We were lucky to catch up with Nikki Brooker recently and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Nikki , appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
I believe my resilience comes from being a part of a family that never gives up. I was raised by two people who didn’t always have it easy and overcame a lot of adverse situations and life challenges but always figured out a way to overcome. Resilience comes from never giving up.
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
Growing up in northern Michigan, I met my husband when I was 12 and he was 15. We have created our lives together with three great kids who are doing amazing things. Colorado is where we call home and after over 20 years in education, my path and my passion changed after two local moms took their lives and the lives of their kiddos. It was such a horrific experience and the two stories created a need to support all moms. We have two different programs that support moms but our hospital program called Strong Mamas, Thriving Babies is changing the world, one mama at a time. Our program gives every mom who gives birth at one of our participating hospitals a full year of wrap-around support. Our four-part program is creating generational change that will improve the mental health of full communities.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
As I have created this nonprofit from the ground up, I have learned a lot about so many things. One of the biggest needs when starting something like this is to make sure you have the support of your tribe. In my situation, I needed the support of my husband and from day one he said, go do good in the world. Even when I wasn’t pulling a paycheck and didn’t know when and if I would ever be paid for my work, he was 100% dedicated to my passion and vision. There were many times throughout the past 6 1/2 years when I considered walking away because when you work 50+ hours a week and aren’t bringing home a paycheck, it’s not easy to see the positive impact you are making. Never giving up and having the passion to keep pushing towards our goal because I know it’s going to change the world, one mama at a time was not always easy but so far, it’s been worth it. Surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and you will end up on top!
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
Our biggest challenge is navigating all of the different organizations and systems that we are working with. Our nonprofit started as an independent support group for moms but has turned into a hospital program that is going to make generational change in how moms are supported. We believe in our program and know that once our pilot program has data behind it, we are going to grow and expand faster than we know how to manage. This is a challenge we are facing and working to create systems that can be supported within the many different organizations we are working with.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.yanamom.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/yanam2m
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/yanam2m
- Other: https://linktr.ee/yanam2m
