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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In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki explores the natural rhythms of life and business through the lens of seasons and shares insights about becoming a student of your calendar.

As her practice approaches its 10-year anniversary in September, Nikki reflects on how different seasons of life have shaped her business growth. With her daughter Hazel now 6.5 years old and increasingly independent, Nikki finds herself transitioning from the intensive child-rearing season into a new phase where she can focus more deeply on business expansion. She shares how the exponential growth over the past six years happened while simultaneously raising a young child, proving that we often have more capacity than we realize.

Throughout this thoughtful conversation, Nikki discusses her long-term vision of spending entire summer months with Hazel, recognizing that these seasons of connection are precious and finite. She emphasizes how understanding and accepting your current season—whether it's a push season or a pause-and-reflect season—can make life exponentially easier.

Nikki then introduces David Meltzer's concept of being a "student of your calendar," sharing her observations about how many business owners lack basic awareness of their daily commitments. With refreshing honesty, she admits to scheduling "You need to shower" blocks in her calendar to protect personal time, illustrating the importance of intentional time management.

Drawing from her mirror principle teachings, Nikki challenges listeners to examine whether their own calendar habits might be attracting similar behaviors from patients and colleagues. This episode delivers practical wisdom about embracing life's natural rhythms while taking full ownership of your time and commitments.

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In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki shares a quote from Tom Brady and explores how three simple qualities can put you ahead of 99% of your colleagues and peers.

Opening with Tom Brady's insight that "to be successful at anything, you don't have to be special. You just have to be what most people aren't: consistent, determined, and willing to work for it," Nikki breaks down each element of this success formula. She shares personal stories about balancing two jobs—as a business owner and as part of a team—and how her mother's career-driven example shaped her work ethic from an early age.

Throughout this conversation, Nikki reveals how her mom worked her way up in the newspaper industry to earn a corner office with windows, all while never making her three children feel neglected. This experience taught Nikki the importance of financial independence and the value of hard work, leading to her current practice of waking up at 4:30 AM every morning since COVID—a routine that creates consistency and eliminates rushing.

Nikki then addresses the toxic trap of comparison and jealousy, sharing insights from a recent podcast interview about being in rooms with high-level achievers. Rather than feeling intimidated or jealous, she explains how she uses these encounters as motivation, thinking "if they can do it, I can certainly do it as well." She emphasizes the importance of not comparing your year one or two to someone's year ten or fifteen.

This episode delivers powerful reminders about choosing motivation over jealousy and using successful people as mentors who can help eliminate unnecessary steps on your journey. Nikki's message is clear: consistency, determination, and willingness to work are accessible to everyone and can transform your results when applied consistently.

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In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki welcomes Dr. Gabrielle Manto for an inspiring conversation about building community, growing a practice during COVID, and the power of betting on yourself.

Gabrielle shares her journey from Palmer College graduate to co-owner of Pax Chiropractic in Pennsylvania alongside her husband Trey, whom she convinced to leave the Texas for the Philadelphia area. She reveals how they achieved over $500,000 in annual revenue in less than 18 months by doing extensive prep work—meeting with 200 different people for coffee between January and May before opening in 2021.

Throughout their conversation, Nikki and Gabrielle explore the challenges of opening during COVID in Pennsylvania and working alongside your spouse. Gabrielle vulnerably shares her learning curve in communicating with patients, including a humbling experience where she unintentionally shamed a new mom about her baby's ear infections, teaching her the importance of meeting people where they are rather than expecting everyone to join "the chiropractic cult."

Gabrielle delivers powerful insights on building authentic community through monthly moms groups, sourdough making classes, and chiropractic lifestyle events that cater to their ideal clients. She explains how creating spaces where people feel safe and seen has eliminated any struggles with attracting new patients, as people naturally want to be part of what they're building.

Both coaches at The Wealthy Practitioner, Nikki and Gabrielle discuss the balance of coaching while running a practice and the exponential impact possible when helping others succeed in their communities. This episode is a must-listen for practitioners ready to build genuine community connections and for anyone needing inspiration to invest boldly in their own growth and development.

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In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki shares two powerful concepts from her early coaches that transformed her approach to business and life: "money likes to move" and "the world is a mirror."

Nikki opens with a personal story about obsessively checking Delta One upgrade prices for her upcoming Paris trip with her friend Leslie. After weeks of monitoring prices, when the upgrade finally dropped to her target range over a holiday weekend, she didn't hesitate—she booked it immediately without waiting for her friend's confirmation. Hours later, the opportunity was gone for her friend, perfectly illustrating why successful people act decisively when opportunities arise.

Nikki then shares the mirror principle through a raw admission about being ghosted by 19 out of 20 people she reached out to help with TWP mentorship applications. This led to a moment of self-awareness when she realized she had done the exact same thing—purchasing a coaching program the previous year and completely disappearing without participating. She explores how our behaviors create mirror effects, attracting patients who no-show, difficult people, and frustrating situations when we ourselves aren't showing up fully.

Nikki challenges listeners to examine their own patterns and emphasizes that successful business ownership requires being "obsessed with your calendar" and holding commitments. She delivers powerful insights about how "everything that is ultimately a business problem is deep down a personal problem," making this episode a must-listen for anyone ready to examine the personal behaviors that might be sabotaging their business success.

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Ready to take the leap? The 90 Day Sprint starts June 3rd - DM Nikki on Instagram with any questions!

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki shares updates from recent events and insights about identity, authenticity, and staying committed to your vision.

Fresh from attending multiple transformative events in Nashville, including The Wealthy Practitioner's Profit and Purpose event and Taylor Welch's Sacred Timelines workshop, Nikki reflects on the past month's focus on personal identity work. She reveals how she won an award for having "FOMO for everything" and uses it as motivation to encourage listeners to stop missing out and start showing up. 

Nikki shares key takeaways from Cody Jefferson's powerful presentation about working with sex trafficking survivors and how having a mission bigger than money creates unstoppable drive. She discusses insights from Taylor Welch's exercise on rewriting your past and forgiving your inner child, emphasizing how our past shapes our identity and future potential.
 
Nikki also highlights the success stories from The Wealthy Practitioner's Million Dollar Movement training, where participants learned authentic storytelling and branding strategies that led to one member increasing their social media views from 5,000 to 200,000. She emphasizes how Stephanie Wigner's training goes beyond typical social media advice to include cutting-edge AI applications for content creation. 

Recording at 9:20 PM despite her usual 8:30 bedtime (after being sick for a month), Nikki demonstrates the commitment to consistency that defines successful entrepreneurs, reminding listeners that we make time for what's truly important to us. 


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Ready for the next level? The final 90 Day Sprint of the year starts in June - message Nikki 
for details!

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki welcomes Dr. Alejandro Elias for an inspiring conversation about sacrifice, vision, and building a chiropractic empire from nothing.

Alejandro shares his remarkable journey from Puerto Rico to Texas, revealing how Hurricane Maria in 2017 forced him to leave the island with just three sets of clothes in his backpack. With no English skills and limited confidence in his academic abilities, Alejandro found unexpected support from his visionary brother who challenged him to dream bigger than his maintenance job at a hotel. 

Throughout their conversation, Nikki and Alejandro explore his path to chiropractic school, where he met his wife Emily on the first day. Together, they made extraordinary sacrifices to pursue their dream of practice ownership—including forgoing a traditional wedding to save money and being rejected by every bank despite having $30,000 saved for a down payment. 

Alejandro shares the powerful story of how they pitched their vision to a mentor using a Shark Tank style presentation, creating a handshake deal written on a napkin with a crayon that launched their path to owning four practices across Texas and Oklahoma. With remarkable candor, he discusses how they knocked on 6,000 doors before opening their first practice, sent hundreds of handwritten letters daily, and made difficult personal sacrifices—including missing his grandfather's funeral—to pursue their ambitious vision of owning 300 chiropractic clinics nationwide. 

This episode is a must-listen for anyone needing a reminder of what true entrepreneurial grit looks like and how a clear, compelling vision can inspire others to join your journey even when conventional paths are closed. 

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The next 90 Day Sprint with The Wealthy Practitioner begins the first week of June! Learn 
more at https://stephaniewigner.com/90-day-sprint 

In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki welcomes Dr. Tina Gottlieb for an inspiring conversation about balancing motherhood with practice ownership across a 29-year chiropractic career.

Tina shares her remarkable journey from Palmer College graduate in 1996 to successful practice owner in California, highlighting how she persisted despite being told she couldn't open an upper cervical practice on her own with zero money. Tina reveals her intentional approach to life planning—wanting to establish her degree and business before marriage—and how she's created the exact life she once envisioned in Temecula, California.

Throughout their heartfelt conversation, Nikki and Tina explore the myth of perfect balance between motherhood and entrepreneurship. Tina shares a touching story about missing her daughter's preschool Mother's Day tea due to patient responsibilities, only to have her three-year-old daughter reassure her, "Your patients need you. I will sing you the song later tonight." This poignant moment illustrates how children can understand and value their parents' professional contributions at a young age.

Tina delivers powerful insights on her recent epiphany that she has achieved everything she once set out to accomplish, which occurred during a moment of frustration when she realized she now has an even grander vision. She credits taking intentional time off to be still and present—including a transformative spring break week at home doing "nothing"—as key to her breakthrough realizations.

This episode is a must-listen for practitioner-parents seeking wisdom on creating success without sacrificing family connections, particularly for those wanting permission to pursue their professional passion while raising children.

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In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki welcomes Dr. Mitch Quill for an insightful conversation about building a successful chiropractic practice alongside his wife.

Mitch shares his journey from Wisconsin athlete who discovered chiropractic through his own sports injuries to co-owner of a thriving million-dollar practice in Illinois. He discusses his early dedication to investing in continuing education despite limited reimbursement from employers—spending his entire annual education stipend within weeks to expand his clinical toolbox beyond what chiropractic school taught him.

Throughout their conversation, Nikki and Mitch explore the challenges of transitioning from associate to practice owner, particularly navigating the COVID-19 pandemic just one year after purchasing their practice. Mitch reveals his mindset shift from being a practitioner with a job to a true business owner, noting how building a team that can operate without him has finally allowed him to take meaningful vacations with his family.

Mitch delivers powerful insights on diversifying treatment options through advanced technology like shockwave therapy and the importance of surrounding yourself with like-minded practitioners. He credits joining coaching groups and mastermind communities as one of the decisions that most helped align his life for success.

This episode is a must-listen for practitioners looking to build a profitable practice that provides both financial success and lifestyle freedom, particularly for those interested in the male perspective of practice ownership and entrepreneurship.

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In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki welcomes Jill Cherry, owner of Cherry Picked Web Co, for an inspiring conversation about transitioning from supporting her chiropractor husband's practice to building her own thriving web design business.

Jill shares her remarkable journey from handling everything in her husband Jason's chiropractic practice—from front desk operations to giving health talks—to discovering her talent for website design during the COVID-19 pandemic. After investing in numerous marketing companies that failed to deliver results, Jill took matters into her own hands by completing extensive training in online marketing, where she discovered her gift for creating effective chiropractic websites.

Jill reveals how prayer and gentle pressure from her husband and mentor pushed her to start her own business, which has now grown to serve nearly 400 chiropractors with just two team members. She discusses the freedom her business has provided, allowing her family to relocate from Tampa to New Jersey to be closer to family while maintaining her thriving company.

Throughout their conversation, Nikki and Jill explore the challenges of friendship dynamics that shift with success, the importance of surrounding yourself with people who believe in you, and the power of trusting your intuition. Jill delivers powerful insights on personal growth, noting that "tuning in to what I actually wanted and not being afraid of what others thought" was key to aligning her life for success.

This episode is a must-listen for anyone considering entrepreneurship or seeking to build a business that provides both financial success and lifestyle freedom.

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