Today we’d like to introduce you to Nikkie Hunter.
Nikkie, can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today.
My journey started out years ago when my grandfather passed away. I was always a shy kid who would normally express my feelings through my writing. After my papa passed away, I became sad and distant and my writing was the only thing that brought me back out of my shell. I share that story because it will show the basis for the path I choose to take in life. I have not always been a podcast, nor did I ever see myself being successful in being a host of any show. In college, I majored in journalism and marketing and ended up interning for WBAP. It was there, along with working for a college newspaper, that I really learned the skill of interviewing. During one of my assignments, I had the opportunity to interview a very popular sports figure, but upon approaching him, I froze and became very shy. He saw that I was shy and was very kind to me and after a while, I was able to interview him. That kindness set off a chain of events. It taught me that I can do anything I put my mind to and that I was not as shy as I thought I was. I just needed that confidence boost.
Fast forward to life after college, I ended up going a different direction from journalism and found a job in marketing. I loved marketing because it gave me the opportunity to put all my skills to work. I could be creative, but still, use my research and analytic skills. I ended up starting a side business called Hunter Consulting, which basically helps small businesses, startups and nonprofits with their marketing. I ended up going back to college and earned my Master’s degree in Healthcare management. Now you’re probably wondering how that all ties into the podcast show? Well for me that chain of events really changed my life, my confidence level grew and I was able to get out in the community and start meeting some amazing people. I joined the Rotary club and continued to make a difference. The feeling of being about to make a difference is one of the best feelings in the world. This leads me to the idea of why not make a Podcast? The idea was there, but it didn’t come into play until this year.
Right after New Year’s, my idea started to come to life. I started off small with very little equipment, a little mic I ordered off Amazon and some software and I begin recording my first show. I didn’t have an audience, but I used my marketing skills to build that audience. I started doing just basic shows, with me chatting about a specific subject. One day I decided I wanted to take it a bit farther and I decided to contact people in the community to interview on the show. At the time, I was still only using my mic and software. I interviewed a few people and decided to purchase a video camera to start recording my interviews. It was fun to meet up at a location and interview people from around Arlington. Then the Pandemic hit and meeting in person became impossible. So I had to think of a way to continue with the show in that same format. Now everyone knew about zoom for doing business meetings and I did plenty of that, but I decided to use zoom as my main tool for my podcast. It because of success. Zoom allowed me to do more interviews, to stretch to not only Arlington but DFW and around the United States as well. Before you know it, I had a YouTube channel and a successful podcast show. The show has grown to have almost no subscribers to a loyal following as well as a couple of new segments: Mental Health Monday and Positively Nikkie and Friends.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
The pandemic caused a temporary roadblock. I had to think of a way to continue doing video interviews that were not in person. Zoom ended up being the best solution as well as being able to offer a live broadcast for my viewers.
Please tell us more about your work, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
Positively Nikkie Podcast Show specializes in being the voice of the community. I focus on local small businesses, non-profits, local politics as well as anyone with a personal story to tell. I am proud to be able to be the voice that tells someones’s story. So many people have a story to tell, so many small businesses are out there and it brings joy that I can introduce them to someone that might not know about them.
My servant’s heart is what sets me apart from most. I love to serve my community. It goes back to when I was younger with my grandparents, we learned from an early age to help others. Is a value that has followed me even after my grandparents passed away.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
For me, I love my career, but my proudest moment has been being able to find my passion in life and that’s serving my community whether is through this podcast or serving as a Rotarian.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.trhuntr.org
- Phone: 817-751-8771
- Email: positivelynikkie@gmail.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/postivelynikkiepodcastshow/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Positively-Nikkie-Podcast-Show-112602167068719
https://www.facebook.com/Hunter-Consulting-Marketing-PR-600684377053474
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