Ep 62: Go(o)d Mornings with Nikki Walton
Click here for full transcript.
Ep 62: Go(o)d Mornings with Nikki Walton
Episode 62: Show Notes
Like many Black women in America, today’s guest went through a period when she believed that she had to look a certain way in order to be perceived as beautiful, mainly related to her curly, natural hair. After deciding to wear her hair naturally in college and encountering pushback from her own family, Nikki Walton realized the importance of creating a community for Black women who also felt the desire to embrace their natural hair.
She started her industry-disrupting and now wildly popular blog, Curly Nikki, to document her natural hair journey, which went on to become the number one natural haircare and beauty blog in the world, reaching millions of women in over 30 countries and influencing the marketing and formulation of products for major beauty brands.
From the outside, with all the television appearances, book deals, and sponsorships that come with being unafraid to take a leap of faith and put yourself out there, Nikki was the picture of success and empowerment. On the inside, however, she was struggling with burnout and disillusionment, working 24/7 on building her brand while also juggling being a wife and mother. It all came to a head when she realized that she didn't have a strong enough spiritual foundation to sustain it all.
This led her on a spiritual quest, which ultimately culminated in a podcast collaboration with the Be Here Now Network. Go(o)d Mornings with Curly Nikki is currently one of the top 10 spiritual podcasts in the world.
In today’s episode, Nikki shares how her relationship with her hair impacted her confidence and her perception of beauty, why she had to learn to acknowledge fear rather than trying to eliminate it, and the key to her success, which was infusing everything she did with her personal story. We touch on the power of finding inner peace, stillness, and light and the value of sharing how you get through your darkest moments in order to help others find their way through theirs.
Listening in, you’ll learn the saying that Nikki echoes with her children and how her perception of success has changed as her career and spirituality have evolved. Make sure not to miss this inspiring and uplifting conversation with natural hair guru and spiritual teacher, Nikki Walton!
Key Points From This Episode:
Learn about Nikki’s upbringing in Missouri and her favorite activity as a child: reading.
The mantra she remembers from her childhood: “Don’t let anyone disturb your inner peace.”
How she perceived success in those early years and why she decided to study psychology.
Nikki’s relationship with her hair and her perception of beauty as a young Black woman.
The very real dangers of permanent chemical burns from chemical hair relaxers.
How Nikki’s relationship with her hair impacted her confidence and her everyday life.
Why she chose Truman State University and started wearing her hair naturally by necessity.
How she came to learn about the science of Black hair and the pushback she received from strangers, friends, and even her own family.
The pivotal point at which Nikki saw a career opportunity in her personal hair journey.
Hear about her decision to take a leap of faith and her intuitive sense for marketing.
Nikki reflects on her relationship with fear and ego; how she has learned to acknowledge fear rather than trying to eliminate it.
The secret sauce behind the success of her articles: infusing them with her personal story.
The rate at which Nikki was producing content for her blog and how it became all-consuming.
When she transitioned from her job as a psychotherapist to pursue Curly Nikki full time.
Advice for entrepreneurs in the early stages of following their passion: let it work through you.
Nikki speaks candidly about burnout, disillusionment, and feeling trapped by the life she had created for herself.
The Law of Detachment that began her spiritual journey and led her to find her “inner cave.”
Hear how she was able to integrate the lessons she learned on this journey into her daily life.
Find out how the realization that there is only peace changed her life, from the inside out.
How Nikki navigates sharing these principles with her audience while also embodying them.
How sharing how you got through your dark moments can help others get through theirs.
Why Nikki made her podcast a daily commitment; sharing love as a natural offering.
Learn how her partnership with the Be Here Now Network came about.
Nikki explains why her phone has been in ‘do not disturb’ mode for two years now.
The saying Nikki echoes with her two children: “Feel your love.”
How she views success now: true authenticity, without compromise.
Tweetables:
“We were never taught to care for our hair. We were only taught how to beat it into submission.” — @CurlyNikki [0:20:29]
“I had 30 articles in my head. I wrote them out and I joined blogger.com with $10 to spend for the domain, curlynikki.com, and I launched it. I had 300 folks follow me [from] the forums I was popular in. By the next year, I was doing hundreds of thousands of views per month.” — @CurlyNikki [0:36:29]
“A lot of my early spiritual journey was trying to figure out how to squash, or kill, or eliminate fear. What I've learned over time is that it is [there], and I have to do everything in spite of it being there and just see it as another thing. ” — @CurlyNikki [0:40:35]
“The little things, they were not so little. They were powerful things. That's what people continued to come back for, even when I stopped talking about hair.” — @CurlyNikki [0:43:40]
“You have to be careful what you ask for, because there's always challenges. It's hard living that entrepreneurial lifestyle. It's not easy. You do get your time, but you have to use it wisely.” — @CurlyNikki [0:47:49]
“Happiness was always around the corner. True success was always around the corner. No matter what I achieved, it wasn't enough for this ego, the way this ego was set up. I could feel that.” — @CurlyNikki [0:53:20]
“Everything that led up to 2013, I'm deeply grateful for every moment of all of it, because I wouldn't have taken this journey, the deeper journey that needed to happen, that is still happening.” — @CurlyNikki [0:56:31]
“I felt I was the light in those dark moments, and I just had to continue to remember that I am the light in the dark moments. Sharing the way I got through them can help [others] get through their darkness, to get through their dark moments..” — @CurlyNikki [1:06:35]
“This is who I am. That feels good, to be who I am, without compromise. That's dope. That's freedom. That’s success.” — @CurlyNikki [1:20:25]
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode
Go(o)d Mornings with Curly Nikki Podcast