Persevering Through Grief with Nicole Avant

Crazy Money with Paul Ollinger

Nicole Avant is the former U.S. Ambassador to the Bahamas and author of a new memoir, 'Think You’ll Be Happy: Moving through Grief with Grit, Grace, and Gratitude’ which tells the story of her extraordinary family and her mother’s tragic death by murder. Her mom, Jacquie was a philanthropist and community activist whose example taught Nicole kindness, respect, and humility. Nicole’s father was Clarence Avant, a highly successful music executive who gathered in their Beverly Hills home a mélange* of the most prominent musicians, producers, actors, and politicians. Indicative of the environment in which she grew up, Nicole’s godfather is legendary producer, Quincy Jones. Speaking of godfathers, Nicole produced a documentary about her dad called 'The Black Godfather,’ which is available on Netflix and is totally amazing. After college, Nicole worked in the music business but got into politics, eventually becoming the Southern California finance co-chair for the 2008 Presidential campaign of Barack Obama who appointed her Ambassador. Nicole’s film about the contributions of Black servicewomen during WWII, 'The Six Triple Eight,’ was directed by Tyler Perry and comes out later this year. Check out The Black Godfather trailer here and learn more about Nicole’s book here. (So you understand the context, the “Ted” to which Nicole refers in this interview is her husband, Ted Sarandos, Co-CEO of Netflix.)

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*I said it - mélange, baby!

About Paul Ollinger and Crazy Money

After working as one of Facebook’s first 250 employees, Paul retired from the corporate world at 42, only to find himself bored, lonely, and driving his wife crazy. Today, he’s a standup comic, captivating audiences with his unique blend of humor and insight, performing alongside a diverse group of comedy powerhouses and iconic musicians, including Norm Macdonald, Dave Attell, Chelsea Handler, Styx, and Collective Soul. In 2019, Paul started this podcast, Crazy Money to explore the connection between money, happiness, work, and meaning. In one-on-one conversations with some of the world's most interesting people, he helps uncover the true sources of happiness in life and what wealth, success, and fame can (and can't) do for us. Previous guests include LL COOL J, Judd Apatow, Moby, and winners of the Nobel Prize, Heisman Trophy, PGA Championship, and Olympic gold medals. Paul is always on tour and coming to a comedy club near you. Check dates here.