Lisa Nicole Cloud, the CEO and creative director for the Lisa Nicole Collection and newest cast member of “Married to Medicine,” is unique in that she will not hesitate to tell you that she is bold, beautiful, brainy and a business mogul determined to leave her mark on the world.
But, unlike other multimillionaire entrepreneurs who emanated from humble beginnings and rose to the top, Cloud is impassioned and burdened by the prospect of pulling as many people as she can up to where she is and beyond.
Her platform from which to manifest this mission of creating other millionaires and successful entrepreneurs has certainly expanded exponentially since her entry into one of television most popular reality television shows. Being on “Married to Medicine” also enables her and others to counter the stereotypes about black and minority women as wretched wannabe stars.
“As I watched reality TV I feel there are a lot of negative stereotypes about African American women. And it was my goal when I accepted a role on reality TV’s “Married to Medicine” that I needed to be that positive ray of light,” Cloud declared. “I feel that the women who are really making things happen, who are making a positive difference, I don’t feel like those are the women that they always show on TV.”
Cloud’s journey to success started out on traditional path like many Americans.
“I grew up in Georgia to a single mother and [she] really taught me that your attitude determines to your altitude, and she also taught me that whatever your mind can conceive and believe it can achieve.”
Born in Baltimore and raised in suburban Atlanta, Cloud attended Emory University for her undergrad degree and the famed Johns Hopkins University and then worked in corporate America in pharmaceutical sales. And though Cloud was happy at the time, she was far from content.
“I was doing well for myself, but I wasn’t getting to my financial goals and dreams. And I had a burning desire to be an entrepreneur,” she said. “So I started off doing marketing strategies for companies. And that marketing and sales background spun off into a direct sales business. I started off doing it part time and then over the last nine years built it into a business of 160,000 representatives around the world and several hundred thousand customers and we focus on essential services.”
Once Cloud achieved success in her initial business, she used the resources to jump-start her other dreams.
“I took a lot the money made in direct sales and poured into my other businesses: I have a business development company; a real estate company; a clothing line; do a lot of coaching and mentoring that are very successful. And I teach other people how to turn their passions into profits.”
The mother of two and wife of Dr. Darren Naugles, she says her really “believe in real quality family time. So we take a lot of vacations. We just spend a month in Europe, visiting nine different countries. My goal is that by the time my children reach high school, they will have been to every continent in the world.
Some things that people don’t know about you?
“We love barbecues and a lot of people don’t know this but I love practical jokes. I love having fun. Laughter is food for the soul.”
What is also good for her soul is that she is, through “Married to Medicine,” able to illustrate unequivocally that you can achieve success without prostituting your principles nor tear down and climb over your fellow human being.
“That was one of my reasons for doing the show. I think that with the clothing line and all of the successful businesses that I run — as a top direct sales leader, an author, motivational speaker — I have a very interesting life that has its own drama just because of all that happens in the day-to-day. I’m just happy to be a positive person on the show. I mentor some of the ladies on their businesses and I also motivate and inspire.”
That’s not to say there won’t be very interesting and shocking moments on the show, because there definitely will be, if you haven’t seen it already.
“Restraining orders, friends falling out, couples retreats, my fashion show and the clothing line and I’m mentoring another cast member on her business,” she said. It’s not about the cattiness and the fighting, but it’s going to still be interesting TV.”
