Nadine Nicole: From The Expanse to Ethical Impact | Purpose-driven logistics

What connects an acting career, a nonprofit focused on healing, space exploration, and an ethical jewelry brand? For Nadine Nicole, the answer is a commitment to connection, self-discovery, and creating opportunities for others to thrive.

For the 150th episode of Logistics With Purpose®, hosts Enrique Alvarez and Kristi Porter sit down with Nadine Nicole, the actress known for playing Clarissa Mao in *The Expanse*, to explore the many ways she is turning her values into action. Beyond her work on screen, Nadine is the founder of True Connection, an advisor to Space for Humanity, and the founder of Yari Designs, an ethical jewelry brand celebrating diversity and empowerment.

Nadine’s journey has been shaped by a supportive family, a determination to forge her own path, and a deep interest in understanding what connects people. She reflects on how acting has helped her develop empathy by exploring the needs, emotions, and experiences behind different characters. Whether someone is a hero or a villain, she explains, many human motivations come back to a desire to feel loved, supported, understood, and seen. This perspective has influenced how she approaches relationships, personal growth, and the work she chooses to pursue.

The conversation takes a particularly meaningful turn as Nadine shares the story behind True Connection. Founded in 2012 as an extension of her own healing journey, the nonprofit began with a desire to help young people process difficult experiences through creative arts, journaling, and meditation. Nadine recounts her work with children in Sierra Leone and how these early experiences inspired her to develop social and emotional learning programs closer to home. She also discusses her plans to expand this work through digital education and *The Centered Self*, a guided journaling experience designed to help people explore their inner narratives and limiting beliefs.

Nadine’s commitment to inclusion and opportunity also led her to Space for Humanity, an organization working to expand access to space. She describes how she became involved and why the organization’s efforts to bring people from diverse backgrounds into the space community are so meaningful to her. The experience reflects her belief that giving people access to opportunities can create positive change far beyond the individual.

The episode also explores the story behind Yari Designs, a jewelry brand inspired by Nadine’s upbringing in a family of jewelers. Built around elevated everyday wear, the brand combines thoughtful design with an emphasis on ethical sourcing. Nadine discusses the use of recycled gold and sustainably created diamonds, the challenges of developing distinctive products, and the complexities of building a responsible global supply chain. She also shares her vision for a sustainable luxury brand that celebrates influential women, especially diverse women and women of color, through both its designs and their stories.

As the conversation unfolds, a common thread emerges across Nadine’s acting, nonprofit work, and entrepreneurship. She believes in creating her own path while helping others discover theirs. Her story is a reminder that meaningful impact can take many forms, from helping young people find their voices to making ethical choices in product development and creating spaces where more people can see themselves represented.