Meet Nicol McClendon

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicol McClendon.

Nicol, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
Writing is something I have always done. It is my gift from God so I just wrote. From a young age, I have always had an active imagination. I would get lost in my thoughts and makeup stories in my head. However, I rarely, if ever, shared those stories with anyone. I am not sure if my family even knew I was a writer at that time. I was a happy child. I really cannot remember many bad experiences growing up. Maybe I was sheltered. However, I do remember always reading the newspaper and writing stories in my diary. I said I was going to be a journalist when I grew up.

Honestly, the only traumatic childhood memories I have are of my biological dad. I have lived in a two-parent household for my entire life (or as long as I can remember); however, I always longed to have my biological dad in my life the way my stepdad was in my brothers lives. So I wrote about my dad and the dreams I had of how I wished our relationship was. There were many emotions there and writing helped me to cope with those emotions.

Have you ever heard someone say they had no idea they were poor until someone told them? Well, that was me. I was born and raised in the projects in Hartford, Connecticut and everyone around me lived and looked like me. When someone needed something like clothes, food, sugar (lol), they borrowed from us (neighbors) and we did the same. We never lacked for anything.

When I graduated from the 6th grade, we moved to Washington DC. My Dad (stepdad but the only father I have ever known) was in the military. It was not until we moved that I realized we were poor. Maybe not then but growing up, we were poor. I could tell that by how these families lived. It was a new life for me. I had to make new friends and I was in a new school. It was the first time I realized how much I did not have in comparison to others in the world I now lived in.

Dealing with being away from the only environment I had ever know was difficult. I had a hard time fitting in. However, although I did not have much, I did have writing. So I wrote. I would write in my diary. I would write stories in school. I would write every day. Writing helped me to cope with being alone. I was able to express myself freely and honestly. Writing helped me cope with the feeling of being less than or having less than. It is then when I realized that writing was therapeutic. So, whenever I needed an emotional release, I would write. For whatever reason (unknown to me or at least I cannot recall), I stopped writing when I graduated from high school.

Fast forward many years later, about 19 years, to be exact, I experienced the greatest loss of my life. My 1st husband was the victim of gun violence. He was murdered and I was devastated. After I handled the funeral arraignments and his final affairs, I went through a period where I totally shut down. No one knew. I was highly functioning, however, my mind was in a constant state of chaos. So many thoughts ran through my mind and every day, it felt like my brain would short circuit.

My children and I went to grief counseling as a family and separately. I would attend with my son and it was during one of his sessions that his therapist recommended that he journal his thoughts because he refused to speak. As she spoke about the benefits of writing, I became so excited; it was as if someone turned on a light switch. I could not wait to leave.

After that visit, I began to journal again. It felt so good. I could feel me healing from the hurt. All of the emotions I had bottled up were now being expressed and I was dropping emotional baggage like hotcakes. I was on to something. I decided I needed to tell my story because so many incorrect versions were being told about me and my life.

“You can’t trust that everyone will share your narrative and tell your story truthfully so you have to write it yourself.” I heard that somewhere. So I decided to tell my story. I officially released It’s My Story I Will Tell It – Pieces of Me in 2017. After I released my story, I had some many people, mostly women telling me how strong I was or asking for help to share their stories. I believed that in return for me regaining my sanity and knowing how therapeutic writing is, I had to help others tell their story. So in 2018, I released The Writers Journal – It’s Your Story Tell It.

And then I stopped writing again. It’s not easy being transparent but I decided I needed to put a face to hope and healing again. And I got the opportunity to collaborate with other women in our anthology released May 2020, Blessed Not Broken – Journey to Finding Purpose in Marriage, Motherhood & Entrepreneurship as a Ceo Wife. I now know I can never stop writing and I must help as many women (and men) share their stories. That is when I decided I use my gift and I became an Emotional Release Writing Coach.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
No, it hasn’t been a smooth road. Telling your story can be emotionally draining. You are reliving moments in your life that may have caused great pain. So, although a client may feel they are ready to tell their story, as we begin to go through the process, they shut down. I’ve had a client totally run away because she was not ready to confront those feelings she had been suppressing.

We’d love to hear more about your work.
As an Emotional Release Writing Coach, I help inspiring authors confront and release their emotions to move past the fear and anxiety releasing their story may cause. Ultimately allowing them to begin the writing process and/or push through writer’s block to bring their book to fruition.

What sets me apart as a writing coach is that I am an author too. I know that writing your story can sometimes be emotionally draining. I also know how difficult it can be to ask for help. I know that for many people, there is a belief that sharing your story makes you look weak. That is not the case so I work as their partner. I provide a safe space and also put a real face to someone healing while navigating life. I listen without judgment, ease worries, and at times tell them to get the hell out of their feelings and WRITE! I am currently coaching virtually so my clients are based all over the country.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I am most proud when someone says, “You are so brave and reading your story or hearing you speak helped me to keep going another day.” I also love hearing someone say, “I’m writing my story.” The highlight of my career will be when my first as told to memoir is released on November 23, 2020. I am looking forward to the world reading this man’s story. He asked me to write his story so we had many emotional release sessions and his story will be told. I love helping others birth their book baby.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.nicolmcclendon.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/authornicolmcclendon/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authornicol/

Image Credit:
Leslie Gomez – LMG PHOTOGRAPHY

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