Hey, everyone, welcome back to the Better Happy Hour.

I'm Joe and I'm Serena and we are here today with Nicole.

Nicole, welcome to Batcher Happy Hour.

Thanks for having me you guys.

Nice to meet you and let's go for it.

Yeah.

You, before before we started recording, you mentioned that you're from Chicago.

I am.

I mean, I'm kind of a New Yorker, but I did grow up in the Midwest and Illinois and then lived in Chicago.

So yeah, yeah, well part well, part, where did you grow up?

I grew up in Champagne, Orbana.

My dad was a university so but you know, after that, moved to Chicago and uh lived in Lincoln Park where my kids, you know, eventually went to high school, and then uh lived downtown.

Oh nice.

Wow.

Yeah, so yeah, I'm from I'm from Melrose Park, but I did live in Lincoln Park for a year.

Yeah, and then I lived in like the west the West Looper, Yeah, the west Loop area I lived for a while.

Cool.

I liked the west Loop.

Yeah, I love I lived right downtown at Lakeshore Driving Walton, and I just I loved that location.

I just love being down there.

Nice.

Where are you now now I'm in Miami.

I moved to Miami full time about three and a half years ago.

So, yeah, Miami Beach.

What brought you there?

My second husband actually from New York.

We were living in New York and we decided to, you know, get a place here, and then COVID happened, and then a divorce happened, and I stayed because because I love love Miami.

So yeah, yeah, we're in New York now, and you know, the winters definitely make Miami sound appealing.

Yeah, the winters are hard in New York.

And I was working when I was living there to it.

I just just literally for one year, but I the commute just to work in the blizzards and the cold just about did me in.

That's tough.

Yeah, I mean well, I mean Chicago's worse than all of.

Them, which is why I can't live there anymore.

Yeah.

Yeah, where do your kids live?

They both live in Chicago.

They're both married, and they both live in Chicago, and I you know, I mean, look, they're young, and they're hearty.

They can make it through the winter, but I can't.

What did your what did your kids think of you going on the Golden Bachelor.

Well, they were so supportive.

My daughter especially, She's been watching The Bachelor forever and I hadn't watched it, and I hadn't even watched the Golden season one.

So with so she flew into Miami and together we binged Golden Bachelor, Golden Bachelorette.

This was before I was cast, but in the process and she you know, gave me.

She she schooled me on on all things the Bachelor, so it was very helpful.

What else did you do to prepare for the show?

Well, how did you how did you get how did you get on?

Yeah, I'll answer both those.

I got on because I'm a I'm a yoga instructor, but I'm just also a very I practiced yoga almost every day, and my yoga friends at the studio where I go usually, they kind of circled me one day and said, you know, we think that you would be absolutely perfect for the Golden Bachelor.

And I said, oh my gosh, I have to find out what that even is.

And then I said well, and they said we're going to sign you up, and I said, no, no, no, please, don't do that.

Let me go research it and if it looks good I'll do it, and they were kind of like, well, if you don't in a week, we're signing you up.

So we're going to submit your application.

But it looked really good.

Of course, I knew what The Bachelor's you know, franchise was, I just hadn't really watched much of it.

But yeah, and I thought, you know what, I am uniquely qualified for this.

I'm going to do this.

And so I sent in the application and then I call, Yeah.

You said that you felt you were uniquely qualified for the show.

How so Yeah, I just I think I I well, I for one thing, I've had two marriages and two divorces and other love relationships, and I just I feel like I've gotten I've gotten to know myself really well, first of all in relationship.

And I also I think I've learned a lot about how to be in a relationship and to really be in a conscious, deep relationship.

And I also think I'm uniquely qualified because I think I just you know, I have a bubbly personality.

I'm not shy.

I go for it in life, and you know, I don't know i'd like to.

I really wanted to find love genuinely.

But I also knew that only one of the bachelor arts would you know, you know, take his heart, so the rest of us would gain amazing friendships.

I knew that would happen, and it did.

And just I really I just thought I was suitable for that kind of experience.

I did well.

I emotionally, I was happy, stable, you know, in my element most of the time.

So yeah, it was a lot of fun.

How long did what marriage lasted?

Longer your first one or your second one?

Kids?

Are your kids are from your first marriage?

Yeah?

That it was a thirty year relationship.

Yeah, that was one.

And yeah, both both of my children are from my first husband.

About years How old were you when you got married the first one, Well, we.

Met at nineteen and I got married at twenty three, so yeah.

And then my second husband, we were together for ten years, so it was not short either, and it was meaningful.

So just we were out of alignment in some ways.

I think, So do you do me asking?

But do you get along with both your exes?

I have the most wonderful relationship with both of them.

Great, I love them both and they're both wonderful men, and I feel very, very grateful to have such a close you know, relationship with both of them, especially the second, especially the second.

Yeah, so you find out you're getting on the show, how are you feeling?

What's going through your mind?

I knew I was manifesting getting on the show.

It doesn't mean that it was going to happen, but I really manifested it.

I really called that.

It makes sense.

You do yoga, you manifest, I manifest.

Yeah, yeah, I have to be at that vibrational frequency, so that's a match.

So it can be a frequency match.

And I really felt like I was, and I really I envisioned it from the very beginning.

I envisioned not just the process of getting the call that I was going to be cast, but I just envisioned the whole experience.

And it wasn't too different from how I envisioned it.

Actually, I mean, it's like nothing I've ever experienced.

But at the same time, you know, in terms of how I felt or how I wanted to approach it, you know, it wasn't too different.

But yeah, I manifested that.

And so when I got the call, I was actually on a flight and she said, can you call me?

She texted, I'm trying to call you, and I said, I'm actually on a flight.

Can I call you when I land?

And she said yes, And then I was so tired I texted, can we just talk tomorrow because I didn't know if it was really the that call?

And she said no, and then she called me and I was in an uber on the way home, and I was like, what, you know, like that?

So I was very excited, but I really felt like it was I was calling that in that I had called it.

Yeah, was there anything that you were nervous about going on the show?

Not really, you know, I think I'm not a drama girl, and I really didn't want to ruffle feathers.

Would you consider mal your type if you have a type?

You know?

No, No, he's not my typical type.

Actually, but he was so hot that he became my time for Yeah.

I love that.

What is your type?

What a great body?

I mean, how can he not be your type?

I'm sorry, what was the question, honey?

What is your typical type?

My typical type is?

You know, I've I've had so many different I've had two different husbands, they were very different.

I've had different relationships and they were all different.

So I would but I would say my typical type is definitely tall, which was Mel.

I mean, I have an avatar for sure, and a bit more maybe I would say intellectual than Mel.

Not that he wasn't really bright.

He's super smart and impressed me, but you know, more intellectual like wear's glasses maybe you know.

That kind of looks looks intellectual, like a little bit of a dorky vibe a little.

I love a nerd.

I love a nerd, Yeah yeah I do.

But also, you know, handsome, but a nerd and fit, which which Mel was.

Also he's just a lot bigger I usually, you know, tall and sort of slim, really really really slim is my typical type.

Yeah, yeah, you know that that that that intellectual, sort of slightly already looking guy, but really he's in finance or economics or something.

Yeah, I went you.

I'm following.

How about age for you?

Was that a factor at all?

You know, I don't like younger guys.

I'm not that kind of girl you know that wants to be with somebody young.

I like men my age, so you know, I love a guy that's age starts with a six, but five is okay too.

You know, I like young men, and what I find is that so many men.

I don't know if I want to say most, but once they are over fifty five, they start to really look old and their body.

I'm not old, so I don't want an old looking guy.

You know.

I want a young guy, a young young for their age, but I also want someone age appropriate.

Yeah, I get it.

You want a hot sixty year old.

I want a hot sixty year old.

Thank you, Yes, I do.

I do because I like to be able to share our music, our generation.

I'm not.

I don't want a forty five year old at all.

Yeah.

Plus, my own son is thirty eight.

Like it's no, you don't want one of his friends.

I'm sorry what I said.

You don't want one of his friends?

I do not want one of his friends.

No, no, no, I want to establish gentlemen.

Yes.

How how often do you do yoga?

Almost every day?

Okay?

Yeah?

I believe in it for my body spirit so much.

You know, I think it keeps you limber, it keeps you mobile, keeps your brain clear, you know, spiritually, it keeps you centered.

I think it's like therapy, you know, I think yoga saves Yeah.

What do you eat?

Oh?

Well, if you ask mel, this is one of our jokes.

If you ask Metal, he would say, I eat potatoes, salad, and apple and air so and I said to him, well, you know, I think I said something like, yeah, I'm a breatheterian.

I just you know, I am a vegan, so I eat a plant base.

I've been vegan for about nineteen years.

I have since i've been in my sixties, added in a little bit of salmon because the research is showing that that is beneficial.

I'm not a vegan just because I think that, you know, to be a hard or vegan.

I'm not that kind of person, you know.

I think that vegans get kind of a bad rap, you know that joke.

How do you know if there's a vegan in the room, they'll tell you.

You know, I'm not I.

I'm with marathon runners.

Yeah, I'm at fault for that.

But ultimately I do think it's humane, and you know, I believe in animal welfare and I believe in the health of the planet and my own body.

But but I have read the research for you know, from longevity experts, and I follow a lot of scientists.

I love Oh yeah, that's really my type.

Like I love scientists, I love doctors, and scientists who are into longevity biohacking people.

But yeah, and that seems to be what the research says.

So I had all the semmon.

Okay, let's jump to night one.

You step out of the limo, you meet Mel for the first time.

How are you feeling.

What's your first impression of him?

Well, I, you know, I told myself, when I step out of the limo, you know, put both feet on the ground, take a preak, just to enjoy that that second before it all really starts.

And I did that, and I remember absolutely nothing after that.

I was I don't know what happened.

I was so calm and together, and then I got nervous.

I really truly barely remember meeting the man.

So that's the truth.

So I had a football that I was throwing to him, and I just wanted to make sure, you know, that I could throw the football properly, because you know, I don't know how to throw a football.

But he caught it and it didn't go haywire, so that was good.

And I just I really don't remember.

I remember saying I remember blowing him a kiss and saying I'm going to go in come find me, or I'll come and intercept you.

That's what I remember.

I like it.

I like it.

Yeah, but that's about it.

Yeah.

Yeah.

And how did that first night go with Melon the ladies?

Oh, it was a magical night.

He came in and addressed us about the podcast, his podcast remarks, and that was the that's the first thing he did.

And he was a very very genuine and very heartfelt.

And it felt really good to see him so vulnerable and humbled and asked for forgiveness and for him to us, for us to allow him to earn it back.

And that was a really great way to start.

I went and grabbed him and said, I'm gonna run some interference here, and I grabbed him and took him outside so we could have a little one on one.

And it was great because then I was had done the limo, I had had my one on one, and the rest of the night, you know, I could spend getting to know the other women and just relax.

That is the best when you're like you get it out of the way and then you're like, all right, it's out of my hands.

Now I had my time, we chatted, and now I can just have a drink and.

And I just got to relax when everybody else was like one of the most when's I one on one going to be an hours go by that night that we're filming that, and you know, so they were waiting.

I'm kind of nervous and I got to relax.

So I was very grateful for that.

But I am one to jump in and just make things happen.

So mel does we do see at the top of the show he apologizes for what he said on the podcast.

But being one of the women who is casting on his season pre going onto the season and you hearing those remarks, did it bother you?

It bothered me a lot.

I really wanted to replace him.

At first.

My impression was he's got to be replaced because this is just bad, a bad feeling.

You know, it was just a bad I kind of left a bad taste in my mouth, so to speak, and I didn't think that would be good.

But then, you know, when they didn't replace him, I thought, Okay, you know what, We're just gonna have to deal with it.

But the apology was, as I said, so heartfelt and so humbling that and his humanity really showed right off the top.

You'll see it, and you know, when I met so when I had my one on one with him, I said, thank you so much for that meant a lot, and we're good so nice.

Yeah, I feel like they had he had to address it to you women right away.

I think that was the best way to go about it.

Or would it just been an elephant in the room.

Yeah, yeah, because there were other women that were still holding, you know, onto that even more than I was.

So Yeah, which women did you find yourself gravitating towards and which women did you become close with?

Yeah?

You know, I have really strong chemistry with people when we're you know, again to speak in the Yogi way, when we're on the same vibrational you know, frequency or alignment.

So the people that I just instantly There was a woman named Maya in my limo and we just held hands and we were like best friends in five minutes.

You know, she looked like Cindy Crawford.

You know, I loved her.

And then I had a real, you know, immediate chemistry with Carol, with Cindy, with Jerry and others, well, I and Roxy.

There are so many that I that I loved, but those off the top of my head.

Yeah, were you surprised to see Maya go home.

Extremely Yeah, so surprised by the outcome of every single Rose ceremony.

Were you yes we see episode?

I was, actually, yeah, I was.

I was shocked by the Maya.

How do you let Cindy Crawford go home?

I mean, how do you do that?

And she lives right there?

He lives in California, She lives in California.

I was like, there's always one person night one that people are surprised by.

I was surprised by who stayed and who he sent home that night.

But you know what, it's it's all about his chemistry with people.

So you know, it's not it wasn't my show to choose, but it was just from an observing it and being in it, I was very surprised every single Rose ceremony.

Was it to the ladies at all?

Who he had strong connections with?

Or I think so?

Yeah?

I think so?

And I was one of them, And I think it really upset a lot of women.

Well we do.

We do see a lot of the women get or some of the women get upset with you during the pool party because you get you make out with them in front of everyone.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, what are your thoughts on that whole situation.

Yeah, you know, I had a great time with the pool party.

You know, I looked around and it didn't look like anyone else was going to go.

So I decided that it would be me, and so I jumped in the pool and said, you know, made a little you know, some other joke with football pun about you know whatever, intercepting, and then yeah, and then you know, I don't know what happened.

We just had a lot of chemistry and attraction that was just really natural and that makes it a lot of fun.

So I was aware though that other women were starting to stare at me and I you know, so when I got out of the pool, you know, many of the other women were.

I realized I sensed, you know how you sense the energy like oh cold.

But you know, I wanted to balance it because I was new in the house.

We were all new in the house, and I wanted to you know, I wanted to I want to be liked, I want to have make friends.

So I didn't want to upset them too much.

However, I will tell you I could have cared less what they thought.

This way, I can say it.

Yeah, So when the women kind of they say, we see a sit down chat, it looks like it might be like the next day.

Even where they are expressing their discomfort with how you were acting at the pool party, you seem to kind of acknowledge their feelings, you it.

Yeah, yeah, tell us more about that.

Yeah, I really, I mean I did acknowledge your feelings.

Their feelings are valid.

You know.

I'm a health coach, I understand, which is kind of like being a life coach, which is kind of like being a relationship coach, because it all it's all mixed.

So I I like to listen and validate, and I wanted them to be comfortable, but ultimately I didn't really give a shit.

I really didn't.

I was having fun.

It's my journey, it's my story, and they should have theirs.

And I honestly feel like they were just really jealous, but they didn't know how to do what I can do and in this in this way, that's just one of my things.

I know how to do that.

And you know, I know I'm good with people.

I'm good with you know, interpersonal communication, and and I'm confident enough to jump in a pull in a bikini and go up to the Bachelor, you know, and I think they didn't know quite how to do it.

They weren't comfortable.

Would it Would it have bothered you if someone else did it?

No, I mean.

That to you, okay, yeah, oh no, I wouldn't bother me at all.

But you know, interestingly enough, one of my biggest critics that day came to me, and and so did two others.

They actually came to me for advice.

They just said, I feel like I'm not coming forward enough with my personality, with the things I really want to say to MEU and I, and they said, can you help me?

And each one of them individually, I said absolutely, what's your goal?

Okay?

And I said, I'm going to be mel and We're going to role play this until you get it down, and then we're gonna we're gonna make sure that tonight you find a moment.

What's what's going on in this house?

And so we role played.

I gave them their words that I thought they would be comfortable with, and they were, and all three of them did it.

They all three did what I what I suggested, and I would even say, now's a moment, now now go, now go now.

I mean it's definitely you.

You are put in a situation where you're you're lucky because you you're a forward person, you go after what you want.

But if you're not, you know, it's really hard to succeed in this arena because you're competing against thirty people, you know, and it's just like there's one there's one prize, and there's one prize.

And yeah, and there's so little time, you know, there's so little time to make your mark, to make an impression, to try to make a connection.

And yeah, you're right, Joe, it's it's you know, so And as a coach, I was really happy and I was honored.

I was flattered that they came to me, and I think they were really, you know, my critics at the beginning, and I think in the end they really respected and liked me, and that was important to me.

But I was so happy to help them.

We had Susan and Cathy when they came, so, you know, Kathy, I had a one on one with Kathy.

They were both fantastic by the way, I love them, and Kathy said, what's going on?

And it was just at the time when you know, I said, well, I think I'm being redeemed because women are coming to me in confidence to say I need your help, and she's and she said, well, Nicole, that is really generous of you to guide them and give them, you know, pointers and tips and make sure that they follow through to do it.

She said, but you shouldn't do that.

This is your story.

Don't don't feel you know that that's your responsibility.

And I said, I appreciate that advice.

I will do that starting now.

But I really didn't feel competitive.

I felt like we all had something amazing to bring their all incredible women, women you know, with incredible talents, incredible skills, beauty, everything, and but I just I felt like, you know, I wasn't insecure about helping them.

Let me put it that way.

I didn't feel like it was giving me less of an edge or them more of that competitive edge.

I just felt like, that's what you do with your sisters.

You know, we uh, we see that you win the group date Rose.

It was comedy that roast for the roast for the roast.

But I want to talk about your conversation with mel because you asked question that Serena was dying for someone to ask about his divorce.

I wasn't dying for someone.

I just I respect you to respect goodness about your experiences with divorce, and I also respected that I felt like he was closed off and that wasn't deterring you from shying away from asking questions and having that conversation.

So do you feel when you did ask him about his divorce, was he closed off?

And did he kind of give you He is not.

He's a man, you know, and I don't think that.

And I know that he's on a personal growth journey and I know that he, you know, is interested in in expanding as a human, but he's at the beginning of that journey, and so he still has trouble I think, at times fully expressing himself or feeling comfortable.

So it was like the conversation.

I tried to bring the conversation to the divorce, and he kept sort of going like this, and I kept this and this and this and this, until I kept bringing it back and bringing you back, and he really did answer my It was kind of a list of questions that led him down a path that so he could share his story with me, and he did and he did, and I think he was vulnerable and honest with me so, but it did take some you know, redirecting, a lot of redirecting to get him there.

Yeah, at this point in the show, we've you know, we've just finished episode three.

We saw we've seen your connection kind of grow, and you've had this one on one time with him.

Now, how are you feeling about your relationship with mel.

I was feeling great about it, actually, I mean I was feeling like I was solidly in the front you know, I want to say the lead, but I was in the front section of women for sure.

Who do you else do you put in that section?

Well?

There were people in that section that I didn't understand that they were in there, but they were.

But they were in there.

So so that, you know, the people that I feel like had genuine chemistry with him, or that I that I thought that they actually went together, that they would make a good couple.

I thought he and Carol made a lot of sense.

She lives there, They're both into sports for careers, et cetera.

I think Cindy was a cute.

I think they had chemistry.

Debbie Okay, wow, all right.

I don't get it.

I don't get it, but okay, I love Debbie.

Yeah, Debby lover.

But all right, well I think no comment.

No, I love I respect.

I love your openness and your honesty, Nicole, I really do.

And Jerry, I feel like Jerry and he had a warmth that I really enjoyed watching.

Yeah, I'm excited to see more of her.

I feel like we haven't gotten a ton of screen.

Time special She's a very special human.

Yeah, I'm feel blessed to know her.

All right, before we let you go, if you could tease what's coming for the rest of the season, what words would you use to describe it?

Oh?

Wow, twists and turns, time my life on the show, time in my life book, twists and some twists and turns and things that are unexpected.

So you gotta stay.

Tuned, Okay, Nicole, thank you so much for coming on Batch or Happy Hour.

It was great getting to know you.

Welcome.

It's fun you guys.

Yeah, yeah, you're great together and you guys are very welcoming and warm and make it easy.

So thank you, thank you, Thank you you made it easy.

To and and to all our listeners.

Thank you guys for tuning into Better Happy Hour.

Make sure you download and subscribe to the podcast.

We will have new and expensive interviews for you every single week.

Thanks for listening.

Bye you