Nicole Bowman of Keen.com: Why You Should Never Stop Learning
Never Stop Learning: To this day I continue to read as many books as I can and learn from people who know more than I do. There is no shame in saying “I don’t know the answer to that but I’ll find out.” Curiosity keeps us young and it keeps life fresh and exciting.
As a part of my series about strong female leaders, I had the pleasure of interviewing Nicole Bowman, Live the Light, intuitive and psychic at Keen.com
Nicole Bowman (Live the Light) is a psychic, medium, and intuitive artist. She gives readings for the soul on Keen.com that focus on psychic development and personal growth. She is a member of Best American Psychics, a Reiki Practitioner, and host of Live the Light, a spiritual podcast that airs on Blog Talk Radio & I Heart Radio. Her articles on spiritual growth have been featured in publications such as Keen, Elephant Journal, Bustle, mindbodygreen and PopSugar.
Thank you so much for doing this with us! Can you tell us a story about what brought you to this specific career path?
Thank you for having me! Psychic and mediumship abilities run in my family. So I have always been able to sense what others are thinking and feeling. I had no plans to do spiritual work on a conscious level. However, about 10 years ago I met a woman who owned a metaphysical book store in my town. I intuitively sensed that I needed to be a reader at that store and approached her. She let me know that I would need to do a reading for her in order to assess my abilities. Shortly after that, she hired me. Months later, she explained that she knew I was supposed to work in her store. The reading was just a formality. From there, I began to teach intuitive development classes, appear as a guest on psychic radio programs, and write articles on personal growth.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began your role working with Keen.com?
There are so many interesting things that have happened since I began working with Keen. It’s hard to narrow it down to just one but I’ll try my best. I guess the most interesting thing is doing mediumship readings for clients on Keen.
For people who are unfamiliar, mediumship readings involved communing with the spirit world. This can include deceased loved ones, angelic beings, or spiritual guides. Normally, traditional mediumship readings can last anywhere from 1–2 hours as information comes through.
When I first came to Keen I was skeptical about whether or not I could bring through messages in a matter of minutes. Normally, I had much more time. With that being said, I was amazed with how quickly spirit provided detailed information that clients could easily verify. It built my confidence as a reader but moreover, it reminded me to let spirit lead the way.
The other beautiful part is that the readings give these clients peace and clarity. Some of the mediumship readings have been particularly difficult because of how the people passed but the souls that come through provide a lot of comfort and offer
Can you share a story about the funniest mistake you made when you were first starting? Can you tell us what lesson you learned from that?
This is interesting because what I am going to share did not actually happen while at Keen. However, it is worth repeating because I almost misread the situation completely.
Years ago, a client reached out to me in a frantic state. I hadn’t started the reading yet, so I had no idea why they were so upset. As I began to tune in I braced myself for a series of possible occurrences: a love triangle, a family member who passed on, a pet who crossed over, it really could be anything and it felt like the world was ending.
Well, it turns out, the pain and hysteria was connected to their favorite celebrity: Mariah Carey. They had worried themselves sick about her emotional well being and the only thing they wanted to know is if she would make another comeback. This was well after the movie Glitter and her critically acclaimed album The Emancipation of Mimi. Mariah had been doing well but abruptly stepped out of the public eye again, leaving some fans in a state of confusion.
“I just really want her to get back on her feet,” they lamented, “she really is a queen.”
I couldn’t disagree. I love me some Mariah too.
At that point, I tuned in and saw that Mariah was focused on her family. There would be more music in the future but at that point, the emphasis was on her children. That eased their mind a bit and the client started to calm down.
“Well, as long as she’s ok,” they said, “I’m fine with that. That’s all I needed to know.”
What do you think makes Keen.com? Can you share a story?
Keen is unique for a few reasons: the clients, the staff, and the psychics. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to travel to San Francisco and meet the staff who support the psychic advisors behind the scenes. It was an eye opening experience. I was able to witness how dedicated they were to serving clients and ensuring that advisors had what we needed. They wanted suggestions on how to better assist psychics and help clients. It was an open dialogue that continues to this day. There is a strong desire to learn, grow, and improve. This allows Keen to expand and connects us with clients from all over the world who have the same goal. August is National Wellness Month and Keen is doing many exciting things throughout the month.
Are you working on any exciting new projects now? How do you think that will help people?
I am currently hosting Live the Light, a podcast that airs on the Blog Talk Radio Network and I Heart Radio. The show focuses on personal growth through spirituality and how to stay grounded in difficult times. I am also in the process of writing a book on positive affirmations. I was inspired to start writing it while overseas in Cyprus. It began with positive affirmations for myself but with time, it naturally evolved into a book for the greater community. It will be completed and available later this year.
What advice would you give to other female thought-leaders or experts to help their team to thrive?
Listen, be open to suggestions, and trust your intuition.
It is also important to delegate responsibilities. Don’t be afraid to hand over the reign at times and allow a gifted team member to shine. We all have talents and abilities that make us unique. However, when we join together and highlight each other’s strengths, magic happens.
What advice would you give to other female entrepreneurs about the best way to manage their business, no matter what the size?
Stay true to your soul mission.
Ask yourself: “Why am I doing this work? What is my mission? What is my focus?” It’s important to periodically check in because you always want to take on projects and business partnerships that are in line with your mission. If you stay true to that initial prayer you’ll continue to evolve.
It is also important to stay organized. On a very practical level, get a planner. Whether it be paper or electronic, and map out your work week. Things can shift during the week but if you have a general outline, it helps to stay on schedule and stay on track.
Finally, have long term goals that you can break down month by month. If you do something each month that supports the bigger picture, you will be successful.
None of us are able to achieve success without some help along the way. Is there a particular person who you are grateful towards who helped get you to where you are? Can you share a story about that?
There are so many people but I’ll narrow it down to the ones who jump out the most. I’m very grateful to the women in my family who passed down these abilities to me. I am especially grateful to my grandmothers, Mama Capps and Grandma Gandy. They loved me unconditionally and always promoted individuality, integrity, and bravery. I am also thankful for my Auntie Sheree who urged me to keep telling the truth, no matter what. Finally, I appreciate Ann Moura, a wonderful author and Green Witch who allowed me to read in her store, Luna Sol Esoterica many years ago. She was patient, generous, and a true wise woman.
How have you used your success to bring goodness to the world?
To this day, writing is my way of offering comfort to those in need. I write about so many things, from self love, to psychic development, to regaining your faith after heartbreak. Words live on long after we do and they can provide so much guidance for years to come.
I also love to recognize and support other men and women who are doing great things in the world. I admire Diamond Stylz of the Black Trans Women Inc., Christian Picciolini of the Free Radicals Project, and Fatou D. Faye of Weer Africa. All three have started organizations to spread peace, social equity, and good health around the globe.
What are your “5 Leadership Lessons I Learned From My Experience” and why. (Please share a story or example for each.)
- Learn to Say No: When I first began reading in a metaphysical shop, I had a new client who was obsessed with a partner who no longer wanted to be with them. Before the reading even began I got a horrible feeling. As I started to share what spirit was giving me, the client began to interrupt and demanded to know the partner’s whereabouts and the details of their new relationship. I sensed a feeling of dread and knew that while I could give them that information, it was better not to. I abruptly stopped the reading and told them no, something I should have done before the reading even started. It’s always important to trust what we feel and say no when it’s warranted.
- Trust Your Intuition: I mentioned this once before, but my career as a psychic medium began by following a hunch to ask a psychic shop owner for a job as a reader. If I hadn’t followed my inner knowing, where would I be now?
- Be Open. There Are Many Roads Your Life Can Take: A number of years ago, I was creating spiritual music while living in Florida. On a whim, I decided to send my material to a company that was holding a music conference in New Orleans Louisiana. After receiving my work they invited me to perform at their conference. I traveled to Louisiana and shared my songs. Shortly after that, I felt a pull to offer spiritual readings for locals and tourists in the area. I had no idea how this would even be possible but within a matter of months, I moved to New Orleans, was hired at a spiritual shop, and began giving readings at historic Jackson Square. My ability to go with the flow and be open to new possibilities created a whole new world for me. Many of the clients and readers I met during that time are still apart of my life today
- Never Stop Learning: To this day I continue to read as many books as I can and learn from people who know more than I do. There is no shame in saying “I don’t know the answer to that but I’ll find out.” Curiosity keeps us young and it keeps life fresh and exciting.
- Stay True To Your Mission: My soul mission is to love myself, honor the divine, and teach others how to do the same. Whenever I am taking on projects or new clients, I pray that they are in line with my soul mission. Always ask to be connected with people you can truly help and more importantly, affirm that those who come into your life want the assistance and appreciate it.
You are a person of great influence. If you could inspire a movement that would bring the most amount of good to the most amount of people, what would that be?
If I could inspire a movement, I would begin by sharing these thoughts:
Be yourself, love who you are, and do something each day to stay balanced in your life. Change starts in your mind, in your heart, in your home. The way we help the world is by being good to ourselves first. Then we share that energy with the greater community by treating people well and accepting them for who they are. It may sound simplistic but how we treat ourselves is a marker for how we treat the world. It also determines the strength of our global impact.
Can you please give us your favorite “Life Lesson Quote”? Can you share how that was relevant to you in your life?
My favorite quote comes from one of my favorite books: “You Can Heal Your Life.” It was written by Louise Hay, the late metaphysician, teacher, and writer. She held the belief that our thoughts and emotions shape our world view. If we take time to examine self defeating thoughts and explore hidden emotions, healing is possible on many levels. I firmly agree. Once we start to do this, we begin to better understand ourselves and with time, love who we are. When love is present, healing begins.
