We were lucky to catch up with Nikki Turner recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nikki, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today It’s always helpful to hear about times when someone’s had to take a risk – how did they think through the decision, why did they take the risk, and what ended up happening. We’d love to hear about a risk you’ve taken.

Imagine that from a young age, you just knew that were put on earth to live a life full of joy and passion. As I began to learn more about my creative and entrepreneurial side, the feeling of being great burned within me. It started with an ice cream truck. In the third grade, I started selling lucas, which was a popular Mexican candy at that time. In the 4th grade, it transferred to pencils 5th through freshman year, candy. I fell in love with doing hair, which sustained me from my sophomore until now.

However, my creative side always called me to rise, expressing myself through fashion, dance, poetry, and storytelling. After high school I moved to LA to pursue a fashion career. After a year and a half of getting to know the crowded streets of California, I was back home to Phoenix. Upon my completion of Cosmetology school, I purchased a house at 21 and started a beauty and fashion boutique at 22 years old.

Fast forward 16 years after a pregnancy,divorce, foreclosure,closing my business down and trying to start other businesses in the midst of it all, I felt like a failure. However the biggest risk as of today, is betting on myself. Trusting what my process looks like, even when it looks completely different from what I initially imagined.

I took the risk of going back to school 2 years ago for psychology to open a holistic wellness/resource center pairing it with a creative company using the creative arts as a medium for young people and adults to express themselves, releasing emotions that are difficult to verbalize along with celebrating their journeys and being present in their bodies.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your background and context?

My journey started with my imagination. I dared to act upon the things I felt like I could do. Over time though, when you share your dreams with people who don’t understand your vision,they plant seeds of doubt and if you’re not careful you believe it, which I did for some time. That is when my relationship with self sabotage began. I started as a hairstylist. Both sides of my family were in the industry so I was heavily influenced by them. Going to cosmetology school and starting a salon was the highlight of my life at that time. But I soon came to realize that I had more in me than being a cosmetologist.

I was bombarded with subtle messages that the creative arts doesn’t seem like a respectable career. Unless you happen to make it in the entertainment industry working with celebrities.

Learning to listen to myself while following a path that makes my heart leap is what has cultivated discipline. The biggest discipline that I have needed to implement was a mindset being mindful and aware of my limited beliefs. Like all of us, I have had trauma that could have seemingly taken me out. However, I’ve chosen to use the pain of my past as fuel to live a life of fullness, while being able to influence and inspire others to do the same for themselves.

This is how I was led to my path of going to school for psychology . As my curiosity of human behavior increases, I now have a better understanding of how to add valuable communication, connecting the dots from my dance teaching experience for over 10 years, teaching children and adults of all skill levels ages and walks of life. My love of performing has led me to dabble invarious styles of dance with 3 different dance companies doing Hip Hop, Modern, Samba, and Salsa .

My mission to integrate holistic wellness and the creative arts continues to be one of the greatest journeys that I have chosen to follow. Being able to choose myself in the midst of so many voices is the thing I am most proud of. It brings me joy to be an example to my 11 year old daughter of what’s possible when you focus on your purposeful passion and heart’s desire.

I have spent a lot of time in my own torment of self sabotage for lack of knowing my worth and value, which reflected my external world. I am now proud to say that I am willing to do what it takes to focus on the greatness that I remember feeling as a child.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

The biggest lesson I’ve had to unlearn was that I needed to please people at the expense of my own sanity. I have had to unlearn habits and patterns that were not in alignment with who I said I wanted to be. Sometimes that journey can seem lonely when you’re evolving away from the familiar. Learning to not be attached to who I’ve been has been the biggest lesson. Allowing myself to expand, giving myself permission to become the version of myself that supports the next chapter is imperative for accomplishing my goals.

Are there any books, videos, essays or other resources that have significantly impacted your management and entrepreneurial thinking and philosophy?

So many things have impacted my journey. One of the biggest resources was learning about the law of attraction. I am a student of life and I receive all information, learning to glean what is for me and leave what is not. The book by Mastin Kipp “Claim your power” gives simple prompts when getting to the root for learning to release past traumas. When it comes to business, the book The “E myth” and “The One Thing” audiobooks have assisted me with letting go of hindering beliefs. As an avid multitasker, I have learned to focus more, slow down and do the “one thing” that’s most important for that specific task.

Contact Info:

• Website: Nikkitenterprises.com
• Instagram: Nikkit.enterprises
• Facebook: Nikki Turner
• Linkedin: Nikki Turner

Image Credits
Somaya Jennifer Jackson Jerry & Mary Anne