The levels of abstraction that manifest reality and consciousness create a dimension occupied by beings pleaded with egos thinking they have souls. Understanding the origins of the universe, the purpose of life, and what transpires upon death are some of the most fundamental questions asked by human beings. In this podcast, Nicole explores the development of her belief system and the role that religion played in her spiritual journey. 

The world of modeling for most is mystical, competitive, awe-inspiring, thrilling, and elusive. With images of traveling around the world to working with the best designers, the world of modeling is very aspirational for many young girls. Today’s guest is a long-time friend, who turned her dream of being a model into a reality, Danielle Carbonneau (@danicarbon). Danielle began her journey as most captivated by shows like ANTM but she used her passion to get her to shoots and runway shows in top fashion cities like New York, LA, Paris, and Milan. In today’s episode, not only do I get to chance to catch up with Danielle, but I dive into our shared memories of living on Sint Maarten, navigating the world of modeling, building confidence, and more.

Today’s guest I had the honor of meeting through Microsoft’s Summer Internship program. Christopher Cha is a Maryland native studying Computer Science + Engineering. Over the summer, Christopher and I engaged in so many conversations about history, culture, film, and the outdoors that I had to bring him on the pod. In this episode, we dive into a breath of topics from the word of the year to the growing popularity of National Parks.

This episode of the Chatta Box features one of the many students representing St. Maarten abroad, Kamilah Gumbs. Kamilah (@agapebruh) is well known for her podcast We Talkin and her involvement in politics both on the island and in the US. In this episode, we chat about her journey studying in Kansas, why we never joined Greek life, the reality show SXM politics, code-switching, and more. Trigger warning: this episode does discuss sensitive topics related to sexual assault.

More and more of the technology we used in the world around us is built by teams of diverse engineering minds. This episode features an ambassador of black excellence and highlights one talented engineer working to create space for more minorities and women in tech. Suliyat Olagbenro, "Kemi" (@kemi0313), is an electrical engineer working at Rockwell Automation. In this episode, we get to learn more about Kemi's journey as a first-generation Nigerian-American, what exactly engineers do, the progression of technology, and the complexities of life.

It goes without saying that a world without art is a world not worth living in. Art is one of the purest forms of human expression that speaks to all of us in a language we cannot explain yet we feel nonetheless. On this episode of the Chatta Box, I sit down with a future leader in creative media, Michele Mardorf (@michimardorf). Michele is an art director in the advertising industry, looking to create space for women and PoC. Michele is a member of the 2021 Marcus Graham Program partnering with Apple and Dreamville. Check out her dope visual portfolio @ michelemardorf.com

Sint Maarten is home to many incredibly talented young people. This episode features one such local artist, music entertainer, and investor/entrepreneur, Guilda (@guilda_iy)! In this episode, we chat about Guilda's recent trip back to the island, what it has been like living in the Netherlands, how he got the name Guilda, the story behind his latest summer hit Self Love, the safest place to live on SXM, why Cardano and ADA, and so much more. 

A global citizen, Hailey has spent most of her young life living outside of the United States. Being a foreign resident on the island of Sint Maarten has its challenges. In this episode of The Chatta Box, I got a chance to catch up with Hailey, discuss our career in public speaking and journalism, learn about Hailey's journey to Sint Maarten, and her endeavors in the island's service and entertainment sector. If you are on the island, be sure to keep an ear out for Hailey, who hosts the radio show, Honey on the Radio, live on 104.3 FM.

An activist social justice for PoC and the LGBTQ+ community, Elsa Ramesh (@nithya_elsa_) is a force to be reckoned with. This PRIDE month, Elsa took her love for her community even further by launching her first book, I hope you’ll still love me (@ihyslm), a novel capturing queer experiences in the South Asian community. In this episode of the Chatta Box, we learn about Elsa’s experiences immigrating to the US from South Africa, her amazing work highlighting diversity at Microsoft, our shared experiences being queer within the South Asian community, as well as highlight incredible stories from her new book.

Despite evolving under the sun, human society continues to neglect the importance of light for human health. This episode of the Chatta Box features Michigan Alum, inventor, founder and CTO of JustLight, Peter Forhan (@peteforhan). Having spent the last two years researching the importance of light as a tool for sanitation and its infinite health benefits from inflammation reduction, reducing hair loss, improving metabolic performance, and more, Peter has been on the forefront advocating for the adoption of a light routine for all. In this episode, you will learn about why light is important for proper health, how modern society is causing a light deficiency for the masses, and how you can easily adapt to a light routine in your life.