Hey there! I’m Nyshell (pronounced like Michelle with an “N”). I’m a full-time stay-at-home wife, mom, author, poet, and creative entrepreneur. I was born and raised here in Lansing, and am a graduate of JW Sexton High School (class of ‘03). My love language is tacos and dirty chai tea lattes. And even though I take up a lot of space on the internet, as a blogger and content creator, I’m actually an introvert.
My Family
My husband, Jonathan, and I have four energetic daughters: Joelle (13), Olyvia (6), Emerson (4), and Imari (2). All of the girls have huge personalities. If you were to stop by you’d find the youngest three singing, dancing, and playing dress up. The teenager is an avid reader and keeps her head in a book. Our house is rarely quiet, and as parents we don’t get very much sleep. Before you ask, no, we won’t be trying for a boy (we get that question a lot).
Marriage
We started dating in 2008, shortly before Jonathan left for college in South Carolina. The bulk of our relationship was long distance, only seeing each other in person during school breaks. In December of 2012, he graduated and moved back to Lansing. Two weeks later, he proposed. And six months after that, we were married in front of nearly 400 of our closest friends and family. This past June, we celebrated seven years.
Fun Fact: Jonathan met and befriended my then 14-month-old daughter before he and I ever met. Ironically, we went to the same church and lived just a few houses away from each other.
I like to say he became an instant dad the day we got married (actually before). He’s the best dad a girl could ask for and I’m super blessed to parent our daughters with him.
Motherhood
Growing up, I always wanted to be a mom. I also wanted to be the first black female president, but that dream was short lived. I never imagined becoming a single mom at the age of 20. Pregnancy and the first couple years of parenting were challenging, to say the least. I’m forever grateful for the experience, which helped me grow as an individual, and for my family who have always served as the village every child needs.
I feel like I’ve experienced so many different phases of motherhood. From being a single mom, to a married mom managing a blended family, a working mom, stay-at-home mom, work-from-home mom, and mompreneur. Every season comes with its own set of challenges, but two things that have sustained me are my faith and community.
Ministry + Mompreneurship
I’m on a mission to encourage women to pursue their passions regardless of circumstances. Life doesn’t end with becoming a wife or a mom, and neither should our dreams. I believe if a woman holds the power to create life she can also create a life she loves.
In 2008, I started Work With Nyshell (formerly Nyshell & Co.) a creative studio offering consulting, web design, and virtual assistance to women in business.
In my spare time (I know, what’s that?), I blog about my journey as a Christian, Black, millennial homemaker, and creative entrepreneur. You can also find me on instagram posting prayers + poetry. #imprayingforyougirl
I’m super excited for the opportunity to contribute to the Lansing Mom community and look forward to what’s to come!
Amazing creative mom, although I am beyond child rearing years I look forward to supporting and reading what you have to say concerning any topic, you have a knack for having the ability to reach all women, in all walks of life, we all have wanted to stretch ourselves at some point in our lives and you encourage us all💕 ……….thank you