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

Nicole, 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.

This year I made one of the scariest decisions of my life. I left my corporate job and broke the cardinal rule of not having something concrete lined up next. What I did have was a dream, and I was about to see what taking a leap of faith looks like. I have a loving husband and two young children, a mortgage to pay, and a million reasons I should have stayed put. Despite how scary it was, it was a choice I felt I HAD to make.

Let me rewind for a minute. For the last thirteen years I have worked in the corporate world in various industries and I held mostly office coordinating positions. If I am being honest, these were never jobs I was passionate about. They just paid the bills and I enjoyed collaborating with my coworkers. I knew deep down this was not my place. My interests were in the field of human services and psychology, but for the longest time I had no idea which direction to move in.

When I graduated college, I dove into my first corporate job because it seemed like the sensible thing to do. I was soon accepted into a Master’s program for Hospital Administration and then three weeks before my classes were to start, my dad passed away. And my whole world changed as I knew it. It was an absolute devastation to me and my family.

When he first died, I felt that when I was ready, I would tell my story with hope to inspire others. This loss and grief felt so big and tragic that I knew something should come from it, something good. It reminded me that my true passion was to serve others, to make an impact. I dropped out of the Master’s program after one semester. I didn’t know HOW it would all happen, but I knew that I was being re-directed.

How could I serve others? Where should I start? Writing was one of the most instrumental tools in my healing process. So naturally, I created a blog and it quickly started to light my soul on FIRE. And then I really started to wonder…what else can I do? Last year I became a Certified Grief Coach and had my first taste in public speaking. I also started to explore the world of non- profits. It finally felt like this dream was beginning to materialize, piece by piece.

Even though I finally found my direction, I still had a lot of work to do. I didn’t know the first thing about entrepreneurship and the fear of the unknown nearly paralyzed me. I had all the love and support from my family, but this was personal. I would have to make this decision myself, no matter how scary and no matter how much I doubted myself.

Despite how difficult this all felt, it was also quite simple to me. I wanted to build a business and I needed more time to do that. I had to clear some space, so this job had to go.

Soon I stopped thinking about all the things I was risking and potentially losing, and started to focus on the things I would be gaining and running towards. And the risk of never seeing this dream through, became far greater than leaving behind a stable corporate job.

I finally felt ready to close this chapter, even though I was scared out of my wits. It truly is a LEAP of faith, eyes wide shut and everything. Taking risks and stepping outside of my comfort zone is not something that comes natural to me. I had made quite a cozy home in the corporate world after all. But I had overstayed my welcome. It was time to go.

I kept waiting for someone else to open the door for me, for permission to choose myself. But when I opened the door on my own, I felt like the universe shifted right then and there. All I had to do was trust and believe in myself and listen to what had been calling to me for all these years. I believe to my core that what is meant for you, will find its way to you. But you must answer the call.

This was about eight months ago. I now work part-time for two different non-profit organizations. One supports young adult cancer survivors, and the other supports children grieving the loss of a parent. I spend my time doing community engagement, and program coordinating and I have met so many incredible people.

I have also had the chance to  collaborate with other like-minded souls and speak in front of groups and I am still growing my grief coaching business. In 2025 I will be involved in several writing workshops and I plan on continuing to serve others in as many ways as I can.

I still have so much to learn and a long, long way to go. I don’t have it all quite figured out, but I am really enjoying this ride! Joining the world of non-profits and entrepreneurship was the best decision I could have ever made. The mental agony is gone, and in its place is total peace and fulfillment. I really do believe if you feel called to do something, and you move in that direction with all your heart, then you can’t lose.

There is no greater risk than ignoring what sets your soul on fire.

Nicole, 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 am an ICF Certified Grief Coach and Public Speaker. I work 1:1 with clients that are grieving the loss of a loved one. An ideal client would be someone who needs guidance on how to move forward, process their emotions, understand their grief, and find peace and joy in their life again. I also am available for public speaking. I have a crafted motivational speech that involves my journey through grief with a message of hope and finding the beauty in life again.
My Bachelor’s degree is in Human Services and Rehab Studies so this work has always been a huge interest to me. Grief work found me after the loss of my dad and it has been a growing passion ever since. I truly love what I do and love helping others along a journey that was extremely difficult for me to navigate.

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

In order for me to make the leap out of corporate America and into this world of entrepreneurship, I had to rewire my way of thinking. From a young age, society led me to believe that a steady job, with a steady paycheck and health benefits was the best way and the safest way. I should chase the big paychecks, promotions, new job titles and climb the corporate ladder. And if I ever decided to give my notice, I should have another job lined up. Those beliefs were so deep rooted that I almost didn’t budge.
But what if there was another way? Surely not one size fits all. I knew logically there were many other ways to make a living and pursue your dreams. But when you do something long enough it becomes so comfortable that anything different seems terrifying. But if I wanted this bad enough, then I had to question everything.
I know these jobs serve a purpose in the world but what about the purpose I was trying to serve? I had already begun walking in the new direction that was calling to me, and I felt with so much conviction that I would figure it out.
“As you start to walk on the way, the way appears”- Rumi.
I couldn’t keep waiting for the next door to open, the next safety net. For the first time in my life, I had to have faith in myself. I had to trust my own intuition, and go against everything I knew to be true. Not only was I battling beliefs from the outside world, but I had to battle my own inner critic as well. And that inner voice was quite stubborn!
I had to stop worrying about what other people might want or deem acceptable. I had to find my own voice and not rely on the opinions or validation from others. I had to unlock a level of confidence and courage I had not yet explored. And more importantly, I had to lean into my own truth and authenticity. Did I want to rewrite this story? We all have the option to rewrite our own stories, it’s just a matter of giving yourself permission to do so.
And instead of worrying about all that could go wrong, I pivoted to- what if it all works out? If you train yourself to focus only on the good, then the good is all you will see. Rewiring all these belief systems was such a hard mental battle for me. But once I changed my perspective, the way forward became clear and I felt free to finally choose my own way.

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

The word resilience is a crucial word throughout anyone’s journey with grief. I don’t have one particular story about resilience, I think that it IS the story. Resilience is hard fought, it is messy, it is scary, it is devastating, but it is also brilliant and empowering. Anyone who has lost someone they love, has had to find some sort of resilience to fight their way to a happy life again. Everyone’s road looks a little different and is entirely unique to them.
Grief wasn’t even in my vocabulary before my dad died. And in the first few years after his passing, I really didn’t want to look at it too closely. It took a lot of time and inner work to get to a place where I am now able to center my life around it. It can certainly be a tough headspace to live in- the thing that brings me joy and fulfillment, was born out of something that caused me so much pain. It’s sort of like scratching at your deepest wound every day. But thankfully, I am a much more healed version of myself and I can let all those feelings have their space.
I also think that both of my parents are woven into the foundation of all my resilience. Seeing my mom handle her grief with such grace and strength inspired my own willingness to lean into my grief and not suppress it away. I have had her example and guidance with me always. And I believe my dads influence has lived on inside of me for all these years. My resilience comes from wanting to honor him and the life that he lived. I feel that strength now more than ever before.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.nicolescimone.com
• Instagram: @nicolescimone_

Image Credits

na