Clear Thinking About Messy Things.
NiCole’s Notes is where the filter comes off, and the Coke stays cold. This is the shorthand version of how I think: sharp, fast, and allergic to pretending things are fine when they’re clearly on fire.
Not every idea needs a manifesto. Some truths show up as a sentence, a side-eye, or a late-night realization you scribble on the back of a receipt. These are the quick hits and distilled insights on life, love, politics, power, and the quiet ways we sell ourselves short.
Think of this as the Coles Notes version of my brain: Gen-X sarcasm, zero patience for stupidity, and a deeply inconvenient habit of calling things what they are. I’ve built research labs, raised millions for cystic fibrosis, gone back to university at 53, and survived more than polite people talk about at brunch. When I have something to say, it tends to land quickly.
If the truth makes the room uncomfortable, good. I didn’t come here to shrink so everyone else could stay cozy.
— NiCole
Latest from NiCole’s Notes
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Cap and gown at 54
I Graduated. Again. A 4.0, Ten Thousand Dollars, and a Marijuana Dog Poster That Nobody Asked For.
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NiCole’s Notes Podcast
When your nervous system screams a warning, listen. This is the story of the guy who showed up late, stared too long, and got blocked before dessert. A lesson in trusting your gut when something feels off.
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The Brand Is The Belief
Personal branding advice is everywhere. Post consistently. Find your niche. Be authentic. None of that is wrong. It’s just not the point. The part nobody talks about is the part that actually matters.
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Things I’ve Forgiven Myself For (A Running List)
This is not a healing journey post. I’m a Gen-X woman with a rescue dog and a forty year Coke habit. My morning ritual does not involve a journal with a lock on it. This is just a list.
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The Meno-Gen-X Brain
Why I’m Standing in This Aisle There’s a specific kind of confusion that hits when you realize—mid-stride, mid-mission, mid-whatever you were doing—that you have absolutely no fucking idea why you’re standing where you’re standing. Not lost. Not confused about directions. I know where the aisle is. I’m in the aisle. The aisle is very clear.…
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Designing this Website Makes My Brain Hurt
Can I just say that I am exasperated? I have spent a collective number of days working on this website. With absolutely no knowledge of how to do it, nor any of the millennial know-how, I cry daily. As soon as I understand the concept, make updates, or change a style, a wall of bricks…
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Back to School. No, Seriously.
So apparently, I’ve decided that 53 is a perfectly reasonable age to sit in a classroom again. Spoiler: it is not. I am currently the oldest person in my program by approximately one full generation. My classmates were born the year I was already making questionable life decisions. They bring colour-coded notebooks and reusable water…
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Why I Date Younger Men (and Somehow Shock Myself When It Implodes)
I date younger men because I like my partners the way I like my phones: new, fast, and with features I don’t fully understand yet. They’re fun. They’re spontaneous. They think my rants about politics and design are “so hot.” They call me “wise” because I know how to use a calendar and book my…