We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Niccole Coleman. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Niccole below.

Niccole, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today. We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

When it comes to taking a risk, I’ve taken many in my forty years on this earth. As a midwest girl who was looking for her place in a big city while building her own avenue, I had to get comfortable with different levels of risk. Initially, I took a risk by moving from my home state, Missouri, all the way to Georgia with no job and only a couch to sleep on with my pup, thanks to my amazing cousin.

I risked it all again when I decided to completely revamp my career path, moving from a rising insurance leader into an entry-level marketing and communications position while still finding a home in a new city.

Yes, those were risks, but the biggest that I’ve taken was to pour my thoughts, words and messages out to the world through pages of a book. As a self-published author, one who started off in erotic romance, the thought of letting strangers read my inner intimate thoughts felt like the biggest mistake of my life. I constantly asked myself, “why would anyone read your stories,” or “you’re a Christian, and what will your family think?” Or even “the world is going to think that these characters are you,” and you know what, there’s a little truth to all those questions and that statement.

But no matter what, I had to heed the words that the incredible writer and author Toni Morrison shared, “If there’s a book that you want to read, but it hasn’t been written yet, then you must write it.” And so I did. I’ve told stories of black women scared to release their inner desires based on what they’ve learned, heard or the trauma they’ve been through, and even though they aren’t my stories, I know that someone out there had to relate, and so many have. Those earlier risks are what I call calculated risks; I can estimate up to about 85 percent what the outcome could be. But when I released those stories to the world, I had no clue what could happen. It was a life-changing risk that has not only reached an audience that has used my words to build their confidence, but it has also encouraged others to write their own stories, which has been a beautiful byproduct that has helped me in building my own creative writing agency, H.E.R. Legacy. Every risk is worth taking, even if the results don’t come out as you dreamt. You will always come out of it with an answer that will drive you to your next destination.

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 HERCrisis.com blog evolved into a community channel and helped to build connections with others across industries. I began attending forums where I spoke to other creatives about my writing journey while gaining readers along the way. It was and continues to be so important to me to let others know that their words matter. Rather than waiting on the perfect time to get them out, start now and before you know it, your story will be written. Enter H.E.R. Legacy.

H.E.R. Legacy is a writing assistant and self-publishing agency that guides writers, poets, new and published authors, and content creators through self-publishing paperback and eBooks, audiobooks, blogs and more. With an eye on elevating passionate voices, we take story outlines and first drafts to completed and self-published books. Our services include programs where we meet over four to six weeks with creatives to complete their manuscripts, guided by a 30-day creative writing workbook, edited by seasoned writing professionals, and polished with the best graphic and book designers. In our Blogger Kick-Starter program, we use our unique bloggers guide to research platforms, teach exercises for creating content, and establish content strategy meetings for accountability, driving ongoing content creation and addressing new writing needs as they come. Additionally, we support marketing needs by creating media kits and brand designs.

I’ve been honored and blessed to form a network of writers, editors, and creatives who share my passion for elevating new voices and new stories to audiences they’ve never known existed. For me and my team, this is not a job. It’s a journey. We are passionate about what we do. Passion was once viewed as a mediocre trait, even at times as a weakness, but passion has always powered progress.

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

This is a great question, and I feel like I’ve had to unlearn many things, but one of the lessons that I have to continue to unlearn to this day is not to mistake ego with facts. I like to think of it as an offshoot of the imposter syndrome, where I once chose not to speak of my work or our successes because I didn’t want to come off as boisterous. But the fact is that if I don’t speak it, who will?

At a young age, I learned how to live under the radar. Initially, I thought it was a safe way to avoid being bullied for the grades I got, or to hide in a crowd when achievements rolled down. Those accolades aren’t anything, look over there at how great these other kids are. This disregard for my achievements hindered me as I got older as I didn’t know how to promote myself in interviews or trust the words that I was writing. I questioned it all and even when I finally reached my goals, I didn’t trust that it was me who did it, hence where imposter syndrome came into play.

Thankfully, I’ve been surrounded by a community of friends and family (let’s call them framily) whose encouragement has helped me to unlearn that behavior. It’s so important that we empower our next steps by acknowledging the work and time it took us to get there. It’s never egotistical to speak of your truth, especially when asked. And even when not asked, understand that speaking with confidence will only get identified as ego by those who truly wish they were in your shoes.

Any resources you can share with us that might be helpful to other creatives?

Yes, absolutely. I really wished I had opened up earlier to my small business community to learn more about applying for grants rather than diving into my savings to launch my business. I actively look on IFundWomen and other sites for grants I can apply for. I’m hoping that 2024 is full of financial opportunities now that I’m seeking out this funding.

Contact Info:

• Website: herlegacymedia.com
• Instagram: h.e.r.legacy
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/H.E.R.LegacyMedia