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

Alright, Nicole thanks for taking the time to share your stories and insights with us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?

I get asked if I miss working in sports and entertainment all the time. For some people, it’s hard to imagine that there could be anything better. But, I can confirm – there is! I have never been happier, including in the work portion of my life.

To be fair, a significant part of my happiness comes from an alignment of values and priorities across all areas of my life, mindset shifts, and changes to my general approach to life. But all of that is supported by my daily decision to be an entrepreneur.

When I find myself reminiscing about my previous career, I’m usually confronting something difficult as an entrepreneur. I missed a revenue target, or my marketing isn’t converting. At that moment, a “regular job” sounds like a much easier option. You show up, and they hand you a check, right?

We all know that’s not true, but it’s an example of how we romanticize the familiarity of the past when we’re trying to avoid new and challenging things in our present or future.

When I’m in that place, I remind myself that I chose this path for a reason. I think about all the things I love about my business and my life and how being a business owner and coach facilitates that.

I think about the results I’ve facilitated for my clients and the freedom and flexibility I’ve created for myself. It isn’t long before the thoughts about going to work for someone else fade away.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a life coach for women executives.

I had always been passionate about supporting women in business. I was very aware of the specific challenges women executives face because I observed them and lived them.

I was also aware that the resources provided by most companies didn’t adequately address the challenges (if they were acknowledged or addressed at all). Women were (and still are) presented with false choices, and lack-luster options.

When I started to explore how I could help address the gap in resources, coaching stood out as an option.

I’m not creative in the traditional sense. I’m not artistic at all. I am, however, an incredibly creative problem solver. I see possibility where others see obstacles and roadblocks. As a coach, I get to help my clients see new possibilities for their lives. It’s the most rewarding work I’ve ever done.

Smitn is the name of the company. It’s a play on my last name and first initial, but it also represents how I want every client to feel – completely smitten with their life. I offer customized one-on-one coaching experiences that can include any combination of life coaching and executive coaching. But it’s not just about navigating life and work – it’s about creating lives that work.

As a former executive, I have a lot of empathy and understand for where my clients are and the challenges they’re facing. Also as a Black woman, I bring cultural perspective and understanding that’s often missing in coaching and work environments. My coaching isn’t just theoretical. It’s grounded in real world experience.

I walk alongside each client and guide them as they step into the happiest, healthiest, and most complete and confident phases of their life. My personalized coaching experiences provide support, help clear obstacles, and remind you of your greatness on the path to your best life and favorite version of yourself.

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

The last five years have been full of unlearning! Many things I had accepted as facts proved to be suggestions and once I was aware and brave enough to make unconventional choices, that’s when my life started to feel like it belonged to me.

Once I was out of the day-to-day of corporate life, and began to learn more about building a small business I quickly realized the idea that there’s one right way to build a business is not true!

There are multiple ways to build a successful business. We haven’t learned every method that works, so don’t be afraid to try something new or different. It will work or it won’t. Either way, you’ll learn something new. No experience is ever a waste unless you allow it to be.

Well before I put it into action, I read about unlearning in “The Four Agreements” by Don Miguel Ruiz. I highly recommend it.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’m a life coach now, but that’s not how my career started.

For almost 20 years, I was a sports and marketing executive. It was a fun, fast paced career that allowed me to learn, grow and travel. I worked for The Walt Disney Company, NASCAR, in the NBA, WNBA and Major League Baseball.

In 2017, I was a CMO on the D Magazine top executives in Dallas list. I had great work experience and a wonderful network from my years in the sports and entertainment industries. But something was missing for me. I was craving change – it was time to pivot!

This wasn’t simply a career switch, it was an identity shift. I think that’s an aspect of growth and change that is often overlooked and rarely talked about.

I had to mourn the loss of the woman I thought I was going to be and welcome the woman I was and wanted to be. Which meant turning down offers for executive roles in sports (something I had worked very hard to achieve) to do what I knew was the highest and best use of my time.

I navigated other people’s expectations, opinions, projections, and judgments which required me to embrace that their thoughts belonged to them, not me. I didn’t have to carry them.

I had to address my own judgments, self-criticism, and uncertainty. What we think about ourselves can be the biggest obstacle to success.

I refused to let myself be the reason I didn’t succeed. Having coaching tools and coaches helped tremendously. It’s one reason I advocate for this work – I’m a product of my product. I know it works.

And even with all of the difficulty, I’d do it all again. I love what I do, I love my clients, and I love the life and company I’ve created.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.imsmitn.com
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/imsmitn
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/imsmitn
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/smitn/

Image Credits
Rachel Heacox, Heacox Creative