62: Nikki Walton on Regaining Peace After Starting CurlyNikki, Then Burning Out, Then Finding Her Spiritual Path

The Light Watkins Show

Light Watkins

Self-improvement, Religion & Spirituality, Society & Culture, Education

4.9 • 960 Ratings

🗓️ 28 July 2021

⏱️ 89 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Like many Black women in America, today’s guest went through a period when she believed that she had to look a certain way in order to be perceived as beautiful, mainly related to her curly, natural hair. After deciding to wear her hair naturally in college and encountering pushback from her own family, Nikki Walton realized the importance of creating a community for Black women who also felt the desire to embrace their natural hair. She started her industry-disrupting and now wildly popular ...

Transcript

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0:00.0	I had achieved everything that I had set out to do with natural hair.
0:09.2	So by 2013 with the book launched, which was in January 2013 with Harper Collins. The book was
0:14.7	out. I had been on Steve Harvey's radio show many times. I had done television like
0:21.8	the major national programs had been in New York Times had been in
0:26.2	USA Today and The Guardian and In Style and Essence and Ebony like all of the major. But I could see that I wasn't happy. You know, I have a healthy
0:36.4	kid by this point. You know, I'm married. We have a great house, have a very nice car. I have my health, my family has their health, the business is doing great, you know, I've got great contracts and sponsorships,
0:49.0	but it's like every morning I would wake up checking email compulsively waiting for the next news the next big thing the next article the next feature and I could see that even when I got it when I did get the email that oh you get to
1:03.7	interview Shaka Khan because at the time still folks were not giving interviews
1:08.3	to bloggers because they were scared like it was a new thing and I got hundreds of them between 08 and 2013 because I was
1:16.3	out there hustling and it's hard dealing with those gatekeepers those agents and managers
1:20.0	you know but I wanted to be able to bring the natural hair stories of these women in the limelight to my readership.
1:25.6	So I'm doing this and I'm working overtime and I'm like no matter what I achieve and no matter I could interview
1:31.8	Michelle Obama and I still wouldn't be happy because I'm like
1:35.6	who's next what's next what's next what's next like that happiness was always
1:39.6	around the corner like true success was always around the
1:43.7	true success was always around the corner no matter what I achieved it wasn't enough for this ego the way this ego was set up I could feel that and I was looking around at
1:50.8	other successful people and I could see that same energy there.
1:54.0	And I'm like, I don't want to live like this. Hello there it's Light Watkins and you are listening to at the end of the tunnel
2:06.3	which is a podcast about so many things hope inspiration stories about people
2:11.3	who've overcome all kinds of obstacles to find their
2:14.2	calling but most importantly people who've actually taken action on their
2:19.0	calling and this week's guest is no different. She's got a very interesting journey
	...

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