Uploaded July 2025 | Updated September 2026, 2 days ago
"Don’t tell yourself no. Wait for them to tell you no."
That’s the advice @SideHustlePro's Nicaila Matthews Okome received when she hesitated to start her own podcast while working at NPR and it’s the advice she now passes on to others.
So many of us self-reject before the world even gets a chance to weigh in. We mask fear as practicality. We let insecurity masquerade as logic. We decide we're not ready. Not qualified. Not good enough.
“ You have to have this level of belief in yourself and also willingness to fail or fall on your face and have people see it and understand that it doesn't matter because you're braver than them,” says Nicaila.
So here's your reminder: Don't silence yourself before the conversation even begins. Take the leap. Pitch the idea. Launch the thing. The "no" might never come. And even if it does, at least it didn’t come from you.
Check out the full #HelloMondayPodcast episode for more tips on scaling your side hustle, wherever you get your podcasts.
"Don’t tell yourself no. Wait for them to tell you no."
That’s the advice @SideHustlePro's Nicaila Matthews Okome received when she hesitated to start her own podcast while working at NPR and it’s the advice she now passes on to others.
So many of us self-reject before the world even gets a chance to weigh in. We mask fear as practicality. We let insecurity masquerade as logic. We decide we're not ready. Not qualified. Not good enough.
“ You have to have this level of belief in yourself and also willingness to fail or fall on your face and have people see it and understand that it doesn't matter because you're braver than them,” says Nicaila.
So here's your reminder: Don't silence yourself before the conversation even begins. Take the leap. Pitch the idea. Launch the thing. The "no" might never come. And even if it does, at least it didn’t come from you.
Check out the full #HelloMondayPodcast episode for more tips on scaling your side hustle, wherever you get your podcasts.
