July 24, 2024 • 20 mins
Have you ever wondered how a winding career path can lead to true passion? Join us as we sit down with Nicole Johnson, a licensed clinical social worker whose inspiring journey took her from a first-generation college student at East Carolina University to founding her online-based private practice, Beginner's Mind. Nicole's story is one of exploration and perseverance, as she navigated through fields like nursing, sociology, psychology, and public health before discovering her calling in social work. Nicole also shares the invaluable experiences she gained working as a Certified Nurse Assistant and how these roles shaped her dedication to community mental health.
Ready to transform your approach to mental health and business? Nicole Johnson opens up about her entrepreneurial venture, Beginner's Mind, which focuses on assisting young adults with emotional and mental health challenges. Not only does Nicole provide practical tools and support, but she also inspires others to improve their financial management through her impactful presentations. Learn how the Catalyst Cohort Program fortified the foundation of her business and why differentiation is crucial in small business marketing. Nicole's dual talents as both a model and a therapist add a unique twist to her story, making this episode a must-listen for anyone looking to find their passion and stand out in their field. Connect with Nicole for additional resources at beginnersmindpllc.com and stay tuned for more insightful episodes every Wednesday on BizRadioUS.
https://beginnersmindpllc.com/
02-04-2025
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Veronica (00:07):
Welcome to the Veronica Edwards show where we
have fun financial conversationsthat everyone listening can
apply to their personal andprofessional life.
I'm your host, veronica Edwards, so excited that we're almost
to the end of season three hereon bizradious so it's been three
(00:28):
years that I have been here.
I want to thank the V Team,that's, the listeners that have
been supporting and downloadingthe podcast.
We have exceeded 4,000downloads.
We're actually over 200downloads over that.
So I'm super excited, goinginto season four, that we will
be well on our way to 5,000downloads.
So super excited to have today'sguest who is a client and
(00:51):
friend of mine for the last year.
And this young lady is agraduate of the University of
North Carolina at Charlotte,which is also my alma mater
where she obtained herbachelor's and master's in
social work.
And for the past six years thisguest has served Asheville as a
licensed clinical social worker, which we so need and so
(01:13):
appreciate.
This guest focuses on incommunity mental health, working
with children, families, adultsand groups across various
settings to include schools,offices, community-based crisis
services, inpatient care so manythings that this guest does.
So I'm so excited, withoutfurther ado, to introduce
(01:34):
today's guest, ms Nicole Johnson.
Nicole (01:37):
Hey Nicole, hey Veronica, Thank you so much.
Veronica (01:42):
Thank you.
So, listeners, just a littleinsight.
I've been trying to drag Nicoleon the show.
I feel like since the end oflike, who knows when, I feel
like 2022, 23,.
It's been forever.
So, thank you, thank you, thankyou so much for coming on.
So, nicole, we always start theshow asking the guests to tell
(02:04):
us about you, where you're fromand your story that led you to
be a therapist.
And I'm especially curiousbecause CPAs like yourself less
than 5 percent of therapists andCPAs are of color, so I know
that this is not typically afield where you see people
looking like you when you weregrowing up or even had anyone
(02:24):
encourage you to go in thisfield.
So I would love to hear yourstory, just all about you, and
how you got to this point ofbeing a licensed clinical social
worker.
Nicole (02:36):
Yes, so just starting off from where I'm from, I'm
from Charlotte, north Carolina,and I grew up there with my
brother, my mom and my fatherand also have some extended
family there as well.
And, yeah, I just have beenthere most of my life and, yeah,
(03:01):
I just did a lot of differentactivities.
I really enjoyed sports when Iwas living in Charlotte and
growing up and also, just youknow, all the activities and
stuff that you can that youmight do with family.
And when I went off to college,I was a first generation
college student, so I reallydidn't know what I wanted to do,
(03:24):
and so my first university wasactually East Carolina
University in Greenville, northCarolina.
Veronica (03:30):
Oh girl, the party school.
Okay now, yes, it was.
Nicole (03:34):
And so while when I first went there I thought I
wanted to be a physicaltherapist and that's why I
mentioned gymnastics, because Iwas a gymnast for nine years and
so I thought I wanted to dothat and once I got into college
and started taking theintroductory courses like
(03:55):
psychology and sociology, I justbecame fascinated by it and
shifted my major quite a bit,and it really started with
sociology when I first learnedthat life expectancy can be
determined, can be identifiedbased on area code and that was
(04:16):
just fascinating to me and,growing up in Charlotte, there
is a decent amount ofsegregation just being able to
see where there's differencesbetween cultures and
neighborhoods, and so that ledme to shift my major.
I think it was five times.
Veronica (04:35):
Hey, you could change it 30 times.
You got it right.
Nicole (04:39):
You know it really helped because I didn't have a
template on the options thatwere available and then also
being in public schooling, allof these courses were not
presented, so I didn't know whatI didn't know, and so it went
from physical therapy.
Then I transitioned to nursing.
So I was like, oh, I reallywant to help people and so then
(05:03):
I became a CNA so that I can getone, so I can get an actual
point to get into nursing schooland to get into the field.
But then I didn't want toapproach help through the
medical model, so I shifted tosociology, psychology, public
health and then eventuallylanded on social work.
Veronica (05:24):
I love that.
I love how you had to get to it.
You know, and those that arelistening that have that are on
their way to college or had theyhave young people in their
lives, let them figure it out.
I've remembered the pressure ofyou gotta get done in four
years and if you spend more timein there you're going to have
to pay for it.
You know just all these thingsand, like most of us, when
(05:45):
you're 18 years old, we don'tknow what we want to be when we
grow up.
And we still don't know a lotof time.
I'm 42.
I still don't know at timeswhat I want to be when I grow up
.
So I love that you shared that.
Hey, it took a couple of times.
You started off at one school,you finished at another school,
but once you figured it out, youhad that passion to keep going.
Nicole (06:02):
Exactly, exactly, and it really helped my journey to
be able to see what differentdisciplines study why it matters
to some people in terms ofnursing and medical, physical,
sociology, understandingstructures, public health and
(06:25):
just all the different facets oflife that go within that model.
And so I landed on social workat the end, and that's when I
transitioned to UNC Charlotte,but throughout that time I had
actually been a CNA.
Veronica (06:40):
And for those that are listening, CNA, that's
Certified Nurse Assistant.
Nicole (06:44):
And for those that are listening CNA, that's Certified
Nurse Assistant.
Correct, correct, that'sCertified Nurse Assistant.
And so I actually did that forseven years, throughout the
remainder of my education, and Istarted off in community CNA
work.
So I was going into people'shomes and it was oftentimes
(07:06):
usually low income, people ofcolor and so to see physically
how the body progressed, agedfor people of color was really
fascinating to me and that alsolinked to what I had learned in
my introduction to sociologyclass when I first started
school.
(07:26):
And so, as I continued to workas a CNA and see just the
unfortunate decline, physicallyand also the socioeconomic
status of people of color asthey aged, I wanted to know what
it looks like when people areeconomically well off and what's
(07:48):
different there, and so Itransitioned into a continuing
care retirement community withindividuals who were, or
individuals who are and were,wealthy, and so I saw a lot of
differences in aging, but theirlife expectancy was also a lot
(08:10):
higher than those that werepeople of color.
And so for me, I was reallycurious about, well, what leads
to differences in behavior,about, well, what leads to
differences in behavior and withsocial work.
It really compiled all thedifferent disciplines.
(08:31):
I had explored before, inunderstanding how our
environment because thefoundation of social work is
human behavior and the socialenvironment in understanding the
momentum of history andunderstanding socioeconomic
statuses, education, access toeducation, equity, inclusion,
all of these different things,and so that transition me into
(08:56):
therapy in the social work field.
Veronica (09:00):
Oh, nicole, we so need you in this field and with
everything that you said atlooking at you know the
different socioeconomic levelsand location and salary, all
those things.
So what led you to Asheville?
Was it that on the therapy side, or did you kind of fall into
it?
Nicole (09:21):
So I had visited Asheville once a few years prior
to moving here, um, and when Igraduated, I just wanted to be
in a new setting, I wanted to bearound more trees.
Yes, you know, I just wanted tokind of just get away.
Honestly, I was like if I stay,I'm just going to be with
(09:43):
family all the time and I wantto do something different.
And so I applied for here inAsheville at RHA Health Services
and I ended up getting theposition as a school based
therapist there, and I've beenhere ever since.
Veronica (09:59):
Wow.
Well, we met during thefinancial tool series and the
Catalyst cohort program thatMountain BizWorks sponsors, and
anyone that is a VT member thatlistens to the show.
I'm always talking aboutMountain BizWorks.
I've been coaching and teachingwith them for the last four
years and just so thankful forthe opportunities that they
provide for small businessowners, especially small
(10:20):
business owners of color smallbusiness owners of color.
So not only, nicole, are you afirst generation college
graduate, but also you dabbledinto okay, well, now I want to
start my own business, I want tohave my own practice.
How did you even think to dothat?
And then, how did you hearabout Mountain BizWorks and the
(10:40):
services that they have, nicoleJohnson?
Nicole (10:43):
Mm, hmm, yes, so I knew that I wanted to have my own
business.
Since I was young I didn't knowwhat it was going to be.
But in working in therapy andcontinuing to see differences
across backgrounds and theoutcomes, I wanted to have a
(11:08):
space where I get to practicemore with people of color, to
have an understanding of some ofthese root causes, because
that's just how my mind is.
I'm like, okay, if all of thesethings are outcomes, if this is
what we're seeing, what is theprocess to get here?
And starting my own businessallowed me to do that by being
(11:30):
more intentional about thosethat I work with, because in
community mental health there'sless.
There's less well, there'sstill structure, but there's
also a little bit less structure.
People can kind of come and goas they please and it can shift,
kind of what I'm able to seeover time compared to clients
(11:52):
might be more consistent andalso in terms of mental health.
There are fewer people of colorthat are receiving those
services, so the population thatI work with most were actually
those that were white comparedto people of color, including
Black individuals.
Veronica (12:12):
And so.
Nicole (12:12):
I wanted to work more with the population that I come
from, and so I started my ownbusiness to do that.
Veronica (12:21):
Wow, and the Catalyst Cohort Program at Mountain
BizWorks is specifically aprogram for Black and Brown
entrepreneurs.
So how did you find out aboutthat?
Nicole (12:33):
So I'm a member of Black Wall Street Asheville and
Jeremiah Robinson had given apresentation to Black Wall
Street members, and so that'swhere I was first introduced to
Mountain Biz Works.
And then I took a foundationscourse at Mountain Biz Works
(12:53):
that was offered free to thosethat are Black Wall Street
members, and that's how Istarted my engagement with
Mountain Biz Works.
And then Black Wall Street alsoencouraged us to apply for the
Catalyst program and I did, andthat's how it kind of started.
Veronica (13:18):
Wonderful.
Well, shout out to Black WallStreet for bigging up Mountain
Biz Works and giving thoserecommendations, because, just
like you, Nicole, I'm like Ireally want to help folks in my
field that look like me and thata lot of times, like you
mentioned, black and brownpeople aren't going to therapy.
A lot of black and brown peoplearen't financially literate.
(13:40):
So I definitely see a lot ofparallels in the path that we've
gone.
So of course, I have to askanyone that I coach and Nicole
is a client of mine's friendwhat was your first impression
of me when I'm teaching thisfinancial tools class and
talking crazy to the Catalystcohort members?
Nicole (14:00):
Oh my gosh.
So I thought you were vibrant,I loved your personality.
It was wonderful to see aneducated woman of color coming
to assist and I just you justseem like you really cared and I
really appreciated how youarticulated finances, finances,
(14:32):
and it made me interested andexcited to learn more about
business finances and not justbe kind of, okay, I'm kind of
doing the bare minimum, I'llkeep it to myself and you know
if I need help.
I'm aware that there aresupport services and like then
I'll do next steps.
You know, just leave it to theside, but your presentation
really helped me to just kind ofjump with both feet in and to
(14:53):
reach out to you for assistance.
Veronica (14:56):
Well, I appreciate it .
And one thing about my girl,nicole she's going to use all
these resources, honey.
You know she'll be gettinggrant money, you'll be getting
different classes.
Nicole's always like, okay,veronica, record this session,
which reminds me I need to sendyou the last Zoom that we did,
and I love that.
So I love working with peoplelike Nicole that is forever
wanting to learn and understandsthat, okay, I have this
(15:19):
skillset when it comes to socialwork, but I do need assistance
when it comes to accounting andfinances.
And now Nicole's running herpayroll.
Go ahead, girl.
Proud of you, very proud.
So before we go, nicole,because we're almost to the end
of the show, I would love foryou to talk about your business.
What services you provide?
Are you taking new clients?
(15:39):
We definitely want to supportyou, so tell us about your
business.
Nicole (15:44):
Yes, my business is Beginner's Mind.
It's a mental health privatepractice.
It's online based.
I work with young adults,typically ages 18 to 39, but the
ages can shift.
But I really enjoy working withthose that are just graduating
high school or currently incollege or just graduated from
(16:09):
college and those that mightnotice differences or
difficulties with their emotionsor understanding some of the
experiences and symptoms thatthey're having and wanting to
have some practical tools andspace to explore and have
self-discovery, and so those aremy ideal clients and I am
(16:31):
currently accepting clients.
Veronica (16:32):
Wonderful.
So, without going into too muchdetail, I'm sure, nicole,
there's a reason why you likethat age group and I'm sure it's
because you have a lot of yourown personal experiences.
And that's what people arelooking for when they're looking
for a therapist, or sometimeswhere there's hesitation,
because for me personally,nicole recommended a therapist,
a marriage therapist,relationship therapist for me
(16:54):
and my husband.
Well, one of my criteria isokay, I want a Christian person,
I want an African-Americanperson, ideally because I
already and someone that'spossibly been married, because
they'll understand.
So, with you having experiencesand being in that age group
that you're supporting, that'shuge.
And I feel like that particularage group gets ignored a lot of
(17:16):
times, especially if you don'thave children.
It's kind of like a church, nota slam church, but sometimes we
focus on the little babies andwe focus on the older people,
but then there's this huge agegroup in between that sometimes
gets ignored.
So I so appreciate that youhave beginner's mind.
That can help people,especially during that time of
(17:39):
their life.
So, nicole, I already we're tothe end of the show.
It wasn't that bad, was it?
Nicole (17:46):
It wasn't, I was nervous, but you're a great host
, so thank you.
Veronica (17:50):
No, you did great, so I would love for you to plug
your website.
How can people get in contactwith you?
You mentioned that you aretaking clients currently, and
even if you might not fit ahundred percent of that criteria
, still I always encouragepeople to reach out, because
Nicole may be able to provide areference for you if she's not
the best fit for you.
Nicole (18:10):
Yes, yes, and they can send me a message on my website
and just either phone number andtimes that they're available
and I'll get back to them.
Veronica (18:21):
All right.
Nicole (18:21):
And what is your website, friend?
Beginnersmindpllccom.
Veronica (18:27):
Wonderful, and I was checking that out before the
show, nicole.
I don't know why I didn'trealize that you already had a
site.
Was this some of your servicesthat you were able to get
through the Catalyst CohortProgram?
Nicole (18:37):
So I was able to maintain my business and just be
encouraged to continue and getthe resources to have a good
foundation to grow from.
Veronica (18:48):
But with your website specifically, I was just
curious because it looks reallygood.
I was like, has Nicole alwayshad this website or I just
missed it when you had?
Because a lot of timestherapists don't have sites.
There'll be like a reference onanother site and that really
stood out to me.
So I said go ahead, nicole, I'mvery proud of you because
little things like that I don'tthink people realize really
(19:14):
solidifies your business, givesit credibility, kind of sets you
apart.
It's nice to be on social media, don't get me wrong, but we
talk about that on our small bizchats where we talk about just
how important it is todifferentiate yourself, and
you're definitely doing that.
You have to check out Nicole'ssite First of all.
She's a model yourself andyou're definitely doing that.
You guys have to check outNicole's side First of all.
She's a model.
I'm always telling her that ifthis whole therapy thing does
not work out, you need to be onthe runway.
Honey, you're gorgeous.
Thank you, veronica, I'm alwaysmaking Nicole blush, but I love
(19:40):
you, fred.
Thank you so much for coming onthe show and doing the amazing
work that you do, and I justwant to thank the listeners for
tuning in to bizradious for theVeronica Edwards show, which
comes on Wednesdays across allplatforms, and if you miss the
live airing, you can listen toall prior shows at
veronicaedwardsbuzzsproutcom.
Welcome to the Veronica Edwards show where we
have fun financial conversationsthat everyone listening can
apply to their personal andprofessional life.
I'm your host, veronica Edwards, so excited that we're almost
to the end of season three hereon bizradious so it's been three
(00:28):
years that I have been here.
I want to thank the V Team,that's, the listeners that have
been supporting and downloadingthe podcast.
We have exceeded 4,000downloads.
We're actually over 200downloads over that.
So I'm super excited, goinginto season four, that we will
be well on our way to 5,000downloads.
So super excited to have today'sguest who is a client and
(00:51):
friend of mine for the last year.
And this young lady is agraduate of the University of
North Carolina at Charlotte,which is also my alma mater
where she obtained herbachelor's and master's in
social work.
And for the past six years thisguest has served Asheville as a
licensed clinical social worker, which we so need and so
(01:13):
appreciate.
This guest focuses on incommunity mental health, working
with children, families, adultsand groups across various
settings to include schools,offices, community-based crisis
services, inpatient care so manythings that this guest does.
So I'm so excited, withoutfurther ado, to introduce
(01:34):
today's guest, ms Nicole Johnson.
Nicole (01:37):
Hey Nicole, hey Veronica, Thank you so much.
Veronica (01:42):
Thank you.
So, listeners, just a littleinsight.
I've been trying to drag Nicoleon the show.
I feel like since the end oflike, who knows when, I feel
like 2022, 23,.
It's been forever.
So, thank you, thank you, thankyou so much for coming on.
So, nicole, we always start theshow asking the guests to tell
(02:04):
us about you, where you're fromand your story that led you to
be a therapist.
And I'm especially curiousbecause CPAs like yourself less
than 5 percent of therapists andCPAs are of color, so I know
that this is not typically afield where you see people
looking like you when you weregrowing up or even had anyone
(02:24):
encourage you to go in thisfield.
So I would love to hear yourstory, just all about you, and
how you got to this point ofbeing a licensed clinical social
worker.
Nicole (02:36):
Yes, so just starting off from where I'm from, I'm
from Charlotte, north Carolina,and I grew up there with my
brother, my mom and my fatherand also have some extended
family there as well.
And, yeah, I just have beenthere most of my life and, yeah,
(03:01):
I just did a lot of differentactivities.
I really enjoyed sports when Iwas living in Charlotte and
growing up and also, just youknow, all the activities and
stuff that you can that youmight do with family.
And when I went off to college,I was a first generation
college student, so I reallydidn't know what I wanted to do,
(03:24):
and so my first university wasactually East Carolina
University in Greenville, northCarolina.
Veronica (03:30):
Oh girl, the party school.
Okay now, yes, it was.
Nicole (03:34):
And so while when I first went there I thought I
wanted to be a physicaltherapist and that's why I
mentioned gymnastics, because Iwas a gymnast for nine years and
so I thought I wanted to dothat and once I got into college
and started taking theintroductory courses like
(03:55):
psychology and sociology, I justbecame fascinated by it and
shifted my major quite a bit,and it really started with
sociology when I first learnedthat life expectancy can be
determined, can be identifiedbased on area code and that was
(04:16):
just fascinating to me and,growing up in Charlotte, there
is a decent amount ofsegregation just being able to
see where there's differencesbetween cultures and
neighborhoods, and so that ledme to shift my major.
I think it was five times.
Veronica (04:35):
Hey, you could change it 30 times.
You got it right.
Nicole (04:39):
You know it really helped because I didn't have a
template on the options thatwere available and then also
being in public schooling, allof these courses were not
presented, so I didn't know whatI didn't know, and so it went
from physical therapy.
Then I transitioned to nursing.
So I was like, oh, I reallywant to help people and so then
(05:03):
I became a CNA so that I can getone, so I can get an actual
point to get into nursing schooland to get into the field.
But then I didn't want toapproach help through the
medical model, so I shifted tosociology, psychology, public
health and then eventuallylanded on social work.
Veronica (05:24):
I love that.
I love how you had to get to it.
You know, and those that arelistening that have that are on
their way to college or had theyhave young people in their
lives, let them figure it out.
I've remembered the pressure ofyou gotta get done in four
years and if you spend more timein there you're going to have
to pay for it.
You know just all these thingsand, like most of us, when
(05:45):
you're 18 years old, we don'tknow what we want to be when we
grow up.
And we still don't know a lotof time.
I'm 42.
I still don't know at timeswhat I want to be when I grow up
.
So I love that you shared that.
Hey, it took a couple of times.
You started off at one school,you finished at another school,
but once you figured it out, youhad that passion to keep going.
Nicole (06:02):
Exactly, exactly, and it really helped my journey to
be able to see what differentdisciplines study why it matters
to some people in terms ofnursing and medical, physical,
sociology, understandingstructures, public health and
(06:25):
just all the different facets oflife that go within that model.
And so I landed on social workat the end, and that's when I
transitioned to UNC Charlotte,but throughout that time I had
actually been a CNA.
Veronica (06:40):
And for those that are listening, CNA, that's
Certified Nurse Assistant.
Nicole (06:44):
And for those that are listening CNA, that's Certified
Nurse Assistant.
Correct, correct, that'sCertified Nurse Assistant.
And so I actually did that forseven years, throughout the
remainder of my education, and Istarted off in community CNA
work.
So I was going into people'shomes and it was oftentimes
(07:06):
usually low income, people ofcolor and so to see physically
how the body progressed, agedfor people of color was really
fascinating to me and that alsolinked to what I had learned in
my introduction to sociologyclass when I first started
school.
(07:26):
And so, as I continued to workas a CNA and see just the
unfortunate decline, physicallyand also the socioeconomic
status of people of color asthey aged, I wanted to know what
it looks like when people areeconomically well off and what's
(07:48):
different there, and so Itransitioned into a continuing
care retirement community withindividuals who were, or
individuals who are and were,wealthy, and so I saw a lot of
differences in aging, but theirlife expectancy was also a lot
(08:10):
higher than those that werepeople of color.
And so for me, I was reallycurious about, well, what leads
to differences in behavior,about, well, what leads to
differences in behavior and withsocial work.
It really compiled all thedifferent disciplines.
(08:31):
I had explored before, inunderstanding how our
environment because thefoundation of social work is
human behavior and the socialenvironment in understanding the
momentum of history andunderstanding socioeconomic
statuses, education, access toeducation, equity, inclusion,
all of these different things,and so that transition me into
(08:56):
therapy in the social work field.
Veronica (09:00):
Oh, nicole, we so need you in this field and with
everything that you said atlooking at you know the
different socioeconomic levelsand location and salary, all
those things.
So what led you to Asheville?
Was it that on the therapy side, or did you kind of fall into
it?
Nicole (09:21):
So I had visited Asheville once a few years prior
to moving here, um, and when Igraduated, I just wanted to be
in a new setting, I wanted to bearound more trees.
Yes, you know, I just wanted tokind of just get away.
Honestly, I was like if I stay,I'm just going to be with
(09:43):
family all the time and I wantto do something different.
And so I applied for here inAsheville at RHA Health Services
and I ended up getting theposition as a school based
therapist there, and I've beenhere ever since.
Veronica (09:59):
Wow.
Well, we met during thefinancial tool series and the
Catalyst cohort program thatMountain BizWorks sponsors, and
anyone that is a VT member thatlistens to the show.
I'm always talking aboutMountain BizWorks.
I've been coaching and teachingwith them for the last four
years and just so thankful forthe opportunities that they
provide for small businessowners, especially small
(10:20):
business owners of color smallbusiness owners of color.
So not only, nicole, are you afirst generation college
graduate, but also you dabbledinto okay, well, now I want to
start my own business, I want tohave my own practice.
How did you even think to dothat?
And then, how did you hearabout Mountain BizWorks and the
(10:40):
services that they have, nicoleJohnson?
Nicole (10:43):
Mm, hmm, yes, so I knew that I wanted to have my own
business.
Since I was young I didn't knowwhat it was going to be.
But in working in therapy andcontinuing to see differences
across backgrounds and theoutcomes, I wanted to have a
(11:08):
space where I get to practicemore with people of color, to
have an understanding of some ofthese root causes, because
that's just how my mind is.
I'm like, okay, if all of thesethings are outcomes, if this is
what we're seeing, what is theprocess to get here?
And starting my own businessallowed me to do that by being
(11:30):
more intentional about thosethat I work with, because in
community mental health there'sless.
There's less well, there'sstill structure, but there's
also a little bit less structure.
People can kind of come and goas they please and it can shift,
kind of what I'm able to seeover time compared to clients
(11:52):
might be more consistent andalso in terms of mental health.
There are fewer people of colorthat are receiving those
services, so the population thatI work with most were actually
those that were white comparedto people of color, including
Black individuals.
Veronica (12:12):
And so.
Nicole (12:12):
I wanted to work more with the population that I come
from, and so I started my ownbusiness to do that.
Veronica (12:21):
Wow, and the Catalyst Cohort Program at Mountain
BizWorks is specifically aprogram for Black and Brown
entrepreneurs.
So how did you find out aboutthat?
Nicole (12:33):
So I'm a member of Black Wall Street Asheville and
Jeremiah Robinson had given apresentation to Black Wall
Street members, and so that'swhere I was first introduced to
Mountain Biz Works.
And then I took a foundationscourse at Mountain Biz Works
(12:53):
that was offered free to thosethat are Black Wall Street
members, and that's how Istarted my engagement with
Mountain Biz Works.
And then Black Wall Street alsoencouraged us to apply for the
Catalyst program and I did, andthat's how it kind of started.
Veronica (13:18):
Wonderful.
Well, shout out to Black WallStreet for bigging up Mountain
Biz Works and giving thoserecommendations, because, just
like you, Nicole, I'm like Ireally want to help folks in my
field that look like me and thata lot of times, like you
mentioned, black and brownpeople aren't going to therapy.
A lot of black and brown peoplearen't financially literate.
(13:40):
So I definitely see a lot ofparallels in the path that we've
gone.
So of course, I have to askanyone that I coach and Nicole
is a client of mine's friendwhat was your first impression
of me when I'm teaching thisfinancial tools class and
talking crazy to the Catalystcohort members?
Nicole (14:00):
Oh my gosh.
So I thought you were vibrant,I loved your personality.
It was wonderful to see aneducated woman of color coming
to assist and I just you justseem like you really cared and I
really appreciated how youarticulated finances, finances,
(14:32):
and it made me interested andexcited to learn more about
business finances and not justbe kind of, okay, I'm kind of
doing the bare minimum, I'llkeep it to myself and you know
if I need help.
I'm aware that there aresupport services and like then
I'll do next steps.
You know, just leave it to theside, but your presentation
really helped me to just kind ofjump with both feet in and to
(14:53):
reach out to you for assistance.
Veronica (14:56):
Well, I appreciate it .
And one thing about my girl,nicole she's going to use all
these resources, honey.
You know she'll be gettinggrant money, you'll be getting
different classes.
Nicole's always like, okay,veronica, record this session,
which reminds me I need to sendyou the last Zoom that we did,
and I love that.
So I love working with peoplelike Nicole that is forever
wanting to learn and understandsthat, okay, I have this
(15:19):
skillset when it comes to socialwork, but I do need assistance
when it comes to accounting andfinances.
And now Nicole's running herpayroll.
Go ahead, girl.
Proud of you, very proud.
So before we go, nicole,because we're almost to the end
of the show, I would love foryou to talk about your business.
What services you provide?
Are you taking new clients?
(15:39):
We definitely want to supportyou, so tell us about your
business.
Nicole (15:44):
Yes, my business is Beginner's Mind.
It's a mental health privatepractice.
It's online based.
I work with young adults,typically ages 18 to 39, but the
ages can shift.
But I really enjoy working withthose that are just graduating
high school or currently incollege or just graduated from
(16:09):
college and those that mightnotice differences or
difficulties with their emotionsor understanding some of the
experiences and symptoms thatthey're having and wanting to
have some practical tools andspace to explore and have
self-discovery, and so those aremy ideal clients and I am
(16:31):
currently accepting clients.
Veronica (16:32):
Wonderful.
So, without going into too muchdetail, I'm sure, nicole,
there's a reason why you likethat age group and I'm sure it's
because you have a lot of yourown personal experiences.
And that's what people arelooking for when they're looking
for a therapist, or sometimeswhere there's hesitation,
because for me personally,nicole recommended a therapist,
a marriage therapist,relationship therapist for me
(16:54):
and my husband.
Well, one of my criteria isokay, I want a Christian person,
I want an African-Americanperson, ideally because I
already and someone that'spossibly been married, because
they'll understand.
So, with you having experiencesand being in that age group
that you're supporting, that'shuge.
And I feel like that particularage group gets ignored a lot of
(17:16):
times, especially if you don'thave children.
It's kind of like a church, nota slam church, but sometimes we
focus on the little babies andwe focus on the older people,
but then there's this huge agegroup in between that sometimes
gets ignored.
So I so appreciate that youhave beginner's mind.
That can help people,especially during that time of
(17:39):
their life.
So, nicole, I already we're tothe end of the show.
It wasn't that bad, was it?
Nicole (17:46):
It wasn't, I was nervous, but you're a great host
, so thank you.
Veronica (17:50):
No, you did great, so I would love for you to plug
your website.
How can people get in contactwith you?
You mentioned that you aretaking clients currently, and
even if you might not fit ahundred percent of that criteria
, still I always encouragepeople to reach out, because
Nicole may be able to provide areference for you if she's not
the best fit for you.
Nicole (18:10):
Yes, yes, and they can send me a message on my website
and just either phone number andtimes that they're available
and I'll get back to them.
Veronica (18:21):
All right.
Nicole (18:21):
And what is your website, friend?
Beginnersmindpllccom.
Veronica (18:27):
Wonderful, and I was checking that out before the
show, nicole.
I don't know why I didn'trealize that you already had a
site.
Was this some of your servicesthat you were able to get
through the Catalyst CohortProgram?
Nicole (18:37):
So I was able to maintain my business and just be
encouraged to continue and getthe resources to have a good
foundation to grow from.
Veronica (18:48):
But with your website specifically, I was just
curious because it looks reallygood.
I was like, has Nicole alwayshad this website or I just
missed it when you had?
Because a lot of timestherapists don't have sites.
There'll be like a reference onanother site and that really
stood out to me.
So I said go ahead, nicole, I'mvery proud of you because
little things like that I don'tthink people realize really
(19:14):
solidifies your business, givesit credibility, kind of sets you
apart.
It's nice to be on social media, don't get me wrong, but we
talk about that on our small bizchats where we talk about just
how important it is todifferentiate yourself, and
you're definitely doing that.
You have to check out Nicole'ssite First of all.
She's a model yourself andyou're definitely doing that.
You guys have to check outNicole's side First of all.
She's a model.
I'm always telling her that ifthis whole therapy thing does
not work out, you need to be onthe runway.
Honey, you're gorgeous.
Thank you, veronica, I'm alwaysmaking Nicole blush, but I love
(19:40):
you, fred.
Thank you so much for coming onthe show and doing the amazing
work that you do, and I justwant to thank the listeners for
tuning in to bizradious for theVeronica Edwards show, which
comes on Wednesdays across allplatforms, and if you miss the
live airing, you can listen toall prior shows at
veronicaedwardsbuzzsproutcom.
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