In this episode of Be Anomalous, Nicole Harvey, founder of EmpowHer, joins me to talk about building with purpose while balancing a full-time career, creating a global women’s community from scratch, and learning that success doesn’t have to come at the cost of stability.
Nicole’s story is one of intention and persistence. She built EmpowHer — a platform bringing women together through honest conversations around money, health, and leadership — while still working full-time in tech and traveling constantly. What started as small coffee meetups in New York has evolved into a movement that spans curated panels, summits, and ambassador-led events across cities.
In this conversation, we explore what it really takes to grow something from the ground up — without outside funding, without shortcuts, and without losing your center.
If you’ve ever wondered how to chase your dreams without burning down your current life, this episode is for you.
Listen to the episode:
What You’ll Learn
How Nicole built EmpowHer while maintaining a full-time role in tech
Why she believes in scaling slowly and staying self-funded
The mindset shifts that helped her manage two full-time jobs
What it means to create spaces for women where vulnerability becomes power
How to know when it’s time to leave your 9–5 (and when it’s not)
The value of integrity, patience, and doing the work even when it’s not visible
Favorite Quote
“It doesn’t just happen. You have to make it happen.” — Nicole Harvey’s dad
Favorite Book
MEDDIC: The Ultimate Guide to Winning Complex Sales
In This Episode, We Cover
(00:00) Nicole’s upbringing, entrepreneurial roots, and the influence of her mother
(07:00) Building a career in retail, e-commerce, and tech — and how that shaped EmpowHer
(15:00) The birth of EmpowHer: from coffee meetups to community movement
(24:00) Balancing two full-time roles and the myth of “work-life balance”
(28:00) Knowing when (and how) to leap into entrepreneurship
(33:00) Why she’s not taking outside investment — and what thoughtful scaling looks like
(40:00) Building partnerships with integrity and learning to say no
(47:00) Lessons from EmpowHer’s events and the power of women sharing the real stories
(55:00) Navigating imposter syndrome and learning to trust your own voice
Referenced in This Episode
EmpowHer community events and the ambassador program
Recharge (Nicole’s full-time company in the e-commerce tech space)
Dagne Dover and Margaret Josephs (The Real Housewives of New Jersey)
Financial literacy for women and closing the gender pay gap
Public speaking, negotiation, and building partnerships rooted in purpose
New episodes drop every Monday.
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