Nicole Burgess is stepping into a powerful new chapter with The Awakened Soul’s Field Manual, a project born from both personal transformation and a deep call to serve others navigating their own awakening. Through her growing platform, NBM Publishing, she’s moved beyond traditional gatekeeping to build a multi-dimensional creative space spanning books, film, and media. Rooted in authenticity and self-trust, Nicole’s work reflects a commitment to helping others reconnect with their true selves — while proving that creating your own path isn’t just possible, it’s often the most meaningful way forward.
Nicole, you’re launching your third book The Awakened Soul’s Field Manual. What inspired this project, and how does it reflect where you are in your journey right now?
My first novel tapped somewhat into my personal journey as the book follows a young woman discovering her true self. And since then, I’ve wanted to write a follow up book diving more deeply into the practices and knowledge that helped me on my path, but I never found the right time to do it. I think the pandemic made me realize how necessary it was for humanity to have some sort of guidance because something seemed broken – for all of us. There was this huge energy around fear, and interestingly the root word of pandemic is “pan” as in “panic” or “pandemonium”, and it was really disturbing to watch everyone around me live in that fear. Then last year (2025) I saw a YouTube video – it was one of those reaction videos – of a compilation of people describing their awakening experience and how lost they felt after “waking up”. It was literally a 40-minute video of people crying and begging for help. And I felt an immediate call to do something. I wrote in the comments what would become the first 10 practices of the book. My comment was “What to do when you wake up” followed by 10 steps. About 30 minutes later, I realized that this could be an actual book, and about an hour later I developed all 25 practices and started writing the rest of the field manual. Of course, I’m still on my journey because it never really ends, but I feel that after 25 years of walking this path, I have enough experience to help others on theirs.
You’ve built NBM Publishing as a multimedia creative house spanning books, film, theater, and podcasts. What was the driving vision behind creating your own platform instead of working within traditional systems?
When I completed my first book, I wrote about 50 letters (because that’s what you did in 2009) to publishing houses to no avail. The manuscript sat on the desk in my apartment for nearly two years before a friend, who read it, recommended I self-publish it. At the time, CreateSpace was the only reputable self-publishing option, so that was the route I took. I had to learn all of the ins and outs of copyrighting, creating a cover, distribution and everything else that is needed in publishing. I didn’t realize that this was essentially my classroom and I would later apply this knowledge to my other published works. In the meantime, I was acting on screen, writing scripts and performing on stage, which ultimately became the foundation for the media subsidiary, Blackbird Productions. Through my experiences in the film industry, I also had to learn all of the ins and outs of production such as script development, casting, directing, and producing. And the film industry, just like the publishing industry in the early 2000’s, is extremely gate-kept. So, rather than continuing to audition for projects that only have limited dialogue characters available, I decided to use the resources I have to develop my own projects. Many other creatives are doing this as well and it’s really inspiring to watch. We’re tired of trying to climb ladders where the top rungs are removed. I’ve decided to take matters into my own hands and create opportunities for myself rather than waiting for them to be handed to me, and that is the reason why I established my publishing and production company.
Your work centers on creativity and authenticity. How do you define “authenticity” in a world where so much content is curated and performative?
Being authentic means being true to yourself regardless of who is watching. Our society has created so many barriers for people to be their authentic self – whether it’s dressing a certain way, or speaking a certain way, or having a certain level of education – and those barriers have caused us to hide who we really are so we can be accepted by the group. It’s instinctive actually. We’re hardwired to fit in, to avoid ostracization, for survival purposes. But in modern society, it’s taken to the extreme – perhaps because we’re all under the spotlight – especially with so many cameras and camera phones everywhere people now go to extreme lengths to fit it, whether that’s dressing exactly like others, or mimicking the behaviors of others, or to the opposite degree, shrink themselves down so as to not offend or make others uncomfortable. But we must be true to ourselves. It’s important to our soul’s growth, and it’s important in bringing in the true and honest connections that help us flourish on our path. Everyone has something unique to offer the world and if you’re not being authentic, then you can’t step into that.
You’re releasing books, launching a podcast, and developing productions all at once. What has it been like building multiple creative verticals simultaneously?
I’m just letting the process unfold naturally. I didn’t set out to build a company with multiple verticals simultaneously, I just followed my creative path, which happens to include all of these different creative fields. It has definitely had its challenges, especially when one project demands more attention than the others, but that’s where collaboration comes in. I have the best teams working with each project, which helps the process go very smoothly. In some projects, I’m the team leader, in others I’m the co-producer, and in others I’m the talent and my producer takes the lead. I trust the people I work with; I trust the vision and I trust that I’m being led in the right direction. My goal is to build a business and a brand that brings more joy and light into the world and I believe we’re doing just that.
For creatives who want to take ownership of their work the way you have, what advice would you give about building something independently from the ground up?
Find the right people who will support you, and if you can’t, build it anyway. Don’t doubt yourself because you’re more capable than you think. Learn about the industry, whichever one applies to your creative work, and create connections that can push you forward. There is a wealth of knowledge available pretty much everywhere these days, and if you trust that what you’re creating is meant to be seen, then the right doors will open up for you.
Link:
- Website: https://nbmbooks.com/
Image Credit:
Nina Merklina Photography
