Nicole Casperson’s Post

Earlier this week, a friend reached out with a question that hit me deeply: “Based on what I see on LinkedIn you’re killing it, but… are you really doing okay?” That check-in meant the world to me. And it reminded me of the layers behind any success story. Here’s the honest truth: Yes, this year has been the most successful of my career. ✨ I regained full creative and operational control of Fintech Is Femme, a brand I built from the ground up, despite the limitations others tried to place on me. ✨ I transformed Fintech Is Femme into my dream business—a media company that elevates powerful women in fintech, making their stories front-page news. ✨ Produced 12 events, including 4 summits—selling 2,000 tickets. ✨ Written 104 newsletters (a staggering 214,500 words!) with 4 million impressions. ✨ Reached 275k community members across NYC, SF, LA, London, and DFW. ✨ Published a 360-page book, Fintech Feminists, with Wiley and produced a book tour where audiences lined up for signed copies (a surreal experience). ✨ Became a 4x award-winning media founder including the Elevate Creatives Fund from Wave HQ, Top 50 Women in Media by Women We Admire, and Inspiring Female in Fintech by NYC Fintech Women. ✨ Achieved 1M LinkedIn impressions and (almost) 12k followers. ✨ Launched my first membership community, The Academy of Fintech, securing 50 founding members. ✨ Entered profitability building our startup, Fintech Is Femme, with Anton Briones But—and here’s the part that doesn’t often make it to LinkedIn—this year has also been gut-wrenching. The discomfort, stress, and uncertainty that come with building a vision from scratch have pushed me in ways I never imagined. Entrepreneurship is an intense mirror. Year 1 as an entrepreneur and author feels like a crash course in discovering who you are and the life you want to create. The obstacles were plenty, but on the other side was growth I could never have reached without them. Entrepreneurship means being the hero of your own story. But becoming that hero requires a willingness to stretch, to push, and to endure the messy, uncomfortable middle chapters. So, here’s to anyone out there in the trenches of their journey: Success isn’t just about the highlight reel. It’s about the resilience, grit, and growth behind the scenes. Keep going. Life is interesting this way. 🌟