You’re a hot-girl-walking, yapping, occasionally unhinged collection of lived experiences that’ve shaped who you are, and absoLUTEly belong online.
You are
more than your business.
than your business.
You are
MORE
You’re a hot-girl-walking, yapping, occasionally unhinged collection of lived experiences that’ve shaped who you are, and absoLUTEly belong online!
You are more
than your business.
You’re not your title, nor what you sell,
nor the results you get for your clients.
more
than your business.
You are
But when you constantly hear:
How very 2020 of you!
You end up creating a perfectly curated (perfectly boring) prison cell corner of the internet where you’re only allowed to talk about one thing, one way, forever and ever amen.
But you’re a whole-ass human with layers! duality! quirks! interests! and stories to tell that can’t be contained inside an Instagram-appropriate, professional-business-person box.
The more you shrink yourself to fit, the more disconnected you feel from your voice and your joy.
Cue you: chronically online, yet so caught up between what you *should* post and what you actually want to say that you hardly say anything at all.
In fact, you’d love to! But every time you try to show a liiiitle more of the human behind the screen, the Self-Doubt Fairy whispers:
“Should I be talking about this?”
“Should I be talking about this?”
“Idk how this is relevant…”
“Should I be talking about this?”
“Idk how this is relevant…”
“Does anyone even care?
You don’t need
to find your niche.
Here’s the warm, soft, LIBERATING truth:
You connect with them.
When you show up online as the FULL expression of who you are: the multi-passionate, slightly chaotic, deeply HUMAN version of yourself (vs. the seriously-good-at-what-you-do-super-professional version)
THE FOLLOWING MESSAGE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY:
The Official Association of Overthinkers in partnership with the Department of Unlearning Bullsh*t Bureaucracy:
Go ahead & delete the word “should” from your vocabulary.
Is it gone? FAB. Carry on! 💃🏼
Embracing the cringe & showing your whole self online isn’t easy.
*cue montage*
Can I be eeeeven realer for a sec?
For me, it kinda is (don’t hate me).
If you’ve seen me on Instagram and thought, “wow, she doesn’t give a FUUUCK what people think!!” Here’s why it *seems* that way:
Hi, I'm Nicole!
Oh, and 1 time I miiiiiight’ve sweet-talked my way onstage to dance with Shaq at a music festival…
but that’s a story for another time ;)
My dad used to feed me one-liners before seeing my pediatrician.
I’d have the entire doctor’s office gathered round, laughing hysterically.
(Ps: what sound does a deer make? “ow, I’m shot.”)
I’ve been singing on stage since my yapper could yap.
FEAT ME: belting Beautiful by Christina Aguilera at my school talent show in 3rd grade, and Dreaming a Dream as Fantine in my HS production of Les Mis!
My college A Cappella group’s cover of Beyoncé’s “Pretty Hurts,” went viral.
It landed us an invitation to perform at The United State of Women Summit by the literal White House… in front of THE OBAMAS (and Oprah).
ahhh, pre-2016-election times.
I studied to be a teacher, and taught English online before starting my business.
Which basically means I’ve spent a good chunk of my “professional” life commanding rooms full of easily distracted, tiny humans.
For a near-decade, I’ve travelled the world — living out of a backpack and my comfort zone full-time.
50+ countries later, my “digital
nomad” era is coming to a close. But experiencing new cultures, people, and places has shaped who I am, and how I move through the world!
When I stumbled ass-backwards into the Hunger Games online space and a career in social media marketing, putting myself out there & being seen
was second nature.
Learning to do it without performing, self-censoring, or proving my worth through thought leadership content? Without the constant need for validation or approval (or applause)?!
That’s been the hardest, most healing experience of all.
y’know... the ones you’ve kept hidden behind client wins, portfolio dumps, and “why you should hire me” posts 👀
It (feels like it) rewards the most “algorithm -friendly” people on the platform, living the most “instagrammable” lives.
🪞
Social media is undeniably performative by nature.
It shows you the parts of yourself you’re scared to be seen.
But it's also a mirror.
When you trade authenticity for approval, you lose the very thing that makes you worth watching in the first place.
You build it with yourself.
You already know showing up as the REAL you (vs. the strategic, polished version) builds trust and connection with your audience.
BUT THE BEST PART?!
The Marketing-Yourself-Online chapter of
your Entrepreneur Story is MORE than creating content that converts, or even building community…
It’s about:
if I’ve learned anything, it’s that:
When you trade authenticity for approval, you lose the very thing that makes you worth watching in the first place.
You *know* showing up as the REAL you (vs. the strategic, polished version) builds trust and connection with your people...
...but the best part?!
The Marketing-Yourself-Online chapter
of your Entrepreneur Story is more than creating content that converts, or even building community…
IT'S ABOUT:
You build it with yourself.
Even for someone who's a pro like me!
It didn’t just change my content, it changed my life.
It’s cringe, uncomfortable, and scary as hell.
But when you show up despite it, you prove you’re worthy of being seen, known, loved, and PAID for exactly who you are.
When *I* stopped hiding the silly-girl-slithering, F-bomb-dropping, (unfortunately) imperfect, croc-wearing, REAL HUMAN behind the screen…
That’s my favorite part of the work I do:
Helping founder-led brands and creative entrepreneurs connect the dots between who they are, what lights them up, and what their audience needs to hear so they can build a connected community around a personal brand rooted in an unshakable sense of self.
Nicole is f*cking dope. She will take your rambles, see your heart, and then give you insane direction, and a massive dose of inspiration so you can feel EXCITED about creating content.
“It's SO much more than Instagram support — it's brand strategy and marketing support with a billion and one ideas on how you can do it in a way that actually feels authentic to who you are.
EVERYTHING stems from what you share and the genius ways she connects the dots. Plus, she's just hilarious and amazing and has her client experience down, so the whole process is easy-breezy and fun.”
sure she walks the walk...
but can she croc the croc?
I take what I do seriously, but never myself.
Here’s a peek at the goofy goober who unsubscribed from the “real world” long ago
BUT THAT ENDS NOW.
This feels weird to admit at this stage in our relationship, but, my friends call me Nikki. Hence why we're been SO formal up to now...
🎸
Constantly wondering why we all collectively turned on Nickelback?!
🐊
Footwear of choice: CROCS!!! (wore them in my brand photos, ZERO regrets)
🐿️
Late-diagnosed ADHDer (and it shows)
👑
Eldest daughter, granddaughter, cousin, niece, etc. (read: untouchable and exhausted)
Most unhinged marketing tactic: letting my audience pick my tattoo after I hit my signup goal for The Cringe Challenge.
📚
Born-again reader, converted by the GOAT, Sarah J. Maas after a decade-long reading drought.
🌞
ESFP, Enneagram 7w8, quadruple Aquarius (and pretending to know what it all means)
🌱
Long-time vegetarian (since I watched Pamela Anderson visit a chicken farm in 2007 lmao).
🌎
50+ countries explored, 1 tired ex-digital-nomad currently craving roots.
💉
💃
Founder of the Silly Girl Slither (because “Hot Girl Walk” never felt on-brand)
🧶
Arts & crafts FREAK (and founder of Craft Social Club!)
📣
Motto: if you’re not having fun, wtf is the point? (HAVE YOU HEARD? WE’RE ON A FLOATING ROCK!!!!)
🍃
Most unhinged productivity hack: take an edible, see how much you can get done before it kicks in.
Main hustle: JOY.
🧠
Mental health advocate: speaking up matters most when life seems “fine.”
🪩
Life goal: throw ass on every dance floor I encounter.
💕
The 10 Gram Commandments
Thou shalt not curse the algorithm. For social media is
not thy enemy, but thy tool.
Thou gettest to use it; it doth not use thee.
Thou shalt tend to thyself before the screen.
Move thy body, greet the morning sun, pet thy cat —
do whatever thou must to center thy spirit before the scroll may steal thy peace and thy creativity.
1
2
Thou shalt create from inspiration, not obligation.
The energy thou bringest to thy work and thy content is what thy people shall feel.
Thou shalt consciously consume & contribute.
For intentional time online createth freedom offline.
5
Thou shalt see flops as feedback.
Engagement is but data, not damnation.
3
4
Thou shalt own who thou art.
Water not thyself down. For the world needeth thy fire, not thy filter.
Thou shalt get real.
Hide not the cracks, nor the chaos. For within them lieth thy greatest strength.
6
8
Thou shalt prioritize people over profit.
No one owes thee likes, comments, or coin.
Serveth first, selleth second — for followers are fleeting and vanity numbers fade, but true connection endureth.
7
Thou shalt trust thyself.
Listen not to every voice in the feed; weigh all against thine own wisdom.
9
Thou shalt not overthink; just hit post.
Perfection is vanity. Action is salvation.
10
Thou shalt create from inspiration, not obligation.
The energy thou bringest to thy work and thy content is what thy people shall feel.
Thou shalt not curse the algorithm. For social media is not thy enemy, but thy tool.
Thou gettest to use it; it doth not use thee.
5
Thou shalt tend to thyself before the screen.
Move thy body, greet the morning sun, pet thy cat —
do whatever thou must to center thy spirit before the scroll may steal thy peace and thy creativity.
Thou shalt consciously consume & contribute.
For intentional time online createth freedom offline.
Thou shalt see flops as feedback.
Engagement is but data, not damnation.
1
2
3
4
Thou shalt not overthink; just hit post.
Perfection is vanity. Action is salvation.
Thou shalt own who thou art.
Water not thyself down. For the world needeth thy fire, not thy filter.
10
Thou shalt prioritize people over profit.
No one owes thee likes, comments, or coin.
Serveth first, selleth second — for followers are fleeting and vanity numbers fade, but true connection endureth.
Thou shalt get real.
Hide not the cracks, nor the chaos. For within them lieth thy greatest strength.
Thou shalt trust thyself.
Listen not to every voice in the feed; weigh all against thine own wisdom.
6
7
8
9
It’s about damn time your content reflected it, your people knew it, and you started owning it.
You are so much more than (being ridiculously good at) what you do.
Dedicate one hour, once a month to turning your brain off, picking up your favorite crafty hobby, connecting with other creatives, and fueling your creativity outside of work!!
