We had the good fortune of connecting with Nikki Loba and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Nikki, how has your background shaped the person you are today?
I am from the city of many cultures and varieties of cuisines; NYC born and raised! Making time to check on others is so important. As someone who suffered years with anxiety and sought help, I understand & emphasize with others dealing with mental health issues. You never know what people are going through and I try to spread positivity, awareness and love. Mental illness is not something always noticeable.

Many efforts to help make a difference spreading mental health care and awareness, it’s been a great blessing to do so through comic convention/ pop culture events. I would volunteer to host a panel performing positive meditations, and mental health discussions. Crowds were gathering, huge positive outcomes and the covid outbreak happened. I wasn’t able to perform live anymore so I took it to live streaming on my twitch handle. Now, schedules are aligned, performing a meditation panel next week as events are opening again.
I also actively post uplifting positive messages for friends and followers on social media.
Before doing mental health panels, I have been a volunteer as a trained peer mediator support called 7 Cups of Tea and have a certification in Cognitive Therapy. Trained professionals, we would listen and give advice to teenagers, kids, veterans. This has been an ongoing volunteer experience for me since age 15. Now at age 27, I am looking to continue my positivity panels and career with helping fans discussion with the correlation of pop culture and positivity. It would be a great opportunity to bring a positive experience for Comic Con goers and fans like me!

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
It’s never easy to stand up in front of a crowd and have answers to which others seek. I’m most proud of overcoming my own anxieties, fears and doubts from my own mental state and what others tell me. In the end, you yourself have to make decisions to shape what comes next. One of the biggest lesson I learned along the way and experiencing speaking in front of crowds is there will be others who will try to put you down. People can challenge you without the intentions of a simple challenge. Moreso to break your thought process and disrupt. You have to be careful to say the right things while on the spot like that. Always breathe, be kind even if you feel uncomfortable or tested. Handle things with grace and always apologize first. The rest will flow naturally.

If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of

the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
In NYC, the options are endless! There’s so many varieties of cultural foods. If my friend visiting is craving Italian food, we’d go to Little Italy at downtown Manhattan. For Asian cuisine we would go to the Chinatown also next door to Little Italy. There’s so many great options. If they were craving a specific Asian cuisine like Vietnamese Pho, I would take them to a restaurant called Pho Bac in Queens. It’s just the cleanest soup I ever had. Taste is fresh and herbs are wonderful to smell and taste. For dessert, it’s always going to be Martha’s Bakery in Queens for that Tres Leche cake slice. Oh! How could I almost forget the perfect Italian NYC Pizza also in Queens, literally any pizza restaurant in Howard Beach area. I would take my friend to sightsee in Manhattan, experience modern spots in hipster Brooklyn, and even classic spots like Coney Island.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
Shoutout to the free thinkers and creators who are inspired by life and give inspiration to others effortlessly. Shoutout to creativity in all of us, even you who is reading this. Shout out to everything life offers. There is beauty in everything. Views from the beach or mountains to the beautiful acts of kindness that go unnoticed each day. Honestly, shoutout to every single person who has walked in and out of my life. Shoutout to all who know me from a shy bullied girl to the outspoken and humble woman I am becoming each day. I am greatful for every single path of life that has encountered mine. Good and bad. Experiences and people shape you into being better each day.

Website: www.nikkiloba.com

Instagram: Instagram.com/nikkilobablog

Facebook: Facebook.com/NikkiLobaOfficial

Other: Twitch.tv/nikkiloba

Image Credits
Photo credits: @puchicon @lightsandgin @pirateodie

Nominate Someone: ShoutoutDFW is built on recommendations and shoutouts from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems, so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.