TN10: Natalie Nixon, Creativity Strategist, Speaker, and Author
Age: 52
Basic bio: Natalie is a creativity strategist, speaker, author of The Creativity Leap, and CEO of Figure 8 Thinking. More importantly, she wrote "Why I Love Getting Older," a fantastic essay about acceptance, perspective, and getting better at converting coping skills into strengths.
Beyond the bio: These days I'm working on a book proposal; gaining flexibility through a terrific app called Stretchit; and dancing as much as possible — mostly ballroom and hip-hop. I also taught myself how to do flip turns in swimming by watching YouTube videos; I now swim laps seamlessly!
What makes you a grown-ass lady?
I have no regrets. There's no shame to my game. Everything I have experienced — the good, the awful, the miraculous, the desperate, the challenging — have made me who I am today. And I love me. There's nothing so bad I have gone through that some soul somewhere on this planet hasn't also experienced in some shape or form — so I don't shy away from sharing my stories or experiences. They could be blessings to others. I made up the following expression: "Privacy is important, but secrets will kill you." So, open up, be expansive; it humbles you.
Here’s her TueNight 10:
On the nightstand: A lamp, my father's eyeglasses (so special that we both needed +1’s; I feel like I put a part of him on me when I wear them to read small print) and a small ceramic bowl that holds small jewelry I wore that day.
Can't stop/won't stop: Dancing!!!
Jam of the minute: Adele singing The Cure's "Lovesong" and anything by Dua Lipa, Megan Thee Stallion or Horace Silver.
Thing I miss: My daddy. Brazil.
'80s crush: Sade.
Current crush: John (my husband).
Latest fav find: The Stretchit app, The Extended Mind by Annie Murphy Paul, these cordless gold-finish table lamps for outdoor seating, and Mother brand jeans (sooo soft and great fit!).
Last thing you lost: An earring by a Brazilian designer that I had just purchased in Portugal. BUT, a friend once told me that her father told her, "When we lose something it means someone else can use it," so, oh well!
Best thing that happened recently: I launched Lead with Inquiry, Improvisation and Intuition, a LinkedIn Learning course. And my husband and I took a 2-week vacation to Portugal!
Looking forward to: Being able to do a split and straddle pancake with some help from the Stretchit app. Learning new rumba choreography.