Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Quick.
Hi Nicole, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
From a young age, I’ve struggled with my health missing out on opportunities every day such as school, sports, social life, etc. I’ve got misdiagnosed a numerous amount of times up until age 20. Due to this, I’ve dealt with so many emotions, fear of the unknown, anger because why me, anxiety because I never knew what what next, and sadness because I never knew when the end was for me. Being in hospital beds more than school, being successful didn’t seem like it had my name on it. Everyone would ask the question what you want to be when you grow up, but truthfully I didn’t know if I was going to be able to even grow up. With my hopes very low, I answered with why do I have to be something when I grow up when I can be something and someone now. I then made it my duty to make my mark now so when I do pass on, my legacy will continue.
At 16 years old, I participated in Palmetto Citizens Banks Junior Shark Tank. This competition changed my future. Winning this competition with the business Kidz Kare Services LLC led me to finally finding my purpose and beginning my entrepreneurial journey. Although my physical and mental health still did not fully allow me to attend school and play sports every day, from those hospital beds and doctor’s offices at 16 years old, I ran my first business! With this success, I tapped into my passion for people, especially being my social life was little to none and no one could help me in regard to my health so I wanted to help others! I started a nonprofit organization called Kueens With Konfidence that focuses on Educating and Empowering Women on Mental Health through Self! Self-love, self-acceptance, self-respect and self Konfidence! Me being someone who struggles tremendously with mental health led me to wanting to help others, not have to. Being so young and with the stigma of mental health in my community, I didn’t get a lot of support, but I didn’t give up because this was bigger than me. I made a Konfidence Speech and wrote Konfidence Quotes such as “a Kueen is one who turns her PAIN into power” and “ your Krown may tilt but it will never fall!” And many more motivational quotes and gave them around my community. I didn’t want money, I didn’t want attention, I just didn’t want anyone to be as low as I was and I learned sometimes all it takes is kindness!
After this, I met my mentor Chandra Clevand who then became my pageant coach! Being a “sick child” beauty was really my interest. I didn’t feel beautiful, I would be wearing long sleeves in the summer and never smile because my insecurities were clouding my beauty. How is someone teaching people on mental health while struggling through it? Sometimes you must testify during your test because that’s God working through you for you! She helped me discover my beauty and win a Miss Born Natural Beauty Pageant; this completely transformed me. I wasn’t doing this for my legacy, I finally had a reason to live! This lead me to the black girls rock awards with BET, many entrepreneurial conferences where I was the youngest in the room, and more opportunities to help others! Fast forward to college, I just knew all my health issues would go away and I can finally show everyone how intelligent I am! My whole freshman year, I struggled with being misdiagnosed with lupus, lung failure, and many other smaller illnesses with still no answer to why. But still pushed in, was traveling the world and dominating college with sales competitions, my newfound talent! Something I was so good at that I was competing against people about to graduate and winning! After studying abroad in Panama, I seeped into my sadness! Because I had a seizure as I was telling my parents about my time in Panama… I’ve only had one seizure in my life and this was not normal. It was so bad that I fractured my spine and lost all memory of the studying abroad. They still would not tell me why!
After weeks of constant seizures and hospital trips, they diagnosed me with epilepsy. I was going through the emotions again, every time I feel as I’m gaining hope and my purpose my health strips all of it away. This newfound illness was something I didn’t want to accept, something I could not understand, and the fear of it being another misdiagnosis haunted me. Still having to attend college my mother came and stayed with me while I recovered at 2 am I felt the need to recreate a recipe I saw on social media. My mother took me to the store because she felt bad for me and I went to work. Finally, after months of sadness, she saw me smile! I found my peace, I posted my creation that night and received 200 orders… without even having a business so I took it and ran. I got a logo created, got my licenses, and created QuickLicksKitchen LLC! This not only turned my pain to power it gave me a profit! A home-cooked meal in college is a luxury so business was booming. A year ammeter I accepted my epilepsy and gave language to my pains faced by publishing a poem, “My illness is invisible but what does that make me?” I then became an advocate for the illness I thought would break me.
After a bunch of other trials and tribulations my senior year such as ten months on crutches, being homeschooled on bed rest my last semester, daily seizures, my grandma passing and much more, I didn’t give up and I finally WALKED across the stage when all odds were against me. I graduated for NCAT with high honors in the honors college with a career in sales at the #1 place to work in the world Cisco! They moved me to Atlanta and I now pursue sales while owning and managing six of businesses! My illness is invisible but what does that make me? It makes me everything I am today!
As you know, we’re big fans of you and your work. For our readers who might not be as familiar what can you tell them about what you do?
I’m a jack of many trades and a master of all, my career in sales, I’m known as the Mary Poppins of sales working for Cisco. I’m also an entrepreneur with many different businesses Quicklickskitchen, Kidz Kare Services, Kueens With Konfidence, QuickTakes LLC and manage two others, I’m also a UGC creator and Influencer with over 93,000 followers, and of course, I’m an advocate always for my illness and mental health for women! I’m proud that I now believe that my circumstances don’t define me, they only build me to have a reason to be successful! Which is also what sets me apart. When all odds are against me, I push on!
The crisis has affected us all in different ways. How has it affected you and any important lessons or epiphanies you can share with us?
The Covid crisis was tiny compared to what I was going through mentally, being in isolation was my Norm due to my health but I turned it into an opportunity, with my catering business meal prepping and feeding students all around is what kept my peace and kept people fed!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/_nicoleloviee?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-quick
- Other: https://linktr.ee/nicoleloviee
Image Credits
_NicoleLoviee or _quicklickskitchen
