Episodes

  • How to Pull Yourself Out of a Mental Slump (The 4-Step Framework)

    How to Pull Yourself Out of a Mental Slump (The 4-Step Framework)
    Aug 25 2025
    In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki shares a practical four-step framework for pulling yourself out of mental slumps. With characteristic transparency, Nikki opens by sharing her current reality: recording late while managing a team member's resignation, another team member's family emergency, and preparing for four weeks of travel including Boston, Kansas City, Paris, and London. Despite feeling like her wheels are spinning and struggling to find her rhythm, she reflects on how blessed she feels to have a practice that can thrive during her absence.

    Throughout this conversation, Nikki explores why slumps happen, sometimes it's burnout or decision fatigue, but often it's just life throwing unexpected stress our way. She reframes slumps not as failure but as feedback from our body and brain saying "something is off, pay attention." Rather than beating yourself up with "why am I like this?" She encourages treating it as a turning point.

    Nikki provides her four-step framework for slump recovery: First, do an awareness audit by creating two lists, what's draining you versus what's giving you life. Second, shift your state through physical movement, breathing exercises, or knocking out one small task for a quick win. Third, reconnect to your vision by asking why you started, where you're heading, and who you're becoming in the process, including writing out your perfect day one year from now.

    The final step involves simplifying and delegating- choosing only three things that actually matter this week and handing off everything else. Nikki emphasizes that action creates momentum and momentum brings motivation, reminding listeners that slumps are temporary phases that often require just one small step forward to change your entire trajectory.

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    Try one of these reset strategies today and let Nikki know how it goes—she loves hearing your stories!
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    11 mins
  • When You Feel Like You're Failing (And What to Do About It)

    When You Feel Like You're Failing (And What to Do About It)
    Aug 18 2025
    In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki addresses one of the most universal experiences in entrepreneurship: that crushing feeling when you look at your life or business and think "I suck and I'm failing."

    With vulnerability, Nikki admits she's been experiencing this exact feeling during the week she's recording, making this episode feel like a real-time conversation with a friend who truly gets it. She reminds listeners that even the people they look up to most have felt this way, emphasizing that feeling like you're failing doesn't mean you actually are, it means you're mid-story.

    Throughout this empowering conversation, Nikki breaks down why this feeling hits high achievers so hard: we set big goals that aren't always easy to reach, social media constantly shows us everyone else's highlight reel, and our brains are wired to notice problems more than progress as a survival mechanism. She explains how we often overlook dozens of things that are working while fixating on the one or two things that aren't.

    Nikki provides a practical four-step framework for pulling yourself out of the failure spiral: pause and get perspective (never make decisions from an emotional headspace), reframe the story by distinguishing facts from feelings, take one small doable action today rather than trying to fix everything at once, and lean on people who understand your journey rather than trying to muscle through alone.

    Drawing from Taylor Welch's concept of "looping," Nikki explains how reframing failure as learning literally changes how your brain looks for solutions. She challenges listeners to shift from "I'm not cut out for this" to "I'm in my growth phase" and from "I blew it" to "now I know what doesn't work."

    This episode delivers powerful reminders that you're not stuck or stagnant, you're learning, growing, and still in the middle of your story, making it a must-listen for anyone who needs perspective during a challenging chapter.

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    11 mins
  • The Three Reasons Your Practice Hit a Wall (And How to Break Through)

    The Three Reasons Your Practice Hit a Wall (And How to Break Through)
    Aug 11 2025
    In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki addresses the frustrating reality of feeling stuck in your practice or business when nothing seems to be working, despite showing up and doing "all the things."

    Speaking directly to chiropractors, practice owners, and entrepreneurs who've hit a wall, Nikki emphasizes that feeling stuck isn't a sign of failure—it's actually an important signal. She breaks down the three most common reasons plateaus happen: capacity mismatches (trying to pour 10 gallons of water into a 5-gallon bucket), avoiding uncomfortable moves like raising fees or letting go of underperforming team members, and misalignment with outdated goals that no longer serve your vision.

    Throughout this insightful conversation, Nikki shares her own experience of hitting a plateau where she was chasing revenue numbers at the expense of her life, family, and free time, only to realize she didn't even care about those numbers anymore. She vulnerably discusses how Stephanie Wigner called her out at an event, saying "You don't have a team problem, you have a Nikki problem"—a moment that sparked exponential growth when she finally stopped micromanaging and trusted her capable team.

    Nikki provides five practical strategies for breaking through plateaus: getting radically honest about what you've outgrown, auditing your capacity to ensure your team structure matches your goals, shaking up your schedule with breaks or new work locations, asking better questions like "what's trying to emerge in me right now?" and normalizing the experience as part of every business owner's journey.

    This episode delivers powerful insights about recognizing when you are the bottleneck and how plateaus often signal that something new is waiting to be unlocked, making it a must-listen for anyone ready to break through stagnation and build the practice they actually want to run.

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    Ready to break through? Join the free "Scaling to 300K" masterclass on August 13th - Sign up here!
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    12 mins
  • Success is Never a Solo Journey

    Success is Never a Solo Journey
    Aug 4 2025
    In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki shares a powerful reminder about gratitude and the people who helped shape our success, emphasizing that none of us achieve anything alone.

    Inspired by a visit from a former patient who moved away, Nikki reflects on the early days of opening her practice when she took out a loan at a shocking 41% interest rate with only $8,000 in savings. This patient, learning about Nikki's financial struggle, offered to pay off the predatory loan and provide a new one at a much lower rate—an act of kindness whose magnitude Nikki didn't fully appreciate at the time.

    Throughout this heartfelt conversation, Nikki traces her journey through different seasons of coaching, from her first systems coach who laid the foundation for what she now teaches others, to mindset coaches who helped her navigate new motherhood and business ownership, to business coaches who transformed her practice four years ago. She emphasizes how we can outgrow seasons but should never outgrow the gratitude that comes from them.

    Nikki challenges listeners to identify the people who gave them encouragement during self-doubt, practical support when they needed it most, or chances when they didn't yet have the credentials. She encourages taking action by sending thank-you messages to these influential people and, equally important, becoming that person for someone else.

    With the powerful reminder that "you're not self-made, you're community-made," Nikki introduces the concept of keeping a gratitude journal to document daily wins and milestones we often overlook. This episode delivers a compelling call to action about honoring your roots while watering someone else's, making it a must-listen for anyone ready to both express gratitude and pay it forward.

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    Challenge: Send a thank-you message to three people who helped get you started, then find one person you can support today!
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    9 mins
  • Two Vodka Sodas and One Big Question

    Two Vodka Sodas and One Big Question
    Jul 28 2025
    In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki explores the power of asking questions and shares how one missed opportunity taught her to never again let fear of rejection hold her back.

    Opening with the reminder that "if you don't ask, the answer is always no," Nikki reflects on how children naturally ask for everything before life teaches them to fear rejection. She shares a pivotal story from a mastermind three years ago where she and her husband Jonathan were given the opportunity to make an ask of their mentors—and completely froze. Watching other participants receive incredible yeses, including one couple who asked for and received a full day of one-on-one business mentoring, became a life-changing lesson in missed opportunities.

    Throughout this empowering conversation, Nikki reveals how that moment transformed her approach to asking for what she wants. She shares the story of her biggest ask ever—asking Stephanie Wigner for a job at The Wealthy Practitioner. During a mastermind in Colorado, after realizing their skill sets were perfectly complementary, Nikki mustered the courage (with the help of two vodka sodas) to propose working together. That bold ask led to her current role as Client Success Manager, which she describes as one of the best decisions she's ever made.

    Nikki identifies the four main reasons people avoid making asks: fear of rejection, assuming the answer is no, feeling like they need to earn it instead of claiming it, and undervaluing what they bring to the table. She provides practical guidance for making great asks: be clear (not vague), confident (not cocky), willing to hear no, and anchored in mutual value rather than just personal benefit.

    This episode delivers actionable strategies for reframing requests—like asking for a promotion by highlighting what you've taken off someone's plate and where you see gaps you can fill—making it a must-listen for anyone ready to stop talking themselves out of opportunities and start claiming what they deserve.

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    Ready to make your bold ask? DM Nikki on Instagram—she'd love to give you a confidence boost!
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    10 mins
  • I'm a Routine Person in a Non-Routine World

    I'm a Routine Person in a Non-Routine World
    Jul 21 2025
    In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki explores the crucial skill of adaptability and how unexpected challenges can reveal capabilities we never knew we had.

    Recording just hours before her deadline (again), Nikki shares how the past two weeks tested her adaptability in ways she didn't anticipate. With one of her associate doctors unexpectedly out for two weeks caring for his wife after a fall, and her recent promotion at The Wealthy Practitioner demanding more attention, she found herself needing to step back into full-time patient care while maintaining her coaching responsibilities.

    Throughout this candid conversation, Nikki reveals her natural preference for structure, routine, and detailed itineraries—contrasting herself with her sister who prefers to "see what we're vibing with." This makes her recent experience even more meaningful, as someone who thrives on predictability was forced to embrace flexibility and pivot quickly when circumstances demanded it.

    Nikki draws parallels between personal adaptability and the progress she discusses with patients during their progress exams, noting how adaptability improves with time and repetition. She reflects on how the "Nikki of a year ago" might have cried from overwhelm, while today's version confidently knows she can handle whatever comes her way.

    This episode delivers important insights about resilience, capacity, and the growth that comes from being thrown curveballs. Nikki reminds listeners that we're always more capable than we give ourselves credit for, and that developing adaptability is a skill that strengthens over time, making us better equipped to handle future challenges with grace and confidence.

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    Stay updated on Wealthy Practitioner events by joining the Facebook group and email list - August popup event sold out, but Full Send 2 coming in November!
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    8 mins
  • When You Think You've Hit Your Limit: The Truth About Capacity

    When You Think You've Hit Your Limit: The Truth About Capacity
    Jul 14 2025
    In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki shares her journey of dramatically increasing her capacity and reveals how the limits we set on ourselves are often just mental barriers waiting to be broken.

    Nikki opens by reflecting on how becoming a mother forced her to completely reimagine her capacity. What started as a necessity, waking up at 4:45 AM to manage feeding, pumping, and getting both herself and baby Hazel ready- evolved into a powerful routine that unlocked entirely new levels of productivity. Six and a half years later, this early morning ritual remains the foundation of her expanded capacity.

    Throughout this insightful conversation, Nikki discusses her recent promotion at The Wealthy Practitioner from support coach to client success manager, sharing how her expertise in systems made it possible to step back from daily patient care without sacrificing practice success. She reveals how having dialed-in standard operating procedures prevents the dreaded "people call Nikki whenever something goes wrong" scenario that keeps so many business owners trapped in their practices.

    Nikki vulnerably shares her strategies for managing overwhelm when pushing capacity limits, including remembering that overwhelm is temporary, focusing on one task at a time, and avoiding overbooking herself. She emphasizes the power of surrounding yourself with successful people, noting how her circle of high-achieving chiropractic friends normalized what others might consider exceptional results.

    Drawing inspiration from Ed Mylett's concept of breaking days into multiple segments, Nikki challenges listeners to push their own perceived limits—whether that's seeing patients every 10 minutes instead of 15, or simply questioning "what if" scenarios that stretch current boundaries. This episode delivers powerful insights on why the capacity limits we've set are often just "crap" and how pushing past them can multiply our impact and fulfillment.

    Join our Facebook group here: The Wealthy Practitioner Facebook group
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    Book recommendation: "The Big Leap" by Gay Hendricks - mentioned for working through upper limit capacity issues!
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    14 mins
  • Success Isn't Geographic: Lessons from Moving South

    Success Isn't Geographic: Lessons from Moving South
    Jun 30 2025
    In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki shares the story of her first chiropractic job in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, revealing how the hardest experience of her career became the foundation for everything she's achieved today.

    Fresh out of Life University in Marietta, Georgia, Nikki moved to Tuscaloosa to work as an associate chiropractor at McCracken Family Chiropractic under Dr. Michael McCracken. What followed were two of the most challenging years of her life—professionally and personally. Throughout this conversation, Nikki reveals how Dr. McCracken's extremely high expectations initially felt crushing. She went home crying daily, thinking he was being unnecessarily harsh as he made her practice report of findings and X-ray reviews repeatedly. At the time, she felt like she was failing at everything he expected from her, but years later she realized he saw potential in her that she couldn't see in herself.

    Nikki shares how a recent conversation with Dr. McCracken transformed her perspective on that difficult period. When she apologized for "sucking" during her time there, he responded, "You didn't suck. I just always knew that you could do more, that you could do better." This revelation helped her understand that the hardest experiences often come from people who believe in our potential most deeply.

    Now living in Gulf Shores, Alabama—initially by circumstance rather than choice—Nikki reflects on Dr. McCracken's wisdom that success isn't defined by geography. His advice to "build a life so sustainable and make enough money that you can travel to see the people you love anytime you want" became a guiding principle that helped her find joy and purpose regardless of location.

    This episode delivers powerful insights about reframing difficult experiences as preparation rather than punishment, making it a must-listen for anyone currently in a challenging season who needs perspective on how today's struggles are shaping tomorrow's strength.

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    9 mins