“Do you think my story is interesting enough to share?” This is one of the most frequently asked questions I get
Especially from would-be clients
My answer? While having the practical components in place is important
Like branding, knowing how to structure a pitch and the ability to communicate your story
Ultimately you need to have faith and a “who knows” spirit to succeed. Here's what I mean by that 👇🏾
When the ladies attended Media Magic, in Tulum (Mexico) last July, only 33% of them knew their why
I know this because of the results they got from my PR readiness assessment
This means that, at that point, they did not know what kind of impact they wanted to maķe in the world through PR
Which is an issue because not only does knowing your why keep you going when life be life-ing, in general, it helps you to remain steadfast ìn the face of having pitches ignored, rejected or ghosted
By the end of the retreat, though, I had them assess themselves again and the results revealed that 100% of them knew how to do this. What led to this success was…
Anyone who knows me knows that I’m a HUGE Disney fan! The film that started it all? The Little Mermaid
Which I got for my 5th birthday
One of the things that I love about Disney movies is that they typically have deep, inspirational messages that can be applied to everyday life. The Little Mermaid is no exception
In case you’re unfamiliar with the story, here’s an example of that:
Ariel (The Little Mermaid) dreams of being human. When she falls in love with Prince Eric, she goes to Ursula (the sea witch)
She wants the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone:
Become human forever
See Eric again, get him to fall in love with her and seal it with a kiss
Ursula agrees to help Ariel, but there’s a catch: she wants Ariel’s voice as collateral
Also:
Ariel will only have 3 days to find Eric and experience true love’s kiss
Without that kiss, not only will Ariel not get her happily ever after, she’ll be Ursula’s prisoner forever
I know what you’re thinking, “How do mermaids, sea witches and having magic spells broken by true love’s kiss relate to my life, Nina?”
Well…
When I was little, I would sit glued to the TV for hours upon hours watching my favourite shows during my spare time
Shout out to you if you also grew up watching Nickelodeon, The Disney Channel and Cartoon Network!
Up to today I still remember many theme songs, but do you know what else I still remember?
Years ago, my good sis Michelle told me I have the gift of communication
When she said this, I thought, “Yeah, I have a way of communicating, I can speak to others, teach, write, and use my gifts to convey big ideas”
But what I’ve also come to realise over the years is that my gift of communication fuels my curiosity about language
Hi, I’m Nina, and I’m a word nerd
I get curious when I hear or see a word that I’ve never come across before or suddenly have the urge to know where the origins of a phrase comes from
Even if I’ve heard it lots of times in the past
One such phrase is “North Star”
We often hear people talk about something being their North Star
I’ve always understood what this phrase meant as the thing that gives us purpose or fuels us towards a particular goal
Or our why
But, recently, I’ve been curious about why we say “North Star” in the first place
Here’s what Google told me:
Recently, I had the pleasure of being interviewed on the Melanted and Proud podcast. It was a great experience that allowed me to pause, sit down, and reflect on my journey so far in terms of the challenges I’ve overcome to get to where I am today
From launching The Far Above Rubies Collection in its first iteration as a blog, to then learning PR to get more eyes on it, to coaching people on PR, and, ultimately, turning it into a luxury retreat business
For example, I’ve experienced the death of family and friends, my parents have been sick (sometimes at the same time and sometimes right before a launch). I’ve also experienced health issues, depression, anxiety, and feeling unmotivated. I’ve had to navigate the loss of friendships, money being funny, limiting beliefs, and, at times, family and friends not seeing the vision
Although I didn’t get to go through everything, just talking about and looking back on some of the things I’ve achieved, I realised that I’d accomplished so much while navigating life
A question that stuck out to me was: “What kept you going, and why haven’t you given up?”
To which I answered:
In Summer 2023, I went to Germany for my friend's beautiful wedding. In the few weeks leading up to her big day, my dear friend and soon-to-be bride, Kelly, asked if I could read a prayer at her ceremony
I was honoured, and of course, I said YES!
My first thought when she asked me was that all I needed to do was read a verse from The Bible
I was a little mistaken and would soon realise this, thanks to a message from the best man.
Fast-forward to a couple of messages later, and worry starting to kick in (lol)
Why, you ask?
Because I learned that it wasn't a reading of the word that Kelly needed from me. She wanted me to write a few lines that I would say in front of the congregation!
I won't lie; I was a little nervous because I was wondering what I could possibly say to the bride and groom
I took a few days to think about it, and these are the words that came to my heart and landed on my page:
If you follow me on Instagram, you would have seen that I recently went live with the lovely Gladys Obaze
She's a coach and brand strategist who helps creative women heal, grow, and build thriving, and authentic brands that attract success
One of the questions she asked me was how PR has helped me
Well...
The short answer: it changed my life
The longer version?
