Hi everyone, I'm Hillary Kerr, the co-founder and chief content officer of Who Up Where, and

this is Second Life, a podcast spotlighting women who have truly inspiring careers.

We're talking about their work journeys, what they've learned from the process of setting

aside their doubts or fears, and what happens when they embark on their Second Life.

Today on the podcast, I am so excited to speak with the founder of Claire, Nicole Gibbons.

If for some reason you don't know Claire, it's a company that Nicole founded in 2018, as

the first ever, direct to consumer paint brand on a mission to take the paint out of paint.

With designer curated colors, technology to guide you, and mess-free paint swatches,

conveniently delivered to your door, Nicole has shaken up the $155 billion global paint industry.

In 2017, Nicole also became one of just 34 black female entrepreneurs in the United States

to surpass the million dollar mark in capital fundraising, an accomplishment she met

with $2 million in seed funding from prominent VC investors.

Pretty impressive for a first-time entrepreneur.

Good thing she had invaluable skills from her first lives, first in fashion PR, and then

an interior design where she went from blogger to designer to TV personality and home expert

for networks like OWN and HGTV.

I cannot wait for you to hear her story.

Now on Second Life, it's Nicole Gibbons.

Nicole, on this podcast, we like to start at the beginning.

So what did you study in school and what did you think you were going to be when you grew up?

I'll start with the latter question.

So when I was young, I thought I wanted to be a doctor.

...