Nikola — Worn but worthy Podcast Editor

Nikola is the audio editor behind the Worn But Worthy podcast. Based in Serbia, he brings a deep love for sound, storytelling, and creative production to the show.

Nikola is a professional musician with more than 15 years of experience playing guitar. He graduated from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade with a focus on Jazz Guitar and has spent years performing and producing music across a wide range of genres including rock, metal, jazz, blues, funk, pop, soul, and electronic music. His background producing records and working in his own studio eventually expanded into broader audio engineering and editing work.

When Danielle and Debbie decided to start the podcast, they quickly realized they would need help with editing. As complete beginners in the podcast world, they knew it could be difficult to find someone who understood that they were still learning and wouldn’t take advantage of that. They put out feelers in a few podcast Facebook groups and created a profile on Upwork — and within just a few days, they were overwhelmed with more than 100 responses.

But from the very beginning, Nikola stood out.

His past work immediately caught their attention, and review after review described him as both incredibly talented and genuinely kind. When they finally connected with him, those reviews proved to be true. Nikola understood right away that Danielle and Debbie were brand new to podcasting, and instead of making things complicated, he helped guide them through the process with patience and encouragement.

Since then, Nikola has become an invaluable part of the Worn But Worthy team. His editing style balances technical precision with emotional awareness. While he keeps the audio sounding clean and tight, he also believes that a great editor knows when not to over-edit.

As Nikola explains, “I like to keep things sounding tight, but there are moments where cutting too much would ruin the emotional impact of the conversation. A good editor needs to know when to edit things out—and when to step back and just let things be.”

That philosophy has been a perfect fit for Worn But Worthy, where some of the most powerful moments come from allowing conversations to breathe and preserving the raw honesty of the stories being shared.

Nikola’s personal philosophy reflects the same spirit behind his work. As he puts it, “My guiding principle in life is creation that stems from love — whether it’s music, relationships, experiences, or creative work.”

Outside of editing and music, Nikola enjoys gardening and dreams of someday giving his large garden the attention it deserves. Every year he has big plans for it — and every year life gets a little busy — but as he says, one step at a time.

Working with Nikola has been one of the biggest blessings of the Worn But Worthy journey. His talent, kindness, and willingness to teach along the way played a huge role in bringing Season 1 to life — and gave Danielle and Debbie the confidence to continue growing the podcast as they head into Season 2 together.

Aeril - Velvet Rabbit Team Member

Aeril is a team member at Velvet Rabbit who first joined in December 2025 as an intern. What started as a search for something different in her recovery journey quickly turned into finding a place where she truly belonged.

Like many in the community, Aeril was looking for an alternative to traditional recovery spaces. As she shares, “My recovery has not been the ‘traditional’ type… but I was very aware of what I needed to succeed.” When she came across Velvet Rabbit, something clicked. After learning more, she said it felt like “exactly what I had been searching for,” and she hasn’t looked back since.

Since then, Aeril has grown from an intern into a permanent member of the Velvet Rabbit team.

Her resilience, compassion, and creativity are felt throughout the community. Whether she’s helping lead Vision Board Nights, exploring new creative outlets, or simply making someone feel comfortable walking into a space for the first time, she has a way of meeting people exactly where they are. As she puts it, “We meet you where you are, free of judgment.”

Recently, Aeril has celebrated some major milestones. “I’ve had a couple of big wins recently,” she shares. “I landed a job working with the organization that gave me my life back, and I finally got my own apartment.”

When reflecting on her journey, one realization stands out. “I’ve learned I’m WAY more capable than I give myself credit for.”

Outside of Velvet Rabbit, Aeril describes herself as “a jack of all hobbies,” with a love for creativity, nature, and time with her son. One of her favorite ways to spend a Dopamine Day is “collecting clovers and wildflowers to press with my son.”

She is currently working toward her peer support certification and continuing to grow within the recovery community, focused on “getting the correct certifications to elevate my capabilities.”

Her journey reflects the heart of Velvet Rabbit, taking life’s challenges and turning them into something meaningful for both herself and others.

“Take every time someone told you ‘you’ll never make it’ and turn it into fuel… you can absolutely do this.”