A powerful testament to resilience and purpose, this article shares one woman's journey of overcoming epilepsy, navigating professional obstacles, and discovering that true influence means inspiring others through authenticity and unwavering determination.
Her Story
About Nicole
Nicole Irving serves as a Lead Manager at Clarks, where she oversees a team and contributes to delivering a positive customer experience through effective leadership, communication, and service. Alongside her retail leadership career, she is pursuing her passion for beauty and entrepreneurship through her online business, Magical Hair and More. With several years of experience in the beauty industry, Nicole combines her knowledge of customer service, sales, marketing, and business development to build meaningful relationships with clients and grow her entrepreneurial ventures.
Nicole is also an ordained minister with the Universal Life Church, a role she began in 2023 that reflects her commitment to service, compassion, and supporting people from diverse backgrounds. Her ministry work includes providing counseling, blessings, handfasting ceremonies, and funeral services. She studied at Paul Mitchell, where she developed knowledge in business, marketing, entrepreneurship, and administration, skills she continues to apply across her professional and entrepreneurial pursuits. Nicole is also an active member of New Revival Church in Sun Valley, Nevada, and gives back to her community through volunteer involvement with organizations such as Habitat for Humanity and Dress for Success.
Nicole attributes her success to self-reflection and persistence, emphasizing the importance of learning from experiences, remaining resilient, and continuing to move forward despite challenges. She considers clear and effective communication one of the most important values in both her professional and personal life, recognizing it as essential to building trust and meaningful relationships. Her advice to young women entering the workforce is to believe in themselves, recognize their potential, and understand that they have the ability to accomplish anything they set their minds to through confidence, determination, and perseverance.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Nicole
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to self-reflection and persistence. I make a conscious effort to evaluate my experiences, learn from challenges, and continuously identify opportunities for personal and professional growth. At the same time, persistence has taught me to remain focused, resilient, and committed to my goals, even when faced with obstacles or setbacks. By combining thoughtful self-reflection with determination and a willingness to keep moving forward, I have been able to grow, adapt, and achieve meaningful success throughout my career.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I have ever received is, “If you want to be happy, be happy. Each morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.” This perspective has taught me to embrace each day as a new opportunity, remain present, and focus on what I can positively influence in the moment. I believe that true professional fulfillment comes from being intentional about the work I do, maintaining a positive mindset, and making choices that align with my values and purpose.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to young women entering the industry is to believe in yourself and recognize the limitless possibilities within you. Never underestimate your abilities or allow doubt to define what you believe you can accomplish. As women, we have the strength, creativity, resilience, and determination to pursue ambitious goals, overcome challenges, and create meaningful change. Stay confident in your vision, embrace opportunities to grow, and remember that you have the power to shape your own path and even create entirely new possibilities for yourself and others.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in my field right now is the economy, as financial pressures can make it difficult for people to prioritize services such as hair care and other personal needs. At the same time, this environment presents an opportunity to better understand clients’ changing needs, provide value, and build lasting relationships through quality service, flexibility, and genuine care. I believe staying adaptable, listening to clients, and maintaining a strong commitment to professionalism are essential to navigating economic challenges while continuing to grow.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Communication is the value I consider most important in both my professional and personal life. I believe clear, honest, and respectful communication is the foundation for building strong relationships, establishing trust, and creating mutual understanding. Whether I am working with clients, colleagues, or the people closest to me, I strive to listen attentively, express myself clearly, and approach every interaction with openness and respect.
Her Content Hub
Articles by Nicole
Walking in Purpose: My Journey of Resilience, Leadership, and Faith
From Obstacles to Influence: A Woman's Journey of Resilience and Purpose
My journey has taught me that becoming an influential woman is not about having a perfect life. It is about having the courage to keep moving forward when life does not go according to plan.
I was born with epilepsy, and from an early age, I learned that life could present challenges that I did not choose. Living with epilepsy has meant learning how to navigate obstacles, advocate for myself, and continue pursuing my goals even when circumstances were difficult.
As I grew older, I discovered that some of my greatest challenges would not only be personal—they would also come from navigating the working world.
Entering the workforce taught me that having a disability can sometimes mean facing obstacles that other people may never have to think about. There have been moments when I have had to explain my needs, advocate for myself, adapt to different working environments, and prove that epilepsy does not determine what I am capable of accomplishing.
Instead of allowing those experiences to discourage me, I chose to let them make me stronger.
My journey through the working world has taught me the importance of perseverance. Not every workplace has been the right fit, and not every opportunity has worked out the way I hoped. I have experienced changes in employment, difficult situations, and moments when I had to make the decision to walk away from something that was not helping me grow.
Those experiences taught me something valuable: leaving an environment that is not right for you is not giving up. Sometimes it is choosing yourself.
I have continued to pursue opportunities where I can learn, contribute, and grow. My professional experiences in customer service and retail have helped me develop communication, patience, problem-solving, and leadership skills. Stepping into a team-leadership role has been another important chapter in my growth.
Leadership has shown me that being a leader is not simply about having authority. It is about understanding people, communicating effectively, encouraging others, taking responsibility, and being willing to learn from your own mistakes.
My education has also played an important role in shaping my vision for my future. Studying Business and Marketing, along with Entrepreneurship, gave me a foundation for understanding how ideas can become meaningful opportunities. But my life experiences have taught me lessons that no classroom could fully teach.
They taught me resilience.
They taught me self-advocacy.
They taught me that obstacles do not have to become permanent barriers.
I am also passionate about building something meaningful beyond my career. My entrepreneurial and ministry aspirations have allowed me to explore a deeper purpose: creating spaces where people can feel encouraged, accepted, inspired, and empowered.
Through my vision for Sacred Light Ministry, I want to promote unity, spiritual exploration, compassion, and respect for people from different backgrounds and beliefs. My goal is to encourage people to discover their own path, find their inner strength, and recognize the light within themselves.
That vision is deeply connected to my own journey.
I understand what it feels like to face something you did not ask for and still have to find the strength to move forward. I understand what it means to enter a workplace and wonder whether others will see your abilities before they see your challenges.
But I have learned that my diagnosis is only one part of my story—it is not the definition of my story.
Epilepsy has presented obstacles in my life, but it has also taught me patience, determination, courage, and the importance of advocating for myself. I refuse to allow a medical condition to determine how far I can go.
I know what it feels like to wonder whether you are capable of becoming the person you envision. I know what it feels like to start over, make difficult decisions, and keep believing in yourself when the results are not immediate.
But I have learned that starting over is not failure.
Sometimes starting over is the beginning of becoming who you were meant to be.
One of the greatest lessons I have learned is that success does not happen overnight. There may be times when we have to take a smaller step before we can take a bigger one. There may be jobs that teach us what we do not want, opportunities that prepare us for something better, and challenges that develop qualities we did not know we possessed.
Every experience can become part of our preparation.
I am still growing. I am still learning. I am still discovering new possibilities for my life. And I believe that is part of what makes my story worth telling.
I don't want to present myself as someone who has already figured everything out. I want to be an example of a woman who continues to pursue her dreams despite uncertainty, obstacles, and setbacks.
My definition of influence is not fame or popularity.
Influence is the ability to leave someone better than you found them.
It can happen through a conversation, an act of kindness, a leadership decision, a creative project, a business idea, a ministry, or simply by sharing your story with someone who needs to know that they are not alone.
I believe women should never underestimate the power of their own stories.
Your past does not disqualify you from your future.
Your disability does not erase your abilities.
Your setbacks do not erase your potential.
And your current circumstances do not determine where you will ultimately go.
There is still time to learn something new. There is still time to change direction. There is still time to build the career, business, ministry, organization, or life you have been dreaming about.
As I continue my own journey, I want to remain a woman who leads with compassion, learns from every experience, embraces growth, advocates for herself and others, and uses her voice to encourage people who may be facing obstacles of their own.
I am not finished becoming.
And perhaps that is the most inspirational part of my story.
I was born with epilepsy, but I was also born with potential, purpose, determination, and a voice.
I am still becoming the woman I was meant to be—and I intend to bring others with me.
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