She built a multi-seven-figure branding agency, then found herself hiding vodka in a water bottle just to get through the day. Andrea Ingstrom's story doesn't start with a strategy. It starts with rock bottom, a husband who drew a line in the sand, and a decision to get sober three weeks before the world shut down.

Nine months later, she sold the agency. Then she started completely over, betting on herself with a $2,000 offer and no ad budget. She closed $64,000 in six weeks and $134,000 in her first 90 days, all from picking up the phone and asking. Today she runs six-figure months working three days a week.

In this episode, Andrea talks about what's really happening inside a woman who won't charge what she's worth, why confidence comes from action instead of the other way around, and the exact four-step process she uses to turn a single DM into a client. If you're grinding without seeing the numbers move, this one hands you a way through.

A note for listeners: this episode includes an honest conversation about alcohol misuse and recovery. It's shared from a place of strength and healing, not crisis.

Andrea Engstrom is a seven-figure business coach and founder of BOLD Mastermind, helping women entrepreneurs build six- and seven-figure coaching businesses with clarity, confidence, and authenticity. Host of The Andrea Engstrom Show, she's known for blending bold strategy with mindset and soul-aligned success. When she's offline, she's at the hot springs in Colorado or with her grandboos in Kansas.

How to Connect with Andrea:

• Website: andreaengstrom.com
• Instagram: @coach.andreaengstrom
• Facebook: facebook.com/likeandreaengstrom
• The Andrea Engstrom Show on YouTube: Watch here
• The Andrea Engstrom Show on Spotify: Listen here
• Awaken Your Magnetic Magic - Her book: Bold Confidence, boldconfidencebook.com

How to Connect with Nikisha:

• Nikisha King Website
• IG: @Nikisha.King

If you're in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania), or you've been in business two or more years and you're tired of webinars you never actually implement, this one's for you.

On August 25th at the Embassy Suites in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Nikisha's hosting Fully Booked, a full-day, in-person workshop for women business owners ready to fill their calendar.

Click Here to Learn More about Fully Booked Workshop

There's a folder you haven't opened. A login you have not checked in weeks. Somewhere in there is a number that could change how you price, how you plan, how you sleep, and part of you already knows that, which is exactly why you keep avoiding it.

Sarah Fisher knows that fear from both sides. She started Well Kept Bookkeeping as a side hustle in 2017 while going through a hard season, and grew it into a bookkeeping firm serving small business owners across the country. In this episode, she makes the numbers feel human.

She shares how to stop being afraid of your finances, why your profit and loss is just a story written in another language, and how to grow your bottom line without shrinking yourself in the process.

She's honest about underpricing, the real cost of messy books, and what has to be true before you raise your prices. Then she hands you the one simple step to get braver with your money, starting today.

If you are two or more years into your service business and tired of working hard for money you cannot seem to find, this one is for you.

Sarah Fisher is the founder of Well Kept Bookkeeping, a bookkeeping firm serving small business owners across the country. A full-time mom and the breadwinner of her household, she started Well Kept Bookkeeping as a side hustle in 2017 while going through a difficult season, and grew it from a one-woman operation into a five-person firm.

As of today, she's stepped out of the day-to-day bookkeeper role into leading as CEO.

• Website: Well Kept
• LinkedIn
• Enjoy a free 30-minute consultation using the link below; mention ICONIK CEO Podcast:https://calendly.com/sarahf-wellkeptbooks/30min

How to Stay Connected with Nikisha:

• Nikisha King Website
• IG: @Nikisha.King

If you're in the tri-state area (New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania), or you've been in business two or more years and you're tired of webinars you never actually implement, this one's for you.

On August 25th at the Embassy Suites in Berkeley Heights, New Jersey, Nikisha's hosting Fully Booked, a full-day, in-person workshop for women business owners ready to fill their calendar.

Click Here to Learn More about Fully Booked Workshop

You started your business because you were good at the work. Two years in, you are the work.

Every client, every email, every decision runs through you, and the growth you wanted has quietly turned into burnout.

Jennifer Kaplan lived that. She built Evolve PR from a one-woman operation into a team of 28 serving more than 140 clients. In this episode, she walks through how the shift from solopreneur to CEO actually happens.

She gets honest about knowing when to hire your first employee, letting go of control so you can stop micromanaging, and why systems, not hustle, are what let a service business scale.

She breaks down how to attract high-value clients instead of competing on price, how to get clear on your ideal client, and how to build a brand people remember. She shares the turnover that forced her to build over 100 systems, and the moment she stopped trying to serve everyone.

If you are five or more years into your service business and ready to stop doing everything and start leading, this one is for you.

Jennifer Kaplan is the founder and president of Evolve PR & Marketing, Arizona's largest public relations firm. Since launching in 2010, she has grown Evolve into a team of 28 full-time publicists serving more than 140 clients across local and national markets. She has been recognized as one of Arizona's most influential women in business and leads with a relationship-first approach built on visibility, trust, and connection.

Connect with Jennifer Kaplan

• Website: evolveprandmarketing.com
• Instagram: @evolveprandmarketing
• LinkedIn: @jennifer-kaplan

Connect with Nikisha King

• Website: nikishaking.com
• Instagram: @nikisha.king

• The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell
• Who Moved My Cheese? by Spencer Johnson
• Good to Great by Jim Collins

Episode Description

You're working harder than ever. Still, something feels off behind the scenes.

In this episode, Nikisha sits down with Colleen Carswell, fractional COO and founder of Structured to Scale, to get honest about what's actually holding creative businesses back. Colleen's philosophy, Systems Before Sales, has been featured in Forbes, Success, Travel & Leisure, and USA Today. And she brings all of it here.

If you've ever wondered what sustainable scaling actually looks like, and what it costs you when your infrastructure can't hold the growth you're chasing, this conversation is going to hit.

About Colleen Carswell

Colleen Carswell is the CEO and founder of Structured to Scale. With 18 years of hospitality experience, starting as a wedding coordinator on Royal Caribbean cruise ships, she now works as a fractional COO helping businesses build stronger systems, retain incredible teams, and grow without burning everyone out. Her work has been featured in Forbes, Success, Travel & Leisure, and USA Today.

Resources & Links

Connect with Colleen Carswell:

Website: structuredtoscale.com

Instagram: @colleencarswell

LinkedIn: @colleen-carswell

Connect with Nikisha King:

Website: nikishaking.com

Instagram: @nikishaking

In this episode of the ICONIK CEO Podcast, we’re talking about something many entrepreneurs quietly struggle with:

You’re booking clients. You’re generating revenue. But you still feel a little uncertain, reactive, and unsure about your money.

If you’ve ever thought:

1. “I make money, but I don’t feel in control.”
2. “Where is all my money actually going?”
3. “Why does scaling feel more stressful instead of easier?”
4. “When will I finally feel profitable?”

This conversation is for you.

I’m joined by CPA and Certified Profit First Professional Susanne Mariga, founder of Profit First for Minority Business Enterprises.

This is not a conversation about spreadsheets. This is about leadership. It’s about ownership. It’s about designing profit intentionally not hoping it’s there at the end.

How to Connect with Susanne Mariga:

1. Susanne's Website
2. Susanne's Instagram
3. Susanne's LinkedIn

Her Gift to You: Free Profit First Assessment & Cash Flow Template: Discover how to increase your business profits and gain financial clarity with this free Profit resource.

Ready to Go Deeper?

If this episode hit something in you, if you’re tired of fear-based decisions and reactive leadership

Sign up for The Disruptive Chronicles w/ Nikisha. Where we help you shift from fear to action. From reaction to leadership. From overwhelmed to ICONIK.

Join the Disruptive Chronicles, where we dream bigger than our fears ➡️ Disruptive Chronicles

If you’ve ever felt like your business is growing faster than your backend can handle, this episode is for you.

So many women entrepreneurs want to scale. They want more clients, more revenue, more visibility.

But what they don’t realize is this: scaling without structure creates chaos, not freedom.

In this episode of the ICONIK CEO Podcast, Nikisha King sits down with professional organizer and systems expert Tracy Holt to unpack what really happens behind the scenes when entrepreneurs try to grow without clear processes.

They talk about digital clutter, messy file systems, scattered workflows, and the hidden mental load that slows down scaling.

Because here’s the truth: you cannot grow past the structure your business can support.

This conversation shifts the idea of “systems” from corporate and restrictive to supportive and freeing. Systems aren’t about perfection. They’re about creating repeatable processes so your brain isn’t carrying everything on its own.

This Episode Answers Questions like:

1. How do I scale my business without burning out?
2. Why does growth feel chaotic?
3. When should I put systems in place?
4. How do I hire help if nothing is organized?
5. What systems do I actually need to grow?

If this episode made you realize your next level requires more clarity, not more hustle, it’s time to move from awareness into action.

Get Connected with Tracy Hoth:

1. Follow Tracy on Instagram
2. Follow Tracy Hoth on LinkedIn
3. Learn more about Tracy Hoth
4. Visit Tracy's Podcast

Enjoy a special gift from Tracy: The Only 5 Digital File Folders You'll Ever Need to Run a Smooth (and Profitable) Coaching Business

Join The Disruptive Chronicles, where we help women entrepreneurs shift from fear to focused action and build businesses that scale with confidence and structure.

👉🏾 Sign up here: https://nikishaking.com/disruptive-chronicles

If you feel inconsistent on Instagram or TikTok and don’t know why, this episode will shift everything.

It's not about motivation, it's not about discipline, it's a system issue.

When creating content from scratch every day, it's a struggle to be motivated and excited about your post.

In Episode 92 of the ICONIK CEO Podcast, we finish the RISE Framework with E: Elevate Through Systems and break down a simple, repeatable Instagram or TikTok content system designed specifically for service-based solopreneurs.

If you are constantly:

1. Starting from scratch every time you post
2. Asking yourself what to say
3. Feeling exhausted before you even record your content
4. Struggling to stay visible consistently

This episode gives you a clear workflow you can use immediately.

Here's what you'll learn:

1. Why inconsistency is a systems problem, not a mindset problem.
2. How to record one 3-minute video and turn it into multiple pieces of content.
3. How to use Instagram’s built-in tools to simplify editing.
4. How to remove friction so consistency becomes automatic.
5. Why systems remove burnout and build momentum.

If you missed the prompts referenced in this episode, revisit:

1. Episode 90
2. Episode 91

We also have a step-by-step walkthrough video showing you how to record one 3-minute video and turn it into multiple pieces of content:

Download your Free Content Generation System.

For many women creative entrepreneurs, visibility is not a strategy problem.

It’s a confidence problem.

If showing up online feels heavy and awkward, welcome to this week's episode.

Today's episode is about giving yourself permission to show up as you are.

In this episode of the ICONIK CEO Podcast, Nikisha King breaks down the S in the R.I.S.E. Framework, Show Up with Confidence. Confidence is not being perfect or outgoing. It’s choosing to be seen even when fear is still there.

Nikisha talks about:

1. Why visibility feels scary for so many women.
2. That fear doesn’t disappear just because you start a business.

You’ll learn how confidence is built through small steps, safety, and honesty, not overnight change.

Many creative entrepreneurs are doing everything they’re told to do.

They’re posting on Instagram, showing up on LinkedIn, sending emails, networking, and still wondering why the results don’t match the effort.

In this episode of the ICONIK CEO Podcast, Nikisha King breaks down a truth most people skip over when it comes to lead generation: the problem often isn’t visibility, it’s who you’re talking to.

This conversation dives into the Identify Your People phase of the R.I.S.E. framework and explains why your message can feel like it’s floating in the air, heard by everyone and landing with no one. When your visibility isn’t focused, your content becomes easy to scroll past, even when it’s valuable.

Nikisha explains how lead generation improves when entrepreneurs stop performing for “everyone” and start connecting deeply with the right people. This episode reframes identifying your audience, not as limiting your business, but as anchoring your message so it finally lands.

If your content feels inconsistent, your engagement feels low, or inquiries don’t reflect the work you’re putting in, this episode will help you understand what’s really happening and how to shift it.

Questions that are answered in this episode:

1. Why posting more doesn’t automatically create more leads?
2. How unclear messaging keeps you invisible, even when you’re showing up?
3. What it really means to “identify your people” beyond demographics?
4. Why emotional and behavioral clarity creates stronger connections?
5. How focused visibility turns content into conversations, and conversations into clients?

Join The Disruptive Chronicles, where solopreneurs learn how to move from fear into focused action, build confidence in their message, and create visibility that actually leads to clients.

👉🏾 Sign up here: https://nikishaking.com/disruptive-chronicles

Many wedding and event professionals are doing all the “right” things, posting consistently, offering value, and showing up, yet their lead generation still feels slow, inconsistent, or nonexistent.

In this episode, Nikisha King explores a truth most people never talk about: lead generation issues are often rooted in self-judgment and visibility, not strategy.

When solopreneurs feel judged by others or by themselves, they unconsciously hide parts of who they are. And when parts of you are hidden, your message doesn’t fully land.

This conversation breaks down how internal narratives, identity suppression, and fear of being seen quietly block connection with the very people you’re meant to serve.

Nikisha shares how visibility begins with revealing your authentic self, not performing a version of who you think you “should” be.

This episode isn’t about posting more or doing more. It’s about being more visible in the ways that actually convert.

• Why am I not getting consistent leads?
• How do I increase lead generation without burning out?
• Why does showing up online feel uncomfortable?
• How does visibility actually impact sales and inquiries?
• What’s blocking people from connecting with my message?

If this episode helped you see where fear or self-judgment may be holding you back, the next step is action.

Join The Disruptive Chronicles, where wedding/event professionals and service-based solopreneurs learn how to move from fear to visibility, and from visibility to aligned action and lead generation.

Sign up here: https://nikishaking.com/disruptive-chronicles