We had a chat with Nicola Lambo who is making her name as a versatile network TV actress. She has made screen appearances on some of your favourite American crime dramas such as S.W.A.T., N.C.I.S., Law & Order True Crime, American Crime Story, and Criminal Minds. Nicola was born in Jamaica and migrated to the US and like many Jamaicans who migrate to the States, she made good of an academic scholarship which assisted in her award of a Jazz Vocal Degree from the University of Miami. It was not surprising that right out of school, she was able to land several theatrical jobs.

Many stage, TV, and film appearances later, she agreed to share her story with us! Let’s meet Nicola Lambo!

1. Of all your film and TV appearances, which is your favourite?
What I truly love is that every set you step onto offers up opportunities to grow, learn, and to be exposed and expanded to new ideas. I believe in being a student of life and being on set has so much to teach you if you are open to taking the experiences for all it’s worth. I’d say each one plays a part in influencing you in beautiful ways.

2. Perspective! Now, tell us 3 activities you like to do for fun.

• I love running, it feels so good to my soul. I literally ‘Zen out’ and take that time to be with my thoughts and have chats with God or listen to podcasts to elevate my thoughts.
• On Sundays, the hubby & I go “drive-by beaching”, just to go and be by the water as we talk for hours; that is my happy place, it resets my mind, body, and spirit.
• Lastly, games, love me some games, cards or board games or electronic games are all good. I especially like a good group game that’s interactive and fun.

3. The pandemic has made so many people tense and stressed. What are 3 activities you do to stay grounded?

• • There’s a huge local park I visit and I found an 8-mile bike path that I started to jog when Covid hit, it has been my saving grace and a practice that I have kept up 3x a week.
  • I started doing fun Tik-Tok dance challenges with my girlfriend, which led to creating a series of comedic skits we called “99 Problems and ____ain’t one” (really the things we were grateful for during the height of the Pandemic) which then led me to just get more creative in general with social media and inspired “Martial Mondays” videos with my husband and I periodically sharing marital wisdom after 23 years of marriage this far.
  • Meditation every morning in addition to a practice my guy and I call “Happy & Grateful” where we verbally express in the morning when we wake up & at night right before bed, 10 things we are thankful for.

4. Let’s shift gears a bit. Finish this line. When you arrive in Jamaica, the first place to visit should be……………
Friends and Family

5. Friends and family are indeed important! What is one thing you absolutely love about Jamaica?
The beaches, they are the best beaches in the world. I can get lost in the crystal clear blue waters!

6. Yes, we know the feeling! Shifting gears again, what is one thing you wish to change about Jamaica?
The impoverished kids, helping them, speaks to my heart. So much so I have connected with a young lady named Simone Edwards (1st Jamaican WNBA Player) founder of Simone4Children Charity and author of “Unstoppable” and I’ve been doing a bit of mentorship with the kids via personalized videos, zoom calls with the girls in orphanage, and sending along money for their schooling, clothes, and food.

7. Let’s talk about music. Which Jamaican songs are currently on your playlist?
I am so old school. Bob Marley is a given, then throw in some Roots Rock Reggae, and a healthy dose of Soca and life is good!

8. Who is currently your favorite Jamaican personality?
Susan Kelechi Watson from “This Is Us”. I simply adore how she navigates this business and can relate to her acting sensibility and her sense of humour in general, it feels like home to me.

9. There are a number of Jamaicans who would love to establish a career in the US entertainment industry. Give them some advice about this.
I will share a few quotes that I live by:

“You can do anything you set your mind to. Don’t mistake challenges as a sign that you are doing something wrong, challenges are a big part of life, they always hold a seed of benefit if you look for it. Challenges are simply opportunities to overcome something so you can become the person you are meant to be.”

“Whether you think you can or think you can’t, either way, you are right, the mind goes to work in proving you right in whichever direction you think, so teach it to go to work for you, to be your friend not your enemy.”

“The best way to predict the future is to create it”

“Be the change you want to see in the world.”

10. Powerful quotes to live by! In one sentence, offer some encouragement to your Jamaican fans.
The real work is to develop an unshakeable belief system that doesn’t rely on outside approval or validation, or permission to be you, so if you can manage to “Be where your feet are”, which just means stay in the present as often as you can and all you need for what’s next will be right there for you, rather than living in the past mistakes which only has frustration for you, or being too focused on the future which only has stress and anxiety waiting for you, you’ll have the present moment which is where you will find peace and in that you’ll see progress.

Solid advice! Thank you so much for sharing a piece of you with us Nicola!

Did you enjoy your sneak preview into the life of Nicola Lambo? Which Jamaican digital influencer should we feature next?

Although you are, spending more time, ‘outside’, you can’t deny that the great Panasonic has influenced your growing interest in online entertainment. And you’d be surprised to learn how many Jamaicans play prominent roles in the TV shows, movies, and music you stream online. As we continue this feature series, we’ll give you a sneak preview of the lives of our prominent Jamaican digital influencers in your favourite TV shows, movies, and songs.