I really enjoyed my conversation with Lindsay Nikole (recorded in November), who is a zoologist, author, and TikTok star. Lindsay makes really fun and entertaining videos on the topics of zoology, paleontology, and animal behavior. Lindsay appeared on an episode of a Life in Ruins where she sat down with Connor, Carlton and I to talk about her life and career. But today she sits down with me for a 2.5 hour deep dive into many topics.
What I really like is that we discuss the idiosyncrasies of being a content creator and how to navigate such a new and exciting (but challenging) field. We also discuss the pressures of wanting to be as accurate as possible, but what to do when we make mistakes and how to handle negative comments. Lindsay and I then talk about her management and talent agency and what we would both like to do with our social media success. I definitely go on several rants about archaeology and prehistory which I think you all might enjoy as well . And then, as we wrap up, I ask Lindsay some rapid fire questions about zoology (which of course devolves into more fun conversation).
If you’ve watched Lindsay’s videos, watched mine, or just genuinely wonder what the day-to-day is like for people like us, I think you’ll really enjoy this episode. It was fun to realize throughout the episode that we are very similar people and I am glad to call her a friend. Felt like I was talking to someone I’ve known for a long time.
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Lindsay's YouTube: / lindsaynikole
Lindsay's TikTok: / lindsaynikole
Lindsay's IG: / lindsay_nikole
Lindsay's book: https://a.co/d/7HMYYlJ
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Timecodes 00:00 Intro Reel 02:43 How are you? 03:00 “That we know of” Lindsay’s merch 04:40 Running a business 07:43 Lindsay's media and what she does 12:33 Quitting our jobs to go full time 14:54 Social media metrics and money 17:10 Pressure to be correct and accurate with media 27:40 Our jobs and the complexity of teaching 29:47 How do we address citations in a nonacademic format? 38:27 Wild west of the internet and pioneering a new field. 41:14 Lindsay’s talent agency and management 45:46 What was your original intention with zoology? 48:07 Lindsay’s plan for future content. 53:33 Lindsay’s episode of A Life in Ruins 54:24 Lindsay’s Hulu commercial 56:05 BLUE HERON STORY 59:25 BIG CAT STORY 01:01:34 AFRICAN WILD DOG STORY 01:07:44 Nature is Metal / Nature is not metal 01:08:28 Morbid curiosity 01:09:33 Getting called out on YouTube and how to deal with it 01:13:02 Reading comments and style strategies 01:17:23 Mental health and spam comment bots 01:21:02 Politicization in archaeology 01:22:50 NAGPRA / Dog burials 01:25:24 David filming fieldwork 01:27:56 The LaPrele Mammoth Site 01:30:05 David’s Humans show idea 01:33:45 Lindsay’s show idea 01:35:40 Our influences 01:37:41 Beanie origin 01:39:08 NY/ Puerto Rican connection and speaking Spanish 01:40:55 What’s it like getting stitched 01:45:16 A life in Ruins breakup? 01:48:34 RAPID FIRE QUESTIONS 01:48:52 Lindsay’s Book? (Spooky Specimens) 01:51:19 Favorite dog breeds? 01:53:02 David talks dogs and Strider 01:56:44 Lindsay on cats 02:00:06 Favorite cat breed? 02:04:12 Favorite extinct animal 02:04:49 Why were animals so big in prehistory 02:06:39 What’s your social life and dating with fame? 02:06:46 What do we call our job title? 02:09:04 Favorite bug 02:09:09 Nudibranchs 02:11:28 Favorite bird 02:12:18 Favorite moment 02:14:44 What do dogs mean to you? 02:16:24 What does it mean to be human?