Nicole Bird shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Nicole, 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. Who are you learning from right now?
I am learning so much from my dear friend and mentor, Alexa Rose. She is the founder and creator behind the epic podcast and brand called Ethereal Girl. I admire the example she serves of having an impact on women and feminine energy content while breaking through the b*llshit of what is commonly served on TikTok about having a “soft life” or “feminine lifestyle”.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
My name is Nicole, and I grew up with a beautiful mother in the early 2000s who was the first in her family to receive a college degree, teaching me a great deal about caring for my home and body. While most of the women in my family have been generously cared for through marriage, I was the first to really pursue publicity and entrepreneurship. I was an inquisitive child who turned to the internet when my parents and peers were unable to answer questions I had about life and business. I remember creating my first social media profile on Instagram at 15 years old and realizing that there were beautiful, stylish women just like me who were creating an income from sharing their outfits and beauty tutorials. I said to myself, “I want this. I want to reach people and I want to be paid to be myself.”
My life has taken many turns. I graduated high school a year early and felt a lot of loneliness and confusion while attending a master cosmetology program and then starting my first “pink collar” salon role at age 18. I entered the beauty industry with a desire to serve women and build their confidence and self-image through styling routines, quality products, and personal connection. I grew up finding solace in the chaos of life by indulging my senses through self-care routines, such as long baths with scented products, hair masks, experimenting with new makeup looks, and creating fun outfits styled with heels and purses
But, due to being the youngest person I knew to move out and support myself while starting a career, I felt really alone. I quickly became frustrated and felt burnt out by the industry’s demand for long hours, especially on weekends and holidays when I saw other people spending time with loved ones and enjoying the world. So, at 20 years old, after experiencing the shock of COVID and being forced to sit in my own silence for 6-weeks, I decided to completely exit the beauty industry and the only full-time job I knew to move across town to a cheaper apartment and enroll in tech programs.
I spent the next 3 years learning and serving tech consultancies and real estate firms though building automations and integrations for sales and marketing applications. But, I couldn’t shake the feeling of emptiness and unfulfillment despite having what appeared to be physical success. During this time, I learned a lot on TikTok about the human energy body and how for women especially, we need rest and creative outlets. I decided to embark on emotional work and understanding my own patterns and through this realized that social media and beauty were still my calling.
My two favorite mediums of content creation and connecting with women online through beauty and style collided together in spring of 2023. I had just been let go from a contractor role at a very masculine tech consultancy, where I had been so disappointed to see that the 31-year old CEO was working 11-12 hour days and already experiencing major health concerns. The morning after I was let go and honestly feeling relieved, I checked my email and had an invite to be apart of the Lemon8 creator project to build out ByteDance’s newly developed app with fashion and beauty content.
Fast forward to the present, I spend my days creating content to help my female audience learn better and healthier ways of managing their finances, beauty routines, and mindsets while also partnering with beauty, fashion, and wellness brands to strategize effective content marketing that will translate into trustworthiness and sales.
Okay, so here’s a deep one: What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
Last summer, I was faced with a difficult conversation where I found out someone whom I respected and felt friendly with did not feel the same towards me. I was faced with a decision to either stay exactly where I was, in my comfort zone, and submit to their requests for me to play small. Or, I could answer to my higher self and choose self-respect, even if it was expensive. Through having the faith and courage to leave this situation, I was blessed with one of the most beautiful apartments I’ve ever lived in that served as a place for me to create beautiful content, grow my wisdom and self-confidence, and realize that when you choose yourself, the universe will reward you.
When did you stop hiding your pain and start using it as power?
Frankly, it wasn’t until the past year that I started to harness my pain as a way to build myself and others. I realized my experiences with survival mode, discouragement, and feeling a greater calling that no one else around me seemed to have were something many other girls and women have gone through. I started to share the things that had changed my world, like not forcing myself to work while on my menstrual cycle, being willing to say goodbye to people who didn’t have my best interests at heart, and practicing financial wisdom. I entered a mindset of “if my content and messaging just reaches and helps to change the life of one woman, then that’s what matters”. It became less about numbers and more about the souls I was speaking to.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
It’s allowed to be easy. What you could get lost in for hours as a child is what you are meant to serve the world with. Your art, your creativity, your favorite activities – these are your secret sauce to success. The less you try to force and accomplish through hustle (especially as a woman), the more rewarded you actually become. In the words of my beautiful mentor, it’s not about doing more, it’s about chipping away at the illusions and old stories so you can reveal more of your true self. Personally, I cringe at the ideologies of the Hormozeis. To each their own, but in a world that celebrates struggle, hustle, and speed, I find the most fulfilment and “success” in long routines, the five senses, and quality over quantity.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. What is the story you hope people tell about you when you’re gone?
When my day comes to pass on, I want people to remember me as someone who changed the world through beauty. Whether it was decorating my home or personal body with beautiful decor and outfits, having conversations that touched their hearts and made them feel seen and empowered, or providing a different perspective on the passing of time, I want to be remembered as someone who loved others and spread beauty everywhere I went.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.pinkcollarcontent.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mnicolebird
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mnicolebird
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@mnicolebird
- Other: TikTok https://www.tiktok.com/@mnicolebird
Media Kit https://www.pinkcollarcontent.com/media-kit
Image Credits
Photography by Usman Ishtiaq @makeshiftlens
