If you’ve ever looked at your life and thought, “Everybody thinks I’m successful… so why don’t I feel successful?” This conversation is going to hit home in the deepest way.

In this powerful episode of the ICONIK CEO™ Podcast, your host Nikisha King, sit down with Sara Vezensek, a former private chef on luxury yachts turned online business coach. Her story mirrors what so many women creative entrepreneurs silently experience: burnout masked as achievement, and a longing for freedom hidden behind the façade of “having it all.”

Sara takes us inside her world, traveling the globe, earning exceptional income, living a life that looked glamorous on the outside… while feeling empty, exhausted, and disconnected on the inside. Her transformation began when she finally asked herself, “Is this the life I want, or the life I settled for?”

Together, we explore how to reclaim your time, simplify your workflow, let go of scarcity thinking, and build a business that feels aligned with your values, your freedom, and your emotional well-being.

This episode is more than a story; it’s a permission slip to design a life and business that feel like yours, not a life that looks good but costs you your peace.

• Why burnout is common among high-achieving creative entrepreneurs
• How to know when your “success” is no longer serving you
• The link between money mindset and personal freedom
• Why external validation leads to internal depletion
• How Sara transitioned from luxury yacht life to impactful coaching
• What emotional capacity actually looks like in business
• How to shift from surviving to thriving through aligned action

Explore more of Sara’s work, insights, and training designed to help women entrepreneurs create freedom, clarity, and scalable success.

Instagram - Sara Vez Coach

LinkedIn - Sara Vezensek

Access Sara’s free video training on how to discover your Million Dollar course idea as a business owner ready to add a passive income stream, scale with ease, and grow without raising your prices or hiring a team.

Ready to disrupt the fear holding you back from building your empire!

Join The Disruptive Chronicles, my weekly love letter for women and creative entrepreneurs who are ready to build businesses rooted in visibility, confidence, and time freedom.

👉🏾 Sign up for The Disruptive Chronicles here.

If you’ve ever felt like no matter how hard you work, you still feel exhausted, stuck, or unmotivated — this episode will shift everything you thought you knew about burnout.

In this deeply grounding conversation, I, Nikisha King, sit down with Kathryn Spears, a Neurosomatic Intelligence Practitioner, to uncover what’s really happening beneath the surface of burnout — and why mindset alone isn’t enough to create sustainable change.

Kathryn shares her personal story of anxiety, perfectionism, and constant performance pressure — and how learning to regulate her nervous system completely transformed her business, her energy, and her peace.

Together, we explore the connection between your body and your business, and how restoring safety in your nervous system helps you show up with clarity, confidence, and creativity. Because sometimes the thing that’s holding you back isn’t your strategy — it’s your state.

You’ll walk away from this episode understanding how to slow down without losing momentum, how to create safety in your success, and how to finally build a business that feels as good on the inside as it looks on the outside.

• Why burnout is often a sign of a dysregulated nervous system, not a lack of effort
• How to use small, science-backed tools like breathwork and mouth taping to increase energy
• The link between safety, visibility, and leadership in your business
• Why nervous system alignment is the secret to sustainable success
• How to simplify your workflow to avoid overwhelm and create consistency

Enjoy a special gift from Kathryn Spears: Uncover Your Subconscious Saboteurs with her special quiz.

Connect with Kathryn Spears:

• Website
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

If this episode spoke to you, it’s time to go deeper into your own transformation.

Join me inside The Disruptive Chronicles — a weekly love letter for women entrepreneurs who are ready to rise with alignment, clarity, and confidence.

👉🏾 Sign up for The Disruptive Chronicles here.

Let’s redefine what success feels like: calm, clear, and completely yours.

How often do you find yourself buried beneath expectations, clients pulling at your time, success pulling at your energy, and the world pulling at your identity?

In this powerful episode of The ICONIK CEO™ Podcast, I sit down with Martine Cohen, a transformative coach and author whose journey from corporate attorney to empowerment mentor reveals what’s possible when you choose authenticity over exhaustion.

After a devastating car accident that changed everything, Martine discovered that true freedom comes when you finally separate who you are from what you do. Her story is both raw and liberating, a reminder that the hardest moments can often become our most profound breakthroughs.

Together, we explore how to shed the emotional and mental “layers” that keep you tied to old versions of yourself. We talk about how to trust your inner voice, embrace vulnerability as a form of power, and build a life and business aligned with your truest self.

Because burnout isn’t just about doing too much, it’s about forgetting who you are while doing it.

If you’ve ever felt stuck, unseen, or disconnected from your purpose, this conversation will help you find your way back home to yourself.

• How to separate your identity from your emotions and external validation.
• Why adversity can be the catalyst for your most authentic growth.
• The power of vulnerability and awareness in personal transformation.
• How to lead your business from alignment, not obligation
• Martine’s three pillars: Adventure, Awareness, and Alignment for a more grounded, fulfilled life.

1. Your worth isn’t tied to your work. You’re not your titles or your to-do list.
2. Awareness creates alignment. When you slow down long enough to listen, clarity follows.
3. Vulnerability is your superpower. The more you allow yourself to be seen, the more authentic your success becomes.
4. Transformation starts with truth. You can’t change what you refuse to see.

• martincohen.com
• Connect on Instagram
• Connect on LinkedIn
• Order Martine's Book Today

If this episode resonated with you, don’t just think about what’s next, be what’s next.

Join me inside The Disruptive Chronicles, a weekly love letter for women entrepreneurs who are ready to shed the layers, reclaim their power, and rise with clarity and confidence.

👉🏾 Sign up for The Disruptive Chronicles here.

• Because the real revolution starts when you stop performing and start being.

If you’ve ever found yourself doubting your next move or second-guessing every decision, this episode will feel like a breath of relief.

So many creative women entrepreneurs are living in a constant tug-of-war between wanting to grow and fearing what might happen if they do. 

But what if uncertainty wasn’t a red flag… what if it was an invitation to rise?

In this powerful conversation, Nikisha, opens up about what it really means to trust yourself in business when everything around you feels shaky. She talk about the hidden power inside moments of doubt and how those very moments are often proof that you’re expanding, not failing.

She shares the exact mindset and systems that helped her rebuild her confidence when things felt unclear because self-trust isn’t just a feeling, it’s a structure you can create.

We’ll unpack what it means to build that internal muscle through reflection, structure, and compassion and how to stop giving your confidence away to everyone else’s opinion.

This episode is your reminder that growth doesn’t always feel good but it always leads you somewhere greater.

Takeaways:

• Uncertainty isn’t failure — it’s evolution.
• Self-trust grows through evidence. Keep a record of your wins, lessons, and breakthroughs.
• Systems create safety. Structure your workflow to support your creativity, not suffocate it.
• Failure is data. Every setback is just another step toward mastery.

If this episode sparked something in you, don’t just sit in the awareness. Let’s turn it into action.

Join me inside The Disruptive Chronicles, a weekly love letter for women entrepreneurs who are ready to stop second-guessing and start scaling with clarity and confidence.

👉🏾 Sign up for The Disruptive Chronicles here.

Let’s redefine what freedom looks like, one bold move at a time.

If you’ve ever felt caught between ambition and exhaustion, this month’s episodes were your reminder that stillness can be your greatest scaling strategy.

This reflection episode will help you anchor what you learned, re-center your focus, and prepare to enter November, “The Identity Shift: From Doer to Designer of Your Business,” with renewed peace and purpose.

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As October comes to a close, Nikisha King invites you to pause, breathe, and reflect on the wisdom shared by this month’s guests, Karen Bartholomew, creator of The Pause Method, and Barbara Burgess, author of Enough: Finding Peace in a World of Distractions, Hustle, and Expectations.

Together, their conversations offered a masterclass in slowing down to speed up, reminding us that leadership doesn’t live in constant motion; it lives in moments of stillness.

Karen taught us that pausing isn’t a setback; it’s a strategy. Her Pause Method revealed that even a 90-second reset can realign your energy and decision-making. She reminded us that stillness is a radical act in a world that rewards exhaustion.

Barbara invited us into the deeper work of redefining enough. She reminded us that peace isn’t a prize we earn after we “arrive,” it’s a resource available to us now. By choosing presence over perfection, we can build businesses that feel as good as they look.

In this reflection episode, Nikisha ties these insights together, exploring how intentional pauses, inner peace, and clear boundaries create the foundation for sustainable success. She shares her own lessons from the month, offers practical ways to integrate them into your workflow, and invites you to end the month grounded, grateful, and ready for what’s next.

1. Leadership begins in the pause. True influence comes from presence, not performance.
2. Micro-pauses create clarity. Just 90 seconds of stillness can reset your nervous system and sharpen your intuition.
3. Peace is power. You don’t have to earn it; you choose it daily.
4. Redefine productivity. Focus on how you show up, not just how much you produce.
5. Boundaries build freedom. Saying small “no’s” preserves your energy for what truly matters.
6. Systems are sacred. Structure is not the enemy of creativity; it’s the space where it can thrive.

• Website: nikishaking.com
• Instagram: @nkbizguru
• Facebook + LinkedIn: @nkbizguru

If this episode sparked reflection, it’s time to move from awareness to implementation.

Join Nikisha’s free workshop: Go From Ghosted to Booked — Learn the Exact Shifts to Turn Silence into Sales.

Watch Now and Start Booking with Confidence.

Let’s be honest, most women entrepreneurs are carrying far too much.

Client demands, expectations, constant decision-making… and somewhere in the middle of it all, we start losing ourselves.

In this heartfelt conversation, I sit down with Barbara Burgess to talk about what it really means to reclaim your peace without losing your power. Barbara’s story is a mirror for so many of us: ambitious, talented, driven women who’ve realized that success means nothing if it costs your sense of self.

Through her journey of self-acceptance, Barbara learned that peace doesn’t come from doing more; it comes from remembering who you are and choosing what actually matters. Together, we unpack how to set boundaries, simplify your workflow, and define enough in a world that constantly tells us we’re falling behind.

This episode is your reminder that saying no isn’t selfish, it’s sacred. That your time, energy, and creativity deserve protection. And that slowing down doesn’t mean you’ve lost your ambition, it means you’re building from alignment, not exhaustion.

If you’ve been craving more clarity, more calm, and more confidence in your business… this one’s for you.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to release burnout and rebuild your business around balance
• Why “enough” can be your most powerful business strategy
• Practical ways to set boundaries without guilt
• How to simplify your workflow and reclaim your time
• The link between self-acceptance, peace, and sustainable success

You don’t have to do it all to be successful.

You just have to be you.

🎧 Tune in and let this conversation be your permission to pause, breathe, and redefine what success truly looks like.

Connect with Barbara Burgess:

🌐 BarbaraBurgess.com

Barbara's Gift:

Sign up for Barbara's weekly inspiration at beenough.com and get entered to win a copy of Enough: Finding Peace in a World of Distractions, Hustle, and Expectations.

Connect with Nikisha King:

🌐 nikishaking.com/podcast

📸 Instagram: @nkbizguru

Have you ever felt like you’re constantly doing, but rarely being? Like you’re chasing success but slowly losing connection to yourself in the process?

In this conversation, I sit down with the incredible Karen Bartholomew, founder of The Pause Method, to talk about what it really means to slow down without falling behind.

Karen’s story begins where so many of ours do, in that quiet moment of exhaustion when we realize the pace we’re keeping isn’t sustainable. Over 14 years ago, she found herself burned out, unfulfilled, and questioning what “success” even meant. That question became her turning point.

Through her own transformation, Karen created The Pause Method: a framework that helps women and leaders create intentional space for reflection, clarity, and conscious action. Because here’s the truth: your next level doesn’t come from doing more… it comes from pausing long enough to remember who you are.

Together, we dive deep into what it means to release old beliefs, make decisions from alignment instead of obligation, and lead from a place of peace, not pressure. Karen reminds us that pausing isn’t a sign of weakness, but rather wisdom.

This episode is an invitation — to stop running long enough to breathe, to trust the stillness, and to build a life and business that actually feel good on the inside.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• How to use reflection as a tool for growth and clarity
• Why “hustle” isn’t the badge of honor we’ve been taught it is
• How to redefine success on your own terms
• Practical ways to pause, reset, and lead from alignment
• Why slowing down can actually accelerate your results

If you’ve been craving a moment to just be, this episode will meet you right where you are.

🎧 Press play and let this be your permission to pause.

Connect with Karen Bartholomew:

KarenBartholomew.com

Connect with Nikisha King:

nikishaking.com/podcast

Instagram: @nikishaking

Business Strategist for Women Entrepreneurs

If you’ve ever felt buried under client demands, running your business on fumes, or secretly wondering if freedom is even possible for a small business or women entrepreneur like you, this episode will feel like a deep exhale.

In this premiere of The ICONIK CEO Podcast, I invite you into a new way of doing business, one where systems set you free instead of holding you back.

As a business strategist for women entrepreneurs and creative CEOs, I know firsthand what it feels like to build your business around your talent… only to realize it’s running you instead of the other way around.

This conversation is your permission slip to breathe again.

We’ll explore how systems, when built with intention, create more space for creativity, clarity, and confidence. You’ll learn how to identify what’s draining your energy, what deserves automation or delegation, and what freedom really looks like for you.

This episode isn’t just about structure; it’s about self-trust, sovereignty, and sustainable success. It’s the beginning of a new era for women entrepreneurs who are ready to lead their business like a CEO, not just manage it like a task list.

In this episode, you’ll discover:

• How to use systems to reclaim your time (and your peace)
• The mindset shift from “doer” to “designer” of your business
• Why structure is the ultimate act of self-care for creative entrepreneurs
• How automation and delegation support—not replace—your creativity
• Simple, actionable steps to begin simplifying your business today

If you’re ready to transform burnout into balance and chaos into clarity, this episode will help you see why structure is freedom’s best friend.

• 
  
• Tune in and start your journey to becoming an ICONIK CEO,a woman who builds with purpose, leads with peace, and scales with soul.

Special links:

https://nikishaking.com/

https://nikishaking.com/podcast (coming soon)

Does sales make your stomach twist?

Do you over-talk, undercharge, or walk away from discovery calls feeling like you fumbled it, even when you know you're great at what you do?

You’re not alone. And today’s episode will change the way you approach sales forever.

In this powerful installment of the Leading Her Way podcast, host Nikisha King shares how to build client trust before you ever get on a call, and how to confidently lead sales conversations without pressure, performance, or pitching.

You’ll learn:

• Why trust starts before the Zoom room opens
• How to set the tone and lead the conversation with calm clarity
• Three actionable ways to increase your booking rate (without changing your price!)
• What to say at the end of the call to avoid ghosting and get the yes—or the right no

Plus, Nikisha shares real client wins and the exact phrases that helped one business owner go from price-dropping mid-call to confidently closing three premium clients in just two weeks.

Ready to book clients who are aligned, excited, and already trusting you before the call begins?

🎧 Press play and reclaim your power on every call.

Support the show

Want to attract aligned clients with less hustle and more heart?
Follow @nkbizguru on Instagram and get access to Nikisha’s 5-Star SCALE™ Framework at her More Profit, Less Chaos masterclass.

In this raw and honest episode of Leading Her Way, host Nikisha King sits down with intimate portrait photographer Shannon Griffin to unpack the unseen emotional labor behind entrepreneurship, motherhood, and earning client trust.

What happens when your business slows down… and life demands more of you?

This conversation will reshape how you think about “showing up” in business.

Shannon reveals how her journey into motherhood and her struggles with postpartum anxiety transformed not only her personal identity, but the way she builds trust with clients. Her vulnerability online became a bridge to deeper client relationships and higher-value bookings.

You’ll learn:

• Why storytelling is the most underrated sales strategy.
• How to share openly without oversharing.
• How trust builds loyalty long before a client ever books.
• The mindset shift that helped Shannon charge more without guilt.
• How to stay grounded in seasons of life and business that don’t feel balanced.

Whether you're in a season of hustle or healing, this episode will help you embrace your truth, serve deeply, and build a brand that earns real loyalty, before the sale ever happens.

Want to attract aligned clients with less hustle and more heart?
Follow @nkbizguru on Instagram and get access to Nikisha’s 5-Star SCALE™ Framework at her More Profit, Less Chaos masterclass.