The Mindset and Self-Mastery Show

“Sometimes having grace with ourselves is really difficult. Sometimes even just understanding that we’re going through shit and not that just we’ve been perpetually off for weeks or months or even years. But having grace with ourselves is where things actually help us to be able to grow.”

In this episode, Nick talks about the importance of showing ourselves grace during our growth stages as well as our off-season from growth.

What to listen for:

How I repealed away from who I was and went a bit too far

What “showing ourselves grace” looks and feels like

Practical steps to being aware in the moment as well as looking back on the past and how to not judge ourselves for our past

Tips I’ve learned throughout my journey in personal development, spiritual growth, physical growth, and mental.

“I need to show grace to myself. I’m not gonna be graceful in all the things that I do. I’m gonna be a fucking shit show in most of the situations and just kind of figuring life out. But having grace with myself as I move through things was crucial. It was also extremely difficult. It didn’t always work out the way that it needed to, but sometimes that’s what life looks like.”

How and why I questioned what I had done in the past and leaned on personal judgment

Showing ourselves grace doesn’t always mean things are graceful or even peaceful

How I ran from my past and dove deeply into personal development but went a little too hard

Hindsight is a part of our journey but not something we can tap into at the moment

“It can be really easy to beat yourself up. Maybe it’s just really easy for me. It might be similar for you. And if it’s easy for you to beat yourself up about those things, you can also find that little space in between beating yourself up and understanding that you need to do something and holding yourself accountable. There’s a space for grace right in the middle there.”

Beating ourselves up about a situation doesn’t actually help the situation

Finding the space between being hard on yourself and holding yourself accountable is where personal grace lives

Showing yourself grace can be almost like a superpower to slow things down and see a situation more clearly

“Being able to show yourself grace in those seasons and in those dark times can help you to gracefully move through the rest of what’s gonna happen from there.”

How taking a step back from the path you’re on can, in the long run, help not hinder your growth at times

Even athletes have an “off-season” but we must listen to ourselves about when and how to take that time

Practical steps to take a break and how to effectively grow after that

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,

“Being able to understand what’s actually happening, removing the interpretation and the stories that you can tell about what you think is actually happening. is a key component to being able to separate yourself from any of the bullshit that could flood your system. Once you’re able to do that, you can then actually get to your intuition.”

In this episode, Nick discusses a recent experience of making major life decisions and changes by trusting his intuition and insight as to how you can make decisions through your intuition. Sometimes, life seems to throw curveballs at us, while other times, we seem to summon our own curveballs. Nick found the intuition to be like a muscle that needs to be worked, or it will atrophy.

What to listen for

How I stacked multiple life changes in a window of 45 days

Why I believe our intuition is like a muscle that, if not worked,d will atrophy

What is a “winning strategy”?

How our interpretation of events drastically changes the way we move through the event and after

“I’ve changed up a lot of things that I’m doing. And recently, I’ve been diving deeper and deeper into who I am, my personality, my personality type, what I’m really made of, and why I’ve made a lot of the decisions that I’ve made over the course of my life.”

Understanding our personality type helps us understand why we act and react the way we do

When we understand what our winning strategy is, we can change the way we view our lives

Why trusting our instincts isn’t all woo-woo but divine messaging to us

“I have really tried to figure out how do I do the best that I can in a very entrepreneurial way. Like I remember even saying to the company I was at most recently, I was like, I don’t give a fuck who’s at the top. I own what I can own.”

Our position in a company shouldn’t determine the things we can or can’t do to make for a better situation for all around us

Understanding your role in your company or the company you work with

As an entrepreneur, it’s in our blood to ask “Why?” and to take ownership

“I’ve struggled with my intuition, literally struggled with it. I’ve gotten to the point over the course of, I’d say the past maybe five or ten years, really working on the muscle of my intuition. And having conversations with God, having conversations with my intuition, which I think are all basically about the same anyway, and really being able to pull that knowledge, that universal knowledge.”

If we don’t use our intuition, it’ll become atrophied or so muted we can’t hear it at all

How our intuition speaks to us and how we can best listen

The three steps I use to tap into my intuition and to follow its guidance

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 marke...

“The purpose of this show, the mindset and self-mastery show is for us to be able to heal and be able to better manage our mindset and to be able to find our own sense and purpose within our self-mastery. Self-mastery is basically just discipline and being disciplined in different ways and not being restrictive. However, things have changed a bit.”

In this episode,  Nick talks about how sometimes we, as podcasts, people, organizations, etc.… need to change, and that change is not only inevitable, but it’s totally ok. Over almost two years of the show’s existence, most of the episodes have been interview-style episodes, and it’s time for that to shift a bit.

Though the guests have been incredible, we're taking a shift in the episode’s format to dive a bit deeper into Nick's life, lessons, wise thoughts, and overall smartassisms.

Listen to the episode where Nick discusses why he started the show and learn more about the show's catalyst events and early days. Check it out here.

What to listen for

Why we're making a change in the show’s format and how long its been in the works

What’s new in Nick's life and how he left the rat race of corporate America

The direction the show is going

“I still didn’t fully know when I was supposed to leave and what that was supposed to look like and then one morning…”

Nick's corporate job was just a bandage for him playing small and trying to appease his ex-wife and his ego

When he left he was dead to them… instantly without any funeral

“As an entrepreneur, I started another company and I have my partner that I’m with.”

What’s next and what’s new

Nick will be diving much deeper into what’s on his heart and having guests that are doing incredible works in the world

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 Episode #10 where I share why I started the show and the crazy path I took to get here.

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!

Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.

"I am I’m a catholic lesbian and am out. I guess you’d say now I’m out and proud”

In this episode, Nick speaks with Dawn Dimicco, the founder of Epic Redemption Coaching. She’s also a devout catholic who came out as gay and discusses how her religious beliefs comingle with her sexual orientation.

What to listen for:

How she never thought she’d be an author but a book seemingly poured out of her

Her step into being her authentic self as well as stepping deeper into her faith

How her health coaching started and how it’s evolved over the years into what she’s doing today

What it means to Dawn about being a catholic lesbian

“I’m an open book I share so much of my life so people that are new to me what they probably don’t know or see as much of anymore is a lot of my faith I am I’m a catholic lesbian and am out. I guess you’d say now I’m out and proud”

What it was like growing up in the catholic church and always feeling a bit different

What it was like being married to a man before coming out

“I got baptized in a hot tub, you know? Did all the things, and I know that for me a lot of it was like being gay is wrong, you’re not supposed to be gay”

How she struggled and handled having gay feelings but feeling like it “Wasn’t right” to act on those feelings

How Dawn understood later in life the system she was a part of and the privilege she had to be a gifted white athlete from a middle-class family

About her time ministering to youth and how she would feed them lines while not fully believe herself

“There were a lot of tears I knew when I stopped trying to pry away my feelings”

How she doubled down on her faith

Dawn stopped taking communion at church because of her shift and how she felt unclean

About the conversations she had with some long-time religious friends when she stepped into her authentic self

About Dawn DiMicco

Dawn DiMicco is the founder of Epic Redemption Coaching. She has utilized her experiences as a mental performance coach, dual-sport collegiate athlete, military spouse, and business owner to help her clients gain the confidence, courage, and mental toughness they need in order to live the life they were meant to.

https://www.facebook.com/EpicRedemptionCoaching

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dawn-dimicco/

https://www.instagram.com/dawndimicco/

https://linktr.ee/dawndimicco

Resources:

Check out Episode #34 about “Being True To Who You Are Wherever You Are”

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!

Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089

Watch Clips and highlights: www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1tCM7KTe3hrq_-UAa6GHA

Guest Inquiries right here: [email protected]

Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show”

https://youtu.be/QsAhgCog_b4

"There was no talk of you know, higher consciousness. There was not even any talk of therapy."

In this episode, Nick speaks with Phyllis Leavitt about bringing therapy to America and how her work with children and families as a psychotherapist for over 30 years has shed light on how important therapy is for everyone. She’s worked extensively with abuse and dysfunctional family dynamics and has a new book coming out that’s going to be full of wisdom with the goal of opening the doors to therapy for families throughout the country and the globe.

What to listen for:

About how the world has changed and opened spiritually since Phyllis was a child

About her work as a psychotherapist for over 30 years

How Phyllis was channeling healing and knowledge from an early age and how she handled that in a world that didn’t speak of spirituality

“The world that I grew up in, there was no talk of spirituality, there was no talk of out-of-body experiences, there was no talk of you know, higher consciousness. There was not even any talk of therapy actually as I grew up and so I just found myself to be kind of an odd person from a very early age because I had very different experiences than anyone ever talked about in my family”

Growing up in the 40s and 50s no one really spoke about channeling or spirituality around her

How being an odd person helped her to see others more authentically

What encouraged her to seek deeper meanings in life, people, and circumstances

“There were just really strong impulses, and there were times when I would sort of ask a question in my min,d and I would get a really clear answer from somewhere”

“Mindset” wasn’t a word she was familiar with as a child

How she learned to seek answers and speak to her intuition

About how system thinking controlled the population and still does, and what this meant to her psychotherapy practice

“Understanding what happens within the individual and about families today is so conditioned by the people that we grow up”

How generational trauma and traditions affect and infect generations of people

Becoming aware of the family system and breaking from the mold of it all

How the election of 2016 traumatized people and what it meant/means for the future of America

About Phyllis Leavitt

Phyllis Leavitt graduated from Antioch University with a Masters Degree in Psychology and Counseling in 1989. She co-directed a sexual abuse treatment program called Parents United in Santa Fe, New Mexico, until 1991 and had a small private practice before going into private practice full-time. Phyllis has been a psychotherapist treating children, families, couples, and individual adults for 32 years and has worked extensively with abuse and dysfunctional family dynamics, their aftermath, and some of the most important elements for healing. She has also published two books, “A Light in the Darkness” and “Into the Fire“, and I am presently working with a professional editor on the book I have written about bringing America to therapy. I live in Taos, NM, and I am mostly retired now, focusing on writing.

https://www.facebook.com/phyllis.leavitt

https://www.linkedin.com/in/phyllis-leavitt-630179255/

https://www.instagram.com/pel2347/

https://www.phyllisleavitt.com

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCRMX8JYZZm4wpzFbcFIV13w

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!

Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089

Watch Clips and highlights: www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1tCM7KTe3hrq_-UAa6GHA

Guest Inquiries right here: [email protected]

Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show”

https://youtu.be/UVtqNZGn5Qw

In this episode, Nick speaks with Karen Romine, who had always heard voices in her head, even as a child. They were voices of the dead. She expressed these voices and easily discussed death, but coming from a religious home, her parents were concerned with her mental health and her faith in God, so they placed her in a religious school. Karen quickly learned that she shouldn’t talk about her experiences with the voices, so she kept that quiet. Later on in life, a co-worker wanted to go visit a medium. Karen hadn’t heard of a medium, and when she learned that people got paid to speak to the dead, her whole world lit up as she felt like she wasn’t fully able to be herself hiding her gift.

About Karen Romine:

Karen Romine is a certified psychic medium. People seek her out regarding life events, looking for answers and healing. She uses her abilities to communicate with spirit (yes, she talks to dead people!) to create a space for an honest conversation and education to help them to reach their goals. Karen’s personal mission is to live life in integrity, treat others with kindness and respect, and to remember the words of Les Brown, “ Life has no limitations, except the ones you make.”

https://www.facebook.com/KarenRominePsychicMedium/

https://www.instagram.com/karenrominepsychicmedium/

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!

Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089

Watch Clips and highlights: www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1tCM7KTe3hrq_-UAa6GHA

Guest Inquiries right here: [email protected]

Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show”

https://youtu.be/7-hBe4zRcyg

In this episode, Nick speaks with Gregory Shepard, who struggled with certain things due to autism and being dyslexic, but he learned how to self-master and overcome to the point where he is now very successful, creating and running multiple businesses. He was able to use certain mindsets to create his success. He uses five principles – Focus, Drive, Enthusiasm, Discipline, and Optimism. Focus – you have to be able to focus on what you are trying to do and achieve. Drive – your reason why. Enthusiasm – be excited about what you are doing. Discipline – these rules are meant to be followed. Optimism – Look ahead on the bright side.

About Gregory Shepard

Greg is a 20-year startup veteran and serial entrepreneur with 14 liquidity events under his belt, two of which were sold as part of a $925M transaction that won 4 Private Equity awards for transactions between $250M-$1B. He is a ForbesBooks author, a TEDx speaker, and the host of the Forbes Radio ‘The BOSS‘ Podcast. Greg Co-Founded BOSS Capital Partners, a global syndicate for investing in tech startups. He also Co-Founded BOSS Startup Science with a learning center based on the University of San Diego campus. He developed the Business Operating Support System (BOSS) as an open-source methodology to empower entrepreneurs while increasing startup success rate. Greg’s massive success can also be linked to his 7 neurodivergent conditions which allow him to see business opportunities differently. He lives in San Diego with his wife, two children, and his potbellied pig, Winnebago.

Contact Info: 

https://www.facebook.com/GregoryJShepard/

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

https://www.instagram.com/gregshepard_/

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!

Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089

Watch Clips and highlights: www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1tCM7KTe3hrq_-UAa6GHA

Guest Inquiries right here: [email protected]

Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show”

https://youtu.be/f9gf2UNhlW8

In this episode, Nick speaks with Sean Robinson, who didn’t really think too much about drinking. His parents were in their 20s when they had Sean, so he grew up with drinking, as his parents would socially drink and host parties. It was always normal, so as he got older, he was drinking, too. Like most of us in our 20s, Sean, too, was having the best time of his life, drinking, hanging out with friends, having fun, & just feeling his best. But getting older, the scene and the feelings start to change. Sean craved to feel like he did in his 20s, and he kept thinking drinking would make him feel good again. He would pre-drink, and drink everything and then some when camping, trying to chase the 20-year-old version of himself. Sean came to realize that he was never going to catch that version of himself and some changes need to be made. Time to give up drinking.

About Sean Robinson

Sean is a 38-year-old husband and father of 3 children under 9. He works in the construction industry and has been a volunteer firefighter for many years. Having spent the majority of his life in 2 of the most masculine sectors, it gave him the impression that he had to live a typical lifestyle and have a typical mentality about it.

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100086376760527

https://www.linkedin.com/in/sean-robinson-161723a9

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!

Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089

Watch Clips and highlights: www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1tCM7KTe3hrq_-UAa6GHA

Guest Inquiries right here: [email protected]

Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show”

https://youtu.be/KLCT8Tn2dTY

In this episode, Nick speaks with Tom Paladino, who has always looked up to Nikola Tesla. Just like Tesla, Tom has been working towards providing free energy to the public.

There is natural, free, clean energy all around us, it’s just about how we tap into that. Tom’s research and work have been working towards harnessing into scalar energy, which is energy from the stars, including our sun. With the current state of our energy crisis, Tom is more passionate about figuring out how to tap into this energy and provide it for free to everyone.  However, with controversial science comes a certain mindset.

About Tom Paladino

Tom is a Holistic Medical Expert, Scalar Energy Researcher & Humanitarian based in Florida.

Scalar energy is the fundamental life force found everywhere in the world, space and universe. It originates from the sun and stars. Chi, prana, OM, mana, life force, pyramid energy or zero-point energy are synonymous terms for scalar energy.

Tom theorized that all energy in the universe initiates as scalar energy; and that the sun of our solar system and the stars of the universe are the points of origin, “the storehouses,” for scalar energy.

He further theorized that scalar energy is instructive energy, as the entire universe is instructed by this Divine Essence. Subsequently, all spiritual, cognitive, emotional, and physical activity in the universe is initiated and maintained by scalar energy instructions. Scalar energy provides order in the universe.

https://www.facebook.com/experiencescalar

https://www.instagram.com/scalarlight/

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

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!

Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089

Watch Clips and highlights: www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1tCM7KTe3hrq_-UAa6GHA

Guest Inquiries right here: [email protected]

Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show”

https://youtu.be/teNBdJtozlU

In this episode, Nick speaks with Ariel Goldenberg, who took a big leap by moving to America from Israel, wanting a better life. After moving here, both he and his wife put every ounce of their being into getting their business up and running, meaning they cut social activities, friends, and hangouts.

They kept pushing forward for about 6 years until they felt like they could relax a little bit. Getting into the fitness industry, Ariel has learned a lot about how our mindsets can set the tone for failure or success, both in and out of the gym.

Trauma is usually what holds us back, and taking care of your health can help overcome that, as our mindsets and who we are, and what we believe can change as we learn to push ourselves forward.

About Ariel Goldenberg

Ariel is a health and fitness coach. He works mostly with men over 40. He worked as a chef for a few years and then studied the science behind food and nutrition. He is a big believer in the mind as our greatest tool to become better physically and mentally.

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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!

Please subscribe on iTunes and give us a 5-Star review! https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mindset-and-self-mastery-show/id1604262089

Watch Clips and highlights: www.youtube.com/channel/UCk1tCM7KTe3hrq_-UAa6GHA

Guest Inquiries right here: [email protected]

Your Friends at “The Mindset & Self-Mastery Show”

https://youtu.be/P_lRazO14KI