Reaching Out with Nicole Sgarlato

I am so thrilled to have my friend and former coworker, Nicole Sgarlato (she/her), on the podcast today!

I met Nicole in 2019 when I first moved to San Francisco because she was a coworker of mine at Lyft. My first memory of her was watching her give a company-wide Pride presentation during my first week on the job during Pride Month. The following Pride month is when I first got to interact with her and as I explain to her in the beginning of the episode, she was the key to me sharing my coming out story for the first time and, in turn, I give some credit for this very podcast.

Nicole tells us about her journey coming out as a trans woman -- a process that she didn't really start exploring as a possibility until her early thirties. She tells us about the major life changes that she had to take on in order for her to get to a place where she allowed herself to explore that feeling of difference that she had felt for most of her life -- this includes both leaving the church and not going through with an engagement. Nicole reminds us that it's never too late to make a change in your life -- a sentiment that I personally love as somewhat of a late bloomer, myself.

We talk about so many interesting topics on this episode, including: exploring your true self-identity later in life, coming out in the workplace, the importance of safe spaces and the impact that they can have on those exploring their identity, navigating imposter syndrome, and even the whirlwind period that had Nicole modeling for ad campaigns in NYC and at the Pride Parade with Sasha Velour. It's just too good!

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Episode Links:

• Nicole's Instagram: @nicolesgarlato

Follow along with Reaching Out:

• Podcast's Instagram: @reachingoutpod
• Podcast's Twitter: @reachingoutpod
• Michael's Instagram: @michaelwingsit