NICOLA CHAN: MY PORTFOLIO CAREER
During COVID, Nicola moved from London to Liverpool, bringing her 16 years of experience in the fitness industry with her…
We’ve already explored portfolio careers here on LCR BeMore; well, we’re going back in, but this time more in-depth! Read on to find out what Nicola Chan shared with us about her working life, which is a fantastic example of a portfolio career.
During COVID, Nicola moved from London to Liverpool, bringing her 16 years of experience in the fitness industry with her. She described how this move changed her career:
“COVID was scary for many, but it became a turning point for me. In lockdown, I discovered I could use my skills more widely online, so I started delivering personal training sessions via Zoom.”
The Liverpool City Region has been the perfect setting for Nicola to develop what she describes as her ‘fully functioning portfolio career’. As well as holding fitness qualifications, Nicola is a Master Practitioner in neuro-linguistic programming (NLP) and has trained as a hypnotherapist. She is presently studying for a degree in psychology and counselling.
What is a portfolio career?
A portfolio career is an approach to working in which you generate income from multiple sources rather than a single job. We have an entire blog explaining portfolio careers in more detail. Nicola runs through the different aspects that make up her portfolio career:
“I am qualified to teach fitness and self-defence. I also work in the gig economy, take on seasonal jobs, and am building my own coaching and personal training business. Choosing a portfolio career was a strategic move for me, aiming to find my Ikigai, or in other words, my career sweet spot.”
A closer look at Nicola’s career portfolio
Fitness & self-defence
Teaching fitness is Nicola’s most routine source of income at present. She leads classes at several gyms, including the University of Liverpool and Spin Monkey in Maghull.
She recently designed her own class, Warrior Workout. It’s a high-energy, full-body conditioning session launching in January 2026 at the uni gym. Nicola also teaches self-defence courses; clients have included The Girls Network and The Brain Charity. She told us the demand for this service is growing among younger girls and women.
Gig economy
“It’s incredible how the gig economy has taken off during and after Covid. But I was already dipping my toe into this sector. I really enjoy doing different jobs – the variety is amazing,” Nicola told us.
Through agencies, she’s had diverse jobs such as:
- Compering at live events
- Choreography and filming internationally for a fitness company
- Modelling jobs, having recently passed an audition for a hair advertisement
- Extra work, tapping into Liverpool’s thriving TV and filming sector
Seasonal work
Nicola went on a tour run by Silent Adventures, Liverpool’s silent disco walk and tour company, a couple of years ago. She then approached the firm for a job! During summer 2025, Nicola wove this into her portfolio, which now looks like this:
- Seasonal work around the country at summer festivals, such as delivering fitness classes, wellness sessions or vision board workshops
- Working as a tour host for Silent Adventures during the summer months after being promoted from the role of guide
Self-employment
Self-employment is core to Nicola’s strategy. Alongside everything else, she is developing her coaching business: Wai Shee Coaching (named after her Chinese middle name, meaning ‘like poetry’). She offers one-to-one and group coaching sessions, including for corporate clients.
Her services include a programme called ‘Body Confidence’ that runs for 12 weeks over Zoom. It taps into NLP, breathwork and meditation to help participants turn their thinking around and view themselves differently.
She told us, “This course is to empower women and girls to say ‘yes’ to themselves. It works for anybody with low self-esteem or body image issues and can help women dealing with disordered eating.”
Wai-Shee’s other services include personalised meditations, NLP-informed coaching, and a podcast.
The main theme
The main theme that underpins all of Nicola’s portfolio is wellness, be it body or mind. She says:
“The two always go hand in hand. I’m working to build my coaching business into a primary source of income. The gigs give me freedom to focus on my private clients when I need to, whilst I continue to build my presence in Liverpool as a go-to person for wellness.”
Top tips
We asked Nicola for three top tips for anybody thinking about a portfolio career. This is what she shared:
“Number one is networking, which is absolutely key to success. I attended That Thing, a Liverpool City Region live event where entrepreneurs compete for cash raised on the night. As a result of networking with this group, I’ve since acted as a compere at other events. This supports my belief that we all need to be visible to succeed.
“Number two is having a core purpose, which gives you regular income you can rely on. At present, I get my regular income from teaching fitness classes. My portfolio is a strategic move, as my core purpose is to build my coaching business so that, over time, it becomes my primary source of income.
“Final tip: enjoy it! The variety really does make up for any uncertainty. Make the very most of everything, take every opportunity that does not compromise your core goal, and above all, believe in yourself.”
Bring the fire
Nicola also has a talent for fire performance and Kung-Fu. She has been volunteering and performing at community events – you can next catch her at the upcoming Chinese New Year celebrations as a Lion!
Many of the skills she uses in the gig economy can be booked directly with Nicola. Find out more about Nicola’s fitness, self-defence and body-confident programmes, NLP, coaching and her other services at Waishee Coaching.
