Chai Tea with Nina D.

Do you ever find yourself spiraling after a single comment, a short text, or an uninvited facial expression? In this episode of Chai Tea with Nina D, Nina breaks down a deceptively simple but powerful truth: We don't react to what happens to us, we react to the meaning we assign to it. Drawing from A Course in Miracles and real-life experiences, Nina explores how our ego and self-concept quietly hijack our emotions and why practicing "the pause" might be the most underrated tool for protecting your peace.

What You'll Learn:

✅ Why your mind filters every event through your identity — and how that creates unnecessary suffering ✅ What the ego really is and why defending it is always a losing battle ✅ How to create space between a trigger and your reaction before it escalates ✅ Why most of what people say is about them, not you — and how to remember that in the moment ✅ How to train your mind over time so that choosing peace becomes second nature

If this conversation resonated with you, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT with your biggest takeaway.

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Follow @NinaPalDixon and @ChaiTeaWithNinaD for more conversations about relationships, emotional intelligence, and personal growth.

What does it really take to build something that lasts… without a roadmap, a safety net, or anyone who's done it before you?

In this episode, entrepreneur, angel investor, author, and community builder Courtney Spritzer joins Nina to share the real story behind building multiple businesses from the ground up. From losing her father at ten to quitting corporate America with three months of savings and a dream, Courtney's path is a masterclass in resilience, calculated risk, and the kind of self-trust that only gets built through doing hard things.

She opens up about co-founding SocialFly in the early days of social media, when no one was using it for marketing yet, and how she and her business partner Stephanie turned a corner table in someone else's office into a thriving agency. But this isn't just a success story. It's an honest look at burnout, partnership challenges, the year everything nearly fell apart, and the deep inner work that followed.

Courtney also shares what she's building now with The Entrepenista League, a community designed to give female founders the resources, confidence, and support system that she had to piece together herself. Because entrepreneurship can be lonely… but it doesn't have to be. From transcendental meditation to Landmark to the Hoffman Process, Courtney reflects on the institutions and practices that helped her stop dwelling and start choosing. Choosing how she responded. Choosing what she built next. Choosing herself.

Her message is grounded and clear: you don't need certainty to move forward. You need resilience, the right people, and the willingness to keep making decisions today for the life you want three years from now.

What You'll Learn: ✅ Why a little naivety might be exactly what you need to start a business ✅ How to take a calculated leap when the timing is never perfect ✅ What a business partnership and a marriage actually have in common ✅ Why delegating early and hiring well is how you actually scale ✅ How female founders can turn their unique challenges into a competitive edge ✅ What "business magic" happens when women genuinely support each other ✅ How to stop taking things personally… even when you really want to ✅ Why a business that can run without you is the real mark of success

If this conversation challenged or inspired you, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT with your biggest takeaway.

🎥 Watch on YouTube 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 📱 Watch on Spotify

Follow @NinaPalDixon & @ChaiTeaWithNinaD for behind-the-scenes moments and daily insights.

What if the key to feeling alive isn't a vacation, a raise, or a relationship – but something as simple as a warm towel?

In this episode, we break down the mindset shift of romanticizing your life – what it actually means and how it can help you feel more present, grounded, and fulfilled in your everyday routine.

This isn't about aesthetics or performative self-care. It's about training your brain to notice joy, calm, and meaning in small, daily moments, and using that awareness to shift how you experience your life.

If you've been feeling stuck on autopilot, going through the motions, or waiting for "someday" to feel happy, this episode offers a practical, realistic shift – especially for high performers who want to protect their energy without adding more to their plate.

You'll learn the science behind why this works, how to apply it through simple daily rituals, and why so many grounded, successful people naturally live this way without even realizing it.

In this episode, you'll learn: - What "romanticizing your life" actually means (and what it's not) - How your brain scans for evidence that reinforces your mood - Why your morning routine shapes your entire day - How to break out of autopilot and feel more present - The difference between performative vs. meaningful self-care - How to turn everyday tasks into mood-boosting moments - Why high achievers don't wait for vacations to feel alive

Case Kenny is a bestselling author, mindfulness coach, and New Mindset, Who Dis? podcast host best known for helping people build stronger self-worth and healthier relationships. He went from successful sales executive to teaching the language of optimism to millions (including Fortune 200 companies and the NFL!)... but the journey started with a painful realization: he had no idea who he was as a person.

Case breaks down: Why your language changes EVERYTHING! The neuroscience behind word choice (he literally hooked his brain to monitors!) Why optimists speak in VERBS, not adjectives The "will I?" vs "I will" framework that unlocks intrinsic motivation How he sold 250,000 journals while working a corporate job Why "settling up" (not down) transforms relationships Competing beliefs – the hidden sabotage pattern no one talks about! Being "unrushed" and characteristics of being highly ambitious but certain of success Why patience is actually faith in yourself

0:00 The Advice That Changed How He Sees Love 1:12 Why People Stay in the Wrong Relationships 2:28 The Truth About "Potential" in Dating 3:41 When You Know It's Not Right (But Stay Anyway) 5:03 Why Closure Doesn't Always Come 6:17 The Habit That Keeps You Stuck on Someone 7:42 Moving On Isn't About Time 9:08 Why You Keep Going Back 10:26 The Difference Between Love and Attachment 12:02 What Healthy Love Actually Feels Like 13:35 Stop Chasing What Isn't Choosing You 15:10 The Mindset Shift That Changes Everything 17:22 Learning to Trust Yourself Again 19:05 You Don't Need Another Sign 21:18 The Real Reason You Haven't Let Go

Case Kenny: https://www.instagram.com/case.kenny/ https://www.youtube.com/@CaseKenny

If this conversation challenged or inspired you, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT with your biggest takeaway. 🎥 Watch on YouTube 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 📱 Watch on Spotify Follow @NinaPalDixon & @ChaiTeaWithNinaD for behind-the-scenes moments and daily insights.

Watching Netflix's His & Hers made me realize something powerful about relationships. At first glance, it seems like grief is what broke Jack and Anna after the loss of their newborn child. But the deeper issue wasn't the tragedy itself, it was not feeling seen, heard, or understood in how they were grieving. Anna needed permission to fall apart and someone to acknowledge her pain. Jack needed reassurance and connection. They weren't just grieving differently, they were misunderstood inside the grief. And this dynamic doesn't only show up in moments of loss. The same pattern appears in everyday relationships through stress, burnout, anxiety, family tension, and the small moments where couples slowly stop feeling understood. Because humans can survive loss… but it's much harder to survive loneliness inside the loss.

💡 What You'll Learn ✅ Why grief wasn't actually what broke Jack and Anna in Netflix's His & Hers ✅ The hidden relationship dynamic of feeling unseen or misunderstood ✅ Why couples can love each other but still feel emotionally alone ✅ How different grieving styles create emotional distance ✅ Why loneliness inside a relationship can hurt more than loss itself ✅ How this same dynamic appears in stress, burnout, and everyday conflicts

If this conversation resonated with you, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT with your biggest takeaway. 🎥 Watch on YouTube 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 📱 Watch on Spotify Follow @NinaPalDixon and @ChaiTeaWithNinaD for more conversations about relationships, emotional intelligence, and personal growth.

What does it really take to perform at the highest level… not just physically, but mentally and emotionally?

In this episode, professional soccer player Aleja Sanchez shares how her unconventional path to going pro forced her to redefine what high performance actually means. Rather than chasing outcomes, Aleja learned that sustaining success requires becoming someone who can hold it. She opens up about discovering soccer at age ten and the discipline that initially drove her forward… until it led to burnout.

After stepping away and into corporate life, Aleja made the radical decision to pursue the sport again on her own terms, ultimately landing a professional contract within months.

Along the way, she explores the inner work that transformed her performance: nervous system regulation tools for pressure moments, identity shifts that reframed her relationship to success, and holistic practices ranging from breathwork to EFT and affirmations. She also reflects on adversity abroad, team dynamics that shaped her playing time, and her broader perspective on women's soccer as both a business and access issue.

Today, as a pro athlete and co-founder of a creative agency bridging art, music, and football culture, Aleja's message is clear: define what joy means to you — and make decisions from there. Because true high performance isn't just about reaching your goals. It's about becoming someone who can live fully once you get there.

What You'll Learn: ✅ Why high performance isn't just physical preparation… it's emotional and nervous system capacity ✅ How burnout can signal identity misalignment, not lack of discipline ✅ Practical tools for regulating your nervous system in pressure moments ✅ Why success only feels fulfilling when your identity evolves with it ✅ How stepping off the "expected path" can actually accelerate your growth ✅ What elite performers understand about self-talk and mental safety ✅ Why joy is a strategic decision… not a luxury ✅ How to pursue ambition without disconnecting from yourself

If this conversation challenged or inspired you, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT with your biggest takeaway.

🎥 Watch on YouTube 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 📱 Watch on Spotify Follow @NinaPalDixon & @ChaiTeaWithNinaD for behind-the-scenes moments and daily insights.

What if your life hasn't changed… because you haven't? Not your habits. Not your goals. Not your resolutions. You.

In this episode, I break down the mindset shift that changed everything for me:

Stop chasing short-term habits and start assuming a new identity. From killing old stories and fully forgiving the past… To changing how I communicate in business and marriage… To realizing that success isn't about doing more, it's about becoming different… This is the episode about identity. Because you don't build a new life with the old version of yourself.

💡 What You'll Learn: ✅ Why 75 Hard and dry January don't create real change ✅ How short-term habits keep you stuck in a loop ✅ Why your personality isn't fixed (and that's freedom) ✅ The power of fully killing the past ✅ How poor communication sabotages success ✅ Why "word salad" is costing you authority ✅ How to assume a new identity before results show up ✅ The difference between sprint goals and marathon transformation ✅ How to pull confidence from your own track record

If this hit you, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT the identity you're stepping into this year. 🎥 Watch on YouTube 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 📱 Watch on Spotify Follow @NinaPalDixon & @ChaiTeaWithNinaD for daily mindset shifts.

What does it mean to build something that lasts… not just structurally, but emotionally?

In this episode, Nina sits down with internationally renowned architect Kobi Karp to explore the mindset behind meaningful creation: how respect for people, history, and place can shape work that endures far beyond trends or transactions. From the way he treats collaborators and communities to the philosophy he brings to each design decision, Kobi shares why great building is never just about structure; it's about stewardship, curiosity, and honoring the human experience inside the spaces we create. They dive into his most iconic projects - the restoration and redevelopment of the historic Surf Club into the Four Seasons Surf Club - as a case study in navigating pressure, preservation, and progress. Kobi walks through the tension between honoring legacy and innovating for the future, negotiating with stakeholders, and designing in a way that respects both history and modern life.

Along the way, he reflects on his journey from immigrant beginnings to global architect, how his international work shaped his perspective on community and leadership, and why technology will never replace human intuition, empathy, or vision. This conversation isn't just about architecture. It's about what it takes to build anything meaningful: a career, a company, a life, or a legacy.

Kobi Karp: https://www.instagram.com/kobikarp/

What You'll Learn: ✅ Why the way you treat people is a core leadership skill, not a personality trait ✅ How to balance honoring the past while still building something new ✅ What navigating public pressure and competing opinions teaches you about conviction ✅ Why meaningful work requires curiosity, humility, and emotional intelligence ✅ How global perspective and historical awareness create stronger long-term decisions ✅ What emerging technology actually means for human creativity and professional relevance ✅ The mindset shift that turns success from achievement into stewardship

If this conversation challenged or inspired you, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT with your biggest takeaway. 🎥 Watch on YouTube 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 📱 Watch on Spotify Follow @NinaPalDixon & @ChaiTeaWithNinaD for behind-the-scenes moments and daily insights.

What if the reason your relationship feels different… isn't because love faded but because you stopped doing the small things that mattered most? After hearing Dr. Arthur Brooks share his four rules for saving marriages, we decided to put them to the test in our own relationship.

What happened surprised me..

In this episode, I react to Dr. Brooks' advice and share what it actually looked like to apply it in real time…the resistance, the ego, the uncomfortable moments… and the shifts that brought us back to each other. From choosing fun over grievances to rebuilding connection through simple daily practices, this isn't theoretical relationship advice. This is what happens when you take it seriously. Because sometimes the spark doesn't die. It just gets buried under resentment, stress, and routine. And sometimes the fix is simpler — and harder — than you think.

💡 What You'll Learn: ✅ The one habit we didn't realize we had stopped ✅ Why "fun over grievances" hit us the hardest ✅ How small daily shifts change relationship energy ✅ What resentment quietly does to intimacy ✅ Why ego is the biggest barrier to connection ✅ How to choose each other again… intentionally

If this resonates, don't forget to LIKE, COMMENT your biggest takeaway, and SUBSCRIBE for more honest conversations about love, growth, and partnership.

💻 Watch on YouTube 📱 Listen on Spotify 🎧 Available on Apple Podcasts

Follow @NinaPalDixon & @ChaiTeaWithNinaD for behind-the-scenes and daily insights.

In this episode, Megan Klein, founder of the non-alcoholic cocktail company Little Saints, shares the unfiltered story behind building a $14 million dollar brand without venture capital, hype, or a safety net.

Launching during COVID, navigating early missteps, and facing moments where the company nearly collapsed, Megan was forced to make hard decisions - not just about her business, but about herself. As Little Saints grew alongside a cultural shift around alcohol, Megan was also quietly reevaluating her own relationship with drinking, and shaping intuition, discernment, and self-trust into essential leadership skills.

From appearing on Shark Tank to learning when to say no, this conversation explores what it really takes to build something sustainable - internally and externally - as a solo female founder. It's a candid look at resilience, sobriety, self-worth, and the discipline required to keep going when no one is coming to save you.

What You'll Learn: ✅ Why intuition is a skill you can train, not a trait you're born with ✅ How to make aligned decisions when everything feels at stake ✅ What sobriety revealed about Megan's leadership and self-worth ✅ How saying no became a growth strategy, not a limitation ✅ How to distinguish intuition from fear or impulsivity when making high-stakes decisions ✅ Why growth sometimes requires subtraction — and how letting go can be a strategic advantage ✅ What it looks like to lead a company while actively redefining your identity and values

If this conversation challenged or inspired you, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE, and COMMENT with your biggest takeaway. 🎥 Watch on YouTube 🎧 Listen on Apple Podcasts 📱 Watch on Spotify

Follow @NinaPalDixon & @ChaiTeaWithNinaD for behind-the-scenes moments and daily insights.