Hidden Gems: Meet Nicole Anderson, Author of, “The A’s & B’s of Our Inland Sea”

Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Anderson. 

Can you briefly walk us through your story – how you started and how you got to where you are today. You can include as little or as much detail as you’d like.
I’m a Utah native and grew up camping, hunting, fishing, and hiking with my Dad along the Wasatch Front and mountains of Sanpete County, Utah. I have always had a love of the great outdoors and spent my youth and much of my adult life chasing frogs, hiking, airboating, and sailing. I returned to college as a non-traditional student at the age of 36, a single mother with three teenagers under my roof. It was an incredibly rough and rewarding journey.

During my undergraduate years much of my time was spent in the outdoor classroom wading in rivers taking samples, planting trees along the riverbanks of the Jordan River, and volunteering my time teaching science to children at the Great Salt Lake; not to mention the lecture hall where I spent hours learning about sustainability and science. The Environmental Studies degree I earned from the University of Utah was a stepping stone to becoming a freelance nature writer.

During my undergraduate years, I became certified as a Utah Master Naturalist in Wetlands, completed internships with Friends of Great Salt Lake (FoGSL) and Utah Rivers Council, and volunteered as a member of The Nature Conservancy’s Speaker’s Bureau. I co-founded the blog, Summer of Salt where spent three summers exploring the shorelines of Great Salt Lake. In 2010, I was commissioned to write, “Patterns of Change” which documented bird and human usage in Bear River Bay, and later had a role in the 2012 documentary, “Evaporating Shorelines” and during the last several years, my stories have appeared in Utah Stories, Utah Life Magazine, and Airboating Magazine and other print and online publications.

After graduating from the U of U and taking a stab at a corporate position which I quickly learned isn’t for everyone I finished my master’s degree in Strategic Communications from Westminster College where I was able to combine my passion for wild places and business communications.

The Great Salt Lake had always been in my own backyard but it was through these opportunities that I learned the many facets the Lake has to offer. Combined with the stressors it and the surrounding community faces daily regarding water, industry, air quality, and sustainability it’s quite a remarkable landscape. I came to understand that while many people may think of Great Salt Lake as a dead, stinky, ugly place, there are just as many, if not more who see its value, its undeniable beauty, and personally, I believe that it is instead one of Utah’s best-kept secrets and an integral part of the ecosystem here in the west.

Has it been a smooth road? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
I began writing “The A’s & B’s of Our Inland Sea” almost a decade ago on an overcast day on the shorelines of Great Salt Lake when a child asked me what a brine shrimp was. The lake was already in trouble more than a decade ago and the snowpack was diminishing but the lake wasn’t on the radar of the average Utah family. In fact, some members of the community still don’t realize that there is a lake out west or have a clear understanding of why they should care. I thought what better way to teach an entirely new generation about the lake than to write a book?

In mid -2020, I realized that I would regret not finishing this project so I found an illustrator (Johanna Bossart) through mutual contacts as well as a songwriter Emma Gale of the United Kingdom, who both volunteered their time to collaborate with me on the book project. It took multiple revisions but I am thrilled with how the book, “The A’s & B’s of Our Inland Sea” turned out! Our launch party in May of 2022 was well attended and after the pandemic years, we all needed a good party!

I’ve had the opportunity to visit multiple elementary schools to read the book, talk about being an author, and sing the new song, “Great Salt Lake.” The ultimate goal would be to get the book in the hand of every child so they will read to their parents and vice-versa. The children of Utah generally go on a field trip to the lake in the 4th grade and this book is designed multigenerational book geared toward pre-K to 3rd grade along with fun facts and new words like microbolite to get them excited about the importance of the lake.

We’d love to learn more about your work. What do you do, what do you specialize in, what are you known for, etc. What are you most proud of? What sets you apart from others?
In my full-time gig as a communications professor at Salt Lake Community College, my favorite class is intercultural communications where we look at how different cultures not only communicate but view their relationships with wild places. I have taught on the college level for seven plus years as well as teaching concurrent enrollment at several local high schools. I’ve fourth-grade science with the children’s museum and explorations of the Great Salt Lake as well as writing for OSHER at the University of Utah.

I believe that people in general only protect the places and things that we love. In order to love something, we have to understand it, touch it, smell it, and hopefully develop a passion for it.

My side business is aimed to help people learn to budget and take control of their financial future. Budgeting isn’t something that most of us were taught in school and so we are forced to learn it as adults, oftentimes with tragic results. Through my financial coaching services, I am able to help families break generational curses and change the trajectory of their lives for the better.

I am also a Plexus Ambassador where I focus on gut health. I began taking this product because I suffered from Gout. It’s gone now after nine months of being on this product. I never thought that I would sell it since it is an MML but it’s bringing a lot of financial peace and health to families that otherwise wouldn’t have it. It’s a great product that works for me so I wanted to share it. Life is too short to be unhealthy and upset about money.

When I think about what I am most proud of three things come to mind apart from my children; my degree from college, cash-flowing my new home, and of course my children’s book. My education and graduating with honors from SLCC, the U of U, and Westminster College was something that I never thought could happen. I went back to school at SLCC as a non-traditional student at 36 with teenagers at home. It was also during this time that my now ex-husband asked for a divorce during finals week while we were in counseling. Instead of freaking out, it just made me mad; after all, I still had two final history essays to write and turn in and that is exactly what I did. After a few months, the dust had settled and we parted ways, I walked across the stage to receive my diploma with my head held high knowing that if you want something bad enough, you can make it happen.

Cash-flowing my home was incredibly difficult. My husband, Mike (Yes, I finally found my soulmate and married my best friend in 2015) and I have worked on building our savings and have flipped five homes in the last eight years which allowed us to sell and pay cash. We eliminated $220K worth of debt, raised our net worth by $60K, and opened our new coaching business a little over a year ago to help others learn how to live a debt-free life.

My book was one of those things that you try to quit thinking about but just can’t. I love the Great Salt Lake and it is honestly heartbreaking to see it disappear right before my eyes. In fact, when I dropped off books at Antelope Island for my book launch driving across the causeway was a bit like driving to a funeral as I felt overcome with grief and sadness that something I loved so dearly was dying right before my eyes. I am proud of myself for finishing this book project and sharing it with as many children and families along the Wasatch Front as possible. It is in this that I find hope for the lake.

I’m a go-getter. I see things in a strategic manner – sometimes years ahead. I am organized and a great project manager. I take pride in meeting my students and clients where they are and helping them to succeed. Success looks different for people so I always ask what it looks like for them. Sometimes they can’t imagine the life that is possible so, it is my job to help guide them toward the dreams they have but also the ones they haven’t even dreamt possible.

What are your plans for the future?
Future plans include a possible sequel to “The A’s & B’s of Our Inland Sea” and my first non-fiction book about two young girls, the great outdoors, and friendship is currently in the writing process. I have yet to decide on a title. 

The business goals for Tycer Financial Coaching are to create a podcast, and a blog, begin hosting marriage and money workshops, and speak at several new locations on budgeting and how to cash-flow your home and live a debt-free life. 

My personal goals are to travel more and see the world. My husband and I are currently creating a plan to drive the AlCan Highway in the next few years (hoping that gas prices come down a bit). 

Below pricing and coaching options are subject to change, see the website for additional information. 

Contact Info:

• Linktree: https://linktr.ee/nicoleandersontycer

Image Credits
Charles Uibel
Mike Tycer.