There are two kinds of people in this world... people who think it's totally normal to let a toddler roam a public park while "the village" watches them AND people like me 

This week, Alex joins me for one of my favorite kinds of episodes as we unpack the wildest conversations happening over on Threads. From parenting debates and relationship hot takes to why checking your partner's phone is absolutely not the flex some people think it is, we're saying exactly what we think.

We also get into the great garlic powder crisis, Mercury retrograde, and why "Threads Nicole" might just be be Alex's favorite version of me.

If you've ever read something online and thought, "Wait... am I the crazy one?" this chat is for you.

Come laugh with us, disagree with us, and maybe send me a Thread afterward. I want to hear where you land.

We Chat About:

• The parenting debate that had everyone on Threads asking who should really be watching the kids
• Whether "the village" actually exists when you're raising children today
• The difference between trust, intuition, and control in a healthy marriage
• The internet's funniest (and most unhinged) hot takes on Threads
• The surprisingly serious conversation about childcare, parenting, and modern family life

 Connect with Nicole:

• Read Context is Everything: https://nicolewaltersofficial.substack.com/
• Threads: https://threads.net/nicolewalters
• YouTube: http://nicolewalters.com/youtube

Episode Sponsors:

Alloy is the only menopause platform with a scalp-to-lash hair care solution. Visit myalloy.com and use code NICOLE for $20 off your first order!

Use code NICOLE at checkout for 15% off your entire order at www.vionicshoes.com when you log into your account. 1 time use only.

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you're an entrepreneur you've probably heard that you need the perfect marketing strategy, a bigger audience, and the latest social media hack to build a successful business.

But what if the real marketing secret is... your reputation?

This week, I'm sitting down with someone who's had a front row seat to that truth for more than 40 years... my father-in-law, Arthur Csillag.

He's spent decades building a thriving law practice without chasing followers, algorithms, or personal branding. Instead, he built something even more valuable: trust.

And honestly? This chat reminded me that some of the best business advice doesn't come from the internet. It comes from people who've quietly been doing the work for decades.

 We Chat About:

• Why your reputation is still your greatest marketing strategy
• How Arthur built a successful business one client at a time
• The surprising role anger played in pushing him to become an entrepreneur
• How to know which clients to say yes to (and which ones to walk away from)
• Why passion has to come before the paycheck if you want to build something that lasts

We also talk about the role his wife, Margaret, played at home AND at work and why the work you do when nobody's watching is often what determines your long-term success.

If you've been questioning whether all the hustle, algorithms, and constant pressure to market yourself are really the only way to build a business... this chat may be the reminder you needed!

Connect with Nicole:

• Read Context is Everything: https://nicolewaltersofficial.substack.com/
• Threads: https://threads.net/nicolewalters
• YouTube: http://nicolewalters.com/youtube

Episode Sponsor:

Visit Luxetribes.com and use code NICOLE at checkout for $100 off eligible group trips. 

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

There's a quiet frustration a lot of us are carrying right now. Somehow politics has become more about picking a team than solving problems and many of us are looking for a way OUT.

Maybe you're tired of the culture wars. Maybe you're exhausted by the constant outrage. Maybe you're looking around wondering why nobody seems to be talking about the things that actually impact your daily life… like childcare, the cost of living, and whether your family can afford the future you want for your kids.

If that's you, this chat is going to hit home.

I sit down with Tennessee gubernatorial candidate, Dr. Lauren Pinkston, for a chat about independent politics, the childcare crisis, and why so many Americans feel politically homeless right now.

Because whether you're deeply involved in politics or you've completely checked out, this chat is really about something much bigger: what happens when ordinary people start looking for practical solutions instead of partisan talking points.

 We Chat About:

• Why more Americans are identifying as independent voters
• The childcare crisis and its impact on working families
• Why women belong in positions of political leadership
• How political polarization is leaving many voters feeling unheard
• Why focusing on issues instead of culture wars could change the future of government
• What it actually means to run as an independent candidate

Because no matter where you land politically, I think all of us are looking for the same thing… a little more hope and a lot more honesty.

Connect with Lauren:

• Learn More About Her Campaign: https://pinkstonfortn.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/pinkstonfortn

Connect with Nicole:

• Work with Nicole: https://nicolewalters.com/work-with-me/
• Threads: https://threads.net/nicolewalters
• YouTube: http://nicolewalters.com/youtube

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Why is it that in so many cases, the moment a woman starts thriving, her partner becomes uncomfortable with her success?

I know we can agree that neither partner in a relationship should have to make themselves smaller to keep the relationship working.

Today, Alex is back on the podcast and we're chatting through what so many women are quietly experiencing but rarely talk about openly: what happens when a woman starts stepping into her full potential and the people around her struggle to keep up.

We're talking about ambition, marriage, success, insecurity, and why so many high-achieving women are told to dim their light in order to make other people comfortable.

 We Chat About:

• Why some men feel threatened by a woman's success
• The difference between a supportive partner and a competitive one
• How insecurity can quietly sabotage relationships and marriages
• The truth about being a high-achieving woman in today's dating and marriage landscape

Alex shares his take on navigating marriage, building your individual dreams while growing together, and what it actually looks like to support your partner without losing yourself in the process.

And whew… there were a few moments in this chat that had both of us saying, "Why aren't we talking about this more?"

If you've ever questioned whether your ambition makes you "too much"… if you've ever been told to play small, dim your light, or lower your standards… if you're trying to build relationships that can grow alongside your success instead of being threatened by it… this episode is for you.

Connect with Alex:

• Website: https://alexcsillag.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alex_csillag

Connect with Nicole:

• Work with Nicole: https://nicolewalters.com/work-with-me/
• Threads: https://threads.net/nicolewalters
• WATCH the Tell Me More podcast: http://nicolewalters.com/youtube

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Y’all… can we be honest for a second?

The internet has some of us convinced that nobody is hiring, every job posting is fake, AI is taking over, and the only path forward is to quit your job and become an entrepreneur.

But what if that’s not actually true?

In this chat I sit down with career strategist and executive coach, Rayla Bailey for a conversation about layoffs, career transitions, salary negotiation, networking, LinkedIn, and what it really takes to get hired in today’s job market.

Because whether you're feeling stuck in your current role, wondering if you're underpaid, navigating a layoff, or quietly dreaming about your next chapter, this chat is packed with practical advice and a healthy dose of hope.

✨ We Chat About:

• Why Rayla tells job seekers to stay off the internet after a layoff
• The biggest mistake professionals make when they start looking for a new job
• How networking actually works in today's hiring market
• Whether LinkedIn is still worth your time
• What career coaches recommend doing before you ever need a new job

If you've ever told yourself:

"Nobody is hiring."

"I'll update my resume when I need it."

"It's too hard to get a new job."

Friend... this chat is for you.

Connect with Rayla Bailey:

• Website: https://rayla.co/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/raylabailey/

Connect with Nicole:

• Read Context is Everything: https://nicolewaltersofficial.substack.com/
• Threads: https://threads.net/nicolewalters
• WATCH the Tell Me More podcast: http://nicolewalters.com/youtube

Episode Sponsors:

If you're ready to finally sleep great and feel like yourself again, head to bioptimizers.com/nicole and use my exclusive code NICOLE to get 15% off any order.

Try Gusto today at gusto.com/NICOLE, and get three months free when you run your first payroll. 

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Have you ever built a life that looks amazing on paper... and still found yourself wondering, "Why doesn't this feel the way I thought it would?"

Friend, this conversation hit me right in the chest.

Today I'm sitting down with my real life friend, Yasmine Cheyenne, to talk about her new book, The Comeback Era, but this is NOT a typical book interview.

This is a chat about what happens when you've done everything "right" and still find yourself burned out, exhausted, disconnected, or questioning the life you've worked so hard to build.

 We Chat About:

• What to do when you've checked all the boxes but still feel stuck
• The difference between being full and being fulfilled
• How to stop living in fix-it mode and learn to trust yourself through uncertainty
• The power of using "and" instead of blame to take ownership of your next chapter
• What it really means to enter your comeback era and create a life that feels aligned, not just impressive

Yasmine shares her own journey through burnout, identity shifts, perfectionism, fear of failure, and learning how to stop proving her worth through productivity. We talk about marriage, career changes, self-trust, vulnerability, and the uncomfortable truth that sometimes the biggest thing standing between us and the life we want is our willingness to tell ourselves the truth.

And whew... there were several moments in this conversation where I felt personally attacked in the best possible way.

If you've ever found yourself wondering whether you're actually happy... if you're tired of performing, pushing, and proving... if you're standing at the edge of a major life transition and wondering what's next... this chat is for you.

Connect with Yasmine:

• Grab the new book, The Comeback Era: https://yasminecheyenne.com/books
• Follow Yasmine on IG at https://www.instagram.com/yasminecheyenne

Grab Deesha Dyer's book here: https://www.deeshadyer.com/undiplomatic-the-book

Connect with Nicole:

• On her *new* Substack: https://nicolewaltersofficial.substack.com/
• On Threads: https://threads.net/nicolewalters
• WATCH Tell Me More: http://nicolewalters.com/youtube

Episode Sponsors:

Explore viral bestsellers and products of healthier hair of ALL types from Bask and Lather. Go to baskandlatherco.com and use code NICOLE for 20% off.

Ready to reach your goals? Visit forhers.com/nicole to get personalized, affordable care that gets you.

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when you stop and ask yourself, "Who is this all for?"

Friend this one is a THERAPY SESSION with Dr. Phebe Brako, a licensed therapist supporting immigrants and individuals of the Global Majority to heal, grow, and build homes away from home.

 We Chat About:

• The difference between stress, burnout, and actual trauma
• Why so many high-achieving women feel unsafe slowing down
• How immigrant and first-generation women learn to over-perform for survival
• Parenting differently than you were parented and the emotions that come with it
• The guilt many women feel around rest, pleasure, and spending money on themselves

We also get into the emotional reality of being “the strong one,” the accidental breadwinner, the high performer everyone depends on… while secretly feeling exhausted, anxious, and terrified of slowing down.

And honestly? This chat challenged me personally in ways I WASN'T expecting.

If you’ve ever felt like you had to earn your place in every room you walk into…

If resting makes you uncomfortable…

If success still somehow doesn’t feel like enough…

... This chat is going to hit hard in the best possible way.

Connect with Dr. Phebe:

• Watch Dr. Phebe's new podcast: https://www.youtube.com/@phebebrakolmft
• Learn more about how you can work with Dr. Phebe: https://www.phebebrakolmft.com/
• On Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/drphebebrako/

Connect with Nicole:

• On her *new* Substack: https://nicolewaltersofficial.substack.com/
• On Threads: https://threads.net/nicolewalters
• WATCH Tell Me More: http://nicolewalters.com/youtube

Episode Sponsor:

Ready to reach your goals? Visit forhers.com/nicole to get personalized, affordable care that gets you.

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Y’all… this chat right here? This is the one for the women who keep saying, “I’m fine,” while secretly wondering if they’ll ever feel fully seen, safe, or loved again.

Today I’m sitting down with relationship coach and “Love Cheerleader” LaNise Thrasher for a chat about love after divorce, emotional healing, dating again, and the very real ways high-achieving women can accidentally use success, busy-ness, and independence to avoid vulnerability.

Because let’s be honest… a lot of us have built beautiful lives while quietly carrying heartbreak.

We talk about the versions of ourselves that emerge after divorce or major heartbreak. The woman who suddenly has to figure out who she is outside of survival mode, motherhood, marriage, achievement, or everybody else’s expectations. And whew… LaNise had me feeling personally attacked in the best way.

 We Chat About:

• Why high-achieving women often struggle with vulnerability after divorce
• The difference between healing and simply staying busy
• How women lose themselves inside marriage, motherhood, and survival mode
• Dating after divorce and learning to trust yourself again
• The emotional work required before entering a healthy relationship
• Why admitting loneliness can actually be the beginning of healing

If you’ve ever told yourself:

“I don’t need anybody.”

“I’m too busy for love.”

“I’m healed, I just don’t want to deal with men anymore.”

Friend… this chat is for you.

Connect with LaNise Thrasher:

• Learn more about LaNise and grab her book at: https://thelovecheerleader.com/
• Follow LaNise on IG at: https://www.instagram.com/thelovecheerleader/

Connect with Nicole:

• On her *new* Substack: https://nicolewaltersofficial.substack.com/
• On Threads: https://threads.net/nicolewalters
• WATCH the Tell Me More podcast: http://nicolewalters.com/youtube

Episode Sponsor:

Go to https://baskandlatherco.com and use code NICOLE for 20% off.

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

" You could have a birth plan go completely to plan... but still leave feeling negative about it."

Friend, this is one of those chats I wish every woman had before she ever steps into a delivery room.

Today we get to chat with my friend Jen Hamilton — labor and delivery nurse, educator, and one of the most trusted voices online when it comes to pregnancy, labor, and postpartum care.

And we’re talking about what actually shapes your childbirth experience. Not just what happens medically… but how you feel while it’s happening.

You can check every box on your birth plan and still walk away feeling overwhelmed, dismissed, or disconnected from your own experience. This chat is about changing that.

We’re diving into birth plans vs reality, how to advocate for yourself during labor, and what it really looks like to feel supported, informed, and in control... even when things don’t go as expected.

 We Chat About:

• Why your birth plan doesn’t guarantee a good birth experience
• How communication can reduce birth trauma (more than anything else)
• How to advocate for yourself without feeling difficult or confrontational
• Why feeling supported matters more than everything going “to plan”
• How to trust your instincts in the moment (even if you’re a planner)
• Why flexibility, not control, leads to a better birth experience

Whether you’re pregnant, planning to be, supporting someone who is, or just want to understand how to approach birth with more confidence and less fear… this chat is for you.

Because you deserve more than just a healthy outcome.

Connect with Jen Hamilton:

• Grab a copy of Birth Vibes at https://www.jenhamilton.co/birthvibes
• Follow Jen on IG at https://www.instagram.com/_jen_hamilton_/

 Connect with Nicole:

• On her *new* Substack: https://nicolewaltersofficial.substack.com/
• On Threads: https://threads.net/nicolewalters
• WATCH the Tell Me More podcast: http://nicolewalters.com/youtube

Episode Sponsor:

Try Gusto today at gusto.com/nicole, and get three months free when you run your first payroll.

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I’m opening up about something I’ve honestly avoided talking about for a long time... parenting.

A lot of people know me as a mom, but I’ve always been careful about giving parenting advice because let’s be real, everybody has opinions. And when you’re raising kids in the real world, through real circumstances, there is no perfect formula.

We’re talking about what it means to parent with intention instead of performance, how to trust yourself when the internet has something to say about everything, and why sometimes the best parenting advice is knowing your family better than anyone else does.

We Chat About:

• Why I’ve been hesitant to talk publicly about parenting until now
• Parenting with boundaries, discipline, and deep love
• Navigating hard family seasons including divorce, health struggles, and recovery
• What I’ve learned raising kids in different ages and life stages

If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re doing enough, doing it right, or just trying to survive the season you’re in, this chat is for you. Because the truth is, we’re all figuring it out. And sometimes the greatest gift we can give each other is honesty.

Connect with Nicole:

• On her *new* Substack: https://nicolewaltersofficial.substack.com/
• On Threads: https://threads.net/nicolewalters
• WATCH Tell Me More: http://nicolewalters.com/youtube

Episode Sponsor:

Ready to reach your goals? Visit forhers.com slash nicole to get personalized, affordable care that gets you.

Produced by Dear Media

See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.