S1:E5 - Nancy Sloane is In The Studio With Calamity Jane
In The Studio with Calamity Jane is a show highlighting the incredible women of Las Vegas!
This episode features Nancy Sloane, from Ruby Ribbon.
Nancy is also known as "The Boob Whisperer", and she is on a mission to get women to ditch their bras! Previously a Registered Nurse, Nancy has always been passionate about helping people (and making them laugh). She found her next calling as The Boob Whisperer when she was on her way to China.
Watch to get insight from a very passionate, funny woman who has had to change careers later in life, and what she has to say about senior dating.
If you're an amazing woman in Las Vegas (or know one), fill out the form for a chance to be In the Studio with Calamity Jane!
Transcript:
Hello, welcome to another episode of In The Studio With Calamity Jane. My name is Jodi, also known as Calamity Jane.
Our purpose with this series is to highlight amazing women in our community, and give them the spotlight for a moment.
Joining me today is Nancy Sloane. Nancy is known as The Boob Whisperer. Welcome to the show, Nancy.
[Nancy]: Thanks Jodi, it's an honor to be here.
So, The Boob Whisperer... tell us a little bit about that.
Well, I am called The Boob Whisperer because I help women free themselves from the bondage of their underwire by helping them ditch their bra!
How did you come to start in this field?
It's been a fun little journey. I'm actually a registered nurse. And I had been nursing for 35 years. And because of all the heavy lifting and the work that's involved with it, my body became broken. So, I had to stop my clinical nursing and I have to tell you, I loved it. I had a passion. And I felt very lost. What was I gonna do, I identified myself as being Nancy Nurse!
So, I was one day getting ready to go on a trip to China, and I met this woman. I didn't even know her! I said "I'm excited about this trip, but the idea of wearing this underwire for 17 hours on a plane is just freaking me out."
And without even knowing her, she lifted her blouse and said, "Not if you're wearing one of these!" And I was like, "Hi, my name is Nancy."
<laughter>
And I said, "I don't wear that shape wear stuff. I won't wear that." And she explained to me how it's different.
We talked a little bit and I'm like, "Where do you go buy it?" And she said, "Well you can't buy it in a store, "it's bought through direct sales."
I'm like, "Uh oh, not direct sales." I've experienced that before! Anyway, on a wing and a prayer, we called her niece that sells it in California. I ordered it and it arrived at my door the day before I left for China.
I put it on, and I have to tell you, it actually changed my life. I was comfortable on the plane, I fell in love with it. And when I got back from China, I called her up and I said, "I need to have more because I'm ready to ditch my bra, I never want to wear it again!" She came from California because no one was selling it here in Nevada. And I experienced having a trunk show, which is one of the ways in which we introduce it to women. I had 10 of my friends come, they tried it on and I told them, "You don't have to buy anything! I'm not selling it. Don't buy anything, just be polite because I'm gonna make it worth your while."
Well when they left, this gal told me, "You're getting all this free stuff!" It was like $146 of free goods and half-off items, and I looked at her and I asked her a rude question I guess, I'm like, "How much did you make in spending "this time with me?" And she told me and I said, "And there's no one doing this in Las Vegas?" She said, "No."
And I thought, oh my gosh, this is my opportunity. I'd already become passionate about wearing this cami, that I wanted the opportunity to share it with more women. And that's how I began and it's just been an amazing journey.
I found different groups of women all over the valley and I knew that this was it. I knew that this was what I was meant to do. And I get choked up when I think about it.
I fit a woman who is a breast cancer survivor. And she came out, she'd only had a partial reconstruction [after a mastectomy], and she came out of the bathroom after I had fit her. and she was crying. And I thought oh my gosh, what did I do?!
And she cried and she said, "Thank you, you've made me feel beautiful again." And I knew, I knew then that this is what my next calling was. And I've started the business and it's been amazing, amazing journey. Sorry for getting all choked up.
[Jodi} That is a beautiful story. Thank you for sharing it with us.
What do you feel makes you successful?
What comes to mind first to me is that I have a passion for what I do. And I think as long as you have a passion in something you're doing, you can be successful.
What piece of advice would you give a new entrepreneur who is just starting out?
Well, being someone that has changed careers later in life, I have to say again that word - passion. Find something that you can be passionate about. And then to have courage and to just go out there and follow your passion, and don't let other people's thoughts or ideas necessarily hold you back. If you feel it in here {points to heart], you can make it happen.
And now, the famous questionnaire that was asked for 26 years by the great Bernard Pivot and made famous on In The Actors Studio:
What is your favorite word?
My favorite word is courage. It's something I feel that I've learned to have. It's been a process.
I used to worry about what everyone else would think about me, and courage to me and I've said it already those two words - can I have two words? - Courage and passion. And just feeling strong enough about myself to be able to go forward and do what I'm doing.
What is your least favorite word?
Oh, I have a few but one of them I think is should. I don't like people telling me you should do this, you should do that. To me that's being judgmental. If I had asked you, that's one thing, but to me when I think of what I should've done it causes me to have regrets. And I don't want to think that way. I want to be more positive.
So should is a very negative word to me.
What turns you on creatively, emotionally, or spiritually?
I hate keep bringing up the same word but passion. When I wake up in the morning, I look forward to the day.
You know, I used to do that as a nurse. I used to say that in my job that I would've paid my last job, I would have paid them to go work. I loved it so much, I was passionate.
And it's again having that passion for something I'm doing now. So that gets me going and creatively doing more and finding more that I can do and it's all the big picture.
What turns you off?
Oh, arrogance. I can't stand arrogance. I think every person needs to have a certain amount of humility. To me the opposite of humility is arrogance. And those are the same people, by the way, who tell me what I should be doing! So go figure. They go hand in hand. Turns me off immediately.
What is your favorite curse word?
Oh, that's an easy one actually. Fuck. To me, fuck is the best word. It's a noun, it's a verb, it's an adverb. You're fucking amazing, what the fuck are you talking about? I was once accused of having a truck driver mouth but I kind of love that word and I'm proud of it you know, so, what the fuck! Let's say the word more.
What sound or noise do you love?
I'm a nature girl. So, I love my spiritual place is going to the beach, going to the ocean.
I have a place in Malibu that's one of my favorite places and I go and I sit in front of this rock and I just listen to the waves. And I've recorded it over and over again. It just shows me the bigger picture, that there's something much greater than me. And hearing those waves crash and they're never the same, I just love it.
What sound or noise do you hate?
Well, I've been accused of having I think it's called misophonia. I get a guttural feeling about certain noises. And it can be someone smacking their lips, or chomping on candy, or grunting. It's like when I hear noises and I'm very intolerant of it. It's something I'm trying to work on but I'm very intolerant and you know what, I chomp on candy and chew ice myself!
What profession, other than your own, would you like to attempt?
I would love to be a stand-up comedian. I've been collecting my material on senior dating and someday I'm gonna get up and I'm gonna do it in front of people.
What profession would you not like to do, like ever?
I do not envy that person that stands at the front desk of a hotel and has to take all the grief of all the people who have been traveling long, maybe had their flights delayed. I love to travel, and I see these poor people just take this berating by people - the room isn't right, it isn't ready, whatever it is, and they have to do it with that smile on their face. I don't think I could do that.
If Heaven exists what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
I would just love to hear Him say thank you. Thank you for being you. Thank you for your presence on Earth. And welcome, we're really excited to have you here!
[Jodi]: Thank you for being with us today, Nancy.
[Nancy]: Thank you so much, Jodi. This was amazing, I really enjoyed it.
Thank you for watching. Join us for the next edition of In the Studio with Calamity Jane, where we put another amazing woman from Las Vegas in the spotlight.
