The Mindset and Self-Mastery Show

“I think self-awareness is key to unlocking it all, and I think it is a lifelong process. The advice that I would give to everybody is to always seek the discomfort and not escape it.”

In this episode, Nick speaks with Supriya Venkatesan to explore the intricate connections between beliefs, language, and mental symbology, unraveling the anatomy of thought and its ties to the brain and body. Addressing the importance of confronting our heavier emotions rather than avoiding them or numbing them out, she challenges common coping mechanisms, advocating for the slow and steady incorporation of healthy strategies, like using movement as a tool for somatic processing. Supriya reflects on her own experiences as a woman of color, shedding light on the cultural dynamics that shaped her beliefs, especially regarding the value of women in her Indian culture. Don’t miss out on this transformative and mind-expanding discussion!

What to listen for:

Supriya’s background as a serial entrepreneur and investor

Growing up in a very tiny village in the Fiji Islands

How our beliefs relate to language and mental symbology

The anatomy of thought and how it ties to the brain and body

Understanding your dominant way of interpreting information

How trauma informs our current experience

“Being gendered as a woman and someone of color, I’ve experienced myself, there’s a lot of ideas and beliefs that I’ve adopted growing up in my whole life. And culturally being Indian as well. One example would be like, women just aren’t valued as much as men in my culture, which is the truth. I hate to say it, but it is the truth. And that isn’t something I really recognized until I started making progress on my own business journey. It’s like, oh wait, these things are actually holding me back and I’ve seen trauma in my family, like domestic violence, for example, that is part of this, right? So I need to work with that in order for me to step into the woman that I am, the leader that I am.”

Supriya’s own experiences with healing from multiple traumas

Her story of joining the military at 19 years old

Self-awareness is key to unlocking what you want

Learning to deal with our emotions and not avoid them

“I think a common thing people feel at the end of the day is, ‘Oh, I’m so tired. I don’t want to deal with this. I want to watch TV.’ That’s actually a response. You’re not coping with the feeling in your body. Yeah, you might say it’s relaxing, but it’s not. There’s other ways to relax. You could go for a walk, right? There’s healthy ways to move the emotions in your body and then there’s just numbing it out.”

Leaning into healthy coping a little bit at a time

Supriya’s advice for using movement to process somatically

The importance of changing your environment

You have to be discerning about who you talk to

“You shouldn’t talk to someone who’s already in your life because, first of all, they’re not going to be objective in their perception of you, and that is really important right away. Secondly, they’re probably not trained in anything specifically. Coaching is a skill set, just like any other profession out there. Having said that, there are different levels of skill, right? Just again, like any other profession. So I think it’s really important to look at somebody’s credentials and capacity.”

Addressing the unconscious fears around coaching

Some suggestions for tools to support your healing

About Supriya Venkatesan

Supriya Venkatesan works with executives and entrepreneurs across the globe to unlock their total potential. Her focus areas include interpersonal communications, overcoming subconscious blocks, achieving peak performance, and creating real business change.

https://www.samskara.co/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/supriyavenk/

https://www.instagram.com/samskara.co/

Resources:

Interested in starting your own podcast or need help with one you already have? Send Nick an email or schedule a time to discuss your podcast today!

“We are born with everything we need to be successful in life already inside us. We just need to pull it out and use it to our benefit.”

In this episode, Nick speaks with Terry Tucker, who candidly shares his rare melanoma diagnosis and the acceptance of mortality, imparting a profound message about embracing life, facing fears, and recognizing that everything needed for success is already within. He reflects on the divine guidance he believes led him to write his book, emphasizing the importance of surrounding yourself with supportive people and the significance of pursuing passions despite fear. Terry draws parallels between his SWAT team training, battling cancer, and the stages of grief, revealing how each life experience contributed to his resilience. This episode serves as a testament to the strength forged through life’s challenges and the wisdom gained by prioritizing what truly matters.

What to listen for:

Terry’s lessons from early experiences speaking on podcasts

The introversion that came from being a cop

Why you should never write a book to make money

His belief that God puts people on our path to guide us

“People were suggesting that I write a book, and I was really against it. Like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to write a book.’ There’s that old joke that says when we talk to God, it’s called prayer; when God talks to us, it’s called schizophrenia. So God has never told me to write a book, but I have a fairly strong faith life. And I think what God did is he puts people in our path that make the suggestion. And the more people that make the suggestion, I think I’m smart enough to say, okay, maybe this is something that I should do.”

Asking for honest feedback on the first drafts of his book

If it were easy to write a book, everyone would do it

Terry’s experience training to be on a SWAT team

How all of his life experiences helped him with battling cancer

Prioritizing the people and things that matter most

“If there’s something in your heart that you believe you’re supposed to do, but it scares you, go ahead and do it. Because at the end of your life, the things you’re going to regret are not gonna be the things you did. They’re gonna be those things you didn’t do, and by then, it’s gonna be too late to go back and do them. Take your pick; it’s up to you. It’s your show.”

Terry’s experience getting diagnosed with a rare form of melanoma

Navigating the stages of grief that showed up

The powerful lessons he learned from being on sports teams

“One of the big things I learned from being part of team sports, and I think it can be whatever team you’re on, whether it’s your colleagues at work or your family, whatever it is, is the importance of being part of something that’s bigger than yourself. You realize on a team that if you don’t do your job, not only do you let yourself down, but you let your teammates down, your coaches down, your fans down, etc. And if you think about it, the biggest team game that we all play is this game of life.”

Learning to take life and its struggles day by day

Why death doesn’t scare Terry and how he focuses on living

We’re born with everything we need inside of us; we just need to use it

About Terry Tucker:

Terry Tucker is a motivational speaker, author, and international podcast guest on the topics of motivation, mindset, and self-development. He has a business administration degree from The Citadel (where he played NCAA Division I college basketball) and a master’s degree from Boston University. In his professional career, Terry has been a marketing executive, a hospital administrator, a SWAT Team Hostage Negotiator, a high school basketball coach, a business owner, a motivational speaker, and for the past ten years, a cancer warrior (which has resulted in the amputation of his foot in 2018 and his leg in 2020). He is the author of the book “Sustainable Excellence, Ten Principles To Leading Your Uncommon and Extraordinary Life.”

https://www.facebook.com/motivationalcheck/

“It takes a lot of work, but you can change any aspect of yourself and how you show up.”

In this episode, Nick speaks with Jeff Sera about his journey of self-discovery, tracing the origins of his heightened sensitivity and the challenges that come with being so empathic at such a young age. Jeff candidly shares his most transformational experiences, from navigating the complexities of abortion with his high school girlfriend to the awakening he experienced at his aunt’s funeral, where he recognized a disconnection between his emotions and physical being, prompting a desire for healing and presence. Jeff’s insights into staying open to emotional experiences, taking ownership of your personality type, and maintaining self-discipline offer a roadmap for listeners on their own journeys of self-mastery.

What to listen for:

How Jeff developed a heightened sense of empathy

The abortion experience he shared with his high school girlfriend

Starting coaching at 15 to avoid his own traumas

The experience at his aunt’s funeral that woke him up

“I realized I had detached myself emotionally from my physical body. Like I had just suppressed everything and shut it all down. And I was like, ‘I need to do something about this.’ I had a friend that was going to these meditation classes and doing some stuff like that, and I was like, ‘Okay, let’s try that, ’cause me just sitting here with it isn’t working.”

Learning how to hone his empathy and emotional experiences

How Jeff learned to process all the grief and emotions he’d avoided

Expressing our emotions can be polarizing in productive ways

“You’ll repel certain people and be like, ‘Yo, I don’t know what the fuck he’s talking about, I don’t wanna be around that shit.’ And other people will be like, ‘Yeah, I can relate to that, let’s talk deeper about it.’ It could be somebody you’ve known for most of your life, and you’ve just never had that conversation because you’re both afraid of the judgment of the other person. But once something comes up, or you have this level of awareness around it, or as you speak about it more, there are things you can listen to and hear.”

Understanding what spirituality truly means to you

The two aspects of friendship that determine how we bond

Not attaching meaning to the sensations of emotion

The power of grounding ourselves through breathwork

Checking in during interactions so you have no regrets

“The things I would typically reflect on the ride home, I’ll do it in the middle of an interaction or in the middle of an event. To be like, ‘I can shift it right here and right now. And that can change the energy. It gives me awareness of where I’m at and how I wanna be in that interaction. And this allows me to kinda ebb and flow with what’s present in front of me, so I don’t have regrets.”

Appreciating your emotional experiences so you stay open

Jeff’s belief that our personality is actually a choice

His best practices for being disciplined in self-mastery

The importance of understanding that we are always projecting

About Jeff Sera

Jeff Sera is a Self-Development Sensei and a Reiki Practitioner with Food 4 Thought: an empowering, motivational service that supports people with holistically achieving their goals in business, health, personal, or love life. Through an inspiring life of overcoming adversity and developing self-confidence, he shares the secrets of self-discovery and self-mastery, crucial aspects of living one’s best life. His clients discover unlimited possibilities, all while becoming self-confident, with the essential elements of self-love, self-worth, and self-respect.

https://food4thought408.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeff-sera

https://www.instagram.com/yukikazu408/

https://beacons.ai/yukikazu

Resources:

Interested in starting your own podcast or need help with one you already have? Send Nick an email or schedule a time to discuss your podcast today!

Thank you for listening!

“If we don’t have a reason to wake up in the morning and get on our feet and show up in the world, we’re just less likely to do the things that we will need to do.”

In this episode, Nick speaks with Raman Hari, who shares profound insights into the collective anxiety surrounding health in 2020 and delves into the transformative power of accepting life’s challenges. She reflects on the impact of our mindset on navigating difficulties, drawing from her personal journey through health struggles and the emotional upheavals that accompany change and aging. Raman speaks to the significance of showing up for oneself, acknowledging the role of purpose in propelling us forward, and explores her transition from a dental hygienist to a coach, underscoring the importance of a spiritual foundation in her work. If you need support trusting your intuition, managing your emotions, and carving out meaningful moments for self-reflection and change, you’re going to love this conversation.

What to listen for:

Raman’s thoughts on the collective scare around health in 2020

How our character shows up when we deal with challenges

Solidifying yourself starts with acceptance of whatever is happening

Her own story of navigating low-iron and treatments

The fears that crop up when things change and we grow older

“One way that I worked through it with myself is I came to the acceptance of, ‘Oh, actually, I’m kind of angry about this, and I’m just gonna let myself be angry about it for a little bit.’ And I know that once we can actually let ourselves feel what’s going on underneath, which we often can’t see by ourselves, once we come to that acceptance and see what’s really going on, then I believe that our emotions are actually just passing through us. We’re not putting a cap on them. We’re not blocking them out.”

When we want to change, we have to show up for ourselves

Raman’s process of moving through hard things

How purpose keeps us in motion and doing what we need to do

“I know that I have a vision and this deep purpose within me. If I don’t show up for myself, then there’s absolutely no way that I can show up for my purpose. And that would break my heart.”

How we get distracted by pleasure and comfort

Feeling unfulfilled can help direct us toward our purpose

Raman’s journey from dental hygienist to becoming a coach

The importance of having a spiritual foundation to her work

Trusting your intuition to guide you forward

“Our emotions are a great guide. Yet they can also be very reactive at times, right? So I think a great way to discern is, over time, over four months, over six months, over eight months, is there that nagging feeling inside of you that’s saying, ‘This isn’t the right job, this isn’t the right career?’ Rather than, ‘I had an outburst last week, and now I don’t want to do my job anymore.’ It feels like it’s more of this quiet, nagging voice that is there that I find is my intuition.”

How to find pockets of time to create change in your life

Raman’s practice of leaving her phone off until she needs it

Creating space to be with ourselves and our inner world

Love yourself into self-mastery; don’t do it because you hate yourself

About Raman Hari

Raman Hari works as an Intuitive Coach, which combines the modalities of Intuitive Reading and Life Coaching. She has reached over 1 million people through her inspiring social media content, and has been coaching clients through workshops and 1:1 sessions centred around healing anxiety & stress, creating a baseline of inner peace, and living a purpose-driven life. Raman is passionate about healing on a subconscious level and remembering the interconnectedness of our mind, body and spirit.

www.ramanhari.com

www.instagram.com/ramanhari3

https://www.tiktok.com/@ramanhari3

https://linktr.ee/ramanhari3

Free Guide: https://mailchi.mp/ab0b687ad922/grounding-affirmations-mp3

Resources:

Interested in starting your own podcast or need help with one you already have?

“Everybody has time; it comes down to what’s a priority in your life. If you want to move forward in your business or in your relationship, like a giant leap forward, it’s not going to happen through logical rationality and being stuck in your brain.”

In this episode, Nick speaks with Martin Hristov, a Personal Bliss Coach, and self-published author, talks about his journey from chasing material success to finding true fulfillment. He shares how he experimented with various approaches and philosophies, realizing that checking off a list of achievements didn’t bring lasting joy. Martin highlights the importance of creating quiet and intentional spaces to disconnect from daily noise, allowing room for self-reflection and tapping into intuition. He encourages listeners to be honest about time-wasting habits and prioritize what truly matters in their pursuit of contentment. This conversation serves as a practical guide for those looking to discover their own path to fulfillment, highlighting the significance of courage and faith, regardless of one’s religious beliefs, in taking meaningful leaps forward in life.

What to listen for:

Martin’s experience with fasting and its positive benefits

Understanding the body’s biochemical and nutritional needs

Growing up in Bulgaria and his dad winning the green card lottery

Moving to America and learning to become more self-reliant

Realizing that material things don’t lead to fulfillment

“I was very materially driven in my first 10 years in America. I was checking a lot of things on my list with great success. However, what I discovered along this journey is none of those things really gave me any deeper satisfaction, meaning, fulfillment… It was always like, what’s next? And no matter what goal I achieved, I would have felt the same way and end up in the same place within myself. It wouldn’t bring me any more joy or anything like that. So I started to ask myself different questions, right? I was like, what else is there? What else could I actually tap into and start looking into and explore as a means for me to feel fulfillment and find some greater sense of contentment and satisfaction in this life?”

Experimenting with different paths, modalities, and philosophies

Putting intellectual information into practice

Figuring out what resonates with you

Martin’s advice on being able to hear that small still voice inside

“Whether it’s usually it’s the mind is still active and the environment is just not conducive for that because they have no time to slow down and really be with themself in what I call the three S’s, stillness, silence and seclusion. These are fundamental for any of that to take place because you cannot be in a noisy environment or engage with all your devices or being stimulated all the time and expect for the small still voice to show up. It doesn’t. Sorry, but you never hear it because your mind is busy entertaining itself.”

Creating intentional environments to disconnect from the day-to-day noise

Martin’s process of tapping into his intuition

Unlearning the habitual patterns that keep us distracted

Identifying the activities that are a waste of your time

“You have to be honest with yourself, right? First, to have this humbleness to say, ‘yeah, I’m wasting my time in those activities just to distract myself because I don’t wanna really face my problems. I don’t want to sit with the discomfort to really address this issue, so I’m choosing this to distract myself and not look into the real issue here.’ But again, everybody has time. It comes down to what’s a priority in your life.”

The greatest minds have leaned on intuition to guide them

Martin’s advice for others on their path of self-mastery

Building the courage to jump in or leap forward

The power of faith, whether you’re religious or not

About Martin Hristov

Martin is an entrepreneur, self-published author, inspirational speaker, and personal bliss coach. As a thought leader and subject matter expert in holistic wel...

“The most important thing is to build that relationship with yourself. And it sounds so simple, but it’s not because we have so much conditioning. It’s always the first piece of work.”

In this episode, Nick's life and business partner, Stephenie Zamora, openly reflects on her journey from going to school for graphic design to building a personal development-focused business, emphasizing the crucial process of building a relationship with yourself despite societal conditioning. The conversation dives into her purpose-driven life, triggered by a quarter-life crisis and accelerated by a traumatic loss in 2014—both of which completely reshaped her trajectory. Stephenie candidly shares her struggles with PTSD, bankruptcy, health issues, and low self-worth while highlighting the power of intentionality in overcoming challenges and aligning with your right person. If you’re feeling lost and ready to align with what’s right for you, this conversation will help you take ownership and create different outcomes!

What to listen for:

The story of how Stephenie and I met one year ago today

Why purpose has been her purpose for as long as she can remember

Her path of going from graphic design to personal development

Taking the concept of personal responsibility to heart

“What did I do to allow that to happen? And the things that are out of our control, I wanna be very clear about, I would also ask, ‘What do I do now?’ Because it’s not that we manifest everything horrible that happens to us, from abuse to natural disasters to whatever else, but we are responsible for what we choose to do after that.”

How Stephenie’s quarter-life crisis shifted her career trajectory

The traumatic loss in 2014 that flattened her entire life

How she navigated PTSD, bankruptcy, and a slew of health issues

The power of intentionality that brought us together

“I really dug in and got clear, asking, ‘What’s the right life for me?’ I had spent so much of my life aligning with the people I was with, so I decided that I wanted to buy a camper. I wanted to go home to New Mexico. I wanted to move towards owning land. I wanted to focus more on the work that I’m here to do. And in doing that, I feel like the work that I did last year, very intentionally, which is very similar to what you were doing, is what led us to finally meeting.”

Being in the right place to be ready for the right relationship

How these experiences taught Stephenie to trust herself above all else

The harm of giving her power away to people she thought knew best

Stephenie’s process for learning to trust herself again, including moving away

“Everyone told me I was running away, and it certainly looked like that, but I did it very intentionally to step outside of relationships, to go be by myself and to be isolated so that I could hear myself again. Because, and this is true for so many people, what’s right for me is generally different than what most people do or what’s right for most people.”

The importance of aligning with your truth

Questions you can ask yourself to live your purpose

The importance of understanding your subconscious winning strategy

Processing your stored traumas for true freedom

Resources:

Check out Actualize to uncover the purpose that’s been hard-coded into you since before you were born: https://stepheniezamora.com/actualize/

Read Stephenie’s book, Unravel: Rising Up and Coming Back from a Season That Damn Near Killed Me: https://theunravelbook.com/

About Stephenie Zamora

Stephenie Zamora is an author and coach, business and marketing strategist, and co-founder of Choose Your Calling—a new revolution in purpose, contribution, and creative solutions for systemic and social issues. Her work has been merging the worlds of personal development, digital media, and online marketing to help individuals build purpose-driven lives and businesses for nearly two decades, and her content helps catalyze individuals on their healing and growth journeys so they can uncover the purpos...

“I really had to look in the mirror and was like, who do you want to be, and what do you wanna be remembered for? It is important for me that there is some sort of legacy. I always want to make sure that I’m having an impact on people who I do not know. That has been my purpose.”

In this episode, Nick speaks with Kadeem Alphanso Fyffe, who shares his journey as an openly gay Black man living in the South, and reflects on the challenges of reconciling his identity with cultural and religious expectations. He discusses his early self-actualization and the positives of that, along with the importance of representation on TV for children (himself included). The conversation dives into the fashion industry’s challenges and gatekeeping, Kadeem’s beliefs about possibility and self-discipline, and the balance between work and enjoyment in life. He also touches on the artist’s dilemma, taking leaps of faith, his quarter-life crisis, and the power of being purpose-driven with a focus on leaving a meaningful legacy and self-improvement.

What to listen for:

Kadeem’s experience living in the South as an openly gay Black man

Experiencing a heteronormative tradition and feeling acceptance in that

Working to keep his cultural traditions as a Jamaican American

Navigating the limits of Christianity’s beliefs around his sexuality

Being forced to grow up quickly and self-actualize at a young age

“I was kind of drilled with this idea that being gay was bad, but I always knew inside myself that this is just how I was born, and I don’t need to be ashamed of it. I’m happy that I went through that very young because it helped me self-actualize very, very young and made me, forced me to grow up. I was like, ‘This is who I am, and the world’s gonna have to accept me as I am.’”

The day Kadeem came out to take control of his narrative

Why representation on TV was so important for him (and is for others)

Living out loud and proud as a role model for other kids

The importance of seeing yourself in someone else and the possibilities that come with it

Walking into a room with confidence and owning who you are

“I’m obviously black, I’m obviously open with my sexuality, and I express it through clothing and things like that. And so when I walk into a room, I walk in confidently, and that just signals to everybody, like, I’m here, and this is just what it’s gonna be. And then that also might signal to someone else who maybe isn’t as secure with themselves in whatever category. They can see me and know that it’s okay to be confident in yourself in whatever room we’re in.”

The challenge and gate-keeping of the fashion industry

Kadeem’s belief that things are possible as long as you’re steadfast

The difficulty of self-discipline for creative minds

His practices for staying in flow and getting things done

The trap of “working to live” vs. “living to work”

“Unfortunately, our Americans, I think, are people who live to work. Like we get up and we’re like, ‘Gotta work.’ And so I think it’s just about unlearning that a little bit and saying, ‘Okay, well yes, I do have to work because we do all have to produce, and we do all have bills that we need to pay, but you can also try to insert a little bit of that fun and that enjoyment?’ Like, what is the thing that when you do it, you feel happy?”

Consumption and the artist’s dilemma

Navigating the fear of taking a leap of faith

Kadeem’s quarter-life crisis and how it helped him

The power of being purpose-driven and leading with legacy in mind

Self-love and the determination to become your best self

About Kadeem Fyffe:

Kadeem Alphanso Fyffe is a Jamaican-American fashion designer, consultant, and author, designing under his namesake label: Kadeem Alphanso Fyffe | New York. He serves as Head of Design/Consultant for start-ups across various Active and Ready-To-Wear categories. Several publications have featured his design work, including People, Cosmopolitan, Medium, Fashionista,

“If there’s pain that’s in there, you can get help. You can get through it. You can actually live that life that you secretly dream about. And if you’re in the middle of it right now, just keep going. There’s a lot more that can be done, and there’s hope within all of this.”

In this episode, we hit a major milestone in the 100th episode of the show. Wow, has it been a hell of a ride so far?! To celebrate how far we’ve come, Nick shares some clips and reflects on topics such as the importance of finding happiness and contentment in one’s processes, adapting to change, and embracing challenges. Select guests discuss the power of knowing one’s story, being present in the moment, overcoming trauma, mastering communication, and healing from various forms of abuse. Overall, it’s a reflective and insightful exploration of personal development, resilience, and all the core tenets of what it takes to shift your mindset and live on a path of ever-evolving self-mastery.

What to listen for:

Going back to the beginning: my first guest and my first mistake

The pride of making it to 100 episodes when so many podcasters quit

Dive into our program for starting your own podcast

Finding happiness and contentment in your processes

“When you think about the process that you put in place for whatever you’re doing, whatever you’re working on, whatever your passion project is, or even the project that you’re working on at work or in your own business, the process in which you do it can change and adapt. But you’ve got to find happiness or contentment within that. Now I say ‘you’ve got to do that’ because I truly believe that there’s pleasure within that, there’s purpose within that as well. That also opens up additional doors.”

Our goal on this show is to get deeper into mindset and self-mastery

The power of knowing your story with Jose Rosado

You’re actively growing, even when you have down times

Learning to let life flow instead of having to always be the driver

Getting through challenging seasons with Brian Goldsack

“It’s that awareness to be able to be in that moment that I think some people just get stuck in. ‘Well, I don’t like how this thing worked out, and I really want to be upset about it.’ Like, look, you can be upset about it. You can talk to people. You can think through this stuff. But you’ve got to be able to get through it. And you’ve got to actually call out what’s going on and be mindful of it.”

Finding the meaning inside of suffering so you can grow

Nothing’s wrong with you when you’re blocked; it’s just trauma

Love and support vs. the “disciplinary daddy” with Cliff Washington

How conflict often touches on our deeper core wounds

Becoming a master communicator with Eric Hemati

“If you want to be a master communicator, you have to take responsibility on yourself to enter other people’s worlds. And you can’t view it as a burden or a chore. ‘Man, why am I always the one that has to modify the way that I am?’ but that’s a totally normal way to think. That’s your ego yelling. And yeah, sometimes it does suck, right? But it’s also a massive opportunity and an awesome exploit for those of us that are adventurers and explorers and all that stuff.”

Looking more closely at the way we interpret things

Permission to dominate (not others, but yourself) with Liz Lopez

Taking those first steps toward what you want

Everybody’s had a shitty childhood with Mike Bassett

“The childhood trauma that we’ve gone through, even if it wasn’t as bad as somebody else’s or as violent or as crazy or anything like that, it could still be a trauma. But what are you gonna do about it? And that’s not to bypass what you’ve gone through or say that what you’d gone through isn’t still deeply affecting you, but that’s kind of the point here. If it’s deeply affecting you, what are you going to do about it? And what have you done about it? What can you process through to be able to get through that situation and understand that it’s behind you?”

“Mindset is just step one because with mindset comes action. And it’s only if you take action on the things that you’re learning, the things that you’re discovering, can you make any kind of change.”

In this episode, Nick speaks with Natalie Mullin about her journey of facing the pressure and challenges that come with running a business that’s like your baby and the toll it took on her mental health. She also delves into the unexpected divorce request from her husband as a result of overworking and the challenging depression that followed.

What to listen for:

Natalie’s background in teaching, coaching, and starting a tea business

Navigating building a business while living in Antigua

The pressure that comes with people knowing about your business

Challenges that took a toll on Natalie’s mental health

“It wasn’t just business. Because the thing is, when you start a business, it’s like your baby, right? You’re so attached to it. And so somebody comes and tries to knock it off, or maybe they try to hurt your business, they spread lies, like all of these things… It really takes a toll on your mental health and psyche. And I never even saw that as a possibility. All I wanted to do was sell bubble tea.”

Working to find balance in her life as an ambitious person

How Natalie ended up blindsided by her husband asking for a divorce

The depression and rock bottom that followed her marriage ending

When your life falls apart, you have to sit with the mess

Why she pretended like everything was okay when it wasn’t

“It’s rock bottom. But then eventually you’re like, ‘okay, I gotta build myself back up. How do I get out of this?’ So I started working with a wellness coach, and she was like, ‘You gotta prioritize your own wellbeing. Put him aside.’ I was spending all my effort trying to get him to work on the relationship, trying to get him back. And she was like, ‘No, you’ve gotta stop. You’ve gotta focus on fixing yourself.’”

How Natalie did the work to start finding herself again

Taking ownership of her role and learning you can’t control other people

How focusing on herself created the opportunity to restore her marriage

Learning to let go, surrender, and trust in what’s happening

Finding the inner motivation to keep going

“You gotta pull from deep within somewhere. And sometimes you have to pull on other people’s strength; I just wanna share that. There was a point I had zero motivation even to wake up and open my eyes in the morning. I was like, ‘I can’t do it.’ But thankfully, I did have people in my life who were like, ‘Natalie, pull it together. Get up, go wash your face. I’m coming over; we’re gonna go do this.’ And go to therapy, sit, and figure out where you went wrong. What can you do better? It’s really important.’”

Unearthing childhood wounds she didn’t know were three

Why you can’t take bad things happening in your life personally

The difference between hope and denial and facing the reality of what’s happening

Holding marriage as a life-long commitment and why we don’t always see it that way

Why Natalie and her husband feel grateful for their hard time

“We came back stronger, and we came back because we chose to come back to each other as opposed to just staying together because we felt like we had to. This was a conscious choice. I think that intentionality, it’s like if we could find our way back to each other through all of that, we know to never let things slip that much again to ever get here again.”

Going through dark times and digging into the work

Partnership should support both people in thriving

Understanding that people grow at different paces

The importance of having a vision and clarity in your life

Mindset is just step one; you also have to take action

Steps you can take if you’re not happy with something

About Natalie Mullin:

Natalie Mullin is a Certified Wellness Educator, Speaker, and Coach focused on helping teachers and women with side hustles develop a new relationship with time so they can purs...

“You can either take that emotion that wells up and put it into a box and push it away, or you can take that emotion and do something with it. And that’s where self-control comes into play.”

In this episode, Nick talks about cultivating self-control and what your mindset has to do with that. And there’s just no other way around it. You have to be able to actually think through what’s going on, but you have to also couple it with what you’re feeling in a moment.

What to listen for:

How do we be in control in each moment, moment by moment

What Self-Control actually is and how it affects us more than we think it does

What control looks like for each of us and how we each handle it differently

What system I’ve created that works for me and how I still work on it each and every day

“What is self-control?”

Nick defines self-control and what its goal is for us

How self-control works with our impulses, emotions, and behaviors

Sometimes, we need to be put in a tough situation in order to stretch ourselves and test our self-control

What we learned with self-control at an early age, for some of us we were burned by the learning experience

“You really gotta think, is it worth any of the stuff that would come along with it? Would you feel better? Even if you think you may, I guarantee that you wouldn’t.”

We don’t always need world-shattering situations to use our self-control; we can see it tested in everyday situations

When we take a beat and tap into our power, we can make a decision that is right for us and others

Without constantly stalling or slowing yourself down, there is power in being able to consider the consequences in any situation

“Learn from it, grow from it, and just start over again. And start it from that moment. It starts day one all over again.”

How we can and must show ourselves grace when we mess up or fall on our face

Nick relates self-control to managing ourselves and using addictions as a source for a self-control workout

Self-control, like self-mastery, is not a destination but a journey

About Nick McGowan

I’m Nick McGowan, entrepreneur, podcaster, and mental health advocate, and I've been on a 20+ year journey of personal development, learning to master my mindset, emotions, and the art of living with purpose.

As a Mindset and Self-Mastery Mentor, I work with ambitious men and women who want to live their most authentic and joyous life, by helping them master their mindset, emotional awareness, and authentic communication. My mission is to empower people to lead lives that feel aligned, grounded, and truly their own.

Throughout my career, I’ve built teams, streamlined systems, and improved client experiences across SaaS, media, marketing, and personal development spaces. Whether I’m leading cross-functional projects, optimizing SEO, Podcasting, designing strategies, or guiding clients through transformation, I bring a hands-on, solution-focused approach to everything I do.

I’m also the host of The Mindset and Self-Mastery Show, where my guests and I unpack the stories that shape us, challenge us, and ultimately guide us back to who we are at our core. On this show, we uncover the secret gems others have discovered through trial, error, and breakthroughs so you can fast-track your growth, and master your mindset on your pursuit toward self-mastery. 

With years of podcasting and two decades of marketing experience, I’ve mastered the storytelling, interview flow, strategy, and technical production that elevate a podcast from "just content" to something truly impactful. Whether you're a leader looking to amplify your message, or a seasoned speaker and podcast host looking to sharpen your edge or even a beginner who is wondering how to share their message, I mentor thought leaders through every step of having the conversation they're here to have on this planet.

So, what message are you here to share?!

Resources:

Check out this other episode that get into self-control: