

How Sports Agent Nicole Lynn Is Making Major League Money Moves In A Male-Dominated Industry
There's something truly admirable about black women who aren't afraid to break barriers, get their hands dirty, or march towards success to the beautiful rhythm of their goals and ambitions. When a black woman wins, it feels like we all win. And as a black woman whose no stranger to the heart and hustle it takes to be successful, Agent Nicole Lynn is a living testament of that truth.
The sports agent/practicing attorney has recently had booming notoriety due to what she's been able to accomplish in the realm of sports, specifically the NFL. Most notably, Lynn earned the title of first female agent to ever represent a top NFL agency, PlayersRep, which would eventually become acquired by Lil Wayne's Young Money APAA Sports. Since then, Lynn has continued to set trails ablaze. Her clientele varies from coaches of both NCAA and NFL teams, to public figures in the entertainment world with an extensive list boasting names that include players from the Oakland Raiders, Denver Broncos, and even a prima ballerina. More recently, she's gained significant recognition as the first black woman to represent a Top 3 draft pick in the NFL with NY Jets Defensive Tackle, Quinnen Williams.
Agent Nicole Lynn pictured with Quinnen WilliamsCourtesy of Nicole Lynn
One thing's for sure, Agent Lynn doesn't believe in playing small. And if her track record isn't any indication, she didn't just come to play, she came to win.
In this xoExclusive, Lynn chats with us about her career journey, her history-making wins, and how she stays on top of her game on and off the football field:
xoNecole: When you were in college at OU [The University of Oklahoma], sports were obviously monumental to you. After that, you went from law school to Wall Street. At what point did you decide this was the career path you wanted to pursue, or did you always know this was something you wanted to do at some point?
Nicole Lynn: I didn't always know the exact title of the role I wanted, but I knew I wanted to help athletes to be successful both on and off the field. Because of this, every single move I made was to reach this goal. Every educational and career decision I made has been extremely calculated with the same endgame in mind. I realize it can be rare for someone to almost always have known what they wanted to do in life, but that was the case for me.
Credit: Farran Manuel with Farran Manuel Photography
"Every educational and career decision I made has been extremely calculated with the same endgame in mind. I realize it can be rare for someone to almost always have known what they wanted to do in life, but that was the case for me."
xoNecole: Speaking of keeping your education and career in alignment with what you ultimately came to do, I had no clue law school was a prerequisite to becoming a sports agent prior to learning about you. Can you explain what your educational path was in pursuit of becoming a sports agent?
NL: I didn't just attend the University of Oklahoma because it was in my home state. OU is a football powerhouse where many of the athletes go on to play in the NFL. After completing a business management degree, I went to law school knowing that it would prepare me for the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) agent exam. I interned with the NFLPA before starting as an agent so I could learn everything I could about life after football. I pursued a career in finance knowing that my purpose there was to soak in everything I could to help athletes retain wealth.
xoNecole: As the first black woman to walk this lane and take on this role in your career, did you know going into this field that you would be the first? And does it add any pressure to your day-to-day?Â
NL: Simply being a woman in this industry, it puts an enormous amount of pressure on me every day. Now, add the fact that I am black and only 30. All of that together is a recipe for immediate doubt and underestimation from both potential clients and fellow sports agents. It's very important to me that I don't allow that to put me in a place where I begin to doubt my own abilities. I know that I have worked extremely hard to get here and that I am just as capable as my male counterparts. For this reason, I went into this industry knowing that I didn't want to just exist. I made it a goal of mine to break stereotypes and make history. When my client's name was called at the 2019 NFL Draft, two people's dreams came true. I am very grateful for the opportunity to be recognized as the first and I look forward to continuing to shift the perception of women in this industry.
Credit: Farran Manuel with Farran Manuel Photography
"Simply being a woman in this industry, it puts an enormous amount of pressure on me every day. Now, add the fact that I am black and only 30. All of that together is a recipe for immediate doubt and underestimation from both potential clients and fellow sports agents. It's very important to me that I don't allow that to put me in a place where I begin to doubt my own abilities."
xoNecole: Oftentimes when navigating predominantly male spaces, we feel the need to blend instead of embracing the things that make us women. What are some ways you own your identity and what are some ways that being a woman in your field might’ve posed a challenge in your career?
NL: People are always shocked when I say that one of my biggest challenges in the sports business is choosing how to style myself for meetings and events. You'll likely catch me in a 5-inch heel and red lipstick on any given day, but I am always very conscious of the way I look because it is what people will see and judge me on first. It's a struggle to say the least, but I am very lucky to have a team that helps me balance my look and stand out as a respected woman in this industry. I am very adamant about not being "one of the boys". I want to be a woman that receives the same level of opportunity and respect as my male counterparts. The goal is not simply to be accepted. The goal will always be to break stereotypes and shift attitudes towards the presence of women in male-dominated spaces. We are just as knowledgeable, hard-working, and deserving as men with similar qualities.
xoNecole: How are you able to balance keeping up with a busy schedule as a wife without one role superseding the other?
NL: I can't lie, it is very difficult to manage my career and personal life. I often share how crazy it is to have two full-time careers on my social media. I'm at the law office most of the week, working sports when I get home at night, and traveling all over the place for my clients on the weekends. I'm sure you can imagine that it is easy for me to be exhausted a lot of the time. However, I am extremely lucky to have an amazing support system surrounding me. I don't know what I would do without my husband. I am so blessed to share this journey with someone that is so genuinely supportive and makes sure that I keep my head on straight. We are really each other's biggest cheerleaders. Also, my friend circle is unmatched! My girls always make sure I'm straight and hold me accountable for dedicating time to self-care. They literally call or Facetime me on my off-day to make sure I'm actually relaxing. God has truly blessed me with family and friends that have my back just as much as I have theirs.
Credit: Farran Manuel with Farran Manuel Photography
"I am very adamant about not being 'one of the boys'. I want to be a woman that receives the same level of opportunity and respect as my male counterparts. The goal is not simply to be accepted. The goal will always be to break stereotypes and shift attitudes towards the presence of women in male-dominated spaces. We are just as knowledgeable, hard-working, and deserving as men with similar qualities."
xoNecole: It’s been such an honor conversing with you, but before I let you go, I just want to mention that being a woman who is also slowly working her own way into the sports industry and finally having someone to look up to well into my adult life, you really do inspire me. What would be your advice to young women who are looking to get into the sports industry as well?
NL: Be dedicated to gaining as much knowledge as you possibly can, even if there is very little financial gain in the beginning. Sometimes the best payment you can get is not monetary. I would also encourage seeking both a mentor and a sponsor. Someone that can guide you and help you learn how to make the best professional decisions, and then someone who is in a decision-making position and has the influence to actually move your career forward. Lastly, I strongly encourage knowing your worth and being unapologetically confident in your abilities. If you have put in the work and you possess the knowledge and skills necessary to get the job done, then you deserve that seat at the table. Don't allow anyone to tell you differently.
For more on Nicole Lynn, follow her on Instagram and visit her website.
Featured image by Farran Manuel with Farran Manuel Photography
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Smile, Sis! These Five Improvements Can Upgrade Your Oral Hygiene Instantly
This article is in partnership with Sensodyne.
Our teeth are connected to so many things - our nutrition, our confidence, and our overall mood. We often take for granted how important healthy teeth are, until issues like tooth sensitivity or gum recession come to remind us. Like most things related to our bodies, prevention is the best medicine. Here are five things you can do immediately to improve your oral hygiene, prevent tooth sensitivity, and avoid dental issues down the road.
1) Go Easy On the Rough Brushing: Brushing your teeth is and always will be priority number one in the oral hygiene department. No surprises there! However, there is such a thing as applying too much pressure when brushing…and that can lead to problems over time. Use a toothbrush with soft bristles and brush in smooth, circular motions. It may seem counterintuitive, but a gentle approach to brushing is the most effective way to clean those pearly whites without wearing away enamel and exposing sensitive areas of the teeth.
2) Use A Desensitizing Toothpaste: As everyone knows, mouth pain can be highly uncomfortable; but tooth sensitivity is a whole different beast. Hot weather favorites like ice cream and popsicles have the ability to trigger tooth sensitivity, which might make you want to stay away from icy foods altogether. But as always, prevention is the best medicine here. Switching to a toothpaste like Sensodyne’s Sensitivity & Gum toothpaste specifically designed for sensitive teeth will help build a protective layer over sensitive areas of the tooth. Over time, those sharp sensations that occur with extremely cold foods will subside, and you’ll be back to treating yourself to your icy faves like this one!
3) Floss, Rinse, Brush. (And In That Order!): Have you ever heard the saying, “It’s not what you do, but how you do it”? Well, the same thing applies to taking care of your teeth. Even if you are flossing and brushing religiously, you could be missing out on some of the benefits simply because you aren’t doing so in the right order. Flossing is best to do before brushing because it removes food particles and plaque from places your toothbrush can’t reach. After a proper flossing sesh, it is important to rinse out your mouth with water after. Finally, you can whip out your toothbrush and get to brushing. Though many of us commonly rinse with water after brushing to remove excess toothpaste, it may not be the best thing for our teeth. That’s because fluoride, the active ingredient in toothpaste that protects your enamel, works best when it gets to sit on the teeth and continue working its magic. Rinsing with water after brushing doesn’t let the toothpaste go to work like it really can. Changing up your order may take some getting used to, but over time, you’ll see the difference.
4) Stay Hydrated: Upping your water supply is a no-fail way to level up your health overall, and your teeth are no exception to this rule. Drinking water not only helps maintain a healthy pH balance in your mouth, but it also washes away residue and acids that can cause enamel erosion. It also helps you steer clear of dry mouth, which is a gateway to bad breath. And who needs that?
5) Show Your Gums Some Love: When it comes to improving your smile, you may be laser-focused on getting your teeth whiter, straighter, and overall healthier. Rightfully so, as these are all attributes of a megawatt smile; but you certainly don’t want to leave gum health out of the equation. If you neglect your gums, you’ll start to notice the effects of plaque buildup, which can irritate the gums and cause gingivitis, the earliest stage of gum disease. Seeing blood while brushing and flossing is a tell-tale sign that your gums are suffering. You may also experience gum recession — a condition where the gum tissue surrounding your teeth pulls back, exposing more of your tooth. Brushing at least twice a day with a gum-protecting toothpaste like Sensodyne Sensitivity and Gum, coupled with regular dentist visits, will keep your gums shining as bright as those pearly whites.
Why Do Millennials & Gen-Zers Still Feel Like Teenagers? The Pandemic Might Be The Reason.
There’s nothing quite as humbling as navigating adulthood with no instruction manual. Since the turn of the decade, it seems like everything in our society that could go wrong has, inevitably, gone wrong. From the global pandemic, our crippling student debt problem, the loneliness crisis, layoffs, global warming, recession, and not to mention figuring out what to eat for dinner every night. This constant state of uncertainty has many of us wondering, when are the grown-ups coming to fix all of this?
But the catch is, we are the new grown-ups.
As if it happened without our permission, we became the new adults. We are the members of society who are paying taxes, having children, getting married, and keeping our communities afloat, one iced latte at a time. Still, there’s something about doing all these grown-up duties that feel unnaturally grown-up. Enter the #teenagegirlinher20s.
If there’s one hashtag to give you the state of the next cohort of adults, it’s this one. Of the videos that have garnered over 3.9M views, you’ll find a collection of users who are overwhelmed by life’s pressing existential responsibilities, clung to nostalgia, and reminiscent of the days when their mom and dad took care of their insurance plans.
@charlies444ngel no like i cant explain to her why i had to buy multiple tank air dupes from aritzia #teenagegirlinher20s #fyp
The concept of being a 20-something or 30-something teenager is linked to the sentiment of not feeling “grown up enough” to do grown-up things while feeling underprepared and even nihilistic about whether that preparation even matters.
It’s our generation’s version of when we ask our grandmothers how old they are and they simply reply with, “I still feel 45,” all while being every bit of 76 years old. In this, we share a warped concept of time while clinging to a desire for infantilization.
Granted, the pandemic did a number on our concept of time. Many of us who started the pandemic in our early or mid-20s missed out on three fundamental years of socialization, career development, and personal milestones that traditionally help to mark our growth.
Our time to figure out and plan our next steps through fumbling yet active participation was put on pause indefinitely and then resumed provisionally. This in turn has left many of us hanging in the balance of uncertainty as we try to make sense of the disconnect between our minds and bodies in this missing gap of time.
​Because we’re all still figuring out what the ramifications of being locked away and frozen in time by a global pandemic will have on us as a society, there really is no “right” way of making up for lost time. Feeling unprepared for any new chapter of life is a natural rite of passage, pandemic or not. However, it’s important to not stay stuck in the last age or period of life that made sense to us because self-growth is the truest evidence of personal progress.
So whether you’re leaning on your inner child, teenager, or 20-something for guidance as you fill the gap between your real age and pandemic age, know that it’s okay to grieve the person you thought you would be and the milestones you thought you’d hit before you ever knew what a pandemic was. If there’s anything that the pandemic taught us, it’s that we have the power to reimagine a better world and life for ourselves. And if we tap into our inner teenager as a compass, we can piece together our next chapter with a fresh outlook.
Sure, we’ve lost a couple of years, but there are still some really amazing ones ahead.
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Featured image by Stephen Zeigler/Getty Images