Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Nichelle Polston. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Nichelle , appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.

The story behind HerNormal is empowering. Unfortunately, my online magazine didn’t start off that way, it was called something else. Here’s why:

At one time, I thought I had life all figured out and planned. I checked-off college, a lucrative career and marriage, in what I thought was a timely manner. In my early thirties, I was ready to check one more thing off my list- a child. I was ready to expand my family but my husband and I were met with hurdles and fertility challenges. A few years into our journey, I decided to write about it, and recruited a friend of mine who was very open about her desire to get married. In 2015, we launched the website, “Give Me a Ring and a Baby.” It became a space specifically designed for women in the race against their biological clocks to either get married or have children. However, the site quickly evolved and I decided to rebrand it as “HerNormal,” empowering women to embrace their normal, even when their lives look different from the societal norm. That was my approach when met with questions about my family status. One day, I literally started counting my blessings instead of focusing on what people said was missing from my life.

I understand the strong desire that some women have to be a wife, or start a family. I also understand that those things aren’t desired by every person. Some people are happily single, comfortably childless, more interested in health, beauty, mental wellness, or work- life balance. I also quickly realized the importance of embracing your normal, and not looking at it as a permanent status. Recognizing the importance of being intentional about your happiness, I believe HerNormal encourages women to stand firm with confidence about their “normal” especially when bombarded with questions about their relationship status, womanhood, career, and uterus. It’s a place that reassures them that they are not alone. Women can find stories that will make them laugh, mentally escape real world pressures, or gain inspiration from sisters on the move. So help spread the word and visit, www.HerNormal.com.

Nichelle , love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I decided to become a journalist at age 7. At that age, I was home, recovering from the chickenpox and watching the news and I enjoyed how each story was presented. It was a lighter side of the news that day- filled with community interest stories. I thought to myself-I can do that and started working toward my goals. I literally spoke my dreams into existence and began my news career immediately after college. I have worked in a variety of television markets since 2002 and for 16 years, I worked as a news reporter, co-hosted a news magazine show and created an online magazine to empower women. I also flex my journalistic arm in my current political communications job, helping my colleagues explain the motivation behind various bills and measures.

However, I’m most proud of my online magazine, HerNormal. It’s all mine and empowering women hits really close to my heart. My mission is twofold. First, I love to uplift women in the race against their biological clocks to achieve a certain level of success in a wide range of areas. Finally, I love to give writers a chance to work, and be creative. Sometimes, it can be a challenge to break into this field and I hope that I continue to be a blessing to creatives or an inspiration to others who are sitting on ideas. I’m living proof that dreams do come true.

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

The biggest lesson I had to unlearn is that everyone in my life was going to support my dreams. When I started HerNormal, I assumed people in my life would share it on social media or do something as simple as hit the “like” button on social media. The reality is – not every person will see your vision or support your dream and that’s ok.

Today, I’m more committed to my work on HerNormal. When people support it -that’s a bonus. I no longer spend time worried about who’s in my corner and who’s not. What matters is how much I enjoy working on HerNormal and how I can continue to move the online magazine forward.

We’d love to hear the story of how you built up your social media audience?

One word: Consistency. Unfortunately, I still struggle with this but I’ve witnessed growth when I’m consistent and committed to producing content for HerNormal.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://hernormal.com/
• Instagram: @her_normal
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HerNormal/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nichelle-p-6505b1188/
• Twitter: @HerNormal
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIgyuZgkzujIzxvDF0B2gIA

Image Credits
Ricky Codio