Nicaila Matthews Okome

Nicaila Matthews Okome is an entrepreneur, speaker, business coach, and the Founder and Host of Side Hustle Pro, the award-winning podcast and media platform that has earned more than 10 million downloads. She launched Side Hustle Pro in 2016 while working full time in digital marketing at NPR. What began as a side hustle grew into a profitable media business, allowing her to leave her corporate career in 2017 and build a career on her own terms. Side Hustle Pro was the first podcast dedicated to spotlighting Black women entrepreneurs who turned side hustles into profitable businesses. The show has been featured on the TODAY show, frequently ranks among the top 100 entrepreneurship podcasts globally, and was inducted into the Podcast Hall of Fame in 2022. Nicaila has interviewed influential founders and business leaders including Lisa Price, Janice Bryant Howroyd, Myleik Teele, Morgan DeBaun, and Tiffany “The Budgetnista” Aliche. Today, Nicaila helps ambitious women and independent podcasters turn their expertise into income, ownership, and greater career flexibility through Side Hustle Pro podcast and her Podcast Moguls and SHIFT coaching programs. She speaks on entrepreneurship, podcasting, social media marketing, audience growth, career reinvention, and building paid offers around your expertise. Born in Jamaica and raised in the Bronx, Nicaila holds a BA from the University of Pennsylvania and an MBA from the University of Michigan. Her career includes experience in digital marketing, ad sales, and social media strategy at NPR, Google, and MTV Networks.