How many kids do you have and what are their age(s)?
1 child, 12 yrs old female, Peyton Opyt
How long have you lived in Naples and why did you decide to live here?
I moved here from Peru, Indiana in 2004. I have lived in SW FL for 15 years. My husband and I moved here for weather of course….and I was hired as a registered dietitian at the Cleveland Clinic and my husband started his real estate and mortgage company in Naples.
What is your favorite family activity in the area?
We love to be outside and spend time at home with our 2 rag doll cats and 1 dog. My daughter is a gymnast so you often see us at Bounce! We have a trapeze, silks, and air track at our house in my yoga studio so we are often found having fun right here at our house!
Do you have a favorite family friendly restaurant? Date night?
My whole family loves Sushi so you can find us at Maguro or AZN. As for a Date Night…we head to True Food Kitchen or the Warehouse which is close to our home in the Quarry. Most of the time three of us often head down to our beach club in our neighborhood in the evenings to sit around the fire pit and have dinner.
What is your favorite thing to do when you need some “me time”?
Yoga. I have been doing hot yoga for over 10 years now. I love it so much this past summer I converted our den into a hot yoga studio! I also LOVE to travel and have to travel a lot with my job. I love exploring a new city by foot and always pack running shoes to jog through a new town.
How did you end up where you are now in terms of your job, or whatever passion project you might be doing? How has it changed since becoming a mom?
My new career path is all due to my daughter. I have been a dietitian for over 18 yrs and started my own consulting practice her in Naples after Peyton was born. It was when she was around 3 when I started making homemade nut butters for her school lunch. I had no idea it was going to turn into a full-time business and become a success.Betsy’s Best Gourmet Nut and Seed Butters is the company created by my recipe I was making for my daughter. She sees first hand what it takes to become an entrepreneur and she often helps me in projects.
Proudest mommy moment?
In 2015 I was honored with the Florida Young Mother of the Year Award. Peyton traveled to Washington DC to watch them present the award to me. Everyday with Peyton is a mommy moment. We are both really close and have similar interests. She is in gymnastics like I was at her age and I love watching her compete and thrive in her sport. She is also a great traveler and she often comes with me on my work trips.
Best piece of advice for another mom?
Live in the moment. Time really does go fast and kids grow even faster. When my daughter was in her younger years and I was busy running 2 companies I felt like I never had time to take a breath. Looking back I would have told my younger self to hit “pause” and just relish every moment instead of focusing on what lies ahead.
Who has most influenced you to be the mother you are today?
My mother and father. They are amazing and everything parents should be. My parents have been married almost 50 years and they set a tremendous example of a supportive and loving family. They moved to Ft. Myers to be close to us and are always there for us when we need them. Something we’d be surprised to learn about you? I was a circus performer when I was a child. In Peru, IN we had a youth amateur circus and I was a performer from age 7 to age 18 and performed on the flying trapeze at the age of my daughter now (age 12). This Christmas I surprised my daughter by hanging a trapeze in my yoga studio for her so I could teach her the art of trapeze. It has been a fun thing for us to do together!
