We recently connected with Corina Nika and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Corina, thanks for joining us today. Risking taking is a huge part of most people’s story but too often society overlooks those risks and only focuses on where you are today. Can you talk to us about a risk you’ve taken – it could be a big risk or a small one – but walk us through the backstory.

The story of Cocorrina is, at its heart, a story of risk—and of faith. Looking back, it feels like a series of leaps into the unknown, each one scarier and more transformative than the last.

I was 21 when my world changed. For as long as I could remember, I’d carried this deep, unexplained ache in my chest—a quiet but constant pain. It felt like something was pressing down on my heart, but no doctor had ever been able to tell me what it was. I’d grown up with it, thinking it was simply part of me, something I had to live with.

And then I met Theo. We hadn’t been together long when he noticed the way I instinctively held my chest or winced at certain movements. Where others had dismissed it, he didn’t. He wanted answers. He took it upon himself to research, to ask questions I hadn’t dared to ask anymore. I’ll never forget the night he stayed up reading article after article, determined to find a thread that made sense. And he did. He was the one who discovered what no doctor had told me: pectus excavatum. My sternum was growing inward, pressing against my heart.

Thanks to him, I finally had a diagnosis—but it came with a daunting solution. I needed an intense surgery to reconstruct my chest. Eight hours in the operating room. My sternum would be broken and rebuilt. It was terrifying. But there was no other way forward.

That surgery left me completely dependent. I couldn’t walk, couldn’t even sit up without help. I spent months recovering in bed, my body fragile and slow to heal. And that’s when the hardest chapter began. We were so young, and suddenly, life felt impossibly heavy. Theo became my caretaker, helping me through the smallest, most painful movements. At the same time, he was working tirelessly to keep us afloat financially. But it wasn’t enough.

We were broke. Truly broke. There were weeks we couldn’t afford electricity. Nights when we’d light candles because we couldn’t pay the bill. Meals were simple—sometimes just bread. I remember us sitting together, dreaming of the day we could afford to go out to eat. A small wish, but it felt so far away then.

And yet, even in that struggle, something inside me refused to give up. I told myself—if I can’t move, I can learn. If my body was still, my mind didn’t have to be. So I signed up for online Illustrator classes, determined to teach myself graphic design, one shaky click at a time. I was in pain. I was exhausted. But I had a tiny flicker of hope, and I clung to it.

And Theo—he saw that spark in me. He believed in it so completely that he made another sacrifice. Even though we couldn’t afford it, even though I was still just his new girlfriend, he took out a loan to buy me my first MacBook. I’ll never forget the way he handed it to me, quietly, proudly, like he was giving me the wings I didn’t yet know how to use. That MacBook wasn’t just a computer. It was a key. It opened a door I hadn’t dared to imagine before.

With it, I could create. Really create. I could design, explore, play, dream. And from my bed, slowly but surely, I started to build something. I opened a blog on Blogspot and named it Cocorrina—a blend of my nickname, Coco, and my name, Corina. Every day, I posted something that inspired me. A beautiful image, a thought, a mood. It wasn’t about strategy or building a business. It was about sharing beauty, about keeping a little light alive.

But people noticed. The blog started to gain attention. And soon, people were reaching out, asking if I could design logos for them. Those first projects felt like miracles—small signs that maybe, just maybe, I was onto something. And from there, it grew. A little at a time. Quietly, steadily. And then, all at once.

By the time I was 27, I was pregnant with our first child, married to Theo, and Cocorrina had become a small design studio. But my creative heart was pulling me deeper—toward the mystical, toward symbols, the moon, the stars, the magic woven into the world. I told Theo, “I want to create something more. Something different.”

And once again, without hesitation, he stood beside me. Every idea I brought to him—no matter how big, no matter how unexpected—he listened. He trusted. And then, he helped me make it real. That’s the kind of partner he’s always been. Not just supporting from the sidelines, but rolling up his sleeves and helping me build.

Together, we took another risk. We transformed Cocorrina from a design studio into a brand, an online store, a creative world of its own. We poured our time, our love, our vision into it. We created tarot decks, oracle cards, books, jewelry, art. We built something that felt true to who we were, something we wanted to see in the world.

It wasn’t easy. There were sacrifices. Hard days. Uncertain months. But every risk brought us closer to the life we dreamed of. Today, Cocorrina is a living reminder that you can start from nothing. That you can rise from a place of brokenness. That you can build something beautiful, even when everything around you feels impossible.

And while this is my story, it’s also a story of us. Of two people who dared to trust in each other’s dreams. Who chose faith over fear, again and again. Who believed that even in the darkest moments, something beautiful was waiting to be created.

If there’s one lesson I’ve learned, it’s this: the road may be hard, the risks may be many, but the leap is worth it. Sometimes, the biggest risk isn’t falling—it’s daring to believe you’ll fly.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

I’m Corina, co-founder of Cocorrina, and at heart I’m a designer, an author, and a creator. Everything I do is driven by my love for symbols, mysticism, storytelling, and beauty. Through Cocorrina, I’ve had the joy of bringing all those passions together to create meaningful, intentional products that people can connect with in their daily lives.

Our brand started with design, and over time it has grown into a space where art and symbolism come together in so many forms—tarot and oracle decks, mystical books, journals, jewelry, art prints, and more. Each piece I create is thoughtfully designed, not only to be visually beautiful but to carry deeper meaning. I want the people who hold our work in their hands to feel inspired, to feel connected to something magical, personal, and timeless.

Alongside designing, I’ve also had the opportunity to write and publish books that explore myth, symbolism, and magical stories. Writing and designing go hand in hand for me; they’re both ways to share the wonder and meaning I find in the world, whether through words or through visuals.

What I’m most proud of isn’t just the products themselves, but the stories people have shared with me about how our creations have touched their lives. Hearing from someone that a tarot deck I designed helped guide them through a difficult chapter, or that a book or piece of art brought them closer to their own inner world—that’s the most rewarding part of this journey. It means the world to know that the things I’ve created have found their way into people’s hearts and homes, and have been part of their personal stories.

For anyone discovering Cocorrina for the first time, what I’d love them to know is that everything we make comes from a place of care, intention, and deep inspiration. Our work is about bringing beauty and symbolism into everyday life, helping people slow down, reflect, and find small moments of magic in the world around them.

How did you build your audience on social media?

Our social media audience actually grew quite naturally over time. I can’t really say I struggled a lot to build it, and I think that’s because I started very early—about 14 or 15 years ago—with our blog. Back then, blogs were just starting to gain popularity, and there weren’t as many people online creating content the way there are today. It didn’t take much to be seen if you were consistent and had something unique to share.

From the very beginning, I was very consistent and very social, which I think is such a key part of growing any presence online. I showed up every day. I posted something every day. I engaged with everyone who left a comment. I was eager to chat, to meet new people, to hear feedback, to have conversations with people from all around the world. I wasn’t just posting and walking away—I really wanted to connect, to be part of a creative community, to learn from others as much as I wanted to share my own work.

I was also lucky to be there right when Instagram and Twitter launched. I joined early, when the platforms were still small and intimate, before things became so noisy and competitive. It was much easier back then to stand out if you were creating something beautiful and meaningful. Today, it’s a completely different landscape. There’s so much content, so many voices, and algorithms that didn’t exist back when I was growing. Now, it’s harder to be noticed, harder to grow. It’s also a more polished, professional space—everyone feels like they need to be a professional content creator to even start.

If I could offer advice to someone starting now, it would be this: don’t get caught up in the numbers. I know it’s discouraging when it feels like no one is seeing what you create, and it’s easy to start questioning yourself. But the truth is, the algorithms have so much control over reach these days. I’ve posted the exact same artwork at different times and had one post reach 100,000 likes while another barely reached 2,000—with the same audience. That difference has nothing to do with the quality of the work, or with me. It’s just the algorithm.

So I really believe the most important thing is to create from your heart. Post the things you love, the things that feel meaningful to you, the work you’re excited to share. Don’t wait until you feel it’s perfect. Don’t overthink it. Just keep sharing, because that’s the only way you’ll grow, both in skill and confidence. When you second-guess yourself too much, you end up not posting at all—and then you never give yourself the chance to be seen, to get feedback, to begin.

Most of all, remember that social media is meant to be social. Be open. Be curious. Talk to people. Engage genuinely. Some of the most rewarding moments for me have come from the connections I’ve made, not just the content I’ve shared. I think that’s what really builds a lasting, meaningful audience: showing up as yourself, staying consistent, and treating it as a space to connect, not just to broadcast.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

While the very beginning of Cocorrina is a story of resilience in itself, what people don’t always see is that the real resilience happens in all the moments between. Running a business isn’t a straight line—it’s a constant balancing act between highs and lows, good years and hard years. And sometimes, the hardest parts aren’t the big dramatic setbacks, but the small, quiet moments of uncertainty that happen along the way.

There are so many factors that affect a business that are completely out of your control—things like wars, political shifts, economic downturns, or even something as simple (but powerful) as an algorithm change. And as a business owner, you have to face these things head-on, even when they feel overwhelming. There have been times where we didn’t know if enough orders would come in to sustain us, or if we could afford to run a production, big or small. There’s always this weight of will this work? will this reach people? will we be able to deliver on time?

These moments are incredibly scary. And to be honest, there have been points in our journey where Theo and I sat down and seriously discussed selling Cocorrina—not because we didn’t love what we do, but because the pressure, the responsibility, and the constant stress felt so heavy. Running a business takes a lot of courage. It takes a lot of strength to carry the responsibility of turning an idea into a real product, managing production, customer support, marketing, and every tiny moving part in between. It’s not just making pretty things—it’s an intense, high-stakes process that demands everything from you.

It’s definitely not for the faint-hearted. You have to really want it. You have to keep showing up, even when it’s scary, even when it feels like everything could fall apart. But at the end of the day, the ability to create something from nothing, to bring an idea into the world and see people connect with it—that’s what keeps me going. That’s the part that makes all the challenges worth it.

There’s a unique kind of freedom and fulfillment that comes from building something of your own, despite all the risks and fears. And for me, that’s where resilience lives: in choosing to keep going, to keep believing, even when it would be easier to walk away.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.cocorrina.com/
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/cocorrina.co
• Facebook: https://facebook.com/cocorrina
• Twitter: https://x.com/cocorrina
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@cocorrina

Image Credits

Julia Brenner @etherjulia, Wendy Hansen, @aquietwild