Creative Partnership

✨ Hello, I’m Fran, Your NLP & Business Coach. I’m exploring a wide range of business ideas and money-making paths, with practical takeaways you can apply.

In this episode, I'm interviewing Nicole Santiago.

Nicole is a 22-year-old neurodivergent entrepreneur who has been growing a social media-focused small business for nearly three years. 

Her journey is one of self-discovery, continuous learning, and relentless self-improvement as she refines her craft and builds a brand that reflects who she is and what she stands for.

You can connect to Nicole in the following ways⬇️
https://www.instagram.com/nclsocials/

Find me @ www.melancholymentor.com

As a coach, I listen without judgment, understanding that others views may differ from my own.

#nlpcoach #nlpcoaching #creativity #inspiration #transformation #businesssuccess

Transcript

Welcome And Cross-Border Hello

Fran 0:15

Let's ignite our creative potential together. Hello and welcome to Melancholy Coaching Podcast, the show that highlights different business owners and ideas. I'm Fran, your NLP and business coach, and I'm delighted to introduce a creative guest. Nicole is a 22-year-old neurodivergent entrepreneur who has been growing a social media focused small business for nearly three years. Her journey is one of self-discovery, continuous learning, and relentless self-improvement as she refines her craft and builds a brand that reflects who she is and what she stands for. Nicole, welcome to the show.

Nicole 1:03

Hi! Hi Brand. Thank you for welcoming me to the show and this opportunity to be here.

Fran 1:10

Just for complete transparency, we haven't met in person because we're actually in different countries, aren't we?

Nicole 1:16

Yeah, I'm actually based in the Philippines. So this is a big opportunity for me. And I feel like I'm really thankful to just be here.

Fran 1:26

Oh, you're very welcome. So for anybody else lit listening, I'm based in England in the UK. So Nicole's in the Philippines, which is incredible. So we actually connected across social media. So social media does wonderful things.

Power And Intent Of Social Media

Nicole 1:40

It is a powerful tool to connect to people. Yes, yes.

From Healthcare To Creative Entrepreneurship

Fran 1:44

When when used when used with the intention that you want to have it for, you know, because I understand that social media can also come with its its potential negatives, but the intention that we want to use it for is to learn and grow and connect with people and share our business ideas, you know, the creative things that we do. So I've got a couple of questions for you, Nicole, if that's all right for you, and then we'll have a little chat around it. Yeah, sure. Totally. Yeah. Amazing. Right. So what inspired you to start your social media focused business and how has your neurodivergent perspective shaped your approach?

Neurodiversity As An Edge

Nicole 2:24

Okay, so let me start first with how I started my social media business. So it didn't actually occur to me that I could start a social media business because I was actually a healthcare student. So yes, I am someone in healthcare, and I was studying medical technology or medical laboratory science for other countries, and I was mainly focused with like the science aspect and stuff. But I've all I've always leaned into the arts, like I've always been like a creative person in general, and then I've always loved like painting, music, and stuff like that. And then eventually I had like I had my own, like I've been a personality on social media as well, in a way, yes, and it's like, oh, maybe I could merge my creativity and how I knew how to navigate, like how I can navigate social media and help others through it as well. And then that's how I unlock the whole social media business type of thing. And then how did my neurodivergency play to it? Now I feel like neurodivergency is just a different way of thinking, like it's like I I would say that it has its like it has its negatives, of course. Like it does sometimes I have to acknowledge that there are weaknesses that I could like there is stuff that I could do, I can't do because other people are more equipped to do that. But and that really comes into the comparison play, like like being like comparing yourself, but I think it allowed me also to view things differently, it allowed me different perspectives that I feel that being neurodivergent gave me the ability to just do that. Like I feel like, yeah, so that's really something that I had to change in my mindset that I just like operate differently. I but I am no less of a person. And yeah, sometimes I do have my doubts. Like sometimes I do have my I have my fears that I'd be I'd have my fears that I'd be belittled or like seen as someone who isn't capable, but we we all have fears.

Naming Fears And Limiting Beliefs

Fran 4:57

We all have fears and in that context they go into what's called limiting beliefs, and they're things that we can work on. You know, we all have fears. It's the brain's way of keeping us safe, yes, to add fears in because your brain's uh your main kind of job is is to keep you alive and to keep you safe. So if it thinks it's something scary, it could stop you from doing it.

Nicole 5:21

Yes, exactly. And I feel like there's a lot of fear like going into this, jumping from healthcare, like that's yeah. So I feel like there's but once I got past that limiting belief, I feel like and had like the accommodations to just cater also to my neurodivergency. Once I leaned more into my strengths, that's when I unlocked like the whole like business aspect to it.

Fran 5:51

And yeah, oh and thank you very much for sharing that. I've got I've got another question for you, which goes into the comparison. Actually, you've already alluded to it. So, how do you handle self-doubt, you know, or comparison, especially in the early stages of building your brand, and what has kept you moving forward?

Rethinking Comparison And Role Models

Modelling Excellence And Staying Unique

Nicole 6:12

So, for for how I handled the comparison, I didn't handle it well. I didn't handle it well, like when I was starting, because I was only like 19 during that time. So I was very, I wouldn't say I was very young, but for someone at the cusp of adulthood and like just like being a woman in general, there's a lot of again self-doubt that plays into it. So being also a person of color and then being also neurodivergent and being also a woman, I'm like, oh no, like there are people that do this better than me, and that takes a lot of self-acceptance that you're not the best in your field, and that's okay. And I had to like really shift my mindset about that, that I could be better, like it doesn't have to be, oh, I'm worse. Instead of thinking I'm worse, I had to think that oh, I could be better. And I think I've really viewed comparison as a privilege because it means that I could have someone to come like have someone as a role model, and I feel like I feel like being surrounded by most of my clients are women, and most of them are also women entrepreneurs, and I feel like that's so empowering because I could see like a future that I could have, and even though I tend to like compare myself, I still have that, like I still tend to do that, like comparing myself. I have to ground myself in the moment, like you're doing great, you're doing great, you're doing good, and these are the people that you can be in the future, not someone you have to compete with, because comparison doesn't have to be a competition, sometimes it can be inspiration, if that makes sense.

Fran 8:13

Absolutely, absolutely, because there's a thing within neurolinguistic programming, which is what I do called modeling, and you model excellence. So you choose a person or a business that you consider to be what you're aspiring to, or that has attributes that you admire, and you model those qualities. It's not about copying, it's not about feeling less than, it's how do they do what they do, and you model that excellence. Um, the same happens within sports, you know, you can model top sports people or you know, whatever profession you're in, and it's what's makes them them, and then how can you interpret that to your own self? Because it's also about staying in your own lane, isn't it? You know, and appreciating all the all the good things that you can do, and then working. I think that we can all do better, and we can do better at being ourselves, you know. You can learn to grow more and more every day, can't you?

Nicole 9:12

So we get better at being ourselves and better at yes, because we like we bring a certain type of flavor or a certain type of newness in like the world, so it's like completely unique still.

Clients, Niches, And Growth

Fran 9:26

Yes, yeah, and that's your that's your superpower. So yeah, you're your unique superpower. You've just mentioned actually that the majority of your clients are women and they're women entrepreneurs. Do you work with any gender or would you like to focus on working with women?

Nicole 9:44

I feel like I'm open to working with any any gender, but I would say that I'm partial to women only because that I feel that my experience with them has really been fulfilling and been really, really good. And but I would love to also have like like business entrepreneurs who are men because I want to like diversify or at least like dip my foot into that pond and really really just expand like what I already know because you know, even though it's my comfort zone, I want to improve as an entrepreneur as well.

Nonlinear Paths And Cultural Pressures

Fran 10:25

Yeah, so yeah, yeah, I understand. And there's no wrong or right answer to any of this because we lean into what our niches are or what what skill set and experience we've got, you know, in in building these businesses, and then we can hold our hands out and help the next person along because we have the expertise in that. Um I used to be in healthcare as well, by the way. I was I was actually a carer, so for over 25 years, and I really trained as a coach. So yeah, so I feel like any past experiences, no matter what age you are, they can still lend into what you're doing now because you would have learned things along the way, and it's about gathering those learnings and moving forward.

Nicole 11:06

I I agree, I agree. Actually, a lot I I would say that my work ethic developed because I was a student in healthcare, and I would say that I wouldn't be the person that I am without the like the without the experiences I've had before. And even though I would say that the path that I took isn't really the most ideal or the most like it isn't the most ideal since it's like not as clear-cut, you know, being an entrepreneur, everyone's like, oh, why would you choose that path? And it's like being Asian as well, being Asian as well. So it's like I I'm dealing with a lot of I've dealt with backlash, so but I I'd say I wouldn't regret like having the path that I did because it shaped me to who I am right now.

Myth Of Overnight Success

Fran 12:05

Yeah, it's an English performer, like singer and actor that I'm going to see later this year, and he was like a a 70s kind of heart throb, you know, back in the day. So anyone in in England would or the UK would no doubt have heard of the performer David Essex, or possibly overseas as well. So he's in his 70s now, and there's a particular thing that he said a while back, and he's kind of it's a loose quote that I'm gonna say, it's not a direct quote, but it was about his overnight success took 10 years. So, you know, from the moment that people saw him on the TV or on on, you know, with his music, and and they thought, oh, he's an overnight success. And he said, but they didn't see the 10 years before that where he was going to gigs and nobody was there, or he was trying to build it up for all of that time and then seemed like an overnight success. So I feel that that lends itself also to the entrepreneur world, you know, especially with that comparison that we can see bigger businesses or see people succeeding generally, and you think, how you know, I could never do that. How have they could have been building that for quite a long time and we all build things in a different way? And I just love that thing of like, you know, there's potentially there's no overnight success because there's always things that you've learned along the way that come come into it.

Nicole 13:24

And like, even though, like, if there's overnight success, even though if if there is, I think it's different if you can make it sustainable as well.

Virality, Sustainability, And Strategy

Fran 13:36

Because a lot of things that's a valid point. Yeah, because sometimes you could do that one thing and it kind of blows up as such and it's successful. Is there longevity in that? Can you maintain that that level, especially when it's just come, you know, suddenly? Yeah, I should imagine that's a lot to deal with.

Nicole 13:53

And that's also like takes a lot of work, and that takes also a lot of work because like I couldn't imagine like being being someone like I did actually have an experience like this, like one of my TikToks blew up, and unfortunately, I wasn't like I wasn't thinking like a strategist or I wasn't thinking like someone who could like imagine being content creation being a part of my full time or something like that. But yeah, I I just let it be, and now I'm like I'm like I that was an opportunity I could have had, you know? And I think with your story, I feel like I feel like there's also like a part like wow, like other people that could do it, like could still do it. That's a lot to admire there for, you know?

Fran 14:47

Yeah. And who's to say that the learnings that you've got from that TikTok that blew up or anything, you know, that's been successful on social media, that in three years' time, you know, you won't build towards that kind of success again. And it's just part of that journey.

Fear Of Being Seen

Nicole 15:02

Exactly. Yeah. No, I actually haven't thought of that, but I feel like that also helped me in my social media business. So I feel like, oh, maybe it's also a type of redirection or something that I value now as a learning, and you're totally right about it.

Fran 15:20

But also with your social media business, you're gonna get entrepreneurs who potentially may have fears of being public or putting themselves out there, and then something gains a bit of traction, and that could be that could be fearful. You know, we fear success as easily as we fear failure.

Nicole 15:39

Yes, it is like uh yes, it is a valid fear for them. Like they fear showing up, some of them fear showing up, and I feel like a lot of them don't actually fear showing up, they just fear the success that comes with it. Like they fear being seen or being perceived, and the the opinions that come with it, I feel like that's the most like hard the that that's the hardest thing about it, and I totally understand because I've been there.

What’s Next: Rebrand, Site, Blog

Fran 16:12

That's where that's where the learnings from that experience can pay forward, you know. Yeah. What I'd like to ask you now is just what's next for you? What are you gonna be doing next?

Nicole 16:22

So currently I'm in the process of rebranding, or like I'm not totally rebranding or overhauling like the business, but I do plan on shifting it to more of like I recently did my brand photo shoot, and I'm going, yeah, so it's a first for me, like to actually invest into something that could be good for my brand. And then I am going to have a website, I am going to launch that very soon, and also a blog. I do plan on having a blog in the future and a newsletter, so everything is just I do just plan on doing what I know right now, but in the future, I do plan on just scaling in a way that is forcing me to grow. So, as like as an entrepreneur, yeah, and maybe do more of podcasts. I do hope, I do hope that I am able to have more opportunities like this.

Encouragement, Handles, And Sign-Off

Fran 17:25

Yes, yeah, amazing. Well, you're always welcome back to talk to me, by the way.

Nicole 17:30

Yeah, I would love to be here again, and it's really it's been fun.

Fran 17:36

I'd like to thank you so for sharing your journey and your practical insights. And the I feel like you've got a lot of energy around you as well, and that you can really help others grow in social media. Like I love that energy. It'd be nice to see that that personality just coming out a little bit more.

Nicole 17:55

Yeah. Oh, I do have like people tell me that I do have a personality.

Fran 18:01

All right, for those of you learning interested in learning more about Nicole and her work, you're on Instagram, aren't you? Yes, I am. Yeah, and your Instagram is NCLS, uh, no, NCL Socials.

Nicole 18:15

Yes, yes, it's NCL Socials on Instagram.

Fran 18:19

Amazing, thank you. And if you're interested in more content like this, be sure to visit www.melancolymentor.com and that's me. So you can follow us for the latest updates. And until next time, stay curious, keep igniting your creative potential, and don't be worrying about all those limiting beliefs and things like that, because there's people like Nicole and myself that can help you through that. And we've still got our own, haven't we? You know, I feel like I'm messy, imperfect action at life. I think it's always yeah, I'm always striving, you know. I do something, and then I'm always striving to do better. And I feel like that's a lot of the point of life, you know, that we we learn and grow and we just do better for ourselves.

Nicole 19:02

Yeah, definitely. I feel like it's just a matter of how we're going to improve. I think we're all just messy and imperfect. The best we can do is just improve ourselves. Yeah.

Fran 19:14

So for socials, go and find Nicole and go find Fran as well. All right, thank you so much, Nicole. I've loved this. Thank you. I've got a big thing. Thank you so much. Thank you for listening. I'd love for you to subscribe and visit www.melancolymentor.com for the latest update. Till next time, stay curious and keep igniting your creative potential.