Author. Educator. Entrepreneur. Philanthropist. Speaker. These are just some of the words that describe the powerhouse that is Dr. Nicole Armstrong.
Dr. Armstrong manages multiple projects under her She’s A Professional brand umbrella including She’s a Doctor, She’s an Author Publishing, She’s in Productions, and She’s Clothing. In addition to her growing empire, Dr. Armstrong is also the founder of S.M.I.L.E. (Single Mothers in Lifelong Education), an organization that promotes educating single mothers. She has a strong belief in supporting and uplifting women as well as encouraging them to succeed in life no matter the circumstances. Other passions of hers include family, friends, education, and entertainment.
The next big project on Dr. Armstrong’s agenda is to add ‘TV Producer’ to her growing list of titles. She will be the first African-American woman to produce, direct and star in her own dating show, She’s A Catch. The first season of the show will feature herself as the catchable subject with subsequent seasons focusing on other women looking for love as well.
“I wanted to be the guinea pig for the show”, she says. “I wanted to experience what women will experience in future seasons. I am single, available, and would love to have someone “CATCH” me.”
N’DIGO recently caught up with Dr. Armstrong to learn more about her story, all her various endeavors, and getting the scoop on her upcoming dating show.
N’DIGO: In your own words, who is Dr. Nicole Armstrong?
Dr. Nicole Armstrong: That’s the hardest thing in the world…describing myself. I’m better at talking about everybody else. (laughs) I would start by saying that I’m a mother. My passion is education and training and entertainment. I am also a social butterfly and love making people laugh. I love educating people and helping them get farther along and I love helping people with their entrepreneurial goals.
Can you share with us your background and education?
I was born and raised in Chicago. Southside all day. I went to Davenport University for my bachelor’s and master’s and for my doctorate, Argosy University.
What are three words those closest to you would use to describe you?
They’d say that I’m hilarious, outgoing, and very intelligent.
Please tell us a little about “She’s A Professional” and the different entities that fall under that umbrella?
She’s A Professional is the parent company. It pretty much describes me in business and the way I carry myself. I started SAP because I know that there are a lot of women out there that run businesses as well as their homes as well. I wanted to begin to build resources for them and create a way for us to connect and help each other. We don’t have those other resources coming from other avenues so under that parent company umbrella you have She’s An Author, She’s A Doctor, She’s In Media, She’s a Clothing Line, and She’s A Catch TV show.
How did you come to write your first book for She’s An Author?
So the first book is called How To Leave Your Class For A Guest Teacher. When I was getting my master’s and my doctorate, I was actually substitute teaching in the school districts. What I found was there were a lot of teachers that had never been taught to leave their class a certain way for someone to step in and complete the assignments with the students and successfully give that class back over to the teacher. I was explaining to a friend what I was going through with those situations and a friend suggested I write a book and I did and I self-published that book because that’s just who I am.
After that, actually, before that, I was writing a book called Girl, You Can Do It because I’ve been a single mother the majority of my life and I wanted to share my experience along with other mothers that have successfully raised their children and started businesses so that young mothers coming behind us know that they can make it.
While doing those books I noticed that with publishing companies, generally you give them your content and they help you publish it. But there are a lot of authors out there that need a little bit more assistance with getting their book out from their heads and onto the paper. Just organizing, formatting, and all the little things that go into prepping a book. So I started a boutique, She’s An Author publishing company, that really focuses on customizing to each author no matter where you are in the journey. Whether you’re just starting your idea in your head, or you already have it on paper, we get you through the process and help get your book published.
Also, you have your S.M.I.L.E. organization?
S.M.I.L.E stands for Single Mothers In Lifelong Education and the goal is to help other young single mothers get an education. I think that a lot of people get stuck. There is so much out there for education. There are nursing degrees or certifications and things of that nature. And then most of the time single mothers believe “I’m a single mother. It’s over for me. I can’t get an education. I just have to go out there and get to the next job that I can.” I just want to encourage them that there are alternatives. There are ways to help them. There are resources out there that are available. When I was 16, I was pregnant and I went to get medical insurance and the caseworker lady told me specifically “You have ruined your life. Your life is over. You will never amount to anything because you have made a bad decision. And that decision is to have a child at your young age.” At the time I was on my path to graduate high school early with a child. What she said didn’t really sink into me because I knew that wasn’t my story, but I believe that there are others that think it’s their story. I want them to know it is not over. You have not lived your life. You have made a conscious decision to have your child and to take care of your child. And there are things that you can do to continue with your dreams and be successful.
What was the genesis of your upcoming “She’s A Catch” tv show?
So again, single mother here. I was in high school. I was great in drama, but I had children. So my dream to be an actor was put on hold. So after the children were old enough, I started dibbling dabbling in plays and doing some acting. I also have filmmaker mentors. I begin to think “Why can’t I just do my own show?” instead of waiting for someone to grab and going on endless auditions. I’d also been thinking of a dating show for years but I wasn’t considering myself to be quite honest. I just thinking of a dating show because there is only one other African-American dating show that I’m aware of. And I just decided to do my own show about the woman and everything should be about her and getting to her. That’s where I came up with the concept and then I thought “Wait a minute, I’m single. I can use myself as a guinea pig.”.
So I’m a little old-fashioned. I think some of the dating ideas that men and women have now are a little bit out of my reach. I’m more traditional with dating. I believe in a woman being courted so that’s some of the things that I wanted to put in the show. I wanted to mix a little bit of the old school with a little bit of the new school and bring it all together and hope women find the love of their life, hopefully starting with me.
As a mother and entrepreneur with multiple businesses, how do you juggle it all?
To be quite honest with you, if I’m not doing a million things, I feel so weird. I think it’s because I had children at such a young age. I was a single mom and so I had to juggle everything. And so with that being said, that’s where I feel most comfortable. I would say the way that I handle things is I just start with the priority. Whatever’s the most important thing. And then I work my way through it.
What are three principles or ideals you try to abide by in your business dealings?
Professionalism is probably going to be the number one thing. I think a lot of people have lost some of the traditional professional traits that go along with business in particular so I pride myself on being a professional. I’d also say that I am a very supportive business owner as well. I’m here to support other businesses because I don’t believe that there’s only enough out there for my businesses. I believe there’s enough out there for us all to eat. Lastly, I would say that I think a lot of people do not abide by punctuality. I think a lot of people missed the boat on that. It’s important. My time is money. So you’re wasting someone else’s time if you’re not on time.
What’s something people would be surprised to know about you?
The first thing that people are surprised to know about me when they first see me is that I have grown children. My oldest son is 30 and my daughter, my youngest is 25. So when they look at me, they think I’m 25 or 30 but I have kids that age. The other thing that’s directly related to this dating thing is that when people look at me, they think I’m high maintenance and I’m not high maintenance because I can maintain myself.
Can you name a book that changed or really impacted your life and give a sentence about why?
I’m going to have to say my first book to be quite honest with you. My first book impacted my life because I didn’t write the book for personal gain. I actually wrote it to help people and it helped me to notice that there was something that was in me that I’m willing to share. And it helped me open up and show that I’m able to complete things because a lot of people start and don’t finish things….like writing a book. So I think completing my first book is the one that made the most impactful on me and my life permanently.
Best advice to young entrepreneurs?
Find a mentor that has done what you want to do and has been where you’re headed. Once you find that mentor, latch on and listen so you don’t trip over all of the stumbling blocks that someone has already stumbled over.
Favorite quote or affirmation?
I don’t know, honestly, if I made this up or read it somewhere, but I’ve been saying it for a very long time. “No one can take your education away from you.” Education is VERY important to me.
What’s next for Dr. Nicole Armstrong?
I wrote a children’s book and I have been trying my best to get it illustrated with a special illustration that I’m looking for. I’m looking for someone that can actually model the illustrations to look like the characters that I want. I also want to continue new seasons of She’s A Catch and I have some other ideas as far as more film and TV stuff. One idea is to have an African American or minority-based television show for children that helps them learn things from their ABC’s to things about culture and love of languages.
For more information on Dr. Nicole Armstrong please visit www.shesaprofessional.com or connect with her on Instagram – @shesadoctor and @shesaprofessionalorg
