Meet Katina Nikou

We recently connected with Katina Nikou and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Katina, 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 became the name of the game early on for me. As a child, I was presented with a lot of circumstances demanding me to dig deep and find my inner strength or else I’d get eaten alive. Whether it was growing up in an unstable home, having the hair color that invited every insult under the sun (red), or choosing the hardest industry to pursue as a career choice, I refused to let any of it rob me of my spirit. Being rooted in my life’s purpose as a storyteller has given me the will to keep going even when life is at it’s most challenging.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
I am a writer and an actress. Both. It’s always been both. These worlds were my safe place when reality was cruel. I would write and star in my own movies thanks to an oversized video camera. I would memorize and recite every movie I’d watch, take every dance class, and go toe to toe with kid performers on Star Search and the Mickey Mouse Club from the comfort of my living room in the suburbs of Michigan.

The move to LA was always inevitable. Once I arrived, I dove in head first. I wrote and performed for live sketch shows, performed stand-up at famous venues such as The Comedy Store and Flappers, and starred in my own web-series and short films. During this time I was always training whether it was in acting classes, improv classes, or writing for television courses where I completed not one but two spec scripts (“New Girl” and “Mom”). The work I was doing was fun and about finding my place in this wacky world. Today however, it’s about having something to say and effecting change.

When I sit down to write a script or perform a scene I want people to find comfort in the work. I want people to feel seen and heard. My most recent short film I co-wrote “Like Nothing Happened” shed light on the delicate subject matter of miscarriage; a conversation that surprisingly still remains taboo. The film was executed beautifully by our whole team and I am very proud of the awareness it brought to the film festival circuit.

I am currently in talks with prospective production companies and producers regarding my Horror feature. I have poured my heart and soul into creating a weird and unsettling world featuring nineties slumber party nostalgia laced with themes of bullying, mental health, and self-realizations all in the name of fear. Also on the docket is the goal to sell my dark comedy pilot. It sheds light on a mother and daughters battle with the opioid epidemic and life after death. For me, comedy and pain always go hand in hand.

So, that’s me in a nutshell…

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?

To make it in this business it’s important to create a path that makes the most sense to you and your truth. I constantly tried to mimic the journey of others when I first arrived here, therefore I never felt completely grounded in my work. Once I leaned into my own personal strengths as an artist, my authentic self finally shined through, and everything began to shift. I felt more confident in what I had to offer and my purpose in this industry became clearer.

On that note, lets talk about confidence. Be confident in your abilities otherwise you can’t expect others to invest in you and your work. So much time is spent being our own cheerleaders which can lead to feelings of uncertainty, however if you remain rooted in your goals, everything will eventually start to align.

Lastly, it’s so important to surround yourself with people who motivate you to be your best self. Find people who value your time, align with your values, and support your goals. These kinds of relationships are life giving when you find yourself questioning everything.

Any advice for folks feeling overwhelmed?

LISTEN TO YOUR BODY! Give yourself permission to recharge and reset in whatever capacity best helps you recover from feeling emotionally depleted.

I have a habit of piling it on until my mind and body are screaming from exhaustion. Once this happens, I stay away from my phone, hibernate from the world for at least twenty-four hours, meditate and have a big cry to release any negative thoughts or energy I may be harboring. I am also a big fan of journaling; especially when I am caught up in judging myself for not accomplishing what I deem to be enough. When I find myself in that mindset, I like to make a list of all the things I have done in my career and the steps I continue to take. Once I see ALL that I have achieved on paper, power is immediately restored, and inspiration flows once again.

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