Meet Nicole Lewis

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Nicole Lewis. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Nicole below.

Nicole, we are so happy that our community is going to have a chance to learn more about you, your story and hopefully even take in some of the lessons you’ve learned along the way. Let’s start with self-care – what do you do for self-care and has it had any impact on your effectiveness?

I think self-care is extremely important as a way to recharge and reset mentally and physically. My self-care routine includes things like going to be early and getting 8 hours of sleep, waking up with a cup of tea and reading for the first hour in the morning before checking emails or going on social media. I also include daily exercise, including walking, running, body weight workouts and yoga. I eat healthy so that my body is nourished and I pursue creative things like writing novels and painting. I have learned to slow down in my daily life, to make food from scratch, grow my own vegetables, and just things we try to rush through in our days. All of these things combined have improved my mental health and have brought me more focus and joy in my work.

Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?

Last summer I left my full time veterinary position to pursue contract work as a wildlife veterinarian. I started my own LLC called WildSide Vet. My goals are to work on wildlife conservation projects globally and to share the natural spaces where this work is done and incredible wildlife encounters through my blog (Wandering with a Dromomaniac). I want to inspire people to go see these places for themselves and to want to protect it. As a wildlife veterinarian I have been fortunate to work with a variety of groups from non-profits to tribal organizations to state and federal government on a variety of wildlife health issues and I hope to continue this work, growing projects around the world, teaching students as they prepare to enter this field, and to share with others the work that is being done. I love the freedom this new path has brought me. I have had the opportunity to say yes to things I would normally not be able to say yes to and I feel more fulfilled in my work.

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?

I think three important qualities/skills are persistence/determination, if you don’t continue to fight for it you will be disappointed, curiosity to want to continue to learn and grow in the profession and the willingness to take a risk to get the career you want for yourself. I think everyone needs to spend some time really thinking about what they want their life to look like. What is the goal? Once you have an idea of what you want your life to look like you can start to think about what you need to do that will help you reach that vision and break those things into small manageable things that you can work on daily. You need to shut out those that try to push you into the box that society has built if the typical 9-5 isn’t for you. It wasn’t for me, so I began looking for the lifestyle and work that felt right for me.

Awesome, really appreciate you opening up with us today and before we close maybe you can share a book recommendation with us. Has there been a book that’s been impactful in your growth and development?

The book that has played an important role for me is The Doorstep Mile by Alastair Humphreys. I have read and listened to that book more times than I can count because I find it uplifting and a good reminder of what I am trying to build. Some of the most valuable pieces of advice are “You can do anything you want, but you can’t do everything” and for me the most valuable parts were the quick questions at the end of each chapter that make you think about your own life and how you will live more adventurously (whatever that means to you).

Contact Info:

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Resilience
Portraits of Resilience

Sometimes just seeing resilience can change out mindset and unlock our own resilience. That’s our

Productivity
Perspectives on Staying Creative

We’re beyond fortunate to have built a community of some of the most creative artists,

Confidence
Kicking Imposter Syndrome to the Curb

This is the year to kick the pesky imposter syndrome to the curb and move