This woman may appear to be just another average person walking on this planet, living in this town, but the fierceness within her is bursting at the seams once you come to know her.
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Kim Artlip is the owner and promoter of IGNITE Wrestling – the Treasure Coast’s only professional wrestling company. That’s right – wrestling.
While there are many things about Artlip that make her stand out from the crowd, part of her “cool factor” is that there are only a handful of women owners of professional wrestling companies worldwide. She is proud of the company that she’s established, and she is popular within the community. Not just for wrestling, but her dedication and support toward female empowerment.
“I want every girl to know that her voice and her actions can change the world,” Kim said.
A former talk radio show host, Artlip has recently returned to the airwaves via podcast. She hopes to use her public speaking skills motivationally and to influence the community to be involved with several events that are currently in the planning stages.
“My professional goal is to build my company to become one of the elite independent companies in the world,” Artlip explained. “I want every up and coming competitor to want to have IGNITE Wrestling on their resume.”
Kim has lived in Vero Beach since 2002 after visiting the area and falling in love with it. Originally, she is from a small town in northern West Virginia. She is happily married to her husband, and together they have an adult son who resides in Ohio.
Like most of our other awesome personalities, Artlip loves calling Vero Beach her home because of the community’s ability to embrace new business, new ideas, and the common drive to support local business. Her business, certainly, was a new idea that the community offered – and continues to offer – support to.
“I feel that I bring an alternative to entertainment in the area,” she said. “One of my goals early was to make Vero Beach a sports destination, other than baseball, which we are known for already.” Her IGNITE wrestling events use a local venue, local vendors, and the mentality of those she works with and employs is to continually bring awareness to other organizations, such as Indian River Rugby. Her social media and streaming video reach viewers and companies worldwide. IGNITE Wrestling was founded in 2016.
Also like so talented individuals in our community, Kim – and her love for technology – has self-taught with graphic design, video editing, and creating layouts. Her biggest influences include Gary Vaynerchuk, Brene Brown, and Stephanie McMahon.
“Stephanie McMahon has revolutionized the women’s wrestling movement,” Artlip pointed out. “Her work as a global brand ambassador is inspiring.”
As for her supporters, Kim gives credit “by far” to her husband, the women’s networking community in the Vero Beach area, and her wrestlers.
“The wrestlers have really given me the means to follow a dream and represent what my vision is in the ring,” she said.
When Kim isn’t arranging for upcoming events, podcasting, networking, she enjoys local hidden treasures and takes staycations with her husband. During the week, however, she is most often planning and working on the next days’ social media endeavors and enjoys watching movies with her significant other. She also has done work with the disability community as a special needs advocate and helped to create two nonprofit organizations.
As a child, she reflected, “I was competitive and inquisitive; I just didn’t want to be bored and live a dull life. I wanted to do something that brought joy and was remembered.”
True to her childhood dream, she is definitely doing several things that will long be remembered in our community, and consistently making a difference to those involved with her company and her motivational speaking.
“I love seeing the awestruck expression on a child’s face the first time one of the performers does something that defies gravity or reason,” Artlip smiled. “That look of awe and how they will always remember it is really what drives me. I want the IGNITE Wrestling shows to be a part of their life experiences that they never forget and can’t wait to share.”
To find out more about IGNITE Wrestling, visit them on social media or go to their website, https://www.ignitewrestling.com.
I earned my bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Central Florida, and my bachelor's in nursing from Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA. I certainly embrace my experience as a nurse (and have experience as a firefighter and EMT as well), however my passion has always been in the field of journalism. I thoroughly enjoy writing and making words come to life.
When I'm not behind a computer screen typing or in front of a canvas painting, you can usually find me somewhere near the water with my two kids and my husky, Skye (who also blogs and has her own YouTube).
I think small businesses that are locally-owned and operated are far under appreciated so I support and recommend them whenever I can.
Oh, and I am fueled by sunshine, coffee, and pixie dust.
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