Member Monday: Nikki Brantley
This Monday, we are featuring Junior League of Charlotte, Inc. (JLC) member Nikki Brantley as part of our Member Monday series. Nikki is the chair of the Chameleon’s Journey placement and currently works as a Project Manager for Wells Fargo Securities. Read more about the Charlotte native below.
1) Thanks for taking time to share some personal insights with us today. Can you give us some background information about you?
I am one of the few remaining native Charlotteans – a third generation one at that! My high school experience was filled with lots of studying, football games on Friday nights with the Independence High School STATE CHAMPION football team, and classical ballet. Before that, I went to “open” magnet schools in and around Uptown Charlotte (Irwin Avenue Elementary and Piedmont Middle School) and was homeschooled by my Wonder Woman mom for a short time with my two younger brothers. Sitting in a project evaluation meeting and seeing my old zip code as one of the areas within the “Crescent of Need” hit me heavily, as did the statistics we were given during the Little Black Dress Initiative. Those numbers, facts, and figures are so much more to me – they’re people I grew up with.
2) What is the best and worst decision you’ve ever made?
Best decision: to join the League, of course! Worst decision: This one is tough! I don’t think that anything happens without reason and am a big believer in fate. I’ve been through some not-so-fun experiences, but I wouldn’t trade them because I think they’ve carved me into the person I am today – someone I like being. A few kinks in your armor make you more resilient.
3)What woman inspires you and why?
Misty Copeland. I was a more muscular dancer when I was younger too and really admire her tenacity to rise to the pinnacle of the dance world despite being told she didn’t have the right body type. She’s an incredible role model.
4) From start to finish, what would your ideal day be like?
Wake up early and go for a sunrise run, shower and have a cup of coffee with a big breakfast (bacon, eggs, French toast, and my boyfriend, Alex’s, notorious breakfast salad), spend some more time outdoors (either bopping around South End or exploring a new trail in Linville Gorge), a spa treatment of some kind would be awesome, top it off with a big dinner complete with dessert (I have to have something sweet before bed), then curl up with a good book and my best guy.
5) What keeps you up at night?
My job is a little stressful, otherwise I try to stay very positive and am usually so exhausted from the day that I have no problem sleeping!
6) If you could tell your 23-year-old self one thing what would it be?
It is all going to be ok. Stop worrying.
7) One thing people would be surprised to learn about you?
I like to lift heavy weights, road cycle, and am a certified scuba diver. All of these things were terrifying to me at first and took a while (and a few bruises and/or panic attacks) to get comfortable with but I truly enjoy them now! I went on a big dive trip with friends after Christmas and stopped in St. Lucia, St. Vincent, and Grenada. We dove almost every day and I had my deepest and longest dives in the beautiful crystal-clear waters of the Caribbean!
8) How has the Junior League helped you develop your potential, taught you something unique, and/or given you an opportunity that you never would have had otherwise?
I joined the League with a little hesitation, but believe this organization has “been there” for me in more ways than I could have imagined. The League has given me friends, professionally applicable training, and some of the most meaningful experiences of my life. It’s helped me to grow into a person I’m proud to be. Before I put my application in, I was a busy Ronald McDonald House (RMH) volunteer looking for a way to connect socially in my hometown that had somehow become foreign to me. After going away for college in Chapel Hill, moving to DC after graduation, then getting into a relationship as soon as I moved home, I didn’t recognize Charlotte – I needed to change after that breakup and threw myself full force into something that had made me very happy in earlier stages of my life: voluntarism. The League was intimidating to me. What if it was a bunch of “Mean Girls”? But I led with hope and optimism and applied. Between application submission and receiving my invitation for provisional membership, I lost my little brother, Nolan, to suicide. It was devastating, suffocating, and I felt even less like myself – like I had even less direction. The inclination to withdraw and shut myself behind closed doors was so strong and scary that I had to force myself to resist that urge and move forward. I wanted to defer my League acceptance to another year, but I didn’t and am so incredibly glad that grief didn’t win in this case. I accepted and planned to place with RMH in my first active year. Unfortunately, RMH was no longer a JLC community partner after my provisional year so I had to choose a different placement. Larry Dewalt was the speaker at our final GMM that year and his speech about the work and mission of Chameleon’s Journey spoke to me on such a personal level that I felt tears running down my cheeks under the fluorescent lights of the Reid Park Academy room we met in. I knew what placement I wanted and that I would pour my heart into everything I did for it. This year, I was the Chair of Chameleon’s Journey in my 3rd year with the placement. Next year I’ll do something different for the JLC (I think that’s the best way to grow personally – to lend your talents to areas of the League that might need you), but will always support and volunteer with Chameleon’s Journey as a private citizen.
Written by Marielle Harris
