MEMBER FOCUS: Johnny & Nicole Bailey

Johnny Bailey is founder of ShineHard Family, CEO of Bailey Media Group, and a Google Digital Coach for the DMV area. Nicole Bailey is the author of Body Belly Soul, a book geared towards empowering Black Mothers to take control of their pregnancy and birth experience. After over 10 years in the pharmaceutical industry she explores her passion for health, research, and history in this book based on her personal experience as a Black mother.  

Recently, we sat down with the couple to chat about life, career trajectories, their experience as members of Common House Richmond, and Johnny’s upcoming Google Digital Coach Five Year Anniversary Party at the House.

On finding richmond…then dc.

Johnny: So I grew up in Petersburg and went to Colonial Heights High School. 

Nicole: And I went to Prince George High School and I've worked in Richmond at VCU medical. Although  we transitioned to DC at different times, we somehow met along the way. I moved in 2013 to pursue a career in the pharmaceutical industry.

Johnny: Similarly, I had been in DC since 2013 and we met at a friend's wedding, probably high school friends, ironically. So it made it all kind of full circle. And we vibed on lifestyle and work ethic — we had so many mutual friends from the 804 and things in common, and we started building a life together. 

On your careers.

Johnny: Coming out of Hampton University, I was on a different track. I was a Sport Management major and worked at a sports agency for a couple years and then Nike. But it was creatively stifled at work because it wasn't the work I was called to do. I'm a huge proponent for entrepreneurship and  generational wealth. I believe that technology, entrepreneurship and financial wellness are the vehicles to accelerate the Black economy and help create more equity. 

So I started my own thing. I built a website that snowballed into a community-based nonprofit, when we started to generate revenue. I was also freelancing my marketing skills to businesses who needed it. We were organizing live events, panels, and workshops, and would feature some amazing leaders and professionals from all over the country. And one of them happened to be the national coach for the Google program. 

Fast forward, I'm now the DMV digital coach for Google. That involves providing free digital workshops for Black and Latinx, small business owners within that market. I’m excited to host a free event for members here at Common House on the 29th, which is also open to business owners in Richmond who are looking for digital skills training.

Nicole: And I just published Body Belly Soul, which supports Black mothers on their birth journey. It was sparked by my strong connection to Human Biology, Psychology, and Black History.  Birth really ties all that together for me. So when I started planning for our first baby, I was taken back by the research around Black maternal death rates. I saw firsthand how scary statistics and horrible stories can be about birth. I chose to take in the best information I could find and watch positive stories — and that really changed the outlook of birth for me. And from that process, I wanted to help more mothers in the future. So I actually wrote the book about my journey, what that looked like, and how important it is to prepare  all aspects of your life and manage all influences in order to actually reach the birth journey that you want.

on finding common house.

Nicole: Funny enough, I actually met Ben Pfinsgraff (Common House’s Co-Founder) on a plane to Chattanooga. I was just fascinated with his story, coming to Richmond from New York and why he opened Common House. I told [Johnny], that we had to become members. 

Johnny: We’re building a house in DC, and thought we would come back home to Richmond until it was finished, but COVID delayed that process, so we’ve stayed much longer than we anticipated. I was working remotely at the beginning of the pandemic and Nicole was like, ‘I met this guy. He's the founder of Common House. He's going to give us a tour. We should go there and check it out.’ So we toured and I was like, ‘I should have been here this whole time.’ So we got memberships that day. 

Nicole:  I'm always running errands between work and the baby, so being able to stop here with my laptop and get some things done in between has been really helpful. 

Johnny: It's great. Common House definitely allows me to be around movers and shakers and people who are working and driven. It keeps me motivated. It keeps me inspired. It just made total sense since we’re members to choose Common House as the spot to celebrate our five year anniversary for Google Digital Coaches. 

In fact, I’ll be hosting a free event for members and the Richmond community at Common House on Tuesday, July 29, for those looking for digital skills training. In the workshop, we’ll discuss positioning your career in a compelling way, improving your online presence, answering interview questions, and building a solid network. RSVP here.