Moving to New York City was a dream for Nadine Head-Gordon, but the plan was to become a graphic designer. Instead, fate intervened for the distinctly modern astrologer, known simply as Nadine Jane to her 220,000 Instagram followers.
MORE: 6 types of astrological relationships: How do you and your partner match up?"I fell in love with the city, fell in love with the jobs and fell in love with that kind of hustle and bustle lifestyle," the 27-year-old told "Good Morning America."
She got a job as a designer at beauty brand Glossier, but soon became known as the in-house astrologer.
Astrology, the study of celestial bodies, i.e. planets and stars, and their relation to human lives, has found fans among everyone from the Reagans to Franklin D. Roosevelt and even Beyoncé.
"Astrology was the first place where I really felt myself," Jane said. "I would take anyone to lunch and do a natal chart reading for them."
While at Glossier, she began working as a waitress on the side to pay off her move from her small home town outside Berkeley, California, to New York City. Restless in her career, she said she began taking web design classes and doing paid readings as a side hustle. She eventually decided to create an Instagram page and gained around 30,000 followers within the first year.
"I feel more grateful and humbled by the whole thing and I try not to get too carried away," Jane said. "Because it does feel a little bit miraculous."
Each month, Jane partners with photographers to curate her page. She creates 12 posts a month for each astrological sign. She said she tries to pick photographers who are relatively unknown to boost their platform.
"A lot of my followers are really interested in photography and follow me because they like the aesthetic," she said.
Jane gains most of her clients through Instagram. She spends a few hours a day giving remote readings by video conference as well as hosting her podcast, “What Time Was I Born."
She's also now going to school for astrology and works with brands like Mejuri, a jewelry seller, and speaks on panels discussing astrology and love.
"I think I do err more on the side of workaholism," she said. "I feel the most myself when I am busy."
Although she has over 200,000 followers, she barely gets on Instagram herself. Unlike most, she has chosen not to follow anyone.
"Believe it or not, I actually am not on Instagram that much," she said. "I think what I realized is the most useful thing I can do to people is just create really authentic content and leave the rest for them to have conversations around because they are allowed to have their own opinion about it."
People can confuse astrologists with psychics, she explained. They want answers about their life that astrology simply isn't supposed to give.
Americans spent $2.2 billion on "mystic services," including astrology, as well as services like aura readings and mediumship, according to IBISWorld, a market research company. Jane charges $195 for a regular natal chart reading.
"The [strangest] thing to navigate is, what if someone doesn't understand what an astrologer is? And they think that I am some greater force that can tell them the answers to things that they don't have the answers for," she said. "I think that astrology gets blended in with tarot and any sort of medium psychic practices that exist."
She has enjoyed the incredible bonds, and ultimately, life lessons she is able to get through communicating with her clients and followers.
"I learn, honestly, as much from the clients as they might from me," she said. "I think what's incredible is people will come into a reading, wanting to be vulnerable and wanting to connect and wanting to be understood, and that doesn't happen on a daily basis."
Jane has recently moved to Maine. Her popularity in the digital world has given her financial security, allowing her to work a completely remote lifestyle. She is also currently an adviser for an astrology app that is about to launch.
"For whatever reason, the universe has allowed me to do this job and its allowed me to be successful in this way," she said. "But just as it came, it could easily go away one day, so I just try to generally take it day by day."
