Welcome to the Curated Confidence, the space where beauty meets truth and confidence isn't just talked about, it's built. And no, not with a filter. I'm English Black, PA, med spa owner, aesthetic coach, and a woman who has walked through fire to stand in her power. If you're here, chances are you're not just chasing a glow up. You're craving a life that feels unapologetically your own. This podcast is about what it really takes to own your story, embody your worth, and express your beauty from the inside out. Not for perfection, not for applause, but because you're done abandoning yourself for everyone else. Each week, I'll bring you real talk, mindset shifts, and the kind of unapologetic truths that help you curate confidence, not just in the mirror, but in how you move through the world. You ready? Let's get into it. Today I'm joined by the incredibly talented Nicole Fisher, founder, CEO, and creative force behind Nicole Fisher Interiors, a full-service design firm known for crafting soulful, one-of-a-kind spaces that artfully blend interiors, fashion, and culture. A New York native, Nicole began her career in the fast-paced world of editorial fashion where she styled international superstar Lady Gaga and worked alongside Nicola Formichetti and Brandon Maxwell. It was there that she mastered the art of storytelling through detail and discovered her passion for bringing that same cinematic sensibility to interior spaces. In 2015, she launched her design firm with a focus on creating luxuriously livable homes layered with rich textures, curated vintage, and bespoke elements that make every space unforgettable. I mean, I'm wanting to go hang out there right now. What I love most about Nicole is that her work isn't just about beautiful rooms. It's about how people feel in the spaces that they live, work, and connect. And frankly, Nicole just exudes confidence. So just like in Aesthetics of the Face, her philosophy is about balance, timelessness, and confidence. I cannot wait for you to hear her insights today. So, Nicole, welcome. Thank you so much. Love I know, right? Sometimes it's important to hear ourselves being talked of. You know, I've made recordings of people saying nice things to me because it's not a bad thing to have in your back pocket on a glum day, right? Oh, I love that. All right, I'm gonna have to do that. Yeah, there you go. There you go. So tell us, Nicole, what first drew you into the world of design and how did you know that this was Well, I started out my career in fashion. It was always something that I just knew I wanted to be creative. I was always getting my hands dirty in something. I was always drawing something. I was always creating something. And knowing that I wanted to be somewhere that I can express my odd talents were just part of what I knew I needed to do. interiors came to me in a very crazy way. I happened to be sidemarked right after fashion styling. I left and my mother was like, I think it's time you get a real job. Like this is not cute anymore. You're a grown, you're a grown woman. It's time to get like a real job. Um, and I went to law school and I was like, all right, this is what I'm going to do. I'll work in, I'll work in IP. I'll try to work for a fashion brand. I'll work in-house somewhere so I can still feel a little connection to it. And I hated it. I hated every second of it. I was good at it, but I just lost every ounce of my creativity. And while I was in law school, my mother, again, actually, they were moving. And I was like, can you please just let me do something with your house? Like, let me do it. They didn't have the money to buy a, you know, a done home. The home like needed a lot of work. And I was like, let's just let me get my hands dirty and do this. This will be like my creative outlet. And I, I started working on that, got super into it, and saw this company was hiring for an in-house studio designer where you just take the pieces that they were using and selling on their site. you know, design them in such a way for clientele to put it in their own home. And I totally faked that interview to the point where, you know, I had no experience, but I had just, I knew that I could do it. Yeah. For some crazy reason, they offered me a job. So between that and doing my mom's house, I dropped out of law school. And I was like, that's it. I'm done. This is what I'm supposed to be doing. And I haven't really I love that. I mean, when I heard you say I needed to do this, like needed to be creative, I immediately understood what you meant. And then when you went to, my mother told me I had to go to law school. I'm like, oh no, this is gonna suck her soul. Not that there's not a place for attorneys. I have some amazing attorney friends that are very good at what they do and we need good attorneys, right? But it's not for everyone. And then I love how you said, I had no experience, but I just knew I could do this job well. I mean, tell us more about that sense of You know, I think so many people put that confidence aside and It's not a bad thing to try things. It's not a bad thing to lean into, you know, just an interest. I don't, you don't have to be formally trained and this is, that's my, that's my whole story. I'm not formally trained in what, you know, what I do today, but it's a strong passion and drive that I think if you have it, it could be translated into anything. And I am a type of person where if I put my mind to something, I'm going to figure it out. I'm going to figure out how to do it. And not that I have been, you know, not that I need this trajectory in order to get somewhere. And I think that's really important for people to know that they can do it. And especially as Especially as women, we're kind of told like, you can't take a risk like that. You can't just do that. Like, who do you think you are? And I'm here to tell you that you can. You just need to, for me, I think you just need a passion. You just need a passion to do it. And maybe part of that passion is proving people wrong, but I Yeah, well, and as we both know, living our truth really shows others where they're living a lie. And that living our truth can make other people uncomfortable because that confidence is, and not in a malicious way, but just in a way that they might not be comfortable with the growth at the edges around there, you know? So, and yeah, and as a fellow intuitive type, you know, in hindsight in my life, my intuition hasn't been wrong yet. And if I just followed it, you know, God, it could have saved a lot of times. And then I also think it's a huge advantage to enter business or whatever career choice you have in a non-traditional way, because it gives you an edge. You're not doing it like everybody else. And my, you know, kind of in the back of my mind, I've always wondered, well, why would we want to be like everybody else? You know, there's that push to conform and yet conformity is, you know, a little lackluster, right? Yeah, absolutely. Well, how would you describe your design philosophy I like to tell people that when you're working with me, I'm not the one living in a home. It's not my space. It's your space. So we want to find out what makes you tick. How do you live? How do you have breakfast with your kids? How do you entertain your girlfriends at night? I want to know all of these kind of personal details about you, because that's how we make something really special. it's not a museum and it's your home. So, you know, this sense of feeling of this ease and calmness when we walk into a space because it really feels like us, you know, it really gives you like a hug when you walk in because it's so personal. I think that is what I strive for and really what sets us apart. You're not hiring me and my team for, you know, what I would do in my home, we're hiring for what we're gonna do in your home. So there's a balance. Some people come in with these crazy ideas. It is absolutely our job to fine tune them and make them make sense, but it's not my job to dictate how you Yeah, I love that. I love that. So you really kind of like what I do in my own clinic. The goal is not to impose your aesthetic on someone else. It's influenced, but it's really to get at the root of how people feel and how they want to feel, right? And that's so important because that connection is what makes the world go Yeah. You and I both work in fields that shape how people feel in their own skin or space. How do you see great design building You know, when a house or space really reflects you and you're able to feel so comfortable in it that it just puts you at ease when you walk through the door, you innately feel confident because you're able to see that what you're attracted to and what you have brought to the table is beautiful and is really put together and really makes sense and really invokes this sense of feeling when you walk home. And wow, like what a gift to be able to do that. And that's like my favorite part about what we do. It's a gift to be able to give that to somebody. And, you know, having a place that you can host your family, having a place that your kids feel comfortable, having a place that you can entertain your friends and be proud of what you have, it's just a whole nother level of that confidence, right? Being able to, bring people together in a beautiful way, being able to, you know, have your family dinners in a beautiful setting, like creating memories around this beautiful space that we have created. It really does invoke this sense of confidence in in you, in your home. So I think it really has full circle for me because it's not just what me and my team are able to do, it really Yeah, yeah, because even though we all know that self-worth is an inside job and that confidence is fostered by compliments and things like that, I love the weaving of that concept with how we still get a boost from aesthetics, from interior design, from the clothing choices that we make because they're all related, right? I think it's just so interesting. Well, and we we often talk about refreshing rather than changing and aesthetics and interiors. How do you think about subtle changes that completely transform space without losing its essence? And or when do you decide, unlike Well, there's a few ways to think about this. The the seasons are a great time to really just refresh. And that's with, you know, pillows, throws, different types of fabrics, textiles that we're using. We're walking into this fall, winter season right now. I swap in my faux fur blankets everywhere, my wool pillows, these things to kind of give you a little bit more cozy vibes. Yeah. And then That to me makes a real difference for people. Just seasonality, feeling like it's getting a little Botox here and there, just to give you a little fresh feeling. But sometimes these spaces are just too tired. They have been kicked around a little bit too much. They have- And neglected. Yeah, they've lost their luster in a way. The cool thing about what we do a lot of times is we bring in vintage. So these vintage pieces often have these incredible bones that we work with. So if we're talking facelift rather than like, you know, full mommy makeover, we're doing a or reupholstering a piece that is, you know, that you love, but maybe we're just putting a new fabric on it. So, which completely transforms the space, you know, without having to do everything. There are different layers of things that we can do here. The next kind of phase on that would be paint or wallpaper. I think those have such a huge, especially when you go drastically in the other direction. Sometimes we have this, you know, concept in our minds that you can't use dark colors in small spaces or you can't use wild patterns in small spaces, you know. if you if you let go of all these, you know, quote unquote rules and just go with what your what makes you happy, what makes your heart happy, then you'll That's right. That's right. When we're when we're when we're true to ourselves, we at the end of the day, we don't care because you have that sense of that sense of just solid wellness, you know, because it's you. Well, you know, design like aesthetics has trends. How do you balance creating something that feels current while ensuring it's timeless for Yeah, that's another reason why I love to use vintage because these pieces are already really old. These pieces already have a sense of history and timelessness to them. What makes them fun and fresh are textiles and updating these kind of fabrics that we're putting on these old pieces. So for me, it's the juxtaposition between old and new always and being able to kind of balance those two worlds so that things don't feel too new. and also don't feel like a period piece. I want things to feel, every house of ours should feel evolved over time. And you know, my, what I don't like is for, your living room to look like one page in a magazine or one page of a catalog. It should feel like it has been plucked from different sources, different places all over the world, different periods of time. To feel this sense of character and evolution and timelessness, I think you need those different types Yeah, I love that. I love that. And, you know, you really just exude this knowing who you are, which is so awesome and models so well for so many of the women that you work with, I know. Every project has its surprises. Can you tell us about a memorable challenge that taught you something important about design, leadership, yourself, That's a secret. A lot of people don't know that one. Yeah, I recently had a project where the contractor was not showing up, not doing their job. And we brought them in on the job. So in essence, just makes us look bad at our jobs. And it really had me reflect on how I create these teams and environments around my projects and really creating these systems. And so much of what I'm doing on my business in the last year, really, is learning how to fine tune these systems so that they are foolproof. And granted, there's going to be shit that comes up. It's not possible. But framing it in a way where people have their accountability and are able to pass the baton at a time when it's necessary. And as much as I really wanted to do everything and make this client just so happy, there's a line, there's a balance. I was driving myself nuts trying to fix everyone's problems. And if if you can learn to not only surround yourself with the right people, but also put into place these systems that allowed me to work with people who will follow those systems and to actually do it the right way, that's been a game changer for my business. And I think that's, It's really for everyone. If you don't have processes that people are going to follow, what are they following? What are they doing? It's true. And it's so much, I mean, so much of this is, of course, just business development in general. But without that, it has, which I did for a long time, it is challenging. You just, you can't do everything and you can't make everybody happy. But if you put the right things in place, it I think so many women can identify with that. I mean, just in general, we are biologically, physiologically nurturers, typically, not all women, but and then as we were alluding to earlier, just about how we are, you know, conditioned growing up, it's just seems natural for a lot of us to want to overfunction and be the end all because that feels good and it fosters a sense of competency. And yet there's that limit. where we have we exceed the competency because you're overwhelmed with the minutiae and then and then it goes it's like a bell curve that it goes down the other way right and i love the idea that our businesses are like a mirror and i like you it's it's a lot like um It helps us show us where we have strengths and weaknesses, right? And creating those systems and then having standards and accountability. Sounds If you had to give one piece of advice to women who want to design a life and a space that reflects who they truly are, what Follow your heart. I think we pigeonhole ourselves so much and especially with social media and Pinterest and seeing these like perfect lives put together everywhere we look, it makes us self-conscious. It makes us think we're not doing the right things. It makes us think that we're making wrong decisions. And I, I think it's particularly challenging for younger people who have not come yet to see the light, that there is a, it's all smoke and mirrors. It is. being okay with what you like, being okay with who you are, being, learning that sense of confidence. And when you make those decisions, whether it's on your business or in your home or on your, with your kids or whatever you, that's your autonomy. That's your decision. And it's, it's really important for us to find that sense of confidence to be able to follow our heart because it wasn't really until I had that, that I was able to see the light at the end of the tunnel. And you, I just, I just urge anyone to never lose that sense of self in that way and to follow it without I love that. I love that. And that can be fluid, right? You know, and as our ages change, I love what Mike Brown says, I reserve the right to change my mind from what I said five minutes ago. We're allowed to evolve and what our hearts need and want that can change. Yeah. Well, Nicole, thank you so much for sharing your perspective and artistry with us. You've reminded us that design is not just about beauty. It's about creating spaces that support confidence, connection, and well-being. For everyone listening, I hope you walk away seeing parallels, whether it's your home or your face. True design is about refreshing, not necessarily reinventing, and about building something timeless that reflects who you are at your core. Nicole, it's been such an honor to have you Absolutely. Thanks for having me. Instagram at Nicole R. Fisher, our website, nicolefisher.com. You can see our portfolio of work and drop us a line. And if you are interested in learning more about what we do, we are offering a free inspiration board. So DM me Pinterest, and we will send you over some really inspiring Thank you. Thanks Nicole. Thanks everybody for listening. Wait, wait, before you go, thank you so much for joining me on the Curated Confidence today. If this conversation sparked something within you, please don't keep that transformation to yourself. Share this episode with a friend, subscribe so you never miss a dose of Curated Confidence, and please leave us a quick review wherever you listen. It truly helps us reach more incredible women like you. Until next time, remember to keep showing up fully, stand tall in your truth, and masterfully curating your