North Bay Woman

36 NORTH BAY WOMAN | S P R I N G 2 0 1 9 when they knew everything would fall into place. Before the wedding, her nerves steadily increased. But just like in her childhood, it was her father who helped keep her steady. "As soon as I got in the car with my dad and I looked at him, it just got quiet. I'll never forget that moment," she says. "He was as nervous as I was, but for some reason our energies just connected." Following the wedding, the couple spent 10 days in France, using their honeymoon as a time to discuss goals for their marriage, what they really wanted to start doing, and their bucket list. "I think what's really important about John's and my relationship is that we un- derstand each other, not just who we are but where we want to go. Not only are our values aligned, but the direction that we're headed is aligned." One thing Serres felt strongly about was sharing her husband's name. "It's really important for me to be in unity with my husband," she says. "We want to have children, and I want to have the same last name as them." She acknowledged that the switch would be hard, especially with how much she's accomplished as Nicole Smartt. However, this doesn't bother her. "Same person, just a different last name," she says. "I think the next thing is to get a new book going under my new name." Serres is contemplating a completely different direction — a children's book. Her vision is to write about bullying, using her pet goats as inspiration. "You know how it's a billy goat? I'm going to call it a 'bully goat,'" she says. These goats are a fairly new addition to the Serres family. "For my birthday, (John) had four goats show up, and I was supposed to pick two, because they're herd animals, you can't just have one." Apparently, she couldn't just have two, either. "I loved all four of them and couldn't choose, so John got me all four goats." Serres added to her tiny herd a short time later, adopting a three-legged goat and another that had a few health issues. "From there, people started calling me the Goat Lady," she says. "I started taking little baby goats, and then I'd partner with Flat Broke Farms in Cotati who would raise them until they no longer needed to be bottle fed." One of the 14 goats Serres has adopted had blue eyes, blonde hair, and a "fierce beard," just like her husband, so she named it Little Johnny. "I don't know how well that went over with John," she jokes. Mid-way through 2019, Serres is look- ing toward inner focus. After a decade of success capped by her recent promotion, a new marriage and a change of scenery with her goat farm, she is dedicating the year to self-reflection. "This year, out of every year, I want to take more time out for me and get to know myself a little more," she says. "Every year, we grow up and change, and it's really important to know who we are and what's important to us, and keep that at the forefront of what we do to stay grounded." n Clockwise from bottom left: Nicole Serres was just 24 when she won a 40 under 40 recognition as a rising star in the North Bay; Nicole and John Serres on their honeymoon in Paris that followed their wedding in the vineyards of their family farm in Sonoma. - Photos courtesy of Nicole Serres Four of Nicole Serres' goats. Serres takes in baby goats then partners with Flat Broke Farms in Cotati who will raise them until they no longer need to be bottle fed. – Photo courtesy of Nicole Serres

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