Nicole Middendorf’s life looked perfect from the outside. She was a mother of a 2-year-old and 6-month-old, owned her own wealth management firm, Prosperwell Financial, lived on Lake Minnetonka, was on a radio show, tv show, and had every flashy toy you could dream of. Until a night in the summer of 2010 when a 911 call was made for a warrant for her then-husband’s arrest for domestic violence.
“I emotionally became numb and really, I stopped living. I stopped being me. I thought, I’m going to re-write my bucket list. I committed to myself 12 things, 1 thing a month for a year because the average divorce in Minnesota takes a year. So, this will just help me,” Middendorf said.
Her first on the list? To drive a racecar. She hopped on a plane to Las Vegas and had an ‘ah-ha’ moment. She was in the process of jumpstarting her life so instead of bucket list, she wanted to call it her ‘Live It List’. And from there, a blessing was born. Middendorf realized that if people spent more money on experiences, they’ll be happier, than if they spent their money on things. This idea, she thought, could completely transform the financial services industry.
“I really wanted to help people come from that deep dark place that I was in and be able to climb their way out. Out of the worst things in life, come the best. I’ve experienced that and I want to help others experience it,” Middendorf said.
The Live It List has sparked much interest as it has developed into a foundation that grants Live It List experiences, a website and coaching program, its own community – all to help people find happiness. It is said that some of the wealthiest people in the world are the most unhappy. At Prosperwell, Nicole says it’s their deep philosophy of having balance and happiness in life.
“It’s being very thoughtful of where you are and what you want. Then taking the steps to get you there and enjoying the ride along the way. We try to keep the focus on ‘why am I here?’ Life’s too short. The older we get, more people around us start passing away,” Nicole said.
Nicole’s Foundation is especially heartfelt as the focus is to empower men, women, and children to live their life to the fullest by helping them experience their own Live it List and move from a domestic violence victim to a domestic violence survivor. The foundation supports two women for a whole year. Each woman gets a Christmas they wouldn’t normally have, giving them gift cards and clothes for the kids. They have support from life coaches, attorneys, financial advice (among many others) to help them restart their lives and provide resources to help them find greater happiness.
“The woman we helped from last year is having a party with a small group of people that helped her and I feel blessed to be invited to that. Here was a woman that was scared, thought that she couldn’t get out, was concerned she’d be the next statistic…I feel like we saved her life, physically, financially, emotionally. It’s a success,” Nicole said.
From elevating others above their circumstances, to chasing her next adrenaline rush on her own Live it List, Nicole says that buying her first building was intimidating to her, although she knew the importance of real estate and the value it brings to her, and her clients.
“To me there’s so many opportunities that we shouldn’t miss out on, and commercial real estate is one of those opportunities. For me, I wish I would’ve bought the building sooner, but it’s all about those baby steps,” Middendorf said.
Between flying a plane and repelling down the EcoLab Building, the most memorable she experienced? Dogsledding.
“It doesn’t have to be trips; it doesn’t have to cost money. I’ve never gone to the movie theatre by myself and that is on my list. It’s all about pushing yourself and having that experience you’re going to remember,” Middendorf said.
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