SHE GREW UP INVISIBLE. NOW SHE MAKES SURE NO ONE ELSE HAS TO.
Nicole S. Ross was the youngest in a large Denver family — adopted, often overlooked, and hungry for the kind of attention that tells a child they matter. One person changed everything: her grandmother, who taught her that making someone feel seen is the most powerful gift you can give. That lesson became a life's work.
BORN IN CHICAGO, BUILT BY A GRANDMOTHER
Nicole S. Ross was born in Chicago, Illinois, and adopted into a large Denver family. They lived in a big house across the street from a hill that she and her siblings would slide down every winter — one of her earliest and happiest memories. But growing up as the baby, and the only female grandchild, she often felt like she was on the outside looking in. Her brothers and cousins were distant, and the attention she needed felt impossibly far away.
There was one person who changed that. Her grandmother never treated Nicole like an adoptee. She never made her feel like she was different, or less, or borrowed. She simply made her feel like she belonged — and in doing so, she taught Nicole something that would shape everything she would go on to build: showing people they are seen is one of the most important things a human being can do.
That lesson runs through every word Nicole writes, every book she publishes, every manuscript she edits, and every stage she helps fill with poets. It is the invisible thread that ties her entire world together.
A LIFE IN WORDS
The milestones of a woman who has been writing since before she could spell every word.
She knew she was a writer in kindergarten — before the spelling caught up
The full Kids Learning Essentials A-to-Z alphabet series
NicoleSRoss.com and SpokenWordNewYork.com — both rooted in connection
A Lupus diagnosis that rewrote her relationship with her body — and with living
THE SEASON SHE RARELY TALKS ABOUT
There are parts of Nicole's story she has kept close. Her relationship with her adopted mother was one of them — a complicated bond marked by behaviors that left wounds Nicole carried well into adulthood.
Before her mother passed away, Nicole wished she had been more honest with her about how those behaviors affected her throughout her life. That regret became a quiet weight. But faith — and the belief that her mother is watching over her — has slowly helped Nicole rise above the dark thoughts and feelings, allowing her to find peace within.
Letting go of anger has been, in her words, a *saving grace*. Learning to forgive the people who caused her harm has allowed her to become a better person — for herself and for the loved ones who count on her every day.
She does not share these things to perform vulnerability. She shares them because she knows what it feels like to believe you are the only one carrying something heavy. And she wants you to know: you are not alone, and everything is going to be okay.
HEALING LOOKS DIFFERENT THAN YOU THINK
At forty, Nicole's body started turning against her. Her hands swelled. Simple movements became unbearable. She was diagnosed with Lupus — and she knew that to survive, she had to change the way she lived.
What followed was not a dramatic overnight transformation. It was a slow, deliberate renegotiation with her own body: learning which supplements gave her back her mobility, which habits drained her, and how to listen to what her body was asking for instead of pushing through the pain.
Today, Nicole's personal health philosophy is simple: focus on self-care — taking in the proper nutrients, getting exercise, and doing the work to get through the next hour. And remember: rest if you must, but do not quit.
She shares her wellness journey not as a prescription, but as proof that even when your body feels like the enemy, there is a path back to feeling like yourself again.
THE MANY WORLDS OF NICOLE S. ROSS
Author. Educator. Editor. Advocate. Wellness voice. Every project she has built shares one common thread: making people feel seen.
KIDS LEARNING ESSENTIALS
When Nicole saw first graders struggling to read while volunteering at her children's school, she refused to watch from the sidelines. The KLE alphabet series — 26 books from A to Z — was born from that urgency. Each title pairs an original story with printable booklets, a digital edition, and a story-based workbook, making early literacy feel like an adventure.
EXPLORE THE BOOKS ▶
EDITING WITH GRACE
Nicole's primary goal when she edits is to make the writer look like a great writer. She focuses on grammar and structure while preserving the author's voice — because adjusting a poem or a personal essay can change its soul. She edits with the empathy of someone who knows what it takes to put a piece of yourself on the page.
WORK WITH NICOLE ▶
SPOKEN WORD NEW YORK
A friend's open mic night changed everything. Watching poets pour their stories into a room full of strangers leaning in together was, in Nicole's words, profound. That night planted the seed for Spoken Word New York — the online destination connecting NYC's spoken word community to the artists, events, and stages that keep the culture alive.
VISIT SPOKEN WORD NEW YORK ▶
THE HEALING LIFE
A Lupus diagnosis at forty forced Nicole to fundamentally rethink how she lives. The journey into supplements, nutrition, rest, and radical self-care that followed has shaped not just her health, but her entire philosophy. She shares what has worked — not as a prescription, but as proof that you can rebuild from the inside out.
HER WELLNESS STORY ▶
"YOU CAN HAVE A SPOUSE, CHILDREN, AND A CAREER. DO THE WORK TO HEAL FROM YOUR PAST. YOU ARE WORTHY."
That is what Nicole would say to her younger self. And she wants you to hear it too — because if she can turn the messy, painful, complicated parts of her life into something productive, so can you.
READ HER FULL WRITING PHILOSOPHYWHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING
"Nicole edited my manuscript with so much care that I actually felt proud of my own writing for the first time. She caught every error without erasing my voice. I did not know that was possible."
"My students went from dreading reading time to fighting over who gets the next KLE book. The stories are fun and the workbooks keep them engaged. Nicole created something that actually works."
"I follow Spoken Word New York because it is the only place that truly connects you to what is happening in the NYC spoken word scene. You can feel Nicole's love for the artists in everything she shares."
STAY IN NICOLE'S WORLD
New books, behind-the-scenes reflections, wellness discoveries, spoken word spotlights, and the kind of honest writing you will not find anywhere else. One or two emails a month — no noise, just signal.