We were lucky to catch up with Nichole Donjè recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nichole, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. If you had a defining moment that you feel really changed the trajectory of your career, we’d love to hear the story and details.

After the 2016 election, I was beside myself. So much felt upside down, little did I know how much worse it could get. I had been struggling to find my way. I had somehow gotten off track. I was feeling a bit lost. Then a friend asked me to get involved in a theater production of Blithe Spirit by Noel Coward.

I was hesitant but also interested. It started as a co-directing idea and quickly became me directing on my own, which is probably good because I’m a bit of a control freak in my style. I had numerous calls and then meetings. I kept being reminded how much I knew about the theater and what it means to put up a good production.

There were challenges, but we ended up with a great cast, and I ended up finding myself again. The production was amazing, and everyone involved was pumped and proud. The set, which I designed, was beautiful and our opening night was an absolute success. Just as we were ready to fly, the announcement came. Someone in the building where our performances were being held was diagnosed with COVID.

With that, the show was closed after just 3 performances. I was heartbroken, we all were. Within the next few days, Broadway would shut down. That week, I was ordered, with my colleagues, to work from home. The world had changed.

The following Monday, I got really sick. I couldn’t get enough water in my system. I passed out. Then, I got to experience the early days of the hospital, waiting in a tent to be taken in, and frantic doctors covered in gear, head to toe. Patients lined the corridors, moans and calls for help filling the air; it was awful. I’m so grateful I was released within six hours. Home takes on a whole new level of meaning in times like those.

At first, being home was difficult to adjust to, but that didn’t last long. Having gained commute time in the mornings, I was finally able to begin a consistent meditation practice, something I’d been wanting for years. The more I did, the more I wanted to go deeper. I had found Liberate, a meditation school. Sura, the owner, had done a few free sessions on YouTube to create a collective energy of healing in a time of political upheaval and health crisis. Her style spoke to me, so I researched her training program. I’ve never looked back.

In 2021 I became a Certified Meditation Coach. Meditation and theater for me are my church and my religion. Everything that happens, as difficult as it may be, leads to the next phase of our lives. That was mine.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

Hmm…about me. I always struggle with this question. Not because I don’t know myself, but because I find it hard to talk about myself. First, I’m a human being who, just like everyone else, is working to find my way through every day; some more easily than others.

I’ve been married to my best friend for 20 years and have two precious pups I adore. I’m a cancer survivor. I’m a passionate activist for human and animal rights. And, I believe home is both an ever-changing place and the incredible people who have moved us in our lives. Most importantly, home is within me. I’m actually writing a memoir about that!

It’s amazing how much you learn about yourself when you take the time to really reflect. It’s why I love writing. It’s also why I love meditation and directing. I began meditating before I knew what it was. I would direct a show, and in my warm-ups, I would do a guided meditation and energy healing. I didn’t know it then, but that’s where it all started. I was always searching for some spiritual connection, reading Native American poetry and reading about Taoism and Buddhism. I was also fascinated with the music, which inspired my warm-ups.

Fast forward to now. It’s one of my natural gifts. I love working with people where they’re at in the moment. Creating a guided meditation on the spot for what they need right now. It’s healing for me to see the shift in them. That shift often gives them the space they need to work on whatever it is they’re with me for.
Some people are simply looking to learn to meditate. I’m there to help them discover what that means for them. What breathing techniques have the right impact? What energy do they need to either calm or fuel their mind, body, and spirit? It’s about learning rituals that they can honestly practice. What they learn is what is right for them. No two clients are the same, but everyone is capable. That’s how I approach it.

Other clients are looking for a combination of meditation practice and working through a current challenge. As a coach, I utilize meditation as a tool to help my clients find calm and groundedness so that they are able to focus and find perspective. So many of the challenges in our lives can be redirected when we are able to see them differently. We are human and our emotions and nervous system naturally take control. When we learn the tools to take our body back, we can breathe again, and the world opens up.

Most of my work is virtual; however, I will do in-person sessions when available. One of my absolute favorite in-person offers is forest bathing. It’s only by request, and for those interested in truly taking in the world around them and using the earth’s energy to find their center, this is invaluable.

I am also an acting coach. These sessions are in person and include grounding preparations for the work. I love working with actors; it fuels something special in me.

It fuels me knowing that I have been able to support people in finding something within themselves they thought they’d lost, or never knew they had. I’m very proud of the work I do. People simply need to know that they are okay, that there is nothing wrong with them. We are human, and human beings need support. It’s awesome to be able to give it to them.

I think what I appreciate about myself is that what you see is what you get. I’m a real person with real problems, just like everyone else. Am I a little woo-woo? Sure, but not a lot. I do believe in energy – it’s what we are all made of – us, the earth, the stars. How can that not affect us? The question is, how can we affect it? I myself want to make my presence positive and full. I want everyone to know it’s possible. Anyone can meditate. Anyone can change for the good.

I also hope that my writing and perspectives can offer another way for people to feel heard, connected, and less alone. To quote a cliché, my blog is where I wear my heart on my sleeve.

Let’s talk about resilience next – do you have a story you can share with us?

As I was working on creating a new path for myself as a coach, I was suddenly finding myself stuck. I was unfocused and felt unmotivated. Always tired. I spent a lot of time questioning my ability to grow and succeed. I had to pause and take note of what was going on for me. I tell this to everyone: listen to your body. No one knows it better than you. It turned out I had been unwittingly fighting an illness.

I went to my doctor. Something wasn’t right. This is the second time in my life that this has happened. In 2016, I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, a meningioma (a tumor in the lining of the brain). It took numerous doctors to finally get someone to say, “That’s not right, let’s do an MRI.” Bingo! Thank god it was not cancer, but I can say, craniotomies are no fun!

My stuckness turned out to be blood cancer. Something I had coincidentally mentioned to my therapist just weeks before, when she asked me, “What are you afraid of?” In 2022, I was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma, a blood cancer of the bone marrow. It is incurable and all but guaranteed to return. I began treatment – chemo and beyond. I finally felt human again.

The disease and treatment cause bone pain, brain fog, weakness, and exhaustion. However, I moved through it with an attitude of – okay, what’s next? I believe that my meditation practice saved me. I was positive every step of the way, even when it returned a year and a half later. It’s a part of my life now. So is meditation. So is my family. So are my friends and my home and everything that makes life worth living.

To be sure to keep it moving, I put together a team, The Bloodhounds, for the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation’s annual NYC Walk. In three years, our team keeps growing, and we have raised over $80 thousand dollars towards a cure! This past year, I was honored with the MMRF’s Spirit of Hope award. I could not be prouder of myself for seeing the good, never giving up, and making the best of it all. It’s why whenever someone reaches out to tell me a friend was just diagnosed, and could they call me, my answer is always —YES.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I think the biggest thing I have had to unlearn, I am still working on. It’s that inner question so many of us struggle with. Am I good enough? The whole imposter syndrome issue. I’ve spent years being insecure about so many things. What I need now and what I work on every day is: I am enough, where I am, as I am. I always have been and always will be. AND, SO ARE YOU.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.donjecoaching.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/nicholedonje/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/donjecoaching/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicholedonje/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@donjecoaching

Image Credits

These are a mix of my own Nichole Donjè and my husband Scott Allinson