Nakita Rowell – To Not Lose Track Of Time

Claudia Henock 0:03
Hi, everyone, Welcome to Your Most Precious Thing, the show that talks about the stories about items we hold near and dear to our hearts. I’m your host, Claudia Henock, and let’s meet our guest for this week.

Claudia Henock 0:16
Words have been Nakita’s thing since middle school. With a passion for writing and a desire to work with people in her heart, she studied broadcast journalism and earned a degree in Journalism & Communications from UNC Chapel Hill. She quickly learned that while she loved journalism and always will, its direct and succinct approach diluted the colorful muse of a creative writer. At heart, she has always been a creative writer, so when she started Word Stylist in 2014, she saw an opportunity to create her own lane in the writing world. With the growing need to create meaningful content in a digital world, the emergence of content marketing has afforded her to share her gifts with the small business community. She likes to think of herself as a perfect blend of a journalist and a creative writer, building a compelling story while telling the facts.

Claudia Henock 1:09
Hi Nakita, welcome to the podcast. How are you doing today?

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 1:12
Good. Thank you!

Claudia Henock 1:14
You’re welcome. So to start this episode, what would you say is your most precious thing?

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 1:21
Wow, I would say, so, that’s such a, such an open ended question. I would probably say, and tell me if I’m being too vague when I say this, is time. Or I think, for me, having had a career as long as I had at this point in my life, and to be at this stage in my life, you realize the value of time a lot more than you do when you’re a little bit younger. And I think that time is the most expensive commodity that we own. And so to me, that’s why I would say it’s my, it’s my most precious thing. If you want me to talk about like something like a dog or something like that, let me know. But if I really had to nail it down to what is the most precious thing to me, it’s that because you can’t get it back.

Claudia Henock 2:09
I would definitely say time is actually a really cool option to think about too, because for a lot the episodes I’ve done so far, mostly people have been talking about like physical items that people have a connection to, such as a wallet that one of my friends was able to grab what his house was on fire, and that was the key for him to basically get back to a normal life, or a pair of nurses scrubs that another college friend was given that lead to go into the path of nursing. But, but I do understand for some people, while there’s some, there’s importance on more physical items, there is also importance on non physical items as well, because for my last episode, I actually interviewed Ben Jones, who is a digital marketer based in Australia. And his episode was talking about the relationships in his life, especially within his family. So even if time isn’t necessarily like a physical thing, I do understand that it’s really important.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 3:01
It is, I mean, if you think about it, how many times can you imagine? Like, how many how many times in your life have you wanted to do over? You know, how many times do you wish that maybe like, oh my goodness, if only I had a time machine that I could change this, its, its to me, that’s, you know, that’s the impact of time and, and it’s, you don’t have to get to be older in your life to kind of appreciate it, I think you can start to appreciate it when you’re younger. But I, I’m speaking, speaking to this from a perspective of someone, I’m in my 40s now, and being my 40s I’ve lived, I mean, I’m not, you know, old, but old, old. We probably do. But, but I’m at a point, I’ve lived enough of my life to really reflect on what are things I would like to change, but not, not even just that. But I know, we only have a finite amount of time in this world period, you know, each of us are only given a certain amount of years. And when you get to a point in your life, you start to ask yourself, “What am I going to do with the time that I have left? Like how do I want to make the best use of it.” And I find myself thinking of that a lot now, especially since I’ve gone through some transitions. I mentioned to you before, I’ve been in a relationship a good portion of my life that I thought was going to be forever, but it turned out not to be. And that’s, that’s time that was lost that I might have spent otherwise. And now I’ve got a pivot something that was want to plan to something, to a new plan. So to me, maybe that’s why I’m thinking when I say most precious, that’s why time is such a big thing for me right now.

Claudia Henock 4:40
Is there like a certain point in your life where if you had essentially a remote control that can either rewind or fast forward time, is there a point in time where you want to rewind to a certain point in your life or you want to change a major decision?

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 4:53
Yes.

Claudia Henock 4:53
Anything?

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 4:54
Yes.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 4:57
I would go back to my senior year in college, I was, I was a broadcast major in college. And I remember, I had a really phenomenal advisor. And I was trying to decide what you know, what was I going to do? How was I going to start my career in broadcast, and I wanted to be a reporter. And he tried to send me to North Dakota. And that was frightening to me, because I mean, who wants to go to frickin North Dakota, like, seriously. And so, I’ve gained a lot more courage over the years. And I wish that I had been brave enough to take the leap, instead of being so, so afraid of how am I going to make live and I don’t know anybody, like all those things that just make you afraid to take risks, I wish I would have been brave enough to take that risk when I was a senior and just say, Okay, I’m gonna go someplace I’ve never been, I don’t know how this is going to turn out. I know, there gonna be some ups and downs to it. But this is my path. And I would have been interested to see kind of how my career would have molded from me being that courageous early. So.

Claudia Henock 6:09
And sometimes it’s always a good idea just to take that chance, because with the North Dakota, for example, you may like absolutely either like fall in love with the state of North Dakota and like live there for the rest of your life. Or you may have made a connection with someone that may have a role within California or New York, for example. But then again, even if you didn’t go to North Dakota, you still created all these experiences and relationships with the people in your life, including, including the one we have right now. Because for all I know if you decide to keep doing going down, like the news broadcaster path and didn’t go into the world of digital marketing, we may have never met.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 6:47
Exactly. I feel like it’s kind of like a catch 22. Like I do, do I feel like there were some missed opportunities in my life because of the path, like the the path I chose. I definitely do. I was actually just having a conversation with a friend after I went home to Wilmington, North Carolina. And I’m like, “Why didn’t I go back home to Wilmington”, because when you graduate, when you get started in broadcast, right? They tell you, you can only start like, because you’re a novice, because you’re brand new, you have to start in 100 level market or above. Because you’re not experienced enough to go to the big guys. Right. And Wilmington, which is my hometown, was 100 Plus level market. Not only was Wilmington 100 Plus level market, but the one of the biggest, like news anchors for the NBC station in Wilmington, like, went to UNC just like I was, because Wilmington is a small town, she like knows my mom. And I’m like, I feel almost 90% sure she would have took me under her wing and said, I will teach you the ropes.

Claudia Henock 7:50
Yeah.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 7:51
But me not wanting to go back to the small town of Wilmington. And like, I want to, like start my own thing, for some reason blocked my brain from doing that, you know? So yeah, I there definitely missed opportunities, but I don’t really, I regret not doing that. But I don’t regret the path I went down because I agree with you like it, it brought people into my life and it created opportunities I might not have pursued otherwise. And I love being an entrepreneur. And I don’t know how long, or if I would have felt that pull to do that. Had I gone like the full broadcast news reporter route? So it’s interesting, right?

Claudia Henock 8:33
Yeah, if you went down the full broadcasting route, for example, for all you know, you might be talking to someone my age that wanted to talk to you about how to get into broadcasting. So it depends on the path you take, and the relationships that you create as well. And sometimes there will always be things that you kind of always regret, whether it’s dealing with career or with friends or family. And sometimes it’s just good to reflect on it. And just to keep going. Because just from my experience, too, with things have happened in my own life. If you, I guess kind of just dwell on the one thing that had, like things that happened in the past forever, you don’t see the cool things that have in front of you right now. I guess.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 9:12
No, you’re and you’re, you’re, you’re right. And I feel like this has come with, with age and experience, because I couldn’t appreciate this when I was younger. When you go through things in your life that are unpleasant, or seasons where things aren’t going the way you like, I have found when I look back, sometimes you can’t see it when you’re in the midst of the storm, right? And if you were to ask, asked if you could turn back time, you would do it 100 times, you know, at that point, but I’ve also found that going through, going against the grain and going through storms in your life builds character and it makes you stronger as a person. And so, some of the things that I’ve gone through in my life, and it’s taken this point to me, for me to be able to say this, I wouldn’t turn back time on, I would allow myself to go through that because it shaped me into who I am. And it also helps, and I didn’t realize this either until I get older, when you’re able to navigate and go through some tough times, it not just helps you become a better person. But sometimes it allows you to pay it forward and help somebody else that might be going through something similar. So, to me, I guess that that wisdom you gained with time, soI appreciate that. Another reason why time is such a valuable asset to me.

Claudia Henock 10:36
That’s definitely really interesting to hear as well. Nakita, if there’s someone that’s listening to the show right now, that is kind of in a situation where they’re just paralyzed, and they just keep constantly thinking about the stuff that has happened in their past, and they can’t seem to move on. What type of advice would you have for that person?

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 10:56
I think the first thing I would would ask them is like, what do you, what is it specifically that you feel like is paralyzing you and keeping you stuck? Like, take some time to really think about what that is? And what would it take for you to take one, maybe just, maybe you can’t take the giant leap because my first advice is always to like just, just, just take some action, do something to move forward. I don’t care how uncomfortable it is, growth is part of, discomfort as part of growth. But if you could just take one small baby, step to push you, to pull you out of that rut that you’re in, you’re in, what’s that one small baby step you can take? Okay, great. Now that you’ve done that, let’s do another one. And just keep doing that until you start to make progress. Sometimes you can do a big leap, it depends on the person. And it depends on the situation that you’re dealing with. But my advice to you if you could just make some form of progress, just you know, if it’s just just the itty itty bitty, that’s better than staying stuck.

Claudia Henock 12:00
And sometimes 1000 tiny steps can basically become a giant leap as well, depending on the person too.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 12:06
Absolutely 100%.

Claudia Henock 12:09
Yeah.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 12:11
Let me tie another thing in and see if this, this might help too, because I know I was kind of abstract. And I’m still still a little bit of abstract when I think of the most precious things. But this kind of ties in with, with time, and with memories. It’s one of those things I didn’t understand how important and how valuable they are until I got a little bit older. So it was hard for me to kind of nail down a specific keepsake. Like, if it’s like one picture or whatever, like, I’ll tell you, one, I don’t know if it’s my most precious thing. But it is a precious thing is I have a picture that me and my dad took together when I was 13 years old. And that picture was taken two weeks before he passed away. And that picture is a very precious thing to me, because it just represents the last time I was with my dad. And it, it helps me, I kind of feel like it was more like a higher power. Because that created that moment for me, that allowed me to be able to have that. And to be able to reflect on that. Not just that picture because that picture is something I can physically see. But I’m sorry, I know it’s…

Claudia Henock 13:32
You’re fine, but yeah…

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 13:34
I, also my dad was kind of like absentee a lot of my life, right? My mom remarried when I was five. My grandmother had a like a little like, get together at her house. The same day I took that picture with him, he talked, he had a conversation with me, he pulled me aside because he realized I was getting older, I was 13. And he told me, “I know I haven’t been a good dad. I know, I haven’t been what I was supposed to be. But I want you to know that I love you. And I want you to know that I want to be better. And I want to build our relationship.” And I lost him two weeks later. And it’s one of those another time thing, right? It’s one of those things where you could look at it, and be angry because you feel like you were robbed of your father. And I could, there are times I feel that way. But on the other side, I feel like that moment was such a gift to me. Because my last memory of my father was a positive one, when he wasn’t really around most of my life. So when I think about him and I can reflect on that, reflect on my time with him. I think of that. So as probably one of my most precious things is probably very relevant to to this podcast, but it also ties into my whole why time is so important too.

Claudia Henock 14:53
Yeah, sorry, I’m sorry I’m like, I’m crying over here on my end because…

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 15:00
But it’s okay. I know it’s that’s that’s kind of deep. But…

Claudia Henock 15:05
Don’t worry, trust me, the show does get pretty deep into sometimes with the actual episodes. But yeah, just when talking about time and the relationships that you have with people, it’s always really important to think about it because even if someone hasn’t been in your life for a very long time, it’s always like the defining moments that count and that moment with your dad saying, “Hey, I want to build that relationship with you.” That was a defining moment. That was a moment saying, “Hey, I’m sorry for not being there. I want to make things better. I want to have that relationship with you.” And that’s something that’s stuck with you until this very day.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 15:43
Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, it’s very. It’s one of those moments you just don’t ever forget, you know. So I’m thankful for that. I do believe that was a gift. And then of course, I have the picture of me and him that same day that remind me even more of that of that moment, so, so yeah.

Claudia Henock 16:04
Yeah. Sorry, I’m just trying to dry my tears little bit.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 16:10
You’re okay. You’re okay. I’ve cried a lot of them. So it’s okay.

Claudia Henock 16:17
One of my resolutions this year, it’s just to get better with like, the relationships, relationships that I have in my life, like, I want to, like rebuild that relationship I’ve had with you since we haven’t spoken in the years, essentially, until our email conversation. I’m trying to work on like reconnecting with friends. Right now, I’m just working on essentially like rebuilding those relationships in my life, I guess.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 16:41
That’s important.

Claudia Henock 16:43
Yeah. Nakita, I want to say thank you for being on this episode of Your Most Precious Thing. And it’s a really important milestone for me, and I want to share it with someone that’s made a huge difference in essentially, in both my professional and my personal life, as well. And so if people want to follow you or interact with you online, what’s the best way that they can do that?

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 17:08
So you can always reach me on my wordstylistrva.com. And then you can, I’m also on Facebook and Instagram. And that’s going to be @wordstylistrva as well. So you can follow me on any of those.

Claudia Henock 17:23
Nakita, I want to say thank you again for being a guest on my show today. It’s been an honor, it’s both an honor and a pleasure since our time in Word Stylist, and having known each other since 2018, at this point, so it’s been many years.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 17:40
Oh, wow. Wow. Yeah. So yeah,

Claudia Henock 17:44
Yeah. So I wanted to say, have an awesome day and I hope you have a great day.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 17:50
You too. Thanks, Claudia.

Claudia Henock 17:52
Alright. Bye Nakita.

Nakita Rowell-Stevens 17:53
Bye, Claudia.

Claudia Henock 17:54
Thank you for listening to this episode of Your Most Precious Thing. You can follow me @claudiahenock on Instagram and Twitter, as well as Claudia Henock on LinkedIn. You can also follow Your Most Precious Thing through my official website, www.claudiahenock.com, in addition to anywhere you listen to your podcasts. Intro and outro music is Synapse by Shane Ivers and you can listen to his music on silvermansound.com.