Meet Kari Nicolle (pronounced “Kah-ree”). She’s an actress on the rise, an in-demand Flywheel instructor and the ultimate optimist.  I recently rocked a bike in Kari’s Flatiron class then sat down with her to talk about fitness, favorite products and her forecast for the notoriously tough-to-break-through town of New York City.

Her story: Kari hails from the San Francisco Bay Area and moved cross-country to study theater at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. For her, it was “New York, all the way.” Forever an athlete, having played soccer, softball and ridden horses competitively since grade school, she had never actually worked out inside a gym before moving east.

Now, she’s an actress with an agent and few Broadway and TV gigs under her skinny belt, out to score her first national commercial in 2014. “The talent level in this city is so beyond incredible, it makes me speechless.”

Why she’s different: She’s intensely positive–in and out of the studio. “Being a performer helps, it’s so in our bones to share ourselves with a crowd.”

Kari has mastered the art of teaching (she just celebrated her first “Flyversary” this month) and it may sound strange, but, I felt that she made amazing eye contact, despite the studio’s darkness during class. “I try to connect with every person in the room. People are only there because they really love it, from the staff to our clients…there are so many options,” she says.

What’s inside her beauty bag:
Clarins Gentle Care Day Cream: It’s the only thing that works for her super sensitive skin.

Paul Mitchell Super Clean Sculpting Gel: Great for girls with tight, stubborn curls.

MAC Lipglass in Prrr: “I don’t leave the house without it,” she says, and quickly whipped it out of her handbag to show me.

Fitness (and life) motto: “Don’t get in your own way–and, just keep showing up.”

Want to book a class with Kari?  Click here.