Nicole Danielle

The journey to self-discovery

Jason Klaiber

Often leaping from one endeavor to the next, Nicole Danielle has never been one to remain permanently placed. About a decade ago, having seen her life put into limbo by a series of unanswered questions regarding her purpose, the Syracuse resident sold the vast majority of her belongings and purchased a oneway plane ticket to England.

“I just knew that there was something inside of me that really wanted to go over there, so I followed it,” said Danielle, now 37.

Bothered by a certain stagnancy in her day-to-day as well as the thought of living through other people’s desires, she ignored suggestions to keep her personal journey within the boundaries of the United States, a large portion of which she had already ventured to on camping trips with her family.

With that broader purview in mind, she decided to take the reins of her awakening and head for London in particular, for starters because everyone there spoke her language, but also because her beloved grandmother always mentioned the city as one of her favorites.

Without much in the way of funding or a plan in the longer term, Danielle left the hostel she booked and returned to the States after three months, though when the idea came to her to obtain a master’s degree in public administration, her heart settled on London Metropolitan University over the more proximal choice of Syracuse University.

During her second stay overseas, she worked with the public university’s business incubator to tap into her enjoyment of cooking and open a shop in north London selling sweet pies and custom cakes. Called Oh Gee, Pie!, that business was turned into a social setting of sorts meant to mainly support young people aging out of foster care.

Danielle would eventually bring on a business partner, another American-born visitor who had just finished a master’s of her own, and together they sold their treats to places like local groceries. In addition, they grew by working with nonprofits to hold date night cooking classes for couples, baking workshops for young men at risk of being repeat criminal offenders, and other get-togethers with members of the surrounding community.

However, the two associates began disagreeing with the direction of Oh Gee, Pie! just as their visas were nearing expiration. Facing those predicaments, Danielle decided to resign from the business and forfeit her visa, thereafter leaving the country once again, but this time with an extra five years’ worth of cherished memories.

Her arrival back in Syracuse after that departure left her feeling what she called a “disruptive experience of mixed feelings.”

“There was some alleviation and some joy with being back here in an environment that I’m familiar with, surrounded by people I know and love, but then there was also this question of ‘now what am I doing?’” Danielle said.

Subscribing by then to the belief that everything happens for a reason, Danielle was soon approached by a friend of hers employed at Lemon Grass, the Walton Street restaurant that serves Pacific Rim Thai cuisine. At that point the owners were in the process of opening a new steakhouse, bar and banquet space in Armory Square called Citronelle, which Danielle eventually helped to manage and get up and running. For that opportunity she said she drew a bit from her participation in opening the since-closed Persian-influenced dining spot Parisa just prior to her tenure on the other side of the Channel.

She then shifted from that brief stint with Citronelle to Three Lives, an establishment in the entertainment district on South Clinton Street that she co-owns alongside her brother Jon Page.

Founded right before the height of COVID, Three Lives uniquely features a full-service bar, a restaurant and an arcade all in one, hence the name suggesting a triplet of offerings. Despite not being much of a gamer herself Danielle has overseen operations there on the back end, all the while acknowledging the business’ function as a community builder and celebratory beacon through times of trouble. “Part of the entrepreneurial life and life altogether is just learning how to pivot and learning how to use things that come along to push

yourself forward,” she said.

The entire long and winding road that led Danielle through struggles and transitional periods has also culminated in her creation of a four-week workshop series centered around her empathetic counseling and knowledge of small business development.

Under the banner of “A WanderLost Life,” she seeks to help individuals and groups of people encountering any nagging feelings of unrest, career dissatisfaction, or desires for a fulfilling switch-up in lifestyle.

Specifically focused on offering advice to women, Danielle relies on the acronym S.E.L.F., which stands both for “soul embodied life force,” or the recognition of ties to a higher spiritual source, as well as “see, embrace and live found,” in other words the steps to a continuous path of understanding, discovery and self-appreciation. SWM

For more information on Nicole Danielle’s workshop series, Awaken SELF, visit her website awanderlostlife.com.

Through A WanderLost Life, Syracuse resident Nicole Danielle helps others to answer questions about themselves and to find their own “care instructions,” the individualized notes contained within the roadmaps keeping their lives in alignment. Danielle has also helped to run her share of food-oriented businesses, including a pie shop that she started during her time in England.