in a comedy improv troupe called Comedy Combatants that performs one Saturday a month at Mugshots in Bloomington.

Nikki has been in several commercials and print work including MCTC college, Historical Society, Explore MN, as well as Custom Education Solutions. She is represented by Meredith and Moore Talent. Nikki enjoys playing guitar as well.

Nikki co-produced, co-wrote, and is the lead actor in the productions “No Limits” and “Beyond Limits,” a show about her life story and message. Book “Beyond Limits” at your venue.

Professional References

IMDB – Film experience and roles

MN Playlist – Minnesota casting website

Casting Frontier – National casting website

Moore Creative Talent

Renew Hope

“Struggles are a part of life. We can either go through it with a cloud over our head or we can look at it as an opportunity.” – Nikki Abramson

Renew Hope began as a vision and a dream. It started with one person saying they believed in Nikki’s message and her story. It ignited with one person saying “your stories can make a difference in the lives of others.” It blossomed with one person saying “you have a gift in speaking and a gift in being a voice to others.”

Renew Hope, Nikki’s business entity, was founded in November 2012. The whole message is the idea that when the whole world crumbles around you, there is still hope inside of you.

With inspiration, motivation, and encouragement Renew Hope brings an ultimate transformation to the quality of your hope. Renew Hope is the message, but can hit people through speaking, books, and coaching services. Hope began as a young child for Nikki with the hope to live past thirteen. Here she is in her 30’s. Hope pushed through when she had a teacher and now friend that said “You can do anything you set your mind to do.”

Renew Hope offers:

  1. inspirational and motivational speaking: keynotes, workshops, conferences, retreats, and seminars
  2. teaching and facilitating groups, creating curriculum
  3. life coaching
  4. “The Power of Your Story” workshops
  5. “Beyond Limits” performances
  6. books on hope 
  7. resources including blog posts 

A mentor once asked Nikki what she wanted to do in life and she replied that her desire was to sit with people and pour life into them. She often gets asked, “You have had so many challenges in life, how do you stay so positive? I really admire that about you. There is a light that shines through you.” This honestly is the launching pad for starting Renew Hope. 

The HOPE acronym is the symbol that is presented in most workshops. It is the root of Renew Hope:

H – hold on to faith

O – opportunities

P – process learning

E – encourage the soul

You will see this acronym presented in teaching, performances, speaking, and coaching.

Mission: To inspire, motivate, and empower others on their life journey especially through the challenging times

Vision: Loving on people and walking with them in their hope journey to find their own story and the amazingness that comes from the stickiness of life

Have a HOPE filled day knowing that tomorrow is just a dream away. 

Speaker

As a speaker, Nikki shares her profound story of inspiration and of choosing to live a fulfilling, joy-filled life despite difficult life circumstances. She shares a message of HOPE and inspiration while trying to educate an audience on disabilities and what it is like to be ‘different.’ Through teaching and performing, she shares her story of faith, gratitude, and possibilities in ways that engage and inspire her audiences to find their own courage, empowerment, and passion.

Nikki integrates practical tips about living in the present, gratitude, faith, and positivity into her story. Those who have attended her informative and uplifting presentations say they are struck by her warm, animated demeanor and her ability to quickly engage and captivate her audiences. With an educational and theatrical spin, she engages her audience to think about their own lives and how they can too live a ‘hope-filled’ life with any challenge that is brought their way. 

Utilizing her proprietary 4-step “H.O.P.E.” formula, Nikki guides her audiences in ways to re-frame life challenges, giving them practical, actionable information they can use immediately to live with more hope, meaning, confidence, and purpose. She has spoken to small groups, youth groups, women’s groups, businesses, universities, workshops, and keynotes for conferences. 

Nikki Abramson’s motivational and inspiring message consistently leaves her audiences with renewed feelings of hope, empowerment, and courage, and a new recognition and appreciation of how beautiful life can be, despite one’s circumstances.

Author

Nikki Abramson always preferred the humanities rather than math. However, she never considered herself a writer. But after two books and contributions to multiple anthologies, you could say she is indeed a writer.

Nikki authored the book “I Choose Hope-Overcoming Challenges with Faith and Positivity” (2014). “I Choose Hope” is part inspiration, part memoir, and part how-to. She’s proud of accomplishing this daunting 3+ year writing task and is grateful to her WOW writer friends for helping spur her on.

In 2016 her book “Hope for Today” launched, a coffee table book filled with inspirational and daily pick-me-ups for anyone who needs some hope in his or her life.

Nikki says she doesn’t enjoy writing, but has a story and message to share with the world — and writing has become an avenue to do so. 

Since joining an amazing network of women writers in WOW, she has found a gold mine of resources and has been blessed to contribute to five anthologies and six books. She most recently wrote a chapter in the anthology “All the Women in My Family Sing,” a book of stories about women of color that has gotten national press.

Nikki also contributed to the anthology “Watershed Moments” that examines the life stories and challenges of many different people. Nikki’s writing was also featured in “Stories from the Social Side” about navigating social media; “Women of a Certain Age” where women in their 20s through their 90s discuss their perspectives on life; and “Surviving Brain Injury-Stories of Strength and Inspiration” talking about how she dealt with brain injury. Finally, she contributed to Meg Corrigan’s book “Saints with Slingshots” which is a 365 day devotional book where she holds one of the days.

Nikki is an advocate for writing non-fictional stories about real life situations and how to overcome them. In addition to stories, she has written curriculum based upon her thesis “Transformative Power of Theatre Arts in Learning in the 21st Century.” And, Nikki has collaborated with co-authors Sara Trusdale and Gizelle Erickson to write the play “No Limits” which became “Beyond Limits,” a play based on the story of her life and the challenges she has gone through. She is proud of this collaborative process and looks forward to continuing to work with others to tell stories through theatrical plays.

Nikki continues to write as it is a path to share her deep message in a way that educates, inspires, and empowers others.

Planner

Nikki’s intuitive event planning skills began when she learned to carry a day planner at the age of three. Since then, her degrees in education have helped her develop as a planner and organizer for virtually any event — graduation parties, retirement parties, gatherings for small church groups, even huge retreats for up to 100 people.

During her time at Bethel, Nikki was the women’s chorale student manager for two years where she planned and organized the Midwest tours, two weekend retreats, plus other events and committee tasks. She started a college support group for students with disabilities that consisted of movie nights and speakers. Nikki served as the College Democrats President where she planned a Dems/Repub debate and brought in speakers such as Thomasin Franken. She was also the Asian Christian Fellowship Leader for two years planning and organizing various occasions, cultural events, and heritage celebrations. Finally, she coordinated the Navigator’s Program for students of color where she planned the mentorship program for two years.

Nikki also has helped the Children’s Home Society Resource Committee of Adopted Adults by planning events for both adults and teens. And she’s contributed to event planning for the DFL (Democratic party) and for CaringBridge.

Nikki currently plans community networking activities for Women of Words (WOW). She’s also the programming and events director for Women Entrepreneurs of MN (WeMN) where she sits on the board and actively seeks outs speakers for the program.

Nikki enjoys consultations that help people find success in all they do. People describe her as detailed, organized, committed, and knowledgeable about how to execute a project well.

Political Campaign Field Director

Nikki has been active in DFL politics since 2006, voicing her opinions on education, health care and her candidates. During her time at Bethel she served with the college democrats as the vice president and president and brought Representatives Kate Knuth, Betty McCollum, and Thomasin Franken to campus.

In 2008 Nikki was elected as the DFL CD 3 and SD 49 director for 5 years. As director she worked on the events and calendar team to promote, plan, and market events for CD 3. She chaired this committee and helped create the CD 3 website and the first ever CD 3 Facebook page. She is most proud of coordinating volunteers of the Edina 4th of July parade and Edina Facebook page. Every two years since 2008, Nikki has been a delegate to the CD and state conventions.

In 2010 Nikki had the pleasure of endorsing Senator Al Franken. She has been involved with MYDFL, Asian American, disabilities, and MN education caucuses. Her experience mostly has been in field work and convention floor design for candidates including Terri Bonoff, Hillary Clinton, Al Franken, Maureen Hackett, Amy Klobuchar, Kate Knuth, Ashwin Madia, Jim Meffert, Dean Phillips, Barack Obama, and Sharon Sund. As field director for Terri Bonoff, Maureen Hackett, and Sharon Sund she developed floor plans, strategies for delegates, and even helped prepare the candidate. 

Coach and Mentor

Nikki has been a mentor and coach since 9th grade when she mentored elementary students both at school and at church. She has continued to lead various youth groups in both academic and church settings. She loves spending time 1:1 and with small groups, helping people of all ages better themselves. After her own self-discovery process, she realized that she really enjoyed mentoring and “pouring into” people. 

As a senior in high school, a good friend and mentor of Nikki asked her what she wanted to do in life. Nikki replied that she would like to have coffee with people and pour life positivity into them.

If you enjoy listening to Renew Hope’s motivational speaking and coaching engagements and want to learn more about how to renew your hope and life, then our coaching might be perfect for you. Maybe you just need someone to talk with and share your life story with. Or maybe you want to empower someone else, but don’t know how. There are many reasons for experiencing the joys and benefits of life coaching. 

From your first encounter, you and Nikki will evaluate your situation and establish goals together towards achieving life empowerment. You will work together on fulfilling those goals. Nikki will be inspiring, motivating, and encouraging in this process of achievement.

Topics for Coaching: 

-Academic Support

-Organization and Time Management

-Self-Discovery

-Gratitude

-Adoption

-Living with Medical Challenges/Disability 

-The Power of Your Story

All ages are great for Nikki’s expertise. Whether you’re in school and just need someone to talk with; or you’re an adoptive parent and need help with your child; or you’re a person with a disability, Nikki wants to help you! 

Organizations and Boards

For much of her life, Nikki’s been active on boards, advisory councils, mentorship, and leadership positions. She’s currently involved in and believes in:

CaringBridge
ADVISORY COUNCIL: Advisory Council Member providing guidance to further the mission and vision of CaringBridge. Also an active user.

Christ Presbyterian Church (CPC)
MENTOR/LEADER: Leads a group of sophomore girls in 10-12 high school ministries.

Christian Women in Media
MEMBER: Networking for Christian women involved in the arts.

Minnesota Congressional District 3 DFL
DELEGATE: Director of CD3 since 2008. Work to promote candidates, raise money and awareness, fundraisers, events. CDE serves the western suburbs of the Twin Cities in the Democratic Party.

Dystonia MN
LUNCH GROUP LEADER: plans lunches every other month for those battling dystonia, be a support, resource, and encouragement to those with dystonia

Muscular Dystrophy Association
VOLUNTEER: Time and money for awareness and education

WeMN Women Entrepreneurs of MN
FORMER BOARD MEMBER: Programming and Events for Women Entrepreneurs of MN, Member

WOW (Women of Words)
MEMBER: Supporting those in writing