Winning Together: Nicole Harlot of Perinatal Resource Collaborative On How Strategic Partnerships Can Unlock New Sales Opportunities
An Interview With Chad Silverstein
Heal the sister wound- may sound “woowoo” but realistically, doing the inner work on how you view others and their success supports your success. Understand your own limiting beliefs and conditions. Release any pre-determined ideals that don’t serve you.
Strategic partnerships have the potential to unlock growth and create new opportunities in ways that businesses can’t achieve alone. To explore this important topic, we had the pleasure of interviewing Nicole Harlot.
Nicole Harlot, Mother of 4 from New Jersey who has benefited both personally and professionally from having a vast community of resources in the Perinatal and Maternal Health space. As Founder & President of the Perinatal Resource Collaborative, her mission is to expand the impact that each member can make on women in their perinatal journey. Together we can connect, grow and thrive while simultaneously striving for better perinatal and maternal health outcomes. Also, as Master Practitioner and Trainer of Womb Energetics & Neuro Somatics she is truly passionate about sharing Perinatal Resources and Professionals worldwide.
Thank you so much for joining us in this interview series. Before we dive into our discussion, our readers would love to “get to know you” a bit better. Can you share with us the backstory about what brought you to your specific career path?
I began in the Banking and Finance Industry right out of college where I had always planned to be a career-centered woman, unexpectedly meeting and marrying by now husband of almost 13 years just 6 months after graduating from Rutgers University. We began our lives together and the goal of climbing the corporate ladder didn’t change. We welcomed our first son in 2017, and I experienced severed Postpartum OCD and Anxiety, which although the darkest time of my life, shaped the woman I am today. Around the time my son was 18 months old, I decided I needed to get involved in the Maternal Health world. I worked as a volunteer with Postpartum Support International and started taking course on complimentary healing modalities to support other women going through what I did. Then after being pregnant with my second and birthing him during the pandemic, I knew that the Perinatal Health mission was more than a passion, but a purposeful career that chose me. I spent 5 years training perinatal professionals in the modalities that I had become certified in, also creating my own called Womb Light® in 2020. Through those training, I cultivated connections beyond what I could have imagined and in 2024, shortly after my fourth baby was born, I began the Perinatal Resource Collaborative which has grown immensely to an international community with over 215 Members in less than 9 months mainly due to collaborative partnerships.
Can you share the most interesting story that happened to you since you began working with partnerships or collaborations?
The most interesting story is tough to nail down because there have been so many wonderful success stories over the years, but I think the catalyst to all of them was in March 2021, I held a virtual retreat that was all collaborative conversation based. 5 women coming together each day for 4 days and discussing a different areas related to Womb Health. It was unscripted, and so beautiful. There were so many connections that resulted from the women who came together to speak, that many transpired into other projects unrelated to the event. Almost a year afterwards, two of the panelists shared a beautiful published book that they had created all due to meeting on that forum. That was when I knew collaborative spaces were so important and introduced that mission into my business and value system.
You are a successful leader. Which three character traits do you think were most instrumental to your success? Can you please share a story or example for each?
I believe healing the sister wound, and seeing other women as a part of my success instead of my competition was instrumental for my success. Additionally, not being afraid to start, or change paths and confidence in knowing my purpose. I have held many roles within the Perinatal and Maternal Health world over the last 8 years. The roles shifted as I evolved as a mother and a woman, not being afraid to follow my intuition, doing a lot of inner work and staying determined is how I became successful and continue to grow. I am always willing to learn from others and stay in my zone of genius as much as possible.
Let’s now jump to the focus of our interview. What does a “strategic partnership” mean to you, and why do you think it’s such an essential part of sales growth today?
We all cannot do everything. If we focus on doing what we are really good at, those things that light us up, and allow others to do the same- everyone wins. We reduce burnout and ultimately welcome in more success. Strategic partnership means filling gaps for each other and knowing that collaboration is not a result in the inability to do something, but being smart enough to let others do what they can excel at and create a mutually beneficial and reciprocal relationship so that both or all parties can reap the benefits.
How do you go about identifying potential partners that align with your business goals? Are there specific qualities or traits you look for in a partnership?
I look for organizations that align with our mission and values, but do different things that could potentially benefit our community. Then I reach out, have a conversation and see if their view on collaboration and competition match ours. If we decide to move forward, we strategize on how to cultivate and nurture the relationship so that we can continue to support one another over time.
What steps do you take to build trust and ensure that a partnership will be mutually beneficial for both sides?
Building trust is an intuitive and gut decision in this space. Honestly, no one I have met comes into the field I am in because of the money or success. They usually were chosen because of their own stories and experiences and we all have one common goal, to create better outcomes for women, mothers and birthing families. I am grateful because there are not many other industries that can say that. However, there definitely are still people that don’t quite align so keeping transparency is always really important for me. Many others can verify, when you begin to work with me and the PRC, we are open, up front and honest with expectations and our goals.
Can you share a specific example of a strategic partnership you were involved in? How did it come about, and what impact did it have on your business?
Absolutely, our first exciting partnership was with a company called BeHerVillage, which is a support registry for moms and a directory for Perinatal Professionals. We are a community space for those professionals in many other aspects but do not have our own directory. After reaching out and asking questions to see how we can support their current members, we realized they were trying to provide a “community benefit” to their members, but it wasn’t working. So we ultimately became partners where our members can create a listing on their directory and get a discount on the premium version, and their members can join our community for free or discount depending on their membership. So both communities are gaining members, and the members get double the benefits. We have both grown since becoming partners directly from the other.
What role does communication play in maintaining a strong, long-lasting partnership? Are there particular practices or tools you use to keep everyone aligned and engaged?
We personally have a form that all our partners fill out which becomes our mutual agreement, and then we use automation to check in and schedule touch points with each partner to ensure we are accountable to our agreement and discuss ways to continue or improve our partnership. We are always looking for ways to support each other in growth, exposure and direct referrals.
Let’s now focus on actionable strategies. Based on your experience, can you share “5 Steps to Create Strategic Partnerships That Drive Sales Growth”? If you can, please share examples or stories for each.
1. Heal the sister wound- may sound “woowoo” but realistically, doing the inner work on how you view others and their success supports your success. Understand your own limiting beliefs and conditions. Release any pre-determined ideals that don’t serve you.
2. Don’t be afraid to make connections regardless of title or position. Even if you are just starting out, true partners will see the value you bring now or in the future. You never know who you make cultivate a deep relationship with.
3. Remember you cannot do it all alone. You need a team to support you, whether that be internally, externally or both. Trying to do it all yourself will lead to burnout and poor results.
4. Reciprocity wins. Look at ways that you can create mutually beneficial relationships and collaborations that may or may not involve a monetary component.
5. Be transparent on where you need support and “gaps” that could be filled. Identifying them will help you find others that can further your sales and growth without over extending your own resources.
What advice would you give to smaller companies or startups that may not have the resources or networks of larger businesses but want to start building strategic partnerships?
I am less than 1 year into this business, a one woman show who had a vision and did not stop. I reached out to brands, organizations and people who were perceived to be “out of my league” and they were able to see the vision as well and now are my partners. My advice is cliché but you miss 100% of the shots you don’t take, so even if you don’t have a lot of resources, capital, or connections- just start, put yourself out there, and if you believe in what you are doing, others will too.
How do you handle challenges or conflicts that may arise in a partnership to ensure that the relationship stays strong and productive?
Challenges are inevitable, hard conversations are not fun, but they are part of being a business owner. Feeling confident in having those conversations is important to optimal resolutions. Don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone. Speak your mind in a respectful way, and actively listen to the others involved. There are always different views and usually a solutions that makes the most sense and supports all involved- we just need to shift our perspectives to actually see it. If the other party is not willing to do the same, you can respectfully terminate the partnership. In our form we give a few options for termination clauses that fit the other organization, whether it be time increments, or upon either parties request.
Can you share a surprising or unexpected lesson you learned from a past partnership?
I am always learning from people, I think the biggest lesson I have learned unexpectedly is about myself and how other perceive me. We live through our eyes all the time, so things get skewed. We tell ourselves stories and often fall victim to imposter syndrome. Once I began to believe the external stories over the internal ones, things became more clear and my success became more apparent. It was through conversations with these partners that kept stating similar things to me about how they viewed me and the PRC. I trusted their word and did not deflect what they were bringing up. So, ultimately it was the collective partnerships that showed me the way.
What trends or changes are you seeing in how businesses approach strategic partnerships, and how do you think this will evolve in the coming years?
I am hopeful that more strategic partnerships begin to evolve and become normalized in the coming years, I believe as more women-led businesses surface, this will continue to grow. We are in an era of shifting the masculine model of business into a more community based model. It will take time and a lot of work, but I believe we are seeing the beginning stages of it already.
In your opinion, how do strategic partnerships impact not just sales, but a company’s reputation, relationships, and long-term growth?
I think you need to focus on the alternatives moreso than sales or else you risk jeopardizing those things. If you are solely sales focused, your blinders will be on for potential success and growth. If you allow partnerships to flourish in the other capacities, sales will organically increase as well. Let increased sales be a byproduct of great relationships not the motivation for them.
You are a person of great influence. If you could start a movement that would inspire more companies to embrace collaboration and partnerships, what would that be? You never know what your idea can trigger. 🙂
Putting yourself out there, creating intentional networking opportunities and cultivating relationships that are genuine in all aspects. Leading by example is how I would say this can grow and expand in more companies. I am open to anyone who is reading this to reach out and connect to see if there is a way we can collaborate and support each other. I am always open to a conversation. There could be synergies that we won’t find until we chat. So, say hello! nicole@jointheprc.com
How can our readers further follow you online?
I can be found on LinkedIn most often https://linkedin.com/in/nicoleharlotprc but also on Instagram @jointheprc and our website https://jointheprc.com
This was great. Thank you so much for the time you spent sharing with us.
About the Interviewer: Chad Silverstein is a seasoned entrepreneur and Thought Leader with over 25 years of business experience. He has founded, operated, and exited multiple companies and now builds into a handful of high impact CEOs. Chad has launched multiple online communities, including a recent leadership development platform, and also serves as a strategic advisor for Authority Magazine’s thought-leader incubator program. To learn more and connect with Chad visit: chadsilverstein.io
Winning Together: Nicole Harlot of Perinatal Resource Collaborative On How Strategic Partnerships… was originally published in Authority Magazine on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.