SWAGHERSPOTLIGHT

By Christina Woodard

As the youngest woman of color to own and successfully manage a business providing home and community-based services, foster care,andadoptionservices,Nicoleisa pioneer in her field, blazing a trail of regenerated, impactful, and sustainablepracticesacrossthesocial serviceslandscape.Sheisthefounder and CEO of 1 Care Premier Services and 1 Care Premier Medical Supply. She is a proud two-time alum of GramblingStateUniversity,earningher Bachelor’sandMaster’sinsocialwork from the prestigious HBCU. To her credibility, Nicole also boasts nearly ten certifications within her industry andhasoveradecadeofexperience inboththepublicandprivatesectors.

Asaselflessandstaunchadvocatefor women in business, Nicole engages withamyriadoffemaleentrepreneurs through mentorship, helping to foster their confidence, encourage their personalandprofessionalgrowth,and advise them on essential business tactics to promote advancement and stabilitywithintheirbusinesses.Driven byherbeliefinthepowerof“payingit forward,”sheiscommittedtouplifting women and helping them achieve their goals, citing her own struggles experienced in her journey as the catalyst to make entrepreneurship more accessible and attainable for others.

She attributes her well-deserved stature and massive success to her relationship with God. A selfdescribed woman of faith and prayer, she also encourages the women she mentors to always remember their spiritual foundation.Sheisawife,amother, a philanthropist, and a titanic powerhouse within the social services field, and she’s far from finished.

Christina:WhatisyourSwagHer? WhatmakesNicole,Nicole?

Nicole: I am a loving and vibrant person who loves the Lord. I encouragewomentobecomethe best version of themselves through my testimony. I am among the first Black women to found and operate a foster care, adoption, and home and community-based service agency. But what makes Nicole, Nicole? My relentless pursuit is to be the best at whatever I’m undertaking. My desire is to give my spirit of excellence and my drive to make a difference to all andthroughallaspectsofmylife.

Christina: Why did you decide to gointothefieldofsocialservices?

wantedtocounselthosewhoare underserved and who are out of bounds of the resources and supporttheyneedtoaddressand adhere to their wellness. Healthy individualscreatehealthyfamilies, and healthy families create healthy communities. My experiences before entering the professional realm of social services showed me how many people were not healthy but just needed a little support to get there.Iwantedtobethatbridgeto help them access wellness for themselves and the children in theircare.

Christina: What are two of the most important things you have learned as a social services professional that you carry with youatalltimes?

Nicole: I have learned that everyone, despite their economic or social status, deserves honor andrespect.Ihavelearnedtolook for the light and strength these families possess despite their hardship or situation and to help them see it within themselves. That’sthekeytoresiliencyandthe key to developing the solutions theyneedtostabilizetheirfamilies andtheirlives.

Nicole: I went into the social services field because of my passion for families and children andmydesiretohelpothers.I

Christina: What inspired you to start your businesses, 1 Care Premier Services and 1 Care

Nicole: I was led to start 1 Care Premier Services through my personalfaithandmyexposureto the social services field through my work experiences. Honestly, it hasbeenoneofthegreatestand most rewarding decisions I have ever made. I knew I wanted to create a business that would be sustainable and vital to underserved communities and thatservedtheminwaysinwhich other agencies were not serving them.

In conjunction with my husband, whoisinthemedicalfield,1Care Medical Supply was started to assistourclientsintheintellectual or developmental disability community. They needed assistancewithadditionalmedical items after we saw a need while workingwithothermedicalsupply companies.

Christina: How can readers learn more about the things 1 Care provides?

Nicole: Readers can learn more about 1 Care by visiting our website, www.1carepremierservices.com.

Proverbs 31. She is trustworthy, a hard worker, wise, a good manager, and faithful to God. A businesswoman compassionate, helpful, faithful, fierce,praiseworthy,andconfident. Proverbs 31 does not say she is perfect, but she makes it work in spiteofitall.Thatismydefinition ofabusinesswoman.

A businesswoman is a “shero.” In an era that still views women as less valuable in the workplace than their male counterparts, businesswomen start businesses toassignvaluetothemselvesand their skills instead of waiting for others’ validation. They build businessestofollowtheirpassions andcontroltheirdestinies.Inturn, theyarecreatingopportunitiesfor others, bolstering the economy, and launching legacies. That is a powerfulleadtofollow!Weprovide solutions to many of our global communities’ issues through our business acumen, emotional intelligence, and ability to handle challenges gracefully and with tenacity. To me, that’s nothing shortofmiraculousandheroic.

Christina:Definebusinesswoman inyourownwords.

Nicole:AsIthinkabouthowIwould define a businesswoman, I’m remindedofthevirtuouswomanin to young women out there who inspire to be in the field of social workorentrepreneurship?

Christina:Whatthreetipscanyou give a family out there hoping to adoptorbecomefosterparents?

Nicole: Mytipsaretobepatient, flexible, and have realistic expectations for yourself and the childrenyouplantosupport.

Christina: Why did you choose to attend an HBCU, other than the fact that you are AfricanAmerican?

Nicole: IchosetoattendanHBCU in high school and visited nonHBCUs and HBCUs. To me, the pride and supportive atmosphere of the HBCUs I visited was something I had not experienced before, and I knew I wanted that experienceformyselfasacollege student.IfeltlikeIwasnotjusta number. I felt like it was where I belonged.

Christina: What drew you to GramblingStateUniversity?

Nicole: Beyond GSU being one of the country’s top producers of African American graduates, Grambling was appealingly the total opposite of Houston, Texas, where I was born and raised. Grambling was a place that allowed me to have a new lease on life and experience a new environment. I was drawn to country life, the support, meeting newpeoplefromallovertheworld, andgainingmyindependence.

Nicole: Give yourself grace, be patient with yourself, keep your faith,nevergiveup,andalwaysbe willingtolearnandgrow!

Christina: Is there anything else youwouldliketoshare?

Nicole: Thanks so much for allowing me to grace your platform! I truly admire what you aredoingforwomen!

ConnectwithNicolebelow:

Website: www.nicolemaysjackson.com |

Instagram:@nicolemaysjackson

Christina:Doyouhaveanywords ofencouragementyoucangive

Being a mother isn’t easy, and entrepreneurship adds a whole new level of difficulty. Late nights and early mornings have become the norm for most. Handling tasks, minimizing risk, managing multiple schedules and budgets, and more is a lot for anyoneperson.

The key to it all is finding time for yourself. Ultimately all the success in the world means nothing if you don’t have the time or energy toenjoyit.

Surprisingly (but not really), studies say most women over 40 who are entrepreneurs and have a partner still do the primary work of raising the children and taking care of the household.

This doesn’t leave much time to decompress or even just relax. The even more disheartening reality is that most women are doingitwithoutapartner.