Introducing Nichelle Hines, a Day One of the Chargers Social Club:

Do you want to start by introducing yourself and telling us a little about your Day One journey

Absolutely. Hi, my name is Nichelle Hines. I'm a Day One for the Chargers Social Club and it's been an absolute pleasure. We do everything from volunteering to helping to support young girls that are playing flag football, and I'm so excited to be here with the Chargers again. It's just a beautiful experience and the opportunity to give back. I'm so grateful for it.

Can you tell us what motivates you when you're not feeling it?

Okay, that's a good one. So I think that the one thing that I always come back to when I'm not feeling it is gratitude. It might sound a little hokey, but I think it's impossible to be grateful and in a bad mood at the same time. You really have to try it and it works. So every time, I think of it sort of almost like a coin. I think, 'Okay, turn the coin over and think about five things that you're grateful for.' And for me, it usually snaps me into a much better place when I'm not feeling it. Also when we're talking about life in general, life just keeps happening. So you have a choice to embrace it or to feel defeated by it and not getting anything done at all.

What kind of energy do you bring into the room?

You know it's funny, we had a question, we were talking about it when we were Day Ones, of are you the quarterback, are you the this or the that? I think I bring quarterback energy into the room because I think as a personality, I'm a little bit type B. But when things need to get done, I'm a type A. So I think I bring the energy into the room where I can sort of get everyone excited about something and get them involved and make them feel good about it. So I think the energy that I tend to bring into the room is one of anything's possible, and that anything can be something good.

What kind of impact do you want to leave on other women?

You know, that's almost like an emotional question for me. I think that it's being proven over and over, especially in the times that we're living in, that women truly are the backbone of society.
I just want to be someone that lets women understand that they have power too, they have opportunity too. So I want other women to know that whatever it is that you want to do, whoever you want to be, however you want to move, you have the right to that. You have the right to make choices for yourself and live the life that you deserve, you just have to know that you deserve it. And I want to remind every single woman of that possibility.

Are you the planner friend? Or the 'I'll show up' friend?

Oh, I'm definitely the 'I'll show up' friend. I will show up with guns blazing and super enthusiastic, but if you need a plan, you're going to get the plan, not even the day of, maybe the moment of. But I promise that it will be a good plan. You just won't know about it until I get there.

Are you more of a game day glam or hoodie and hat vibes?

Oh, I'm a game day glam. I do like, the hoodie and the hats are cute. I'm a tomboy in my love of sports, but I'm a princess at heart, so no, you won't really see me. At home, you'll see me in the sweats, in the hat but if we're going out, I'm trying to go all the way out.

If you're going to a game, who's going with you?

My bestie Tam is coming with me. My brother because we grew up playing sports together and I'm a family girl. I will be bringing my girls and my guys. I'm a girl's girl and a guy's girl. But what I value the most, I have an incredible group of friends. I think I've made really good choices. So any of those are coming with me and my gay bestie Julian.

What sports did you grow up playing?

I ran track, I played basketball, I played tennis for maybe like three seconds. I'm a Gemini, so I kind of did a little bit of everything, but mostly track and field, and I ran the 400. Fun fact, my father used to say, if there was a 300 meter, I would have gone to the Olympics, but that last 100 meters, I fell all the way apart. I'm not even gonna lie about it, but yes. And it was always so hot.

That's so funny that you say that because the next question is what is your sign?

I am well, I know my whole sign. So I'm a Gemini Sun, I'm a Leo Rising and I'm a Scorpio moon, so be careful.

Do you feel like it's accurate?

I do feel like it's very accurate because I am an extrovert, but I can be a complete and total introvert too. I'm very much ruled by communication, which is why I love being a part of this so much. I need to talk, I'm not someone who excels at small talk. I like to have meaningful conversations. That's really true, but then also in all of that Gemini, Leo energy, the Scorpio moon means I can keep all your secrets.

Tell us, how would your best friend describe him in three words? How would your worst enemy? And which one's the most accurate?

I would say authentic. I think they both would say that. I think my best friend would say that I'm someone that they can count on. If I love you, I love you all the way down to the ground. And I think my enemy would say, if things aren't going well, they're not going well all the way down to the ground. So it's really the two sides of the coin. I think the final thing would be happy. I go out of my way to make sure that I try to be as happy and content as I can in every single moment. I think my worst enemy might say, unwilling to compromise myself. I think sometimes you get enemies because you're willing to just stick with who you are, and I think that's me at every turn.

What's your favorite thing about Chargers game day?

I love sports. I really love the atmosphere. I love being at a game live and feeling that energy from the crowd. I think it's incomparable. When I think with theater, also like being an actor and into the arts, I think the magic that's made when a bunch of humans come together to celebrate, to almost do anything. I think the magic and that feeling that you feel of belonging, we're all humans we just want to belong, that's my favorite thing about game day. And of course, watching the Chargers win again and again.

Why did you say yes to being a Day One?

I feel really strongly about the opportunity to give back. I've been given so much as a woman of color existing in America, existing in society. So many of the things that I've been afforded were through the people that came before me and people that took their time to help me when I needed help. I love the opportunity that we get to give that back and pay it forward, and to take all of these women and girls and take them to a better place and know that they're seen and they're heard and they're loved. So this club represents an opportunity to do that, and giving is the greatest gift. It really is. I think so many people, we all love receiving gifts but you know that feeling when you give someone something that they really want or they really need? To be able to help do that is one of my favorite things about this.

Can you tell us, speaking of Social Club, is your ideal girls night?

Oh honestly, my ideal girls night. Well, my friends have been forced to watch reality TV, so maybe a little. They tried to get me into Love Island. I didn't finish it. I didn't finish it, but on the couch with my girls, a good true crime drama followed by a very competitive game of spades is my dream girls night.

Can you tell us what do you actually do and what do your friends think you do?

Oh wow. I am an actor and I also work in fitness. I'm a trainer, I used to have my own studio and spin, so I basically train human beings and then I pretend to be those human beings later on in real life. I think my friends think that I am the CEO of my own personal social club.

What's one risk that you've taken that's paid off?

Betting on myself. I think when I was younger, I thought, 'Okay, I have to be a lawyer' or something like this. And I always was drawn to the arts, and it was weird. This is why I always say representation matters. I didn't know if as a young black girl in San Francisco, whether or not that was even an opportunity for me and I sort of avoided it. It just kept calling me, and to finally have that moment when I was in college and say, 'No, I think this is who I am,' and putting the fear aside and really going for it. It's still a push. It's still a lot of work, but I feel so fulfilled because I'm living my dream and living my life. So I think just taking that moment of saying like, 'This is what I want for me, and I'm going to go for it regardless.' I think that was the best decision I ever made in my life, and I feel like a cat. I've lived nine lives since. I've done everything from waiting tables, to having a studio, to doing this again, a little bit, to it being slow and all these things. But what I can say is true is that I'm living my truth, and I think that that is the best decision I ever made, was to live my life for me.

Can you remember a woman or a mentor that you've had that helped you get to where you are?

Oh, God, yes. I had a teacher when I was at UC Berkeley who said, I was doing a show, and they asked me to stay after. And [they were] like, 'What are you going to do?' And I was like, it's so funny, I don't know what I'm going to do. They said, 'Well, do you want to be an actor?' It sort of turned on a light bulb and gave me permission, literally, for me to pursue the life that I wanted. I think that that mentor changed my life and really made me acknowledge who I truly was. It was always there, but I think a good mentor sort of leads you and lets you discover. That person changed my life forever and I'm eternally grateful.

A piece of advice you have for your younger self?

Go for it sooner. If you feel it, If you want it, just jump. You can always shift. It's okay to shift and it's okay to change your mind, but if you feel something. I do wish I had just gone for it a little bit sooner, but you still end up where you're supposed to be. But that would be my advice, and to stay you. No matter what happens in your life, stay you. You know who you are better than anyone else.