Meet Nicole Bird

Today, we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Bird.

Hi Nicole, we’re so excited to have you on the platform. Before we get into questions about your work life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today.
I started my social media journey at 15 when I signed up for Instagram. I knew there had to be a way to monetize the platform as I saw so many gorgeous models with thousands of followers living lavish lifestyles and knew I could bring it to reality. I was passionate and purposeful from a young age about styling trendy outfits, caring for my hair and skin, and indulging in a fragrant body, so naturally, I wanted to share this love with the world online.

It’s beautiful to look back on how every experience, job, and connection happened for a purpose. For example, when I was a homeless teenager living with my family in different hotels every month, I was receiving my schooling through a hybrid homeschool academy where my mom picked out all of my classes. While this was one of the most stressful times I’ve ever lived through, the pain I channeled into my schoolwork enabled me to skip a grade when we finally were able to get into a home and enroll in public high school.

I graduated at 17 years old and moved out at 18 years old to pursue my goal of becoming a luxury hairstylist. I spent what would’ve been my senior year of highschool enrolled into a master cosmetology program and living with my good and friend and her mom while picking up 6am shifts at Dunkin Donuts and adopted the mindset of “The only way out is through, there is no option but to be successful”.

I observed the behaviors of my hair teachers, who had the boldness to ask for an interview at the most high-end salon in my city, Van Michael Salon. I was so confident in my belief that I would receive this role that I didn’t invest any time in looking at other salons. The day after my interview, I was told they wanted to hire me, and my self-belief was fueled. While I had so many amazing connections and memories styling clients, I felt like I wasn’t truly building up women in the way I felt called to.

I could give them a gorgeous hairstyle or makeup application that would last 1-2 days, but I wasn’t able to teach them the power of styling and caring for their own appearance at home. So, I turned to my Instagram and started creating hairstyling videos and tutorials to help the women in my audience learn to care for their appearance and feel confident every single day – regardless of if they had access to a salon.

I chose to leave the beauty industry in 2020 following the COVID lockdown as I had discovered the tech world and felt called to learn about it as the internet would give me unlimited reach to people all over the world. I spent the next two years huddled up in a tiny apartment working a remote 9-5 corporate job as an automation and integrations manager for a real estate firm and spent my weekends and evenings learning to code, taking digital marketing and social media courses, dabbling in network marketing and online product sales for a haircare brand called MONAT and practicing how to take better content.

I worked with a fashion brand for the very first time in 2020 when a local Atlanta boutique called JSTLE4U approached me to be a model and brand ambassador for their line. This is when I started to see what I was capable of and how, when you believe in yourself, magic can truly happen.

The darkest hour truly does come before the brightest sunrise, and this is why I say it’s beautiful to look back and see how all the moments in your life play a part in building you into who you were meant to be. Without my time working in customer service, I wouldn’t have learned how to communicate and deal with people so well and understand their needs, and without my time spent in survival mode as a teenager, I wouldn’t have been able to empathize with many people around the world seeking to find a way out of poverty and survival.

I was let go from my last corporate job in the spring of 2023, and the very next day, I checked my spam inbox to find an email inviting me to be a fashion creator on the newly acquired social media app Lemon8 in preparation for its North America and Europe launch. The past years of believing in myself and what I would create without any tangible evidence and the long hours choosing to invest in courses instead of going out were finally paying off. I spent the rest of the spring, summer, and early fall creating fashion and beauty blog-style content for the app and began receiving brand partnerships with some of my favorite brands, including Olaplex, Micas, and Clinique.

I’m so blessed to have had these amazing experiences and accomplished my goals of modeling and creating social media content to help women worldwide achieve a confident identity and greater self-esteem through their personal style and self-care. This summer, I will be launching a guide to teach others how they can also partner with brands and be paid for their content, even if they have less than 10,000 followers. My biggest message to others would be to focus on what brings you joy, your greatest gifts and talents can truly be monetized and if you intend to find a way- a way will be shown to you.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has been the most bumpy, winding road. Some of my greatest struggles have been with faith and trusting that my needs would be met during uncertain times of COVID, being let go from jobs, and losing friends who no longer aligned with my journey. It’s okay to feel pain. It’s part of being human. Once you let yourself grieve your losses and have compassion for what you’re going through, you can use that pain and anger to improve your projects and growth.

I decided to upgrade to living in a safer, wealthier area in the summer of 2023 after discovering my apartment had mold and having some very scary experiences with violence in the area. I had just renewed my lease and was so scared of what would happen if I told the apartment that I would be leaving and would no longer be paying them rent due to their negligence in dealing with the mold in the apartment, along with the violence. While celebrating the true beginnings of my paid content creator career, I was also fighting eviction notices, unexpected bills, and these giant feelings of fear.

But you know what? It all worked out. I moved to a gorgeous new apartment, counter-sued the prior apartment, and beat the case in arbitration. No weapon formed against you shall prosper when you know you are doing the right things.

I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am a licensed master cosmetologist and fashion content creator who is known for working with fashion and beauty brands to creatively and aesthetically promote their products, model their apparel, and represent their brands at launch and awareness events. I specialize in creating gorgeous, feminine outfits that, when worn, transform your confidence into that of success and luxury.

What’s different about my fashion content is that I teach my audiences that their personal style is a tool to unlock their true wealthy identity and step into their highest self. The secret to achieving a luxurious, beautiful life you love is by behaving like the version of you who has it all. When I’m in a trendy outfit, with a bouncy blowout and fresh lash extensions- I feel ready to shake hands, sign contracts, and make my success happen.

If you’re already dressed like the version of you that has three businesses, monthly vacations, a luxury yacht, and a beautiful marriage, you’re going to start thinking and making decisions just like her. By dressing like “her” (your most successful self), you’ll unlock her habits and lifestyle. I walk my followers through the process of designing their dream self’s style in my free guide called “The Aesthetic Method.”

What does success mean to you?
Success is freedom, abundance, and joy.

My personal definition involves having lots of time freedom, no worries about bills and knowing that my creativity and lifestyle will produce the income I want and need, going on vacations, and spending time adventuring and connecting with loved ones. It also includes dressing up, working out, and having plenty of leisure time.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.pillar.io/mnicolebird
• Instagram: www.instagram.com/mnicolebird
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-nicole-bird-337985149/
• Other: www.tiktok.com/@mnicolebird

Image Credits
Usman Ishtiaq @makeshiftslens