Nicolle Monico | Editor & Writer

Nicolle Monico is the director of creative projects and digital editor at San Diego Magazine with nearly 20 years of experience in the industry. 


Formerly, the Sr. Web Content Editor for American Addiction Centers, writing and editing medically-reviewed content centered around drug and alcohol addiction. She is also a member of the American Medical Writers Association.


As Sr. Digital Editor of PodiumRunner (formerly Competitor Running) and Travel Editor of JustLuxe, she has garnered an extensive background in online media, copy editing, HTML formatting, SEO best practices and developing content strategies to further create brand recognition. In 2014 she was voted by USA Today 10Best readers as the #1 Best Luxury Travel Blogger in the nation.


Nicolle specializes in luxury travel, endurance sports, healthcare, interviewing high-profile subjects, feature profiles and content creation for an array of brands. 

San Diego Magazine

San Diego Magazine •

Chasing Spiritual Enlightenment in Sedona | San Diego Magazine

Yolanda Curtis’ straight, auburn locks fall past her shoulders and over her multihued poncho; mala bead bracelets wrap around her wrist. She’s not the only riot of color in this place: Oak Creek Canyon’s soaring red rocks encircle us. Green desert flora—Ponderosa pines, sycamores, agave plants, juniper trees—stand like middle fingers to winter. And, if Curtis is right, I’m enveloped in a kaleidoscope, too, with white, purple, and blue auras orbiting various parts of my body.
San Diego Magazine •

The Evolution of the Fairmont Grand Del Mar | San Diego Magazine

I moved to San Diego in 2009, about two years after the Grand Del Mar opened its doors. Back then, I was just starting my writing career while learning about this new city, exploring its beaches, discovering that tacos are a lifestyle more than just a meal, and finding that casual was the name of the game when it came to fashion.  Even back then, though, the Grand was on everyone’s lips. Tucked away in the Los Peñasquitos Canyon Preserve, it showed up during a time when modern-minimalism was...
San Diego Magazine •

Can BrainEcho Technology Help Treat Insomnia? | San Diego Magazine

As I walk into Cereset in Encinitas, I wonder if tonight will finally be the night I get the kind of sleep I remember from my childhood: fully knocked out, vivid dreams, pillow lines on my face. As I get situated in a La-Z-Boy chair, head tech coach Madolyn Dolce places electroencephalogram (EEG) sensors around the crown of my head and on my ear lobes to track my brain’s at-rest activity.
San Diego Magazine •

The 11-Year-Old Local Metal Guitarist Who Took the Stage with Metallica

When 11-year-old metal guitarist Russell Watson starts holding bandmate auditions, there are going to be some ground rules. “I don’t want an old teenager with a beard who is just trying to get a job,” he says. “I’m a single dude who does single music. I don’t have a band yet, but I really want to find one.” For the past five years, Watson has lived and breathed metal. He rattles off facts about bands and artists decades before his time with the same familiarity kids his age usually reserve fo...
San Diego Magazine •

Hotel Review: Corazon Resort & Spa in Cabo San Lucas | San Diego Magazine

As I stood there, eyes closed, blue lighting showering the room, my mind raced through thoughts of the past few months back at home in San Diego. The holidays had been followed by my birthday, a breakup, and a new role at work. February was already beginning to feel like six months trapped into 28 days. “Take a deep breath in, then a deep exhale,” cooed energy healer Lizbeth Murguia. We were in the middle of a private room at Sparitual, Corazon Resort & Spa’s wellness center in Cabo San Lucas...
San Diego Magazine •

Unhinged, A Dating Series: How Attachment Styles Affect Relationships

One night, in the midst of an argument, my then-boyfriend began to pace throughout his apartment. We had been talking for nearly an hour before he got up, left the living room, retreated into his bedroom, and changed into his pajamas.  As I continued to try and share how his actions made me feel, he got up again to brush his teeth. He seemed to still be listening, but his only response was to ask if we could go to bed. I was confused—we hadn’t finished talking, and I was still hurt. But he ha...
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