What makes you want to slide into someone's DMs and say "I want to know you"? Jackie Nickelberry—Spelman woman, Georgetown Law grad, and the kind of sister-friend who makes you want to be better just by watching how she moves—spills all the tea on living life in seasons and the power of showing up authentically. From entertainment law to leading multi-million dollar fundraisers, from navigating grief with grace to making golf accessible to women of color, Jackie's story is about the messy, beautiful reality of building community one vulnerable moment at a time. "To have a friend, you have to be a friend," she tells host Maura Chanz, sharing wisdom passed down from her mother that continues to guide how she moves through the world. This isn't your typical networking story. It's about recognizing when your soil isn't fertile for certain opportunities, shifting from grieving death to celebrating life, and why Jackie considers women who don't have female friends a "red flag, red flag." From the profound dream that showed her a community of women would catch her when she needed it most to her philosophy behind her blog Jackie Unfiltered, this conversation will have you reaching for your phone to send that handwritten note (yes, handwritten—Jackie will judge you otherwise) to the women who deserve to know how much they mean to you.
Welcome back to Women in Progress with Maura Chanz, a show about the women we're becoming and the shared wisdom of those navigating change, growth, and new chapters in life. Here's what we're talking about with Jackie Nickelberry—Spelman and Georgetown Law graduate, attorney, philanthropist, LPGA board member, lifestyle filmmaker, and founder of Jackie Unfiltered. A true woman's woman who embodies what it looks like when Black women live fully, expansively, and unapologetically.
The Art of Sliding into DMs (Respectfully)
How Maura's 2016 Instagram message to Jackie turned into a beautiful friendship, and why sometimes telling someone you admire them is the beginning of everything.
When Your Soil Isn't Fertile
Jackie breaks down her gardening philosophy and why being okay with failure is everything—sometimes the sun wasn't right, the water wasn't right, but most importantly, your soil just wasn't fertile for that opportunity.
The Red Flag Rule About Female Friends
Why Jackie has a hard and fast rule: if you don't have any female friends, you're not her people. The non-negotiable importance of being a woman's woman.
Grieving Forward, Not Just Backward
The profound shift from grieving her mother's death to celebrating her mother's 49 years of life, and how intergenerational friendships taught her to see grief through different lenses.
The Wedding Dream That Changed Everything
Jackie shares the prophetic dream she had at 22 about her future wedding—with blurred faces of women yet to meet who would fill the gaps her mother left behind.
From Jack's List to Jackie Unfiltered
How being the go-to girl in New York for last-minute gala emergencies turned into a lifestyle brand, and why owning your own narrative on the internet matters.
Golf Will Change Your Life (If You Let It)
Why Jackie's mentor was right about golf, how it creates the most diverse friendships, and practical advice for women who are golf-curious but don't know where to start.
The Physical Act of Connection
Jackie's weekly practice of physically mailing something to someone, and why she judges people who don't know how to properly address an envelope.
And if that didn't convince you, here are the quotes from Jackie Nickelberry that hit different:
"If you don't have women friends, they are not my people, Maura. I check for women. I check for women. I am in everything that I do. You know, I am supportive of women. I see the value in us. I know that we make the world better. They're who I lean on."
"Sometimes your soil is not fertile for that opportunity. And being okay with that."
"To have a friend, you have to be a friend."
"I want to be remembered as somebody who gave more than she took."
"Work out your shit. Like go find people who can help you unpack, uncover, heal from this trauma so that you can move on."
Connect with Jackie:
Instagram: @jackieunfiltered_
Website: jackieunfiltered.com
Connect with Maura:
Instagram: @maurachanz
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