

Becoming A Foster Parent and Entrepreneur in One Year — Nicole Walters
#003 — "If you can parent, you can be an entrepreneur: because you don’t know anything about what you’re doing, and you’re doing the most important job in the world."
Nicole Walters is a mother of three kids and the CEO of Monetize Thyself, a consulting firm that specializes in income makeovers. I met Nicole at a conference for bloggers, and her energy and enthusiasm made us fast friends. Her unconventional path to motherhood and business ownership made her an ideal guest for the Startup Pregnant Podcast.
Four years ago, she met the children who would become her daughters. Her concern for their well-being and safety led her first to become their mentor, dropping off meals and picking them up from school. But when their mother went to jail and the girls were headed into the system, Nicole and her husband applied for custody of the sisters.
Nicole also shares a story she doesn’t share very often: the story of her own childhood growing up in Washington, D.C., as the daughter of African immigrants, and how she came to attend prestigious private schools with the likes of Chelsea Clinton. I asked Nicole how her background prepared her for entrepreneurship about how navigating these two worlds affected her self-perception. She explained the tenets of her ‘rich friend’ mindset and offered advice around being a disruptor and a creator. Listen and learn Nicole’s secret to reconciling with ‘imposter syndrome’ and her infectious enthusiasm and storytelling ability.
Some quotes from the episode:
“I’ve started writing down [real life accomplishments] because they are moments of growth for me, and they deserve to be celebrated.”
“What kids need—more than stuff and love—is a consistency of presence. That’s parenting.”
“I will always, always, always try to do something to give back. Isn’t that what a legacy is really about?”
“I am a hot mess, but I am a functional hot mess. That key word is the difference.”
“Failure is an event, not a person.”
About Nicole Walters
Nicole Walters has 10-plus years of experience working with Fortune 500 companies as a client-facing sales and marketing executive. In November of 2013, Nicole quit corporate America to bring her expertise in monetizing multibillion dollar corporations to solopreneurs and small business owners. She founded NapNic, LLC, to teach clients the systems, processes, and metrics necessary for entrepreneurial success.
Sponsor offers, full show notes and more from the episode:
Thank you to the sponsor of this episode: Aeroflow Breastpumps! Aeroflow Breastpumps makes the process of getting a breastpump covered by insurance easier for new mothers. Head to http://Aeroflowbreastpumps.com/startup to sign up with them today.
All of our sponsor offers are available on our website for you to grab the perks and discounts offered to podcast listeners: http://startupparent.com/sponsors
And get the complete show notes with episode quotes and photos at www.startupparent.com/003
Learn More About Nicole
Resources