VIP Interview #3: Nicole Marie

This time, I talked to Nicole. We mainly talked about her blogging project #SpeakUp. You can find her on
Blog | Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Snapchat: thriftyvintage

Best blog posts:

• What it feels like to be diagnosed with a mental illness
• Dealing with negative mental health experiences
• What it’s like living with emetophobia (a fear of being sick

Q: How would you describe yourself as a person, to a complete stranger? What makes you, you?

If I was to describe myself to a complete stranger I would use three words; odd, quiet and an introvert. I am very shy and find it hard to make friends with people, so please don’t think I am rude if I don’t engage in conversation with you, I just would much rather listen to my music. Despite me being very shy and introverted, when I get to know you, I can actually be pretty loud and you will see my very odd side. But hey, if you love Harry Potter, nights in and are as obsessed with Twitter as I am, we will make great friends!

Q: What are your goals in your life and blogging?

I am quite a goal orientated person, so I have quite a few! My biggest goal in life though is to break free from OCD. I have OCD and it affects nearly every part of my life. Everyday is a struggle but try my hardest. I really want to go back to being like I was before this beast of a mental illness took over. For my blog, I would love to reach million page views some day I think that would be cool or 10K Twitter followers but really, all I want to do is make sure I am producing content that I am proud of and passionate about.

Q: What is your biggest achievement so far? What are you most proud of?

Academically, getting six A*’s was a big achievement for me but away from books and knowledge, having the courage to go to the doctor, tell him my deepest darkest thoughts, admit something wasn’t right with my mental health and be diagnosed with a mental illness is a big achievement in itself and one that should not be overlooked. I am proud of myself for taking those steps, although they may seem insignificant to some, if you have been through the situation you will know just how much courage it takes.

Q: Who is your biggest inspiration and why?

I don’t really have anyone that inspires me. Guaranteed there are plenty of YouTubers and bloggers that I look up to, but they don’t really inspire me. For me, I am just inspired by anyone who suffers from a mental illness, of any kind and battles through on a daily basis. I know what it’s like and I know how hard it can be. These people really inspire me to keep going on my own mental health journey towards a better place.

Q: You advocate (if I may say so) the importance of awareness about mental health. How would you explain the importance of the awareness to someone?

Yes! I definitely am! It’s in my Twitter bio and everything! Talking and spreading awareness of mental health is so important because unlike physical illnesses you can’t see mental illnesses, which often leaves the suffer ashamed, embarrassed or even in denial even if they know something isn’t right with their mental health. Just like most physical illnesses, mental illnesses do not get better over time, in fact, they normally get worse. In the worst scenarios, this can have a debilitating impact on the person’s life or even end in suicide. Talking about mental illness, removing the stigma and treating mental illness like physical illness all comes as a result of talking about mental health.

Q: You run a #Speakup project. What made you create this project? How did the idea come to be?

I do indeed! I wanted to raise awareness of lots of different topics on my blog particularly those which affect people’s health and wellbeing. But obviously, I haven’t and will not experience everything myself which is where I got the idea of letting other bloggers guest post on my blog once a week, sharing their stories and experiences on a range of different topics from bullying to relationships and self-harm to university. We have it all covered in #SpeakUp and I love the diversity it brings to my blog, knowing that I have helped so much more people out.

Q: Who is the main target of your project? Is there a specific group of people that you’d favor to read it?

#SpeakUp is really aimed at anyone, of all ages and genders. Predominantly the project is aimed that the demographic of my blog which is young people aged between 13-30, mainly girls. Although due to the variety of topics covered in the project, there is always something for everyone. 

Q: How are people reacting to #Speakup? Considering that the project is also cracking open taboos and breaking the “popular beliefs”.

It’s actually going down really well. People find the posts super helpful and some even say that they have helped them learn something new about a topic we have covered which is great. There has been lot’s of interest for people to share their stories and experiences, which is really nice to know. Despite some of the more out-there topics and issues, we cover, everyone is super supportive and kind.

Q: Is there anything you’d like to add?

If you can’t tell already mental health and raising awareness of mental illness is one of my biggest passions. I am so glad I have such an influential outlet to share this very important information with thousands of people. Thank you very much for your time. I hope you enjoyed my answers and  big thanks to Annie for asking such brilliant questions!

Thank you Nicole, for being such a good sport and letting me interview you! It was a pleasure.

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