When life throws you lemons, make lemonade so believes popular Hott 107.5 radio host Nikita Robinson.A wife and mother-of-three, she has been inspiring and encouraging women for the past four years through her book club and weekday show ‘The Ladies Room’.Recently she began a new empowerment series for girls aged 12 to 18, which aims to educate them on issues like self-esteem, bullying, abuse and school violence.With help from celebrities like KeKe Palmer from the hit movie ‘Akeelah and the Bee’, and Debbi Morgan of ‘The Young and the Restless’, Mrs Robinson is working to give Bermudians tools to better their lives.She sat down with The Royal Gazette to talk about her life and career and how the radio gig has given her a platform to promote Island-wide positivity.When did you get started as a radio personality?I started professionally in 1997, but when I really started was back in my college days at Bermuda College. They used to have a show called the College Commentator and that was around 1987 after I graduated from high school. That was my first taste.What is the purpose behind The Ladies’ Room?I know it’s called The Ladies Room because I am a lady, but we invite everyone in. The modus operandi I tell everyone is MUE Motivating, Uplifting and Encouraging people. No matter where you are on the ladder it is about taking that next step in the rung of the ladder. You know even though you fall, it encourages you to get back up again. So whatever your status is in life, it is about going to that next level and encouraging people, because there are so many negative things that are going on. You see the paper and hear the news and the radio, and everyone is concentrating on the negative, but in The Ladies Room we try to do the opposite. We concentrate on the positive side of life.What is it you first liked about the job?I just liked being on the radio and disseminating information to people and interviewing people and getting to know people because I am a people person. That’s what I liked about the job as opposed to paperwork this way and that way; I loved meeting new people. And it lets you experiment and learn different things, that’s what I love about the job. It also gives me that platform, in the sense that my bosses give me the freedom to talk about whatever it is I want to and it gives me the freedom to have people in for interviews and things like that.You have talked to dozens of celebrities in your time on the air. What’s it like hearing from so many inspirational women?I love talking to them and I enjoy it and get inspired myself to keep doing what I am doing. To me everyone has a message and it’s about sharing our message and our life’s experiences. I am just loving the opportunity to have that platform to share those stories and affect our Bermudians.Who would you say has inspired you most?To be honest, all people inspire me. I get something different from everyone I come in contact with or read about. Everyone who turns a negative into a positive inspires me. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf [the first female President in Africa]...is just one of many ... Oprah [Winfrey] inspired me with the books. Jesus with his life and love of people. So my list is endless. I don’t want to pick just one.Would you say this is a calling for you?I certainly believe in destiny and a divine order. I believe in God. I’m a Christian. I worship at Radnor Road Christian Fellowship, it’s a non-denomination church. I certainly believe that man plans, but God orchestrates your steps. I did not think it would turn into what it has turned into. I thought I was just going to do radio because I thought of it as a career rather than a purpose in life. But it is part of my purpose and my destiny ... to put an awareness out there about certain things. Like we do [an affirmative] nugget and every month we support a different charity ... this month we helped the Bermuda Red Cross with the famine appeal.What are the challenges of being a well-known radio personality on the Island?It could be challenging because you think you have to look your best all the time, but I don’t sweat the small stuff. I just want to be me.That is what doesn’t make it challenging because I am happy with who I am and I am happy that I make mistakes and learn from my mistakes. I look at obstacles as just challenges. I always remember the fun part of the job is you are always going to make mistakes.When young women see you on the street what is it you hope they get from you?I hope looking at me they learn it’s okay to be yourself. It’s okay to make mistakes as long as you learn from that.You mentioned The Ladies Room has given you a platform to speak on issues affecting the Island. What issues are closest to your heart?In all honesty I believe that many social issues have been created by dysfunctional families and so my answer to that would be my family raising kids that will become productive citizens of our community.What kind of legacy do you hope to leave behind?That I gave it my all and lived life to the fullest. You know with the model of the programme being Motivating, Uplifting and Encouraging that I did that. When I end the show I talk about the nine fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.I tell people, ‘let’s do these things so we can make this a better place’. And for my kids of course love: I just want to love them like there is no tomorrow. I just want them to know in spite of all the negative things you see in the world, love still exists and it exists in each and every one of us.Every obstacle in life is just a learning lesson, something for you to climb over. Okay, sometimes we stumble over it, but nonetheless you keep moving forward instead of backwards.”