The turning point looks different for everyone. For Latifah Lowery, it was evolving from a non-swimmer who could barely doggy-paddle to training for a triathlon. For Nikki Oliver, it came through fractured bones and a displaced nose, revealing that vulnerability and strength aren’t opposites. Toni Novack finds her edge on the court, proving mastery knows no age limit, and for ultra-runner Jamie DePaola, transformative insights emerge from the tranquility of pre-dawn runs, when the divide between self and environment grows indistinct. For four local women, the physical pursuit of excellence has opened doors to deeper transformations and understanding of self, legacy and possibility.
Latifah Lowery: The Triathlete
The water that once represented generations of fear and limitation has become Latifah Lowery’s sanctuary. “I feel like I’m defying gravity,” she says of swimming. “I feel like I’m flying.”
Growing up, Latifah’s relationship with water was defined by strict boundaries. Generations of women, from her grandmother to her mother, saw danger under the surface. “We were never allowed to be around deep water. We were told if the water touches your knees, that’s when you stop,” she says.
Still, the 35-year-old, Naples-based triathlete found herself drawn to the aquatic realm, often sitting and staring at the ocean, mesmerized by its vastness. After witnessing her first triathlon in 2017, something shifted. “When I saw my [first race], I thought everyone looked so good,” she says. “I was like, ‘Wow, I want to try this sport.’” It took some time to put those thoughts into action. In 2019, Latifah began to train for her first competition until she found out she was pregnant. The nine-month pause only intensified her determination. Three months after giving birth to her son in 2020, she faced her fears head-on: She started with low-stakes practice lessons, barely able to doggy-paddle across a 25-meter pool. Motivated, Latifah hired a coach and started swimming, biking and running for three hours a day, seven days a week. Within three years, she was competing at the highest level. Now, she’s often a standout swimmer in her races. In 2024, she competed in Ironman Florida in Panama City Beach and earned Ironman Gold All World Athlete status (awarded to the top 2% of athletes per age group each year). Her schedule is booked and busy, with major races like the Ironman 70.3 World Championship on the lineup for October.
Her achievements spark ripple effects as she leads by example in her sport. “I have an impact as a mother, as a person that starts late in life and can still achieve big things … I show what’s possible,” Latifah says. She introduced her son Apollo to swimming at 6 months old, healing a family trauma one stroke at a time. “I’m here to be the example.”
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Photography by Brian Tietz
latifah lowery triathlete
Naples triathlete Latifah Lowery first tried swimming three months after the birth of her son in 2020. Within three years, she was competing at the highest level. Last year, she was awarded Ironman Gold All World Athlete status.
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Photography by Brian Tietz
latifah lowery triathlete
Photo By Brian Tietz
Nikki Oliver: The Taekwondo Master
Nikki Oliver’s shoulder won’t lift above her head, and she can’t count the times she’s broken a finger or displaced her nose. These aren’t war stories—they’re chapters in understanding what the human body and mind can achieve. “With taekwondo, there is something freeing about knowing that you can handle yourself, both on and off the mat,” she says.
At her Fort Myers dojang, the fifth-degree black belt and Olympic coach challenges traditional training approaches. After competing internationally and earning silver at the 2011 Pan American Games, Nikki turned to coaching with a focus on nurturing physical and psychological strength. She admits training under her can be tough, but her nuanced training approach adds a level of sensitivity she didn’t frequently see growing up. For one, the coach embraces empathy in her practice to establish trust with her athletes. She’s strategic in how she addresses her athletes’ needs, tailoring lessons to each individual rather than taking a one-size-fits-all approach. Nikki also refuses to have athletes cut weight, the historically pervasive practice where fighters drop weight drastically to compete in lighter divisions. At her practice, athletes learn to hone their strengths through a combination of precise and assertive coaching methods rather than relying on a single ideology.
The results validate her methods: Nikki trained the USA Taekwondo Cadet National team at the world championships, which took home double the medals in 2024 from 2023; coached Team Niger at the Paris 2024 Olympics (making her the first American female taekwondo coach in the games); and earned Best Female Coach at the Pan American qualifiers and the Rio Open in 2024. “As a woman, we’re taught to cater to others, be kind, be respectful and be sweet,” Nikki says. “You can be all of those things and still be fierce and passionate and tough.”
Photography by Brian Tietz
nikki oliver the taeknowndo master
Fifth-degree black belt in taekwondo Nikki Oliver has made space for women in a male-dominated sport. “As a woman, we’re taught to cater to others, be kind, be respectful and be sweet,” Nikki says. “You can be all of those things and still be fierce and passionate and tough.”
Toni Novack: The Tennis Star
For 65 years, Toni Novack has embraced that tennis is all about perpetual evolution. Currently ranked third in the world in the International Tennis Federation’s (ITF) 75+ division, she teaches about 25 hours of lessons weekly at Pelican Bay while maintaining her own rigorous practice schedule. She credits tennis itself as her fountain of youth, keeping her physically and mentally sharp. “When I look at the number, I can’t believe I’m this old,” Toni says. “I don’t feel old at all.”
Her journey has been marked by constant reinvention. Through national junior teams, college scholarships and professional circuits, Toni learned that physical skill was only part of the equation. In her early career on the Virginia Slims Circuit, she could go three sets with pretty much anybody but struggled to close matches. She hadn’t fully developed her mental game yet. “Believing you can win, having the talent to win and loving the challenges on the court are all part of the psyche of the game,” she says.
Toni began seeing the sport as a physical form of chess, where success demands mental tenacity and strategic thinking. “[With tennis], you’re [always] thinking three or four shots ahead in many ways,” she says. Today, she relies on the court to keep up her stamina and physical fitness, and gravitates toward anything that engages the brain—board games, backgammon, chess—and pursuits that promote rhythm and coordination.
Even stepping away from teaching for more than a decade in her 50s became part of her evolution. “It’s hard,” she says of the coaching lifestyle. “You’re on your feet all day long, and I needed a break.” Now back on the court with renewed energy, she’s proving that age doesn’t dictate capability. (She was ranked No. 1 in her age group in USA Singles and the ITF World Rankings for the past two years.) When she coaches fellow septuagenarians, she encourages visualization techniques, pacing oneself and setting rituals. “Everyone can get smarter on the court,” she says. “There comes a time when you won’t get faster, but you can still have fun as long as you play other players who are of similar skill.”
Photography by Anna Nguyen
toni novack the tennis star
Tennis champion Toni Novack continues to compete—and win—at the highest level. She encourages fellow septuagenarians to visualize their goals and continue to find joy in what they love.
Jamie DePaola: The Ultramarathoner
Naples-based runner Jamie DePaola embodies the essence of resilience. The former collegiate gymnast-turned-ultramarathoner felt adrift when she retired from the sport she’d been practicing since she was 2 years old. “I felt like I lost my whole self, my best friend and a place I belonged; my days felt naked and structureless,” Jamie says. Counseling wasn’t very successful, and the athlete was initially cynical when her father suggested she take up running. But endurance training proved to be a lifeline. “Gymnastics was hard on me when I was hard on myself,” Jamie says. “Running leans in, gives me a hug and shows me how much endurance I have.” When she moved to Naples, she found a connection to her community by taking to the streets. With each step from Cambier Park to Fort Myers Beach, she discovered more about her home—and herself. “Running isn’t my escape; it is a way to connect to myself and the world,” she adds.
When she competes in races, like the Caloosahatchee Ultra 50K she ran in about eight hours last December, the athlete fortifies her mind by reminding herself inherent imperfections are OK. “I can put my brain on auto-pilot and conserve energy—you have to rest your mind as much as your body on long-distance runs.”
At her core, Jamie is a motivator, using her personal journey to inspire the same confidence she’s found through running within her community. Whether as a Lululemon ambassador or a leader in her local run club, she builds social circles rooted in strength, support and empowerment. “It is my purpose,” she says. “I find so much joy in true connection and in running—I believe in both existing together.
Photography by Brian Tietz
jamie depaola the ultramarathoner
Ultramarathoner Jamie DePaola finds peace and unity when running. “Running isn’t my escape,” she says. “It is a way to connect to myself and the world.”
With reporting contributed by Nila Do Simon, Emily Flournoy, Rozalynn S. Frazier, Visvajit Sriramrajan and Shaun Tolson.