About Nicole

Writer, artist, griever, joy scout.

My joy-scouting story began after a terrible thing happened: my dad died when I was 22.

Grief incapacitated me. Once happy-go-lucky, I withdrew from my relationships and threw myself into my work, writing for clients like Samsung USA, Forbes, Kinfolk, Huckberry, and Darling Magazine. Detached from friends and family, I sank into depression. Yet somewhere deep down I believed that joy existed. So at the age of 24, I quit my job and went out searching for it.

In my journey, I drove solo around the country and asked dozens of folks what joy is and where it’s found.

I thought if I could replicate their joy maybe I could feel it too. Turns out, their responses didn’t help me understand joy, but the simple act of interacting with them did. It was uncomfortable to stretch my neck out once again. But in the end, participating in the world and engaging with people made it possible for me to move through my grief.

Now, many years after my dad died, I believe that even the most shattered heart can heal—so long as its hope is still intact—and that the more we cultivate the joy that already exists within us, the more abundant it becomes around us.

That’s why I’m practicing and sharing the art of joy scouting. No matter who you are or what you’ve been through: look up, look out, take notice. You can still find tiny wonders all around you and leave a trail of joy in your wake.