Nicole Brown
Disability Management Advisor and Baker
Thank you so much for this opportunity. I struggled for a while to do this and I tried multiple times to answer the questions as they seemed so daunting and would put me in a space where I was vulnerable to others, which was scary.
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What are you most proud of professionally? And who or why?
I am currently working for the Department of National Defence as a Disability Management Advisor and I am currently working on my Masters of Public Administration. These things are so important professionally to me because with my job, I was out of work for a bit of time and during that time I was worried about where my career would end up going. I then landed this job that I am really enjoying and I was able to use my experience being out of work in my interview to be open and honest about why I would succeed in this job.
With school I decided to apply during this period of being out of work and I was so unsure about what was next for me professionally, so I really thought about the things that what were important to me and how could I get there, so I took a leap of faith and applied to Dalhousie for this program. I was so excited to be accepted and excited to start thinking of how this program will help me in the future professionally.
Lastly I am extremely proud of my small business that I am working on and creating slowly, which is my Cake/Sweets business. I never thought I would be starting something like this that is my own.
What was your greatest stage of growth? What made it a shift for you?
I contemplated sharing my surface level answer but I decided to share a part of my story. The past 3 years have been a stage of growth that I didn't know I needed.
I went through a very, very tough breakup, my heart was broken and I as a person was broken. I honestly could not see the light at the end of the tunnel, I didn't see how I would heal. I felt small, ashamed, embarrassed, hurt, angry, and lost. My shift happened because I didn't want to be in that space anymore, I didn't want to snap at my parents anymore, I didn't want to be in a constant emotional fog, I didn't want to feel that physical pain anymore.
Through this healing process, which I could not have done without God, and my amazing support system (friends, family, etc) who carried me on those days when I couldn't carry myself. I learnt to love myself, care for myself, offer myself empathy and learnt to be a friend to myself.
I started to understand that it was okay to put me first and to sometimes say no. I consciously worked on healing.
I am still learning and growing from this. I am learning to be unapologetic about who I am, because that experience made me question my worth. I know it sounds cliche lol, I am not where I want to be yet, but I am definitely not where I was.
What’s your favourite or most read book or podcast? Now or at each of your greatest stages of growth?
I really enjoy the Transformation Church podcast, a Harry Potter podcast and one called Blessed and Bossed Up. I read a book by Brene Brown - The Gifts of Imperfection that I really enjoyed and gave me some really good insight.
What’s your deepest learning from this past year? How did/will you apply it?
This past year has taught me to live in the now and to appreciate the people who are still in your life. This past year has really shown me how things can change so quickly, how tomorrow is not promised to anyone.
I also learnt that I have this skill of baking and creating. At first it was like "Yea, I bake, I'm okay". I have realized that I started to focus on this skill that I have been blessed with and acknowledge that it is something I can be proud of.
Who’s inspired you, directly or indirectly? How have they inspired you?
BLACK WOMEN! I am so inspired by the black woman breaking barriers and leading in many industries. There are some I know and some I don't. Black women have two checks against them, being a woman and being black. I see black women rising in academia, I see black women rising in health care, I see black women rising in politics, I see black women rising in business, I see black women rising in the community, I see black women rising as entrepreneurs, I see black women rising in telling their story, I see black women rising in fitness, I see black women rising in the government, I see black women rising in law and corrections, I see black women rising in the corporate world. These are all areas where women of color were not seen, but they are not choosing to let that stop them from rising and pushing barriers.
I also recognize they are also mothers, working mothers, stay at home mothers, community mothers. As a child growing I was not able to comprehend the sacrifice, but I can now. Understanding the role of the Black Mother, I am inspired by their drive, grit, inherent resiliency and selflessness.
What would you have done differently?
I would have slowed down and enjoyed the moment more, I think I always have this idea of what my future was and what should come, but not really focusing on the moment or stage I was in.
What are the principles you live by?
I know it may sound morbid, but I was talking to an old manager one time at a job I had. She said something along the lines that when she dies, she doesn't want people to talk about what she did or what she had, but she wanted to be remembered for how she made them feel. That was something that really stuck with me.
I also live by my faith and prayer.
How have you recovered from fractured professional relationships? What uncomfortable truths have you learned about yourself in those experiences?
Fractured professional relationships are hard and difficult to recover from. I think that in my experience I felt shame, when things didn't work out or things were rocky. I was discouraged. I recovered by focusing on so many other opportunities, this is an opportunity for me to learn and to look at what steps I need to take forward. Not to say I was positive all the time, because some days are harder than others, I let myself be upset for a bit but then then I had to face the music. I've learned a lot about how I work, my work ethic, how a supervisor/manager may perceive your actions, environments that work for me and ones that don't. It is uncomfortable because you then see things that you could have or should have done differently, things that in hindsight you didn't notice at the time. It is uncomfortable for me because I had to look at habits I had that may not have been the best and work on those for the next time.
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Entrepreneur, Christian, Dog Lover, Baker, Disability Management, Athletic Therapy, Black Professional, Advocate