Member Spotlight: Nicole Alexander
Check out Ivy Alexander NYC and Silk and Scandal
Contact: nalexander@ivy-alexander.com
My story has never followed a straight line. I built my career in law, a profession that taught me to advocate, think strategically, and remain composed when the stakes are high. Over the years, my professional life expanded beyond the practice of law into teaching, leadership, and service, allowing me to mentor others and use my experiences in ways I never anticipated when I first became an attorney.
But I have also always had an entrepreneurial and creative side. That led me to found Ivy Alexander NYC, a luxury accessories brand built around the belief that beautiful things can also have purpose. Creating Ivy Alexander gave me an entirely different kind of education. One in risk, reinvention, creativity, and the vulnerability that comes with building something of your own. It allowed me to step outside the identity I had built in law and discover another version of myself.
Then life presented a challenge I never could have planned for, and it reshaped my understanding of resilience. My husband plead guilty to a white-collar crime and served a year in prison. I learned that strength does not always look like having the right answer or maintaining a perfect exterior. In many ways, law taught me how to advocate, Ivy Alexander taught me how to create, and adversity taught me how to reinvent myself.
Those experiences came together in Silk & Scandal. The podcast grew from my desire to have the kinds of conversations women rarely get to have publicly: the conversations behind the résumé, the polished photograph, the successful business, or the impressive title. It is a space to talk about the unexpected chapters: the setbacks, losses, risks, second chances, pivots, and moments when the life we planned becomes something entirely different.
Because I have come to believe that our most interesting stories are not simply about what we accomplish. They are about what we do when life challenges who we thought we were and who we choose to become next.
As for how I came to be at The Co-Co, I purchased a beautiful piece of art from Co-Co member Gail Winbury at a charity event. She and I began talking, and she introduced me to the Co-Co. I love seeing her art every time I am at the Summit location. I have met so many incredible people here and have made lasting connections with fellow entrepreneurs -- the list is very long and very useful.