Meet Nikki Webb

We were lucky to catch up with Nikki Webb recently and have shared our conversation below.

Nikki, appreciate you making time for us and sharing your wisdom with the community. So many of us go through similar pain points throughout our journeys and so hearing about how others overcame obstacles can be helpful. One of those struggles is keeping creativity alive despite all the stresses, challenges and problems we might be dealing with. How do you keep your creativity alive?
I keep my creativity alive by practicing my daily self-care. I love music and I have to have it each day. Music is everywhere throughout my day. I play music in my car to get me ready for work. It plays all day in my classroom, on my way home and then for hours when I get home.

When I play music for people, it is the ultimate self-care. I program music in my head before an event and when I’m playing for people, I’m programming in real time. I work on my craft every day-all day. When I hear certain songs, it immediately takes me back to a happy moment and then that sparks other songs that can be played next. Those songs bring back core memories for lots of people. “Self-Care” is the latest buzzword. We all know the cliche things to do like spa days and mani-pedis, but we forget that we are constantly practicing self-care especially, if you are a creative type of person. Every time you practice your art or your craft, that is self-care. As you sit and think about the next picture you want to paint or song that you want to make, that is nurturing your self-care.

When I practice my musical self-care, it keeps me energized in ways other things cannot. Practicing good self-care leads to being much more effective in our daily lives because it allows our brain to rest and focus on things that make us feel good to think about.

A daily practice of self-care allows me to “stay light”. Staying light means being relaxed and open to what the day will bring. When I’m stressed or in need of self-care, I am angry, short-tempered, and depleted. Playing music for people is my therapy and my creative outlet. A song can be so many things to so many people at the same time and that is what I love most about being a DJ.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I do so many things! I am one-half of the Fly With Us Podcast, winner of Dayton, Ohio’s Best Podcast 2021; nominated and voted on by the people. As a self-care practitioner, I want to help others discover the joy and peace that comes only from proper self-care. The Fly With Us Podcast can be heard wherever you get your favorite podcasts or watched on Youtube. Each episode is 30 minutes of conversation surrounding self-care. In every episode, there is a Mindfulness Minute, a Self-Care Assignment and the Brain Science behind whatever the topic is.

Ladi Bounce was born to play music. My daddy, “Fred The Boss DJ” was the best teacher and partner I could ask for. He taught me so much about watching the crowd and how to program music based on who’s in the room and the reactions they give. Fenom Friday at The Barrel House in Dayton, Ohio is every month on the third Friday. On Fenom Fridays, sometimes there is a theme and sometimes not. No matter what, you get four (4) hours of great music. I’m a musical time traveler so it’s always a great time. Some past themes I’ve done are “Salute the Sample”; I played the original song and then one or two songs that sampled it. For Women’s History month, I played an entire set of songs by female artists. “Hip Hop Appreciation Month” put a spotlight on Hip Hop’s greatest songs and artists. Slow Jam Night gave us romantic vibes and then we celebrated the 1970’s through music. I also play music for various parties and events.

I have so much fun when I DJ. The hardest part about what I do is choosing the songs. There is just so much great music that it’s hard to squeeze it into such a short window of time.

I have been in the field of Education for over 20 years. In my day job, I am an Intervention Specialist and a Special Education Coordinator. I work with students with special education needs. I really enjoy helping children learn and grow.

My most important life role is being a wife and mother. My husband, Jay and I have been married for over 24 years and we have 2 adult children, a son (24yrs.) and a daughter (20yrs).

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?
The most important qualities for a DJ to have are knowledge and love of music; if you know and love music, it’s much easier to program especially if you’re a DJ who likes to have fun while you play music. You also need to have people skills. Having people skills is essential for crowd reading and programming, and also because you are dealing directly with the public, sometimes at their best and sometimes at their worst. You have to remain calm and even-tempered at all times. Lastly, DJs have to be able to help your clients create a vibe for an event and then execute that vibe with perfection.

When it comes to being a self-care practitioner and coach, you need to practice self-care with fidelity so that you are able to help others start or maintain a self-care journey. One must also have good people skills. Most importantly, you have to continue to learn and research self-care techniques in order to be effective for your clients.

As an educator, the top qualities are a love for children, a desire to want to change the world through education, and to be a lifelong learner. Education is constantly changing so one must stay up on the latest trends and technology if you truly want to be an extraordinary educator.

What do you do when you feel overwhelmed? Any advice or strategies?
I created a Self-Care Menu, and when I get overwhelmed, I pull it out and choose an activity or two. I choose activities based on which area of my life feels off balanced or which part of my spirit needs nurturing.

We post a daily Self-Care Assignment on our social media platforms and those are what I use to create my menu. I would advise everyone to create a menu that has activities from all of the domains of self-care. There are eight domains of self-care: physical, psychological, emotional, social, professional, environmental, spiritual, and financial. Creating your menu using all of them ensures that you have a variety of ways to nurture yourself and restore balance. I would also suggest that you choose activities that require various amounts of time and/or money to help eliminate barriers if you don’t have a lot of either. Self-Care works best when you choose activities that don’t feel like a chore and change your menu when it feels like one.

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Jay Webb All Photos Gus Stathes (Fenom Friday Flyer) Logos by Juan Atomz of Atomic Arts and Whitney Thompson

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