Aligned for Success

In this episode of Aligned for Success, Nikki breaks down why “working harder” and cramming more into your schedule is not the thing that’s going to grow your practice. If you’re always working in your business and never truly on it, you’ve quietly become the bottleneck. Nikki talks about the concept of a CEO day- a protected block of time where you step out of the daily grind, clear the mental load, and make clean, high-level decisions that actually move the business forward. She walks you through exactly what a CEO Day is, what it is not, and a simple six-step flow you can use to make your next CEO Day powerful, not just productive.In This Episode, You’ll Learn:Why constantly “being in the office” can keep your business stuck, even if you love the hustle The difference between working in your business vs. working on your business What a true CEO Day is (and why it can’t be squeezed into your lunch break or late-night admin time) How to create protected time and space so you’re not interrupted by “quick questions” and fires A simple, six-step flow for running a CEO Day without turning it into another rigid to-do list How to use CEO Days to identify your biggest constraint instead of chasing the loudest problem The one clean decision you need to walk away with so your team can execute and you stay in vision CEO Day Flow (6 Steps)Protect the time + space – This is not an admin day in disguise; no quick questions, no team interruptions. Start with a brain dump, not a plan – Get everything out of your head so you can see what’s actually going on. Let flow lead – Follow the themes that come up instead of forcing a rigid agenda. Identify the constraint – Choose the one issue that, if solved, makes everything else easier. Make one clean decision – You don’t need a 20-step plan; you need clear direction. Add light structure – Before you wrap, define the system/boundary/support you need and what happens next. Timestamp Guide0:00–2:20 – Welcome back + why working harder isn’t the real answer 2:20–4:45 – When you become the bottleneck by only working in the business 4:45–7:15 – What a CEO Day actually is (and why it can’t happen in your 4-hour lunch break) 7:15–8:45 – The mistake of turning CEO Days into super-structured admin days 8:45–9:50 – Step 2: Brain dump first, clarity second 9:50–10:48 – Step 3 & 4: Let flow lead + find the real constraint 10:48–11:23 – Step 5: Make one clean decision 11:23–12:25 – Step 6: Light structure + next steps 12:25–end – Final challenge: What does your business need from CEO you right now?Follow Nikki on Instagram: @drnikkicottis

In this episode of Aligned for Success, Nikki shares a quiet but powerful insight that shifted the way she understands growth, success, and identity.The episode was inspired by time spent inside Ed Mylett’s home in Ponte Vedra Beach - in a small room filled with high-level leaders. What stood out wasn’t tactics, urgency, or pressure. It was the calm. The steadiness. The way growth was being discussed not as something to chase, but something to hold.Nikki explores why so many capable, disciplined people struggle to sustain their next level - not because they lack motivation, but because unfamiliar success can feel unsafe to the nervous system. Growth isn’t about pushing harder. It’s about raising what feels normal.This episode talks about Ed’s idea of the internal “thermostat” - the identity-based standard that quietly pulls us back to what feels familiar, even after breakthrough seasons. Nikki invites listeners to stop living from past identity and begin making decisions from who they’re becoming.If you’ve ever noticed yourself overthinking when things are going well, slowing down right as momentum builds, or questioning success instead of enjoying it - this conversation will land deeply.Follow me on Instagram: @drnikkicottisFollow TWP on Instagram: @WealthyPractitioners

In this episode, Nikki dives into a powerful conversation about choice vs. circumstance — inspired by a real-life moment with her husband and the stories we tell ourselves about why we feel stuck.Most people are raised to believe that life “just happens” to them: the job they got, the money they make, the hand they were dealt. But that mindset quietly removes your power and places your happiness, income, and opportunities in someone else’s hands.Nikki breaks down the truth:  Circumstances are neutral. It’s your interpretation and response that create your life.Two people can face the same obstacle - one shuts down, the other asks, “Okay, now what?” It’s not the circumstance that determines the outcome… it’s the choice.Through personal stories - from her upbringing to her career to her current health journey — Nikki shows how identity conditioning shapes how we see ourselves, which shapes the choices we make, which ultimately shape our results.This episode is a reminder that:You’re not stuck because of your circumstances - you’re stuck because of the story around them.Successful people face the same hard things as everyone else - they just refuse to let circumstance become the author of their story.You are always one choice away from realignment. Key TakeawaysCircumstances are data - YOU assign meaning.Identity influences interpretation, and interpretation drives choice.Stuckness doesn’t come from conditions but from the narrative you believe about them.“Given this, here’s what I choose” is the language of aligned leadership.You don’t need perfect conditions to change - just a new choice. Episode Highlight“Alignment isn’t about having perfect circumstances. It’s about being someone who is at choice in every season.”

In this episode, Nikki shares the powerful mindset shift that transformed how she feels about the end of the year. She opens up about loving the energy and abundance of Q4 - but dreading January 1st when the dashboard reset to zero.She explains how shifting from a traditional Jan–Dec mindset to rolling timeframes (rolling 12 months + rolling 30 days) revealed her true growth - including the surprising moment she realized her highest-revenue 12 months weren’t even a calendar year.Nikki also talks about why she no longer feels like she’s “starting over” in January, thanks to revenue that processes automatically on Jan 1, proving her business is already moving the moment the year begins.If you’ve ever felt pressure or panic around the new year, this episode will help you reframe your numbers, your goals, and your confidence as a CEO.Key PointsQ4 being strong can make January feel like a crash. The emotional stress comes from how you measure the year, not the actual numbers. Rolling 12-month metrics reveal your real growth and often higher revenue than calendar-year thinking. Rolling 30-day metrics remove month-start anxiety. Money hitting on January 1st anchors the truth: you don’t start from zero. Register for the masterclass on The Unicorn Launch here! Tuesday Dec 16th at 2ESTFollow me on instagram: @DrNikkiCottis

In this solo episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki opens up about a real conversation she had with her friend Bailey that sparked a powerful reminder for every practitioner, leader, and business owner: your client experience isn’t just about doing great work - it's about doing it consistently.Nikki breaks down how a single inconsistent touchpoint can completely erode referral trust, even when you didn’t make the referral. Using her own contrasting experiences with the same company, she shows how easily a brand’s reputation can shift when one person gets a five-star experience and someone else gets the complete opposite.Inside this episode, Nikki shares:- Why referrals are actually “trust transfers” — and how fragile that trust really is- How inconsistent communication, unclear pricing, and sloppy processes silently kill your internal referrals - The difference between doing great work once… and delivering a predictable, repeatable client journey every time - Why your USP (Unique Selling Proposition) isn’t your equipment, your technique, or your credentials — it’s the emotional fingerprint of your brand  - How to extract your USP from your Google reviews and turn it into a repeatable system  Why predictability, not perfection, is what creates loyalty, retention, and referralsNikki also gives you a simple but powerful weekly assignment:Audit one key touchpoint in your client journey — onboarding, follow-up, reactivation — and ask yourself whether every client gets that experience the same way. Because the truth is: every inconsistency is really a systems opportunity.This episode is a must-listen for practitioners who want to tighten their delivery, strengthen referrals, and build a brand that people confidently recommend — because they know exactly what experience their friends will receive.Follow me on Instagram: @DrNikkiCottis

Most people end the year trying to add more; more goals, more offers, more strategy. But expansion doesn’t come from addition. It comes from editing.In this episode, I’m walking you through the 5 D’s I use every December to reset before I build. We’ll talk about what it looks like to delete distractions, delegate with intention, digitize what matters, document your wisdom, and decide what’s next — so you can start the new year leading from clarity, not clutter.This isn’t another systems checklist.It’s a leadership reset.A chance to clear space so your next level has room to land.Because when everything has a place, you finally have the peace to lead from vision instead of reaction. Inside This EpisodeHow to finish the year clean instead of just “strong” The 5 D’s framework that simplifies your systems and restores your focus Why clarity, not more effort, is your competitive edge for 2026Remember“You can’t build a new vision on old systems. Before you expand, you have to edit.”If this episode challenged you to simplify, share it with another leader who’s building for peace and profit. Then tag me @drnikkicottis on instagram with your “D of the week” - what are you deleting, delegating, or finally deciding on before the year ends?

In this episode of Aligned for Success, Nikki Cottis breaks down the difference between being busy and being productive - because they are not the same thing.We live in a culture that glorifies hustle, where “busy” has become a badge of honor. But busyness doesn’t move the needle — alignment does. Nikki shares real talk, gentle truth, and practical steps to help you trade the chaos of doing for the calm of intention.If you’ve ever said “I’m just so busy” but still felt stuck, this one’s for you.What You’ll LearnWhy being busy doesn’t always mean you’re making progress The mindset shift that turns chaos into clarity How to say no without guilt Why rest and stillness are key to true productivity Simple ways to bring purpose and peace back into your schedule Connect with NikkiInstagram: @drnikkicottis 🎧 Follow Aligned for Success for more episodes that help you align your work, energy, and purpose.

What happens when someone breaks your belief system - when they hit a level you didn’t even realize was possible?That moment when you hear, “We did four million this year,” and suddenly your version of success feels… small.Not because you’re jealous, but because you just witnessed the limits of your reality snap in half.In this episode, Nikki unpacks what really happens when someone shatters your ceiling - and how to use that moment as fuel, not frustration. You’ll learn how to:Recognize when your beliefs have quietly capped your potential Recalibrate your mindset and nervous system to hold more Turn other people’s breakthroughs into your own evidence of what’s available Shift from “why not me?” to “how soon me?” If you’ve ever had your entire definition of “big” rewritten in a single conversation, this one’s for you.✨ It’s not envy - it’s expansion. Let it stretch you.💡 3 Key TakeawaysYour limits aren’t real - they’re learned. Most of us build comfort zones and call them goals. When someone breaks your ceiling, it’s a permission transfer. What you can see is what you can step into. Expansion requires recalibration. You can’t hold the next level with the same identity, habits, and systems you built for the last one. And if you’re ready to stop playing inside other people’s limits, make sure you’re registered for our free Masterclass! Sign up here!

In this episode of The Aligned for Success Podcast, Nikki dives into the messy middle - the threshold between where you are and where you’re going. As she preps to travel for a seminar, Nikki shares the real, unfiltered side of staying committed when life feels chaotic. She opens up about the moments when quitting feels easier, the temptation to coast, and the truth about being stretched thin while chasing growth. If you’ve ever felt like you’re “in between” the old version of yourself and the next level you’re building — this episode will speak straight to you. Through stories from her week, lessons from The Wealthy Practitioner, and honest reflections on burnout and identity, Nikki reminds us that being in the threshold isn’t a sign to stop — it’s proof you’re expanding.________________________________________💡 Key TakeawaysThe threshold is not a setback — it’s a signal that you’re leveling up.You don’t have to wait for clarity to take action.The moments of chaos are often the doorway to your next big move.Even high performers feel resistance; what matters is that you show up anyway.Your growth rarely feels glamorous — it feels gritty, but that’s what makes it real. Follow me on instagram: DrNikkiCottis

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki breaks down why most practitioners lose momentum in their businesses and shares practical mindset shifts to keep it for good, recorded while sick to practice what she preaches about consistency.

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki shares a raw moment of frustration from a team meeting that led to a realization about how she had accidentally become the bottleneck in her own business growth.During a Monday team meeting about systems and procedures, Nikki reached her breaking point and told her team she was tired of filling in the gaps for every position in the office-being responsible for that final 10% of everything from schedules to printed materials. Despite having comprehensive systems, SOPs, ClickUp tasks, Looms, and checklists in place, she remained the person everyone turned to for every question, issue, or decision.Throughout this candid conversation, Nikki reveals her uncomfortable realization that this wasn't a systems problem, it was a Nikki problem. She had accidentally trained her capable, smart, amazing team to depend on her by creating a "Nikki will figure it out" culture. Drawing a parallel to her 6-year-old daughter who sometimes asks for help with tasks she can already do independently, Nikki recognized she was empowering her child but disempowering her team by always providing immediate answers.Nikki explains how being needed can feel good at first, you feel useful, like the glue holding everything together-until you realize you've become the bottleneck on your own growth. The business can't grow beyond your capacity to keep fixing things, and by always stepping in to solve problems, you're teaching your team not to solve them themselves.She shares her new approach of responding to questions with: "Do we have a Loom on that? Is there an SOP on that? What would you have done if I wasn't here?" This shift revealed that 9 times out of 10, her team already knew the answers-they just needed space and permission to trust themselves.Addressing the ego component of leadership, Nikki emphasizes that leadership isn't about being the smartest person in the room, but creating a room full of people who don't need you to solve every problem. She challenges listeners to notice when team members ask questions they already know the answer to and point them back to systems instead of providing solutions.This episode delivers a crucial reminder that businesses don't grow through doing more—they grow through developing more, making it a must-listen for any business owner stuck as the fixer rather than the founder.Sign up for full send here: Join full send!Follow me on Instagram: DrNikkiCottisStill time to join Full Send! Access all recordings until October 31st—link in show notes or DM Nikki on Instagram with questions!

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki challenges listeners to stop half-sending their lives and shares personal stories of full send moments that completely changed her trajectory, from choosing Penn State to opening a practice with terrible credit.Recorded as The Wealthy Practitioner prepares to launch their once-a-year Full Send program, Nikki explores what it truly means to live a full send life—emphasizing that it's not about reckless decisions or saying yes to everything, but about bold, aligned, wholehearted choices that move you closer to the life you're actually craving.Throughout this vulnerable conversation, Nikki traces her full send journey from age 15, when attending a Penn State football game sparked her decision to attend college three hours from home where she knew no one. She shares the cascade of full send moments that followed: choosing kinesiology without knowing what she'd do with it, moving to Georgia for chiropractic school, relocating to Alabama for a boyfriend, breaking up with that boyfriend and marrying Jonathan less than a year after meeting him (despite her parents' strong disapproval), and opening a practice with $8,000 and a 40% interest rate loan.Nikki identifies the three main reasons people avoid full send moments: fear of failure, fear of judgment, and comfort zones disguised as responsibility. She argues that staying safe is actually the riskiest choice because time passes whether you make bold decisions or not, and the regret of not trying is always heavier than the fear of attempting something.She provides practical guidance for living a full send life: choose your vision over comfort by asking if decisions align with your 5-year goals, practice aligned action by saying yes only to things that align with your values and priorities, and demonstrate faith and follow-through by sticking with decisions even when they're no longer exciting.This episode delivers a powerful call to action for anyone stuck saying "someday," feeling uninspired, or knowing they're playing smaller than they were meant to, making it a must-listen for those ready to stop dabbling and dive full force into their vision.Join Full send! Click the link to join! Ready to go full send? The Wealthy Practitioner's Full Send program launches October 8th-DM Nikki with questions or click the link to sign up!

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki welcomes Colin Carr, founder and CEO of CARR, the nationwide leader in healthcare real estate, for an eye-opening conversation about the costly mistakes healthcare providers make in commercial real estate.Colin shares his unique journey from representing landlords to advocating exclusively for healthcare providers after witnessing countless doctors get "completely annihilated" in commercial real estate negotiations. Operating from Castle Rock, Colorado, Colin's company was born in 2009 from his realization that healthcare providers were going up against highly sophisticated professional negotiators without proper representation—creating what he calls "a completely unfair fight."Throughout this revealing conversation, Colin exposes the three biggest mistakes healthcare providers make: not hiring professional representation (the number one error), failing to negotiate with multiple landlords simultaneously, and accepting whatever terms are initially presented without understanding market alternatives. He breaks down how easily doctors can lose $100,000-$200,000 on standard-sized spaces through overpaying just $3 per square foot, missing free rent opportunities, or accepting unfavorable annual increases over a 10-year term.Colin explains the critical difference between simply "getting a lease signed" versus securing favorable economics and business deal points, emphasizing that major corporations like Starbucks and Amazon never handle their own real estate negotiations. He details how the strategic approach of working with multiple properties simultaneously in non-binding negotiations puts healthcare providers in control rather than at the mercy of a single landlord's terms.The conversation also covers essential considerations for practice transitions, including lease assignability clauses, timing of renewals relative to practice sales, and the importance of matching lease terms to loan periods. Colin delivers powerful insights on when to consider purchasing versus leasing and how proper representation can position both current owners and future buyers for success.This episode serves as a wake-up call for any healthcare provider who has handled their own real estate negotiations, making it a must-listen for anyone approaching a lease renewal, expansion, or practice transition.Join Full Send here! Sign up here for $33!Follow me on Instagram: DrNikkiCottisReady to protect yourself in your next real estate negotiation? Visit https://carr.us/ for expert healthcare real estate representation and educational resources.

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki tackles the controversial topic of mom guilt, sharing why she doesn't experience it and challenging the societal narrative that guilt equals good motherhood.Inspired by a conversation with Stephanie Wigner in a London pub, Nikki explores the myth that mom guilt comes standard in the "motherhood starter kit." She argues that guilt doesn't equal love, and feeling guilty isn't proof you're a good mom—just as not feeling guilty doesn't mean you're disconnected or love your child any less.Throughout this candid conversation, Nikki shares how her own mother's career success shaped her perspective on working motherhood. Discovering her mom had a corner office at USA Today when she was 25, Nikki realized her mother was "a total badass" who modeled that women can have both successful careers and be devoted mothers. This experience taught her that showing your children what's possible can be more valuable than constant presence.Nikki explains her approach to work-life integration, emphasizing quality over quantity time with her daughter Hazel. Rather than pieced-together moments throughout the week, she prioritizes longer stretches of uninterrupted family time—vacations, weekend trips, and boat rides that create lasting memories. She views her business success as enabling these experiences rather than stealing from family time.Addressing listeners who do experience mom guilt, Nikki provides practical strategies: block family time in your calendar first, build business systems that protect vacations and weekends, learn to say no to things that don't light you up or move your business forward, and communicate openly with your children about work commitments while reassuring them they're a priority.This episode delivers a powerful reminder that your children won't remember the exact hours you worked—they'll remember the memories you made and the example you set, making it a must-listen for working mothers seeking permission to build meaningful careers while raising confident, capable children.Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wealthypractitionerFollow Nikki on Instagram: DrNikkiCottisDo you feel mom guilt or not? Nikki would love to hear your perspective—share this episode with a mom who needs this reminder!

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki commemorates her 10-year practice anniversary by sharing ten powerful lessons learned from a decade of accidental entrepreneurship, vulnerability, and growth.Recording just after her September 8th office anniversary, Nikki reflects on how she went from the "accidental entrepreneur" who opened secretly without even a Facebook page or sign to building a practice that has delivered over 150,000 adjustments. From seeing 5 patients on her first day (two of them family members) to treating 107 patients on her anniversary, her journey illustrates the compound effect of consistent growth and reinvention.Throughout this milestone conversation, Nikki vulnerably shares both triumphs and regrets, including leadership moments she's embarrassed about—like firing someone via email because she was too scared to face them, or getting angry and terminating an employee for making a mistake. She emphasizes that leadership is a muscle requiring consistent practice, just like working out, where some days you nail it and others you "drop the weight on your foot."Nikki's ten lessons span the emotional, practical, and strategic aspects of business ownership: fear usually means you're on the right track; people always come before profit; systems save your sanity more than hustle ever will; your team will make or break you; mistakes are inevitable learning opportunities; community becomes your best marketing strategy; reinvention is survival; boundaries protect your vision; and celebrating wins builds essential momentum and gratitude.Drawing from real examples like navigating COVID's challenges, implementing disastrous systems like Weave, and evolving from saying yes to everything to setting clear boundaries, Nikki delivers honest insights about the beautiful, messy reality of building something meaningful. This episode serves as both celebration and roadmap, reminding listeners that the scary process of entrepreneurship is ultimately worth it.Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wealthypractitionerFollow Nikki on Instagram: @DrnikkicottisThank you to everyone who has supported Nikki's journey—here's to the next 10 years!

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki shatters the myth of perfect timing and shares how her practice achieved a record month during what she describes as a chaotic season of business.Recording just three days before her practice's 10-year anniversary, Nikki vulnerably shares the "insane month" of August that tested every system in her office. From implementing a disastrous AI phone system that kept her team awake at night sending incorrect texts to patients, to navigating her office manager's family emergency, a team member quitting, and another calling out—all while she was traveling for The Wealthy Practitioner pop-up in Kansas City.Throughout this conversation, Nikki reveals how her practice not only survived having "two doctors and no team" but actually achieved record revenue during this chaotic period. She uses this real-time example to challenge the dangerous lie that "one day things will finally settle down" and we'll have the perfect moment to make our next move, whether in business or personal life.Nikki provides three practical strategies that carried her through the chaos: leaning on solid systems (90% of patients were pre-booked with cards on file, allowing her to run payments from Kansas City), over-communicating with her team for crystal clarity during uncertainty, and giving herself grace because "messy growth is still growth."Drawing parallels between business and personal decisions, Nikki explains how waiting for calm waters costs us momentum and keeps us in survival mode rather than growth mode. She emphasizes that progress happens right in the middle of the mess, not outside of it, and that our future businesses won't thank us for waiting, they'll thank us for building anyway.This episode delivers a powerful reminder that there is no perfect time, only this time, making it a must-listen for anyone who's been sitting on important decisions while waiting for ideal circumstances that may never come.Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/434424630787977/Follow me on instagram: @drnikkicottisSitting on a decision? This is your nudge—there is no perfect time. Message Nikki if you need help working through your next move!

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki tackles one of the most universal challenges we all face: navigating change in business, health, and life while reframing it from enemy to growth catalyst. Speaking from her current reality of adjusting to her husband's new job after 12 years at the same company, Nikki explores how even positive changes can feel difficult simply because they disrupt our carefully planned routines. She candidly shares how their morning schedule—down to the minute timing of coffee and wake-up calls—has been completely altered, reminding listeners that "change is not hard, it's just different." Throughout this insightful conversation, Nikki unpacks why change feels so challenging, explaining that our brains are wired for safety, not growth, which means they interpret familiar as safe and change as danger. She explores how this biological programming creates resistance to every new system, hire, or season of growth in business, even when we logically know these changes will benefit us. Nikki provides three practical tools for navigating change: shifting your mindset from "how do I control this?" to "how can I learn from this?" (staying curious rather than controlling), creating solid systems and routines as anchor points during transitions, and leaning on support and community since change was never meant to be a solo sport. Drawing from her own practice experience of adding two doctors and transitioning into more of a CEO role, Nikki illustrates how the changes we resist most often become the exact things that give us freedom. She challenges listeners with a powerful exercise: think of one change you've been resisting and ask yourself what it would look like to lean into it instead of away from it. This episode delivers a powerful reminder that real growth rarely comes without change, making it a must-listen for anyone ready to stop viewing change as a threat and start embracing it as the doorway to their next level. Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wealthypractitionerFollow me on instagram: @DrnikkicottisReady for community support during your changes? Message Nikki about The Wealthy Practitioner programs and fall mini-programs coming soon!

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. Join our Facebook group here: Join here!Follow me on Instagram: @DrNikkiCottisTry one of these reset strategies today and let Nikki know how it goes—she loves hearing your stories!

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.Join our Facebook group here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/wealthypractitioner Follow me on instagram: @Drnikkicottis

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.Join our Facebook group here: TWP Facebook GroupFollow me on instagram: Drnikkicottis Ready to break through? Join the free "Scaling to 300K" masterclass on August 13th - Sign up here!