Nicole Mann grew up in Boston. After high school, she graduated from the prestigious Wellesley College, then moved to Oaxaca, Mexico, where she spent three years working to improve health conditions within indigenous communities.
“I also spent some time with the Zapatistas – a political movement of rural farmers,” she recalls. “As a political science graduate, I was fascinated by what they were doing. It was incredible. Another great benefit of the experience was that it gave me the opportunity to learn Spanish, which I can now speak fluently.”
Nicole left Mexico and moved to the UK in 2000, where she attended the London School of Economics. Upon graduation in 2003, she began consulting work for Oxford University as an immigration researcher. In 2005, by every measure of fabulous, it seemed her life was just that – great career in one of the world’s great cities. Yet, this is a woman with happy feet.
“I had to consider, do I stay and become a permanent resident of the UK, or do I move back to the United States?” It was such an important decision at the time – a decision that would have a transformative impact on the rest of her life.
She chose to come home. She moved to Washington, D.C. In Washington, she met Avery.
Like Nicole, Avery has a fascinating backstory. He worked for years doing public relations for the popular reality crime show America’s Most Wanted, a program dedicated to victims’ rights, in particular, the rights of families with missing children and crimes against children. “Avery made that show a household name,” she says.
Nicole and Avery are now married and have two children – a boy, 8, and a girl, 5. The family moved to Vancouver in April of 2017. Vancouver is Avery’s hometown.
A little more than a year after arriving here, the couple combined their considerable strengths and experiences to launch SOS ThreeSixty, a company that provides safety solutions for organizations that work with children, such as schools, camps or sports leagues.
“I am a consultant and a trainer. I know how to build programs for clients. I’m also personally connected to the issue. Avery is a criminologist. So, this company of ours, which protects children and creates safe environments, is based largely on our personal and professional experiences. The work we do is niche, but it’s vital.
“Most schools and youth organizations have to do some semblance of training around misconduct prevention, but the way we do the training is deeply immersive and quite unique. We’ve received so much valuable and positive feedback from our clients on our approach to such a tough topic.”
SOS ThreeSixty works with adults and is designed for teachers, custodians, volunteers, coaches, bus drivers, executives and everyone else vested in the well-being of children.
SOS ThreeSixty’s client base is across the US and Canada. Until COVID-19 hit, travel was commonplace. Since the pandemic, the company has pivoted to a Zoom model and has just launched its Boundary Training on-line course.
Nicole and Avery have been members at Terminal City Club for four years. “Before moving here, we visited with friends who were members and we really loved it. Joining was a great decision. It’s such a great place to go, chat about work, make friends. And it is such a beautiful space.”
Aside from being a regular at the gym, Nicole has a deep appreciation and fondness for the dining facilities and theme nights.
“Here’s a lovely story,” she says. “We are Jewish. This one Friday night we are having dinner at the Club and my mother-in-law says to my husband, ‘It would be great if they had Challah. (Challah is a braided bread typically eaten on ceremonial occasions.) Avery must have mentioned this to someone at the Club at some time in the past, because we are sitting around talking when all of a sudden, out comes the Challah. It was amazing.”
