Urban Girl Corporate World

Nicole interviews Ashley, who she works with as an Executive Coach, and discusses their leadership philosophies on the final episode of season 7. ***Enjoyed this episode?Rate, review, and share with someone navigating their own journey in leadership. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

In this episode of the Urban Girl Corporate World Podcast, Nicole sits down with Ervin McBride, a cybersecurity professional, mentor, and North Carolina A&T alum, to discuss his intentional journey into the tech world, the power of mentorship, and the importance of representation in cybersecurity.Ervin shares how intentional networking helped him break into cybersecurity and how internships during college gave him the chance to explore different career paths before discovering the "right fit" in cybersecurity. After meeting Nicole at AfroTech, he took the time to build trust and vet her before asking her to be his mentor—an example of how genuine connections can lead to powerful relationships.The conversation dives deep into how Ervin navigates imposter syndrome, especially as one of the few Black professionals in many cybersecurity spaces, and how he channels that experience into creating awareness content on social media and mentoring others as a way of giving back tothe community.Ervin describes why cybersecurity is a field he loves—it keeps him on the edge of his seat and demands that he always stay ready. With the landscape constantly evolving, continuous learning and adaptability are key.Follow Ervin on social media to keep up with his cybersecurity awareness content and professional journey.***Enjoyed this episode?Rate, review, and share with someone navigating their own tech journey or exploring mentorship. Don't forget to subscribe so you never miss an episode!

In this episode of Urban Girl Corporate World, Nicole sits down with Hatu Kanu, Technical Recruiter at Riot Games and founder of Power Pivots, to break down the key strategies for landing and excelling in a tech career. They dive into the biggest resume mistakes & Hatu shares interview best practices. They also discuss how to engage with recruiters the right way, why conferences should be used for real-time networking with a job in mind, and how to follow up effectively to foster genuine connections.Once you've secured an offer, negotiation is a must—Hatu explains the mindset shift needed to confidently advocate for yourself, understand salary bands, and communicate the value you bring.If you're ready to level up your job search, this episode is packed with actionable insights! Connect with Hatu at Hatu@powerpivots.co, and don't forget to like, subscribe, and share!

In this episode of Urban Girl Corporate World, host Nicole chats with Christina, Producer at Riot Games, about her incredible career journey—from facing constant rejection to finally landing a job offer that changed everything. Christina shares her experience relocating across the country to a place she'd never even visited, navigating the workforce as a neurodiverse professional, and tackling her first big project at Riot: Tech Talks which you can watch here. They also get real about the misconceptions about introverted leaders and the power of self-awareness. Plus, Christina reveals why she keeps a “Brag File” and why you absolutely need one too!Loved this episode? Like, subscribe, and share to help others tap into these career gems!

In this episode of Urban Girl Corporate World, host Nicole sits down with Adrianna Seeny, Data Scientist, for a powerful conversation on confidence, resilience, and authenticity in the workplace.Adrianna shares her journey of securing a job after interviewing at AfroTech, the challenges of navigating corporate culture as a woman of color, and how she balances managing emotions while breaking stereotypes. Nicole & Adrianna unpack the discomfort of talking about money, the athlete's mindset of continuous learning, and why chasing excellence is the ultimate career move.If this episode resonated with you, like, subscribe, and share to help more professionals step into their power!

In this episode of Urban Girl Corporate World, host Nicole sits down with Cameron Johnson, Cybersecurity Manager, to break down the strategies that drive success in cyber. They dive into the power of networking, the importance of trust between teammates, and the formula they used to make magic as colleagues.Cameron shares his approach to influencing engineers, navigating unclear paths into cybersecurity, and making strategic career moves. They also explore how to find the right mentor (and why just asking isn't enough), the concept of anxious action, and why sometimes not asking is the key to getting what you want. Plus, they discuss the art of strategic sniping and why chasing impact should be your ultimate career goal.If you found this episode insightful, like, subscribe, and share to help more professionals elevate their careers!

Welcome to Season 7 of Urban Girl Corporate World! In the season opener, Nicole shares the inspiration for the new season, what listeners can expect and challenges us all to be clear on what it is that we are chasing. *****Got questions you want Nicole to answer? Submit them to UrbanGirlCorporateWorld@gmail.com*****Enjoying the podcast? Leave us a 5 star review! And be sure to like, subscribe and share.

Live from Las Vegas, Nicole shares reflections from her first Customer Advisory Board meeting, her motivations for goals of board service, getting board training and meeting the CEO who told Google that $23B just wasn't enough. * Join the Urban Girl Corporate World "Winner's Circle" for exclusive access to insider events, training, podcast updates, newsletters and more. Register here. * Interested in Board Training? Learn more about United Way's VIP Program here.

Nicole interviews Jason Amos - PMO Leader & Real Estate Investor - about all things money. Jason provides a fresh, thoughtful perspective on investing, real estate, equity, learning and his non-traditional thoughts on traditional work . Join the Urban Girl Corporate World "Winner's Circle" for exclusive access to insider events, training, podcast updates, newsletters and more. Register at www.NicoleDove.com

On this week's episode, Nicole records from the expo floor at AfroTech in Houston. Tap in to hear about her talks, Riot's Pull Up & Play Game Night, concerts, conference events and much more. *** Join the Winner's Circle to get insider insights on winning at work and register for future link ups. *** Register at www.NicoleDove.com

This week Nicole interviews Devon Bryan, Global CISO of Carnival Corporation. They talk all things cybersecurity careers, the inspiration to start Cyversity, managing the cybersecurity of floating cities, and redefining ROI. To learn more about Cyversity and their programs, visit their website or LinkedIn page.

And we're back! Nicole kicks off Season 6 from Dublin, Ireland and shares what's been happening since the last episode including her partnership with LinkedIn Learning, what inspired her talk this week at the world's largest black tech conference - AfroTech, keynoting the CAU Hooding Ceremony, expanding her podcast portfolio and winning the 2024 Team8 CISO Village Award in Silicon Valley. Check out Nicole's LinkedIn Learning Courses: Stand Out as a Power Performer Ransomware Cybersecurity Supply Chain Cybersecurity Becoming a Cybersecurity Professional Listen to the Women in Security & Privacy Podcast here.

Nicole interviews Ellen Bailey (VP of Diversity & Culture @ Harvard Business Review) about her journey to leadership, successfully shifting culture through strategy, challenges she's overcome along the way and how they are working together to bring Harvard Case Studies into HBCUs across the nation.

Nicole & Libby Herman (Business Security Officer, ADP) discuss what it takes to be successful as a Business Information Security Officer, how the role is often misunderstood, strategies we've used to influence decision makers and advice we'd give to practitioners interested in the role.

Nicole and Chris Magno (Fortune 500 GM & Columbia University Professor) discuss a course he co-created on cognitive bias, roles that helped him build intellectual curiosity, leveraging storytelling to drive influence, overcoming leadership challenges, the secret sauce to building great teams, and what organizations get wrong with risk management.

In the opener of Season 5, Nicole talks her new job, board seat appointment, her LinkedIn Learning course on Supply Chain Security, what she's speaking about at RSA and new updates for this season of the podcast.

Nicole & Caroline Wong (Chief Strategy Officer, Cobalt.io) discuss her book, "Security Metrics, A Beginner's Guide", winning the EWF Woman of Influence Award, challenges she's overcome and her upcoming LinkedIn Learning course on the OWASP Top 10. You can find Caroline's book on Amazon here.

Nicole interviews RInki Sethi, CISO @ Twitter, about lessons learned along her path to CISO, the power of assuming positive intent, how to change hearts and minds and what she's most proud of accomplishing.

Nicole and Samara Williams, Manager of Threat Operations @ Cardinal Health, discuss meeting through #ShareTheMicInCyber, how threat intelligence makes cybersecurity sexy, Samara's Ted Talk and what influences her leadership style. Follow Samara on Twitter and tune into her TedTalk here.

Nicole talks to Chris Hymes, (VP IT, Security & Privacy @ Riot Games) about his leadership philosophy, why security is more than preventing incidents, his proudest moments and wisdom gained from lessons learned. 

Nicole interviews Amy Bernstein (Editor, Harvard Business Review & Host, Women at Work podcast) about her path to leadership, balancing boundaries and grace, the secret sauce behind creating stories that inspire and what to expect on this season of the Women at Work podcast.

Nicole and Greg van der Gaast (CISO @ Scoutbee) discuss how his curiosity saved a company millions, structuring upstream security programs, getting speeding tickets in a Lamborghini, how Angelina Jolie inspired him to be a hacker, the downside of hiring unicorns, and the importance of rethinking information security. Purchase Greg's Book "Rethinking InfoSec" on Amazon. 

Nicole and Lauren Zabierek (Director, Cybersecurity Project @ Harvard & Co-Founder of #ShareTheMicInCyber) discuss the viral impact of #ShareTheMicInCyber, her non-traditional path into the industry, her most recent white paper on threat intelligence and how her campaign motivated (and helped) Nicole to study cybersecurity at Harvard University. Sign up to support or participate at https://www.sharethemicincyber.com/

In the season 4 opener, Nicole celebrates one year at her new company and shares exciting news about her upcoming LinkedIn Learning course, her studies at Harvard, being nominated for the EWF 2021 Woman of Influence Award, upcoming conferences, this season's guests and much more. To register for events, visit https://www.letsworkletswin.com/events

Nicole interviews Tareia Williams (Sr. Director of Communications @ Turner Sports) about winning an Emmy, starting her PR career in tech, taking up space in a male dominated industry, escaping stereotypes, what she's learned working with NBA legends and her work on the 2021 NBA All-Star Game.

Nicole interviews Kevin Simmonds (Cybersecurity & Privacy Partner @ PwC) about his journey into partnership at Big 4, an offer from the NFL, building an empowering leadership legacy and what being a partner really means.

Nicole & Howard (@IamHBrown) talk meeting on Wall Street, creating a high school curriculum based on his trading career, misconceptions about entrepreneurship and his work with Meek Mill.

Nicole and Nelson "Cheetah" Vails (@RideWithNelly) discuss becoming a history making Olympic medalist, growing up in Harlem, discipline versus dedication and why working is the key to winning.

Nicole and Grammy Award Winning Engineer Blue (@mixedbyblue) discuss the art and science of music, how cybersecurity and audio engineering are more alike than different, the one interview question he asks interns and working with legends like Nas, Black Thought and Solange. 

Nicole & Alexis Robinson (Manager, Government Assessments Program @ AWS) talk building a network for the future, how to vet prospects for your circle, creating connections virtually and leveraging the pandemic to your advantage. Join, be an ally to or support the Haven by registering at www.EmpowHerCyber.org 

Nicole interviews Chenxi Wang (@chenxiwang) about her exciting career, the inspiration to found Rain Capital - a women cyber venture capital fund - and the challenges and triumphs along her path to creating a phenomenal legacy.

Nicole and Monica (@MonicaMotivates) break down components a perfect pitch, disparities in venture capital funding, why you should treat your life like a fortune 100 company & how to remain prepared in an ever-changing environment.

Nicole interviews Vida about her path from high school dropout to Columbia graduate, what inspired her to rewrite her story, the skills she's picked up as a management consultant and her podcast, "Crown Jewels"

Nicole (@urbangirlcorporateworld) celebrates one year of podcasting, talks her university lecture series, an unlikely internship, giving a keynote at Facebook and the season 3 lineup. 

Nicole & Natasha reflect on servant leadership, how it's changed their careers, advice for new leaders and what you should ask during an interview to determine the type of leader you'd be working for.  

Sasha & Nicole reflect on the journey of Stacey Abrams' and are inspired by her path from loss to legend.

Nicole and Sasha reflect on their biggest 2020 moments, collaborating on a global PSA, HBCU homecoming withdrawals, having dinner with CT Vivian and learning to trust the process.

Nicole and Dianne (VP of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Strategy & Ops) talk the right and wrong ways to address micro-aggressions, managing imposter syndrome, why a personal board of directors is important and how to leverage authenticity as a connector.

Nicole interviews Romy Newman (President & Co-Founder, FairyGodBoss) about her path to executive leadership, the craziness of leading a tech startup and the importance of community, especially among professional women.

Nicole talks with Caron (SVP, Human Resources) about her career transition from engineering into HR, her lens into executive talent strategy and why performance, planning, people and the power of storytelling are critical components to securing executive roles.

Nicole speaks with Liz Cotton (Founder & CBDO, Career Mingle) about her work with the US Embassy in Brazil, delivering keynotes in foreign languages, the Career Mingle virtual conference and her work to close the anticipated cybersecurity talent gap. Register for the Career Mingle Virtual Conference at letsworkletswin.com/events

Nicole and her former manager, Kim Albarella (VP of Security Advocacy & Risk) talk their paths from Wall Street to tech, knowing when to leave a role, finding your people, what they've learned working with men and the power of asking dumb questions.

Nicole & Olivia Rose (Chief Information Security Officer) map out milestones to the C-Suite, discuss unicorn job descriptions, why failure is OK, asking for what you want and how to hack common strategies men use to rise up the ranks.

Nicole & Dr. Dennis Kimbro (professor, speaker and #1 Best-Selling author) break down key milestones to achieving net worth over $1M from his latest best-seller, “The Wealth Choice: Success Secrets of Black Millionaires,” the criticality of entrepreneurship, level 5 leadership, the marketing strategies of Steve Jobs & MLK, 2 Short lyrics and the power of pivoting.

Nicole interviews her 94-year old grandfather, AJ Rivers, about being the first black elected official in 1972, partnering with a klansman on his campaign, appointing the first Black Chief of Police and being recognized for his accomplishments by US Congress.

Nicole & Jermaine Burrell (Former Mobile City Councilman, Operations Executive, D&I Champion) explore his earliest inspirations and how servant leadership has been the key to million dollar results in both his corporate and political careers.

Nicole & Ruva (@Ruvalicious) discuss her journey to Ivy League, studying abroad in London, co-leading Harvard's Black Student Theater Community and the importance of representation in the arts.

Nicole D. & Nicole P. (@InnerMeStudios) reflect on their friendship of 20 years, studying abroad and how heartbreak and the '09 market crash led to Nicole's career shift from Private Equity to CEO of a pole dancing & fitness studio.

Nicole & Obama White House US GSA Senior Advisor Meredith Lilly, Esq. (@attymlilly) discuss her path from law to politics, being honored by the Atlanta City Council and how her servant leadership enhances the lives of over 600,000 Georgia residents.

Nicole & Denise (@NewRootsLiving) remember starting their careers on Wall Street, running into CEOs on elevators, the value of preparation and the importance of showing up to drive sustainable success.

Nicole & Dr. Le'Jon Payne spill the tea on their experiences as black women living in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, black privilege abroad and recap their community service work in Kenya and Malawi.