Meet Nicole Morten Lamb

We recently connected with Nicole Morten Lamb and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Nicole , 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?

Resilience doesn’t come from comfort. It comes from hardship.

From falling flat on your face—publicly, painfully—and still getting back up. Not once. Not twice. But again and again. You don’t build grit by doing everything right. You build it by refusing to stay down when every part of you wants to quit.

I spent nearly two decades climbing through the news industry—reporting stories, making documentaries, working my way into rooms where I often didn’t feel welcome. It was a male-dominated world, and to survive it, I had to overcompensate. I worked twice as hard to be taken seriously, to prove I was worth the seat I’d earned. The pressure to not mess up was always there—quiet, heavy, and constant. It showed up in meetings where I was talked over. In moments where I had to prove my expertise before anyone even considered it valid. So I kept outperforming, kept showing up, kept pushing.

But here’s what I finally learned: You don’t need anyone’s permission to be worthy. You don’t wait for validation. You are the proof.

Leaving the newsroom and starting my own video production and branding firm wasn’t easy. It was terrifying. But it was also the most liberating decision I’ve ever made. Because nothing compares to the feeling of building something from the ground up—with your own hands, your vision, and a fire that failure couldn’t put out. I didn’t just want to succeed—I wanted to challenge the narrative. I wanted to create a new space for women in the media. One where we don’t have to shrink, where creativity and leadership go hand in hand, and where owning your voice is a strength—not a liability. And now? I do this for more than just me. I do it so my daughters can see what’s possible. That they can do hard things. That they never have to dim their light to belong. That they can build their own table—one with room for others, too. Because grit, grace, and purpose? That’s not just how we rise. That’s how we change the game.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

At Water to Wine Productions, we help brands tell stories that actually mean something.

After spending 10 years in a newsroom—chasing deadlines, producing documentaries, and learning how to craft compelling narratives under pressure—I realized the same skills that made me a great journalist could be used to help businesses stand out, connect, and grow.

I started Water to Wine Productions in 2012 with one goal: to create content that moves people. Not just flashy videos or pretty pictures, but real stories that make people feel something—and take action. We specialize in brand storytelling, video production, and content strategy for small businesses, nonprofits, and entrepreneurs. Whether it’s highlighting the mission behind a nonprofit, showcasing the process behind a custom home build, or helping a local service-based business show up with confidence on camera—we make sure our clients are seen, heard, and remembered.

What makes us different?

We don’t believe in cookie-cutter content. We dig deep, find the “why” behind what you do, and turn it into compelling, scroll-stopping visuals and messaging that resonate.

We also believe in relationship-first marketing—because when your audience feels connected to your story, they stick around. And when your content feels authentic and human, your business grows in a way that actually feels good.
But here’s our superpower: we don’t just create beautiful content—we craft stories with the potential to make headlines. We’re always thinking like a newsroom, constantly looking for angles that can be pitched to media outlets across the country and beyond. Everything we produce is built with visibility in mind.

Our clients don’t just get polished videos—they get a strategy designed to get them seen, shared, and talked about. With long-standing connections to newsrooms nationwide, we actively pitch stories to help our clients earn meaningful, free press.

And we don’t stop there. All of the content we create is also optimized and pushed across social media platforms to ensure it reaches the right audience—consistently and intentionally. From scripting and shooting to editing, distribution, and visibility—we’re a true one-stop-shop content creation firm. You’re not just hiring a production company. You’re getting a strategic storytelling partner who knows how to make your brand newsworthy—and unforgettable.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?

You can teach book smarts—but you can’t teach empathy.

You can’t teach grit. And you definitely can’t teach what it means to have a heart for people.

What’s carried me through this journey—what’s been most impactful—comes down to three things:

1. God – He’s been the constant through every season: the highs, the lows, the wins, and the moments I almost quit. Every bit of this journey has been rooted in a calling bigger than myself.

2. A strong support system – You can be tough, but you still need people. Friends, mentors, family—the ones who remind you who you are when things get blurry. The ones who pray for you, check in on you, and celebrate the little wins.

3. Grit – The kind of grit that shows up when you’re tired, overwhelmed, and doubting everything. That “keep going anyway” kind of grit.

From early on, I was taught the importance of relationships. In college, my professors drilled it into us: Foster connections. Take the time to truly listen—not just hear. Because you never know when you’ll need a lifeline or when someone from your past circles back 20 years later with a new opportunity. People remember how you made them feel, not just what you did.

And if you want to run your own business—really run it, not just dabble—you better be ready to sacrifice. You’ll juggle. You’ll wear every hat.

Just because you can shoot beautiful video doesn’t mean you know how to build relationships, manage clients, or scale something meaningful. Business ownership isn’t for everyone—and that’s okay. But if it is for you, you better come with more than talent. You need heart. You need hustle. And you need something deeper pushing you forward when the motivation fades. Because in the end, the way you treat people, the way you show up when no one’s watching, and the fire that keeps you going? That’s what makes the difference.

What was the most impactful thing your parents did for you?

Two things, actually—and they’ve shaped everything about how I live and lead.

First: your word is everything. If you say you’re going to do something—do it. Integrity isn’t optional. It doesn’t matter who’s watching, how tired you are, or if it’s inconvenient. Your name and your word are what you build your reputation on, and once those are gone, so is trust.

Second: you earn what you keep. Even though my parents had the means to make things easier, they didn’t. They made me work for every single thing I wanted. They let me fail. They let me figure it out. And they let me feel the weight of my own wins. That taught me grit, ownership, and how to build something that actually lasts.

Looking back, those lessons were the greatest gifts they could’ve given me. Because when you work for what you have, and your word holds weight—you don’t just build success, you build character.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.watertowineproductions.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/watertowineproductions
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WatertoWineProductions