Nicole Asinugo — founder of the creative writing agency Write Good Stories and the screenwriter behind films like Living in Bondage: Breaking Free and Rattlesnake: The Ahanna Story — has just launched a new podcast called Lone Wolf. The show explores the realities of life as a creative.
In the first episode, Nicole opens up about how she got to this point in her career and what the journey has been like so far. In the second, she sits down with Taiwo Adeyemi, founder of Polygon — a space for artists to create on their own terms.
Here are 10 things we’ve learnt so far from watching Lone Wolf on YouTube.
1. Surviving the Wilderness
In the first episode, Nicole spoke about what she calls “the wilderness.” As creatives, our paths are rarely straightforward. Many times, it feels like wandering through thick trees with no clear direction — obstacle after obstacle, uncertainty at every turn.
To be a lone wolf, she says, you have to accept that the road won’t always be mapped out. You might not see the full destination yet, but you can focus on the next few steps in front of you.
In those moments of doubt when you’re asking yourself, “Am I even making the right decisions?” Nicole’s answer is simple: yes, you are. Keep going.
2. Learning to Trust Yourself
As a creative, betting on yourself is instrumental to your success. After Nicole returned to Nigeria, she secured a meeting in Lagos with a top executive at an advertising agency. Her father advised her to change the way she dressed to improve her chances of getting the job.
Instead, Nicole chose to trust herself and show up in her truest form. When she arrived, she noticed that most of the people at the agency were dressed just like her.
For creatives, this kind of self-trust is what takes you far. Sometimes, the boldest thing you can do is show up exactly as you are.
3. The Creative Path Is Never Straight
When Nicole started out as a creative, she quickly learned that the path ahead would not be straight. For many creatives, it rarely is.
Her career as a storyteller has taken her to places she once only imagined. From Ndani TV, she landed a role as a storyteller for Expo 2020 Dubai, and eventually worked with Global Citizen, the worldwide initiative to end hunger.
The lesson? The journey might twist and turn in unexpected ways, but every step adds up to something bigger.
4. Talk to Other Creatives About Your Plans
When Nicole wanted to start her project Lone Wolf, she didn’t just dive in without speaking to other creatives she trusted. At first, she imagined it as a newsletter. But when she shared the idea with her friend — Polygon founder, Taiwo Adeyemi — he told her that what she was describing sounded less like a newsletter and more like a philosophy.
That conversation shifted her perspective, and Lone Wolf eventually launched as a podcast. Fittingly, Taiwo Adeyemi appears as her very first guest. You can watch their episode here.
5. Embrace Your Inner Unicorn
When Nicole got the job at Expo 2020 Dubai, one of the recruiters told her she was “a unicorn.” She hadn’t even expected to land the role. At the time, she was about to start another long week as Managing Editor at Ndani TV.
But by allowing her creativity to lead the way — from starting out as a blogger, to working on In and Out magazine, to the advertising agency DDB Lagos — she built a unique skill set that positioned her perfectly for the role as Storyteller at Expo 2020 Dubai, a job she excelled at.
The lesson? Sometimes, the very mix of experiences that feel random to you is exactly what makes you stand out.
6. Do Whatever It Takes to Get Where You Need to Be
After Nicole returned from law school, her path was still unclear. But she knew one thing for sure: she wanted writing and entertainment to be part of her journey. So, she convinced her father to sponsor her for a journalism program in the UK.
When she arrived, it wasn’t what she expected. Most of her classmates dreamed of breaking the next Watergate story, while her own passion leaned towards creative storytelling. Still, she made it work for her — even earning an “A” in a news-writing course.
Sometimes your path might not look like everyone else’s, but you can still carve out space for yourself and make it count.
7. Even Your Failures Matter
As an undergraduate, Nicole had to sit back and spend an extra year after failing Land Law. But instead of letting that setback knock her down, she poured her energy into creativity and started blogging on WordPress.
By the time an opportunity to work on In and Out magazine came along, she already had valuable experience from those years of blogging.
What we learn from this experience is that failure doesn’t have to stop your journey — sometimes, it’s the detour that prepares you for the next big thing.
8. Just Start Creating
One of the most important steps to being a creative is simply to create. Don’t wait around for the “perfect” opportunity to show up — instead, prepare yourself so that when the opportunity comes, you’re ready to receive it.
For Nicole, that preparation began with her WordPress blog, where she wrote about pop culture and other subjects. That blog became the foundation she needed to launch her career as a creative storyteller when bigger opportunities eventually came her way.
Start where you are, with what you have. Creation is the spark that fuels everything else.
9. Research Leads to Opportunity
When Nicole returned to Nigeria after university, her path wasn’t immediately clear. But as a creative, she trusted herself and leaned on curiosity.
She had watched the TV show Mad Men, which is loosely based on advertising agencies in America. While most people watched for the drama, Nicole dug deeper — researching the real agencies that inspired the show. That’s how she first discovered DDB, the global advertising agency she would later go on to work with.
It was research that got her there. Sometimes research opens doors that talent alone can’t. Curiosity can lead you exactly where you need to be.
10. It Is Never Too Late to Start
In the episode with Polygon founder Taiwo Adeyemi, he shared how uncertain his own path once felt. As the only son of his parents, he faced pressure to study engineering — a “safe” career choice. But that didn’t stop him from pivoting into the creative industry.
Today, Taiwo has built a solid career as a talent manager, working with big names like Nse Ikpe-Etim and Tunde Onakoya. It’s never too late to change direction and start building the creative life you truly want.
