NSU alumna to open fitness facilities

By Antonio Miguel Escorzon •

Nicole Glunt, franchise owner of ISI Elite Training and NSU alumna, plans to open two fitness facilities in Cooper City and Fort Lauderdale.

“I thought it was a perfect way to combine my passion for helping people, [which is] the reason why I went to school to be a speech therapist, and also connects the way I love being active, staying healthy and having that mindset,” Glunt said.

Glunt grew up in Warren, Ohio. She moved to Fort Lauderdale with her family in 2014 and she received her Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Central Florida in 2017.

“I knew I wanted to get into a career where I could help people,” Glunt said. “I felt like this was a perfect opportunity where I could kind of go in a path towards helping adults or helping children.”

After graduating from NSU’s Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine with a Master of Science in Speech-Language Pathology in 2020, Glunt continued to stay in contact with former teachers, such as Tambi Braun, professor in the Department of Speech-Language Pathology. Braun recalled how Glunt contacted her after graduating in 2020.

Braun counseled Glunt as she worked at Accordius Health, a nursing home in Concord, North Carolina.

“She was going into her dream job and she was nervous about the fact that we were on lockdown and [if she did] have the right skill set,” Braun said. “And I told her that her calling me as a mentor and making sure that she would provide her patients the appropriate care and she was competent to do what she was going to do made her the perfect person for that job.”

After working at Accordius Health and her later job Carolina Speech & Occupational Therapy, a pediatric wellness and fitness service in Charlotte, North Carolina, Glunt moved back to Fort Lauderdale. During her time at Charlotte, she learned about ISI Elite Training.

“Their headquarters are based there, so from the very beginning, I connected with the brand and what it stood for,” Glunt said. “ISI stands for ‘Iron Sharpens Iron’ and it’s really more than just a place you go to work out.”

By 2023, Glunt became a franchise owner for ISI Elite Training and wanted to bring the enterprise to Florida, as well as move closer to her family.

“We work out for our health, for our confidence — just for a stress relief,” Glunt said. “Also, to be a part of a community, to be a part of something that really lifts you up if everyone’s working for something similar.”

Braun said after learning Glunt became a franchise-owner, she was confident in and supportive of her.

“The [Davie-Cooper City] Chamber of Commerce had seen her new business and I was so proud to know that she had continued in success even though it was different than I expected,” Braun said.

Glunt’s ISI Elite Training facility in Cooper City is under construction, which began on Sept. 6. It is expected to be complete by December.

“I really believe that fitness helped me throughout my career and throughout my studies at NSU. School, especially grad school, can be extremely stressful at times, so I found working out to be my outlet,” Glunt said. “Exercise was one hour of the day where I felt like I could take that time for myself.