When I was about six years old, at Christmas time a very large, rectangular-shaped object covered with a blanket appeared in our living room near where the gifts were kept. My brother and I were intrigued, wondering who could be getting such a large gift. I...
creativity
Grateful for Tough Lessons
When I was a senior in college, I became the co-editor of the college newspaper — The Knox Student — along with my friend Rob. When introducing us, Rob would say, “Hi, I’m Rob. I’m in charge of happiness. This is Nicole. She’s in charge of everything else.” His...
Feeling in Color
I am not a crafty person. I’ve often envied people who can bring knitting or crochet into a meeting and absentmindedly work on a project while occasionally and appropriately interjecting into the conversation. I am in awe of the attention to detail people pay to bead...
Liberation in Discomfort
In recent social media posts, you may have noticed that I recently started a part-time job at Starbucks coffee. The position offers me benefits and a little steady income while starting this coaching, training and organizational development business. (Being a single...
Unexpected Abundance: A Year of Lost Rewatch
I swear I had nothing to do with it ending this way. It just so happened that on the last Saturday of my August Birthday Month of Abundance, I completed a two-year rewatch of the 2004-2010 ABC series Lost. I joined up when I discovered The Storm Podcast was...
Curiosity Over Fear
I don’t know about you, but my mind rushes to judgment at the tiniest provocation. My worst judgment erupts while I’m driving. It gets triggered by everyone who is jumping across lanes to get where they want, blocking me from changing lanes, driving too fast/too slow,...
From Envy to Gratitude
In my 20s and early 30s, envy would rise up like bile in my throat whenever I opened another calligraphy-covered, heavyweight envelope inviting me to yet another wedding. In my 30s and early 40s, envy weighed on my shoulders when I saw others’ careers progress and...
3 Mindfulness Tips to Ease Back-to-School Anxiety
Even though I liked to learn and did pretty well in school, I felt pretty nervous every year before starting class again. The anxiety amped up in middle and high school. I dreaded seeing students who picked on me. I was insecure about my body in gym class. I was...
“We’re All Storytellers”
“We’re all storytellers.” The truth of the statement washed over my skin in tingly waves. I paused, drew a deep breath and continued our conversation about our recent Sparking Creativity Retreat. I had been incubating the idea for a retreat like this for years. Back...
Making Meaning: Telling and Sharing Story
I don’t remember much from sixth grade, but I have vivid memories of my teacher’s after-lunch reading ritual. The ritual was simple: We’d read our way through a book, a chapter at a time each day after lunch and recess. I’m terrible at remembering details, but somehow...
Trapped in a “One-Right-Way” Mindset
After the murder of George Floyd, I felt like I was caught in a trap that pinioned me back into thinking that there is only one right way to do antiracism work. This notion itself is a racist trap, causing me to believe that I should have one brilliant “right way” to...
Self-Care & Creativity: Completing the Stress Cycle
Nicole is excited to have filmmaker and educator Lindy Boustedt takeover her blog this week! It was early February 2020 and I was waiting to see a neurologist for the very first time. Migraines were happening at an ever-increasing rate – sometimes three a week – and...
Creativity and Constraints: 2020 Learnings
In 2020, my creativity felt a lot like a bouncing ping pong ball. Some days the rap of the hollow white ball on the table was rapid and constant – your eyes and ears could scarcely keep track of its rapid-fire tapping. Other days, it hit with one dull thud and then...
Craving Connection
When I began planning my crazy Birthday Month of Connections event series, I seriously wondered if anyone would show up. It’s summer, and people want to be outside. People are tired of being on Zoom. “People wouldn’t be interested in hanging out for my birthday,”...
What is my part to do? (Or Mindful Anti-Racism for White People)
***** Upcoming events! ***** The ideas in this blog are indebted to a number of people of color who have been writing, thinking, speaking and teaching about anti-racism much longer than I have. Here are a few links and resources that really influenced me this week:...