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How to overcome good girl syndrome

How to overcome good girl syndrome

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:

  1. Become human forever

  2. 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:

  1. Ariel will only have 3 days to find Eric and experience true love’s kiss

  2. 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…

Why you need a North Star

Why you need a North Star

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:

How to stay committed to your goals

How to stay committed to your goals

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:

How PR changed my life

How PR changed my life

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?

How to achieve your goals when you don't know where to start

How to achieve your goals when you don't know where to start

When I first decided that I wanted to do a retreat in 2022, I knew that I wanted to merge my passions of travel, PR, coaching, building community and empowering women together but I was confused about the logistics

i.e. the how

Fast forward to now and, in July, I completed my first international retreat in Tulum, Mexico

Where I'm still receiving amazing feedback

And getting ready to host my second one in Mykonos, Greece next year
From October 2nd-6th, to be exact

What led to this success was…

Why mastermind groups are so powerful

Why mastermind groups are so powerful

In the last few weeks, I've experienced two full circle moments that reminded me of this quote by Napoleon Hill: “No mind is complete by itself. It needs contact and association with other minds to grow and expand"

In other words, we become powerful beyond measure when we pursue our visions alongside others (through the power of a mastermind). This was illustrated through:

Why you should follow your dreams

Why you should follow your dreams

I'm so totally honoured to share that I spoke at The Rise to Millions Conference in Paris and received a Legendary Woman of Impact Award there recently 🥳🥳🥳

It was the last weekend of October to be exact

As I stood in front of the crowd, trying to find the words to express how honoured I was, I ended my speech by saying something like: “Well, this wasn’t on my bingo card, but it’s real, and it’s happening because I chose to follow my dreams...literally"

Here's what I meant by that 👇🏾

How working less can make you more productive

How working less can make you more productive

Just before my birthday, I had a lovely brunch with my good friend, Eunice

It was so good! 🤤

We laughed and chatted

And, like how it always goes, the conversation fluctuated between serious topics to the both of us just belly laughing

One of the topics that stood out for me was the one we had about the 7-F Framework or the Wheel of Life

There are different versions of it but the one I follow covers (in no particular order):

  1. Faith

  2. Family

  3. Friends

  4. Firm (business or work)

  5. Fun

  6. Fitness

  7. Finance

In my conversation with Eunice, I told her about the “Fun” aspect of my life

i.e. how I’d shifted my mindset, and how doing so has not only improved my productivity but my relationship with being productive

For example, if you know me, you know I always say “October is my birthday"

In the past, this meant I’d reserve this month for fun, being with friends, brunch dates and just letting my hair down a little more

So I always had great expectations when it came to October, in the past, but this year was different

Here’s how 👇🏾