Nicole Banister is an international emcee, a motivational speaker, and a genre-defying content creator.Nicole’s newest series, NIKKI BANZ LIVE, is a celebrity interview series where she hosts exclusive 1:1 conversations with actors, rappers, entrepreneurs, authors, Olympians, and other influencers. Every week she hosts a new guest from a new country. You can watch Nicole live on Instagram every Tuesday from 8-9pm CAT / 2-3pm EDT / 11am-noon PDT. (https://www.instagram.com/theycallmebanz/)

After receiving her Bachelor’s degree in Culture and Politics from Georgetown University, Nicole spent the first decade of her career in international development working for the United Nations, US government, and civil society. She spearheaded multi-sectoral partnerships for public health, youth engagement, and sport empowerment programs in 15+ countries including Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Ghana, Lesotho, Malawi, Morocco, Nigeria, Papua New Guinea, Qatar, Spain, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, the United States, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

Honed by her time both as a United Nations Alliance of Civilizations Fellow and her service as a Peace Corps Volunteer, Nicole founded My Basketball Team: a digital storytelling platform that publishes short stories about dating and relationships submitted by people across the globe. By posting real stories, My Basketball Team is sparking dialogue that normalizes public discourse about intimacy and highlights healthy examples of relationships exempt from violence. (https://www.mybasketballteam.co/)

Nicole has spoken at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City; the U.S. Department of State, Voice of America, and Georgetown University in Washington, DC; and the Soweto Nike Center in Johannesburg. She is also a Trainer for Nas Academy where she facilitates weekly courses for hundreds of students as part of Nas Daily’s creator tech startup.

Nicole regularly appears on podcasts, moderates panels, facilitates workshops, and writes travel and lifestyle content (https://medium.com/@nicolebanisterofficial). Her writing has been published by TEDxCapeTownWomen, South African Airways, Black Travel Go, Opportunity Desk, and more.

Currently based in Cape Town, South Africa, Nicole’s weekly social media content includes reels about body positivity and modern dating, travel guides for sightseeing in Cape Town, and highlighted stories amplifying her hacks for panafrican international travel. She represents clothing companies, hair and skincare products, and other brands that amplify female- and Black-owned businesses.