My Womanhood Journey: Nicky Glickman

What I am learning from this series is that womanhood is about the process of becoming. Who you are now is different from who you will be in 10 years from now – it’s what we do with the time that makes all the difference. We are allowed to adapt, grow, try again, change our minds, think differently and become the best version of ourselves.

Interview

Can you tell us a little about who you are and what your journey as a woman has looked like so far?

My journey hasn’t followed the neat arcs of fairy tales or five-year plans. It’s been love and loss, pivots and reinventions, heartbreak and healing. I’ve been a head girl at primary school and high, an A student, deputy mini mayoress, a drama student whose career dreams were derailed, an anorexia survivor, a single mother of twins fighting for stability, a wife and a widow, as well as a runner, and now the owner of my own creative agency.

Every chapter has asked something different of me – grit, courage, tenderness, reinvention. But through it all, the common thread has been storytelling. Whether on stage, in advertising, or in my own life, I’ve learned we can’t always choose the plot twists, but we can choose how we tell the story.

When did you first feel a strong sense of your own womanhood? What is womanhood to you?

I felt it most fiercely when I became a mother. Not because motherhood defines womanhood, but because it forced me to find strength I didn’t know I had. My pigeon pair twins, Cami and Jay, gave me meaning and purpose even in the darkest times. They made me realise I was bigger than my individual self. That I was responsible for the path I paved for them. For me, womanhood is the ability to hold contradictions: to be strong yet vulnerable, to nurture while still carving out your own identity, to break but rebuild. It’s showing up – for yourself, your people, and the life you want – even when it’s messy. And I love my kids with all my heart.

What does being a woman mean to you today?

It means resilience without hardening. It means connection over competition. It means having a career while running a home, being a parent, a daughter, a sister, an (hair, make-up and costume) artist, a soccer and cricket mom, a taxi driver, dog walker, cat brusher, pretend baker, a bank account, a creative, a friend, and a partner, etc., etc. It means allowing myself to be me, unapologetically, and encouraging other women to do the same.

How has motherhood (or the idea of family) shaped your experience of being a woman?

Motherhood cracked me open. It’s the most exhausting, relentless, and rewarding role I’ve ever had. It’s made me fiercely protective but also softer in ways I didn’t expect. My children have seen me rise and they’ve seen me break. And I hope in that they’ve learned that imperfection doesn’t mean failure, it means you’re human.

What values or lessons do you hope to pass on to your children or the next generation?

Kindness that doesn’t make you a doormat. Strength that doesn’t cost you your softness. The belief that you can rewrite your life at any stage, no matter what’s happened before. And above all, the understanding that every person is navigating their own journey, their own battles, their own pain, and that every human being deserves respect, compassion, and to be treated with dignity.

What inspired your current path (career, creativity, or something else)?

Losing out on my acting career could have broken me but it pushed me toward advertising where I could still tell stories, touch lives, and establish meaningful and relevant connections. After being retrenched three times, I took the leap to start my own agency. Now I choose projects and clients that align with my values, and I tell stories that matter. That freedom, hard-earned, is worth every late night and moment of doubt.

Have you faced any challenges as a woman in your field or community? How did you overcome them?

Oh yes. From being underestimated, to being treated like the PA, to having my ideas credited to others, to juggling work and single motherhood. I overcame them early on by building credibility through consistent delivery, finding allies, and refusing to shrink to make others comfortable.

What’s one thing you’ve learned about yourself in the past year?

That I can be both ambitious and at peace when I focus on optimising my time and energy for the things, and people, that truly count. Not every story needs to be part of mine, and I don’t have to carry every cause or conversation. I am my own brand, and the people and companies who value authenticity, care, and passion are the ones who resonate with my work and return time and again. Life doesn’t always feel easy, but I’ve learned that within the chaos there is clarity, and sometimes, that’s exactly where greatness is born.

How do you care for yourself in a world that often demands so much from women?

Running (and exercise) has been my therapy.  A moving meditation. It’s where I process grief, celebrate wins, and reconnect with myself. I also fiercely protect time for things that make me feel alive – whether that’s coffee with a friend, popping in to visit my son at work, watching my daughter perform on the stage, playing scrabble with my mom or watching a movie with my boyfriend or taking my fur baby for a trot.

Who are the women (past or present) who’ve inspired or supported you?

My mother and sister, who taught me unconditional love. My running group, who showed me that women can lift each other higher without ego. And the many women I’ve worked alongside who’ve taught me that collaboration beats competition every time. And now, my daughter who continuously rises to the challenge and exceeds every time.

What message would you share with other women reading this today?

Your story is yours to write. Don’t wait for someone to hand you a happy ending. Pick up the pen and start shaping it yourself. You can rebuild from rock bottom. You can choose again. Don’t sweat the small stuff, it simply smudges the ink on the way to telling the bigger story.

A favourite quote or mantra you live by?

“Legacy isn’t what you leave behind, it’s what you build every day.”

In Summary

Another inspiring woman! Thank you, Nicky, for sharing your journey with us. I love how Nicky says ‘you can rewrite your life at any stage’. A quote often attributed to prominent Victorian novelist George Eliot says:

“It is never too late to be what you might have been.”

Whatever stage you are in life, I hope you will start living more authentically today!