From small town girl told she couldn’t do it to conquering it all

Hello! I’m Nicole, a travel blogger, full-time wildlife veterinarian and self-published author (grab your copy of 12 Months: Making time for your life’s to-do list). Welcome to Wandering with a Dromomaniac!

I came from a really small fishing town called Digby in Nova Scotia, Canada. Growing up I had my fair share of ups and downs, from being severely bullied by my peers to being told I wasn’t good enough or I didn’t have the money to get into vet school. It continued into my undergraduate degree with people, mostly men, telling me I would never get into vet school, would never climb mountains, that I was too much of a girl to be able to do the big things I dreamt about.

Well, it took me several tries (not uncommon for Canadians attempting to get into 1 of the 5 vet schools in the country) but I did finally make it and what made that moment special was during my last interview, one of the professors told me “Thank you for not giving up.” That undying perseverance and drive is what has led me to where I am now.

Though people have continued to tell me I will never be able to things, including climb Mount Katahdin, run a marathon, and work with wildlife, I have continued to break through and achieve my goals. I did become a wildlife veterinarian and though I had to leave that job in order to move to a city that I absolutely love, I still strive every day to get back to doing the wildlife conservation work that I am passionate about. It took me two years of applying and rejection letters to receive a small grant to start a pilot study looking at the health of snow leopards in Nepal, opening doors for future research on this incredible animal.

It has taken many small steps, lots of setbacks, tears, and determination to keep moving forward. I have certainly had my fair share of failures, including not getting the jobs I applied for, not finishing my first ultramarathon, and the multiple rejections from funding agencies. But all of those trials has helped me become more determined to be better. To grow and continue to learn new skills that will allow me to live a full and joyful life.

I have big goals and big dreams and this blog is here to help you achieve your big travel and adventure dreams. To help you plan and grow and persevere when someone says you can’t do something. Because no matter where you come from or where you are in life, if you truly want something it all starts with just the smallest step.

Head over to my contact page and reach out. I would love to hear from you.