Meet Nikki Coleman: Licensed Psychologist, Sexologist, & DEI Consultant

We had the good fortune of connecting with Nikki Coleman and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nikki, what role has risk played in your life or career?
This is such a big question! For most of my life I took very few risks in my professional career but my personal life was different. Becoming a mother changed the game for me. I have a 9 year old daughter and I’m a full-time single parent. I started thinking, “What kind of woman do I want her to model? A woman who’s content at best or a woman who’s happy because she bets on herself despite what others think?” More often than not, that little voice inside is telling me to go for it and it’s my ego – the part of myself worried about what others will think – that is telling me to pump the brakes. So, I ask myself that question – what kind of woman do I want my daughter to know? and that usually helps me make the decision to go for it! Now with that being said, I’m definitely all about calculated risks. I do think about what are the potential negative consequences and what I can do to reduce those or how I can work through them should they occur. I remind myself that I am a successful person. My track record has proven that so why should this be any different.

What should our readers know about your business?
I am the proud owner of Dr. Nikki Knows! We are an LLC focused on mental health services, sex positivity coaching and therapy, and DEI consultation and training. It is a reflection of me and my various expertise and passions. Dr. Nikki Knows centers the wellbeing and pleasure of Black women in all spaces from the bedroom to the boardroom. I started out my career in academia and became a tenured professor before deciding that the space I was working in wasn’t working for me. My research as a scholar always focused on the wellbeing and identity of Black women with an emphasis representations of Black women in media and sexuality. In addition, I have always had gender and racial equity at the core of everything I do. Dr. Nikki Knows is a young business with great things in store! I work with clients in individual, couples, and group therapy. I believe that great sex and healthy sexuality is a core component of overall health and wellbeing. So, a significant portion of my business is a focus on Black women’s sexual liberation and pleasure. Lastly, Black women are increasingly represented in a wide array of professional settings yet those spaces are very rarely designed for their ultimate growth and success. With this in mind, I partner with organizations to expand their DEI capacity through consultation, organizational audits, and training.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
There have been so many people in my journey that have helped me out. My family who’s always had high expectations for me so I could never settle for less myself. My undergraduate mentor Dr. Derek Rovaris. Shout out really to my whole experience at Xavier University of Louisiana. Attending an HBCU was pivotal in my academic self-concept and consequently my professional success. Graduate school mentors that I can still call on today – Dr. Dennis Kivlighan and Dr. Helen Neville. But I’ve also benefitted from really great reciprocal mentorship relationships. During my career in academia, I learned a lot about me from my work with my doctoral students and now that they are out in the world as successful bawses, I’m learning from them all the time. This is especially true for Dr. Ebony Butler and Dr. LaWanda Hill. And, last but not least, my favorite human, my daughter Asha. This child is wise beyond her years and a pure beacon of confidence, love, and fierceness in the world. I learn from her all the time. She is my constant inspiration for going harder, doing more, taking risks, and being my best self!

Website: www.drnikkiknows.com

Instagram: www.instagram.com/drnikkiknows

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/m-nicole-coleman-she-her-hers-012005124/

Twitter: @drnikkiknows

Facebook: www.facebook.com/drnikkiknows

Image Credits
Camille Percy Branding