We’re looking forward to introducing you to Nina Simmons. Check out our conversation below.
Nina , so good to connect and we’re excited to share your story and insights with our audience. There’s a ton to learn from your story, but let’s start with a warm up before we get into the heart of the interview. Have any recent moments made you laugh or feel proud?
I have been a Photographer for 8 plus years in DFW, multi published. Recently, I was grocery shopping and a young lady came up to me and said, “Aren’t you Nina Dior, the Photographer? You Photographed me years ago and I still get compliments on those photo’s!” That was a proud moment for me, my work impacted someone and left a positive impression that was memorable. And that is my overall goal.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I am Nina Dior. An Entrepreneur balancing two passions — Real Estate and high-end photography. As a licensed REALTOR®, I’ve helped clients confidently navigate one of life’s biggest investments with knowledge, care, and professionalism. Through Nina Dior Photography, I bring stories to life and I try my best to create striking visuals that capture elegance and authenticity. I approach every client, every project with creativity, dedication, and a commitment to excellence and that is the Nina Dior brand.
Thanks for sharing that. Would love to go back in time and hear about how your past might have impacted who you are today. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
As a child I believed I wasn’t worthy. Worthy of love, of success, happiness, the list goes on. Today, at 42 years of age, I can say I’ve found my worth. Oh it took, seems like forever to get it but it was in front of my face the whole time. Society spends so much time on telling you who you are and who you should be to them. Don’t believe the hype. There is no one on this planet as extraordinary as you are, once I started to embrace that and believe it, thoughts began to change and I no longer feared those things I wanted so badly, I welcome them. I accept love, I choose happiness and I strive for success.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
Almost a year and a half ago, I started Real Estate school after being a Photographer for many years. I was so excited to be on this new venture in my life, my background is business focused so I was ready to jump in. After 2 weeks of school, my oldest brother comes to my house to hang out with me, we had a rough relationship prior to that we finally fixed so to have him laughing, spending time with me was absolutely great. We talked business and life until 2 am. 3 days later, I found my brother in his apartment, on the floor, passed away from a blood clot in his lung. The darkest time in my life. It took me 9 months to get through school, when it should have taken maybe 2 months. The grieving, the pain was so intense, I almost gave up. To this day, I have times I have to cry it out. When my brother and I would get a workout in together, he would always tell me, “C’mon girl, whatcha slowin down for, let’s go”. That statement took me though some hard days. The day I took my final exam and passed, I think I sat in the car about an hour crying because the last thing my brother said to me was “I’m proud of you girl”. I didn’t quit.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? Is the public version of you the real you?
Pretty much, what you see is what you get. You would never guess how truly goofy I am. I live authentically, life is to short to live it any other way. We live in a day and age where you can hide behind your social media, pretend to be something you’re not. But who are you trying to please? I can’t do that so this is me, take it or leave it. But you’ll never want to leave it!
Okay, so before we go, let’s tackle one more area. Could you give everything your best, even if no one ever praised you for it?
The first mistake is waiting for someone to praise you for an act. I don’t move that way. I give my best at everything I do because that is the right thing to do. God sees all and He is the only one I aim to please. This is one of the core values to my brand. There are no bad days when my clients are in front of me. My motivation is those three words I mentioned earlier, Love, Happiness and Success. I intend to have that no matter who is looking. Embrace love, choose happiness and strive for success.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.NinaDior.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ninadior.the.realtor/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ninadiorrealestate/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ninadiorrealestate
Image Credits
Alicia Slaughter, Shakina Higgs, Taylor Walker with We Are More, LLC, Keisha Higgs, Raven Taylor, Kendall Morgan
