Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Clark.
Nicole, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
I spent most of my life trying to get away from the smallness of where I’m from. I think a lot of us small towns kids do the same thing, before we’re able to appreciate the gifts those tiny towns gave us.
Originally from El Paso, my family and I moved when I was 11 years old. My grandfather turned his mother’s retirement property into a renovation project that, in short order, took us all across the state line. Truth or Consequence, New Mexico sounded like a joke and it was sort of is a funny little place in many ways, but at 11 years old it became my hometown.
Growing up in a town so desperate for tourism that they named themselves after a game show, I learned a lot from a very remote, very rural childhood. I got to know nearly everyone, and because there was only one school district, it meant I’d known them for quite a while. Maybe even the rest of my life. I was always taught that if you’re going to have something for a long time, you’re better off taking good care of it. These were not rotating people or new classmates every year. This was the social equivalent of an arranged marriage.
Everything was a small business, and supporting those small businesses was standard practice. Of course, I never thought of it as ‘supporting a small business’, no one did because there was no distinction or option not to. You went to the diner or the general store or the grocer not just to get what you needed, but to say hello. I understood that locally owned meant direct access. You went places to catch up, to be present in a way that being in a town where everyone knows everyone requires you to be. There was no anonymity, no hiding, no going unnoticed.
Even for a very shy pre-teen in a new town, it never felt like too much though. Those regular greetings around town, the casual wave from the steering wheel to just about every passing car, the local paper mention of any school accomplishment–these years long patterns of learning how to act right in a small town made me an advocate and an organizer.
For my second act, I arrived in Durango, Colorado for college. It was the first time I lived in a town and a state all on my own, though I couldn’t quite give up the ghost and visited family in Truth or Consequences often. I studied Gender and Women’s Studies, English, and Secondary Education. I often brought new ideas and learnings to conversations back home. Two worlds colliding but the common ground was always to treat people right, so I maneuvered would-be arguments and learned how to celebrate even the smallest steps forward to change hearts and minds.
During this time I started working with the only LGBTQ Non-Profit in Durango, and quickly found that there was, too, an opportunity to change hearts and minds and celebrate progressive growth through fundraising and events. Connecting people in small towns is like matchmaking and if you know what you’re doing you can make big things happen, like the first ever Drag Show in a little mountain town. As a young queer woman, creating visibility, safety, and representation for residents who didn’t always feel like there was a place for them was my driving passion.
Once I realized I could blend advocacy, strategic networking, community organizing, and teams management into something that not only filled my schedule but filled my heart–I was hooked.
I opened a restaurant in Durango, hired former coworkers and classmates, and set out to provide the most innovative menus, inclusive space, and intuitive service. I used low volume nights at my restaurant to open up the space for other small businesses to host events, young professional organization meetings, Drag Shows, and private events to regulars and friends.
After a year I had an opportunity to sell the restaurant to a friend of mine to expand his dream, and take a big leap to follow mine. I move to Austin in 2017 on a temporary basis to try the city on and I knew immediately I was sold.
I’m sure you wouldn’t say it’s been obstacle free, but so far would you say the journey has been a fairly smooth road?
Has this been a smooth road? I think you’re supposed to say no but I would have to say, it has been. And here’s why: I have been consistently flanked by the absolute best and brightest around. Throughout my life I have learned from top experts in their fields, none the least of is my current CEO, Vikas Patel. The thing about learning is that you can’t if you think you know everything. Your growth, your success, your reach and viability all just come to an immediate standstill once you’re convinced that you have the answers. In spite of ego and stubbornness, I have held tightly to my student mentality and it has never not paid off.
As a woman, it’s a balancing act to demonstrate your expertise and take up space, while remaining open to insights at every turn. What has made that possible and even pleasant most of the way has been a steady, incredibly talented, and often gracious stream of mentors, colleagues, and friends.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am the Chief of Staff to the CEO at Rugiet Health. Rugiet Health is an online marketplace for compound pharmaceuticals that directly connects pharmacists, providers, and patients in a HIPAA-compliant portal. Our software is revolutionary and it was designed by the person I report to directly, the CEO and Co-Founder of Rugiet Health. I also work closely with Dr. Ken Bains, the compounding pharmacist who created our first product to market, and ED sublingual. Again, I am surrounded by actual geniuses and it’s truly a thrill. We are working together to democratize healthcare, and I am grateful to be a part of this small but mighty team headquartered here in East Austin.
I am proud of my ability to engage and connect, to build momentum behind ideas that drive change, and to consistently execute measurable results. I specialize in getting the best out of people by earning trust, aligning with their objectives, then collaborating with them to set and reach their goals. I am an advocate of personal and professional success and every day I show up to make a difference.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
I am in the gathering stages of starting my own podcast called The Blind Leading The Blind! The concept was born from one of many conversations I’ve had with friends over the years about our respective relationships. My cohost and I bring on a guest for each episode to hear about a question or crossroads they’ve come to in their relationship or dating life. From there we give them advice and set them out into the world and they return on a follow up episode to report on if they took our advice or not, and how things turned out. I’m currently reading The Unexpected Leader by Jaqueline M. Baker, who is a leadership an development consultant with incredible insights into what it means to find your personal and professional trajectory. I virtually attended a webinar hosted by Jacqueline and was immediately taken by her deep understanding of impactful leadership and how to encourage and promote curiosity at work. I am always interested in the perspectives of women in leadership spaces.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @iamnicoleclark
