We spoke to the London-based American blogger about the @mixedup.podcast, how her style blog helped her back on her feet after being made redundant from her longterm job, the influencer union she co-founded and much more.
On starting her personal style blog after being made redundant from her job
"Being made redundant is really emotionally difficult, you question everything, you feel a bit lost, so my blog was definitely my place to kind of gain a bit of myself back and have a little bit of creativity."
How did you know it was time to take the blog full time?
"I didn't, I was just done with working within really restrictive environments and things were picking up here and there. You know when you get that feeling 'this could maybe work, if I could just channel all of my energy into this"
Tips for being your own boss?
"Getting to grips with the balance is a process, And for me it was about waking up at the same time every day, I can't lie in otherwise I feel like the day is just lost. But also breaking down my different tasks and prioritising things"
Advice for anyone looking to grow your following organically?
Finding your own niche at the begging is the "fastest way to grow your following" and "you'll be able to branch out" according to your other interests - "we're all multifaceted people anyway" Nicole explains.
How do you balance sharing but not oversharing?
"I'm an oversharer by nature, so it's meant that I have to hold some things back a bit more [...] for privacy I don't share where I am until I've left the place and I don't share a lot of my private life in terms of my relationship with my husband, because it's up to him whether he wants to be involved in things. I'm the one who chose to do this forward facing career," Nicole shares. "The great thing about being online is that it's a place where a lot of people can make themselves vulnerable, not in an unsafe way, but in a way that provides a lot of opportunity for conversation and learning"
On creating the Mixed Up podcast with Emma Slade Edmondson
"It's nice to have a space to share experiences - I mean I tell her that this is basically my therapy!"
On co-founding The Creator Union
"The aim is to advocate for fair pay within the space, the aim is also to uplift black and brown, muslim, LGBTQIA+, disabled content creators, and make sure their voices are being heard [...] our goal is to campaign on those issues."
The issue with plus size clothing when it comes to sustainable brands
"It's such a problem area, I think so many plus size people are really happy to shop sustainably and are really happy to encouraged to slow down with their purchases and invest" Nicole says, "they are only now getting to the stage of trend-led plus sized fast fashion, so it's kind of just waiting for sustainable brands to extend their sizes and to be inclusive". It's not only about catching up with sizing, but "plus size people want to be trendy, they want to have the cool puff sleeve dress."
Favourite plus size brands?
Girlfriend for activewear
Birdsong for a great the ethical brand
The Emperor's Old Clothing for vintage clothing
By Megan Crosby for made to order clothing
Wardrobe you'd most like to rent - dead, alive or fiction?
Tracee Ellis Ross
Watch the full q&a here:
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