There are years when we refine. And there are years when we run.

This episode marks the beginning of the Fire Horse year, a collective one-year in numerology, and I’m sharing how I’m intentionally planning for a year designed to move fast. Not from pressure. Not from force. But from alignment.

In this conversation, I’m pulling back the curtain on how astrology, Human Design, and strategic planning have shaped the evolution of the Spiritual Business Incubator — and how learning to trust timing (instead of pushing against it) completely changed the trajectory of my launches, my growth, and my leadership.

If you’ve ever felt like you were trying to force momentum… or like you missed your moment… this episode will invite you into a different way of building. One where planning meets energetics. Where intuition is validated by strategy. And where you prepare for your success instead of bracing for disappointment.

This is about building in rhythm with who you are, and the season you’re in.

In This Episode:

• Why the Year of the Fire Horse and a collective one-year signal acceleration and bold movement
• How astrology validated (and corrected) my launch timing. and what happened when I ignored it
• The lesson from my “heavy” launch vs. my most successful launch ever
• Why systems matter more than hype in a high-growth year
• What it actually means to plan for your best-case scenario
• How to think beyond linear business strategy and layer in energetics, identity, and nervous system capacity
• The shift I’m making in 2026 to build sustainability, leadership, and long-term impact

Resources:

Sign up for “The CEO Shift” FREE webinar!

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/the-ceo-shift

Purchase my book here!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966346050/

View the full show notes for this episode: https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/blog/episode161

Learn more about the Spiritual Business Incubator Mastermind:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/incubator-mastermind

Get the Aligned Biz Quiz here!
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hd-quiz

Ready to design your business around your Human Design?
Book a 1:1 Human Design for Business Reading:
www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdreading

Learn more about your Human Design with the 64 Gates Library
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdlibrary

Get your personalized Entrepreneur by Design HD Report:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/business-report

Interactive Human Design Chart:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdchart

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamannanichols

Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols)

Design Your Aligned Business PDF Guide:
https://iamannanichols.ck.page/aligned_biz_guide

Connect with Anna Nichols:
Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols/)

Your business doesn’t need another strategy pulled from someone else’s playbook.
It needs a plan that actually matches where you are right now.

In this episode, Anna breaks down why business growth is not one-size-fits-all, and why so many entrepreneurs feel stuck, scattered, or tempted to start over when they skip the natural stages of business development. If you’ve ever felt pressure to “do it all” or wondered why certain strategies feel wrong for you, this conversation will bring clarity and relief.

Using the analogy of building a house, Anna walks you through the four stages of business growth and what each stage is truly designed for, so you can stop forcing the next level before your foundation is ready, and start building with intention, sustainability, and long-term vision in mind.

This episode is an invitation to slow down, get honest about your current stage, and trust that aligned growth happens in an order, for a reason.

In This Episode:

• Why your business growth plan must be aligned to your current stage of business
• The four stages of business development, and what each one actually requires
• How skipping stages creates confusion, instability, and short-term thinking
• Why clarity and foundation come before consistency, expansion, and scale
• How to build a business with longevity, profitability, and purpose at the core
• What it really means to grow with the long game, and legacy, in mind

If you’re ready to stop building from pressure and start building from alignment, this episode will help you see exactly where you are, and what comes next.

The Spiritual Business Incubator

Join us for the Spring 2026 cohort! 

Learn more: spiritualbusinessincubator.com

Resources:

Sign up for “The CEO Shift” FREE webinar!

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/the-ceo-shift

Purchase my book here!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966346050/

View the full show notes for this episode: https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/blog/episode161

Learn more about the Spiritual Business Incubator Mastermind:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/incubator-mastermind

Get the Aligned Biz Quiz here!
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hd-quiz

Ready to design your business around your Human Design?
Book a 1:1 Human Design for Business Reading:
www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdreading

Learn more about your Human Design with the 64 Gates Library
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdlibrary

Get your personalized Entrepreneur by Design HD Report:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/business-report

Interactive Human Design Chart:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdchart

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamannanichols

Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols)

Connect with Anna Nichols:
Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols/)

What if the reason your business feels heavy isn’t because you’re doing it wrong, but because you’re not taking it seriously enough?

In this episode, Anna shares an honest, soul-level truth about what it actually takes to build a soul-aligned business that lasts. Not the romanticized version. Not the “just trust the universe” version. But the grounded reality of leadership, responsibility, and devotion to the mission you already know you’re here to build.

Through a powerful story of connecting with her higher self, and being handed “the plan” Anna invites you to stop pretending you don’t know what you’re meant to create. This conversation is for the visionary who feels the weight of their work, knows their mission is bigger than them, and is ready to lead it with clarity, structure, and intention.

This is your reminder: alignment doesn’t replace strategy. It deepens it.

In this episode:

• Why soul-aligned businesses still require seriousness, structure, and leadership
• The difference between building something meaningful and building something that lasts
• What it really means to have a plan, and why avoiding it keeps you stuck
• How identity, responsibility, and vision evolve as you step into the CEO role
  Why sustainable growth isn’t about doing more, it’s about building differently

The CEO Shift Workshop

If this episode resonates, you’re invited to join us for The CEO Shift, a free 3-day interactive workshop happening February 3–5.

This experience will help you:

• Step out of solopreneur mode
• Understand what stage your business is actually in
• Learn how to think, plan, and lead like a CEO

Sign up here:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/the-ceo-shift

Resources:

Sign up for “The CEO Shift” FREE webinar!

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/the-ceo-shift

Purchase my book here!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966346050/

View the full show notes for this episode: https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/blog/episode161

Learn more about the Spiritual Business Incubator Mastermind:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/incubator-mastermind

Get the Aligned Biz Quiz here!
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hd-quiz

Ready to design your business around your Human Design?
Book a 1:1 Human Design for Business Reading:
www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdreading

Learn more about your Human Design with the 64 Gates Library
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdlibrary

Get your personalized Entrepreneur by Design HD Report:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/business-report

Interactive Human Design Chart:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdchart

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamannanichols

Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols)

Connect with Anna Nichols:
Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols/)

Your business is growing. People are responding. Opportunities are stacking. And somehow… it feels both exciting and destabilizing at the same time. This episode is a real-time, behind-the-scenes reflection on what happens when the thing you’ve been building actually starts to work, and asks more of you than ever before.

I’m sharing candidly from the middle of my own expansion: leading a growing team, regulating my nervous system as momentum builds, and claiming the CEO role in a deeper way. If you’re on the edge of delegating, expanding support, or realizing your vision is bigger than what one person can hold, this conversation will meet you right where you are.

In this episode:

• What it really means to be in the “It’s Working” era of business
• The internal and leadership shifts required as your business gains momentum
• Why growth often brings nervous system activation, and how to work with it
• The move from solopreneur to CEO (and why team support becomes non-negotiable)
• Building a business that’s sustainable, aligned, and bigger than just you

The SBI Team:

Liz: https://www.instagram.com/lizzyjane.co

Irene: https://www.instagram.com/by_irenemckenna/

Maria: https://www.instagram.com/itsmariacrider/

Nel: https://www.instagram.com/marihnelroces/

The CEO Shift Workshop

If this episode resonates, you’re invited to join us for The CEO Shift, a free 3-day interactive workshop happening February 3–5.

This experience will help you:

• Step out of solopreneur mode
• Understand what stage your business is actually in
• Learn how to think, plan, and lead like a CEO

Sign up here:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/the-ceo-shift

Resources:

Sign up for “The CEO Shift” FREE webinar!

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/the-ceo-shift

Purchase my book here!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966346050/

View the full show notes for this episode: https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/blog/episode161

Learn more about the Spiritual Business Incubator Mastermind:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/incubator-mastermind

Get the Aligned Biz Quiz here!
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hd-quiz

Ready to design your business around your Human Design?
Book a 1:1 Human Design for Business Reading:
www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdreading

Learn more about your Human Design with the 64 Gates Library
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdlibrary

Get your personalized Entrepreneur by Design HD Report:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/business-report

Interactive Human Design Chart:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdchart

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamannanichols

Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols)

Design Your Aligned Business PDF Guide:

Connect with Anna Nichols:
Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols/)

In this episode of the Design and Align Your Business, Anna shares a truth many founders feel in their bones but haven’t fully named yet: solopreneurship is not designed to hold your long-term vision. If your business relies on you for everything, delivery, marketing, sales, decisions, momentum, it’s not a failure of discipline or strategy. It’s a signal that your business model has reached its limit. This conversation is an invitation to step back, zoom out, and honestly assess whether the way you’re building can actually support the legacy, sustainability, and impact you desire.

Anna walks you through the deeper identity and structural shifts required to move from “doing it all” into leading with intention. She breaks down why becoming the CEO of your business is not just a mindset shift, but a strategic one, one that requires new systems, support, and clarity around your role. This episode is for the founder who knows they’re meant to build something bigger than themselves, and is ready to stop being the bottleneck so their business can truly grow.

In this episode:

• Why solopreneurship creates burnout, reactivity, and capped growth
• The difference between being a service provider and being a CEO
• How to evolve your business model
• What it really takes to build a company that works without everything depending on you
• The first questions to ask when you’re ready to scale with intention

If you’re done white-knuckling your business and ready to lead it forward consciously, this episode will help you see what needs to change, and why it’s worth it.

The CEO Shift Workshop

If this episode resonates, you’re invited to join us for The CEO Shift, a free 3-day interactive workshop happening February 3–5.

This experience will help you:

• Step out of solopreneur mode
• Understand what stage your business is actually in
• Learn how to think, plan, and lead like a CEO

Sign up here:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/the-ceo-shift

Resources:

Purchase my book here!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966346050/

View the full show notes for this episode: https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/blog/episode160

Get the Aligned Biz Quiz here!
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hd-quiz

Ready to design your business around your Human Design?
Book a 1:1 Human Design for Business Reading:
www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdreading

Learn more about your Human Design with the 64 Gates Library
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdlibrary

Get your personalized Entrepreneur by Design HD Report:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/business-report

Interactive Human Design Chart:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdchart

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamannanichols

Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols)

Design Your Aligned Business PDF Guide:
https://iamannanichols.ck.page/aligned_biz_guide

Connect with Anna Nichols:
Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols/)

Today’s episode is a real conversation about the identity and action shift required to move from solopreneur to CEO.

I’m sharing what I’ve been living in real time inside the Spiritual Business Incubator, the leadership decisions, the discomfort, the clarity, and the responsibility that comes with stewarding something bigger than yourself.

If you’ve ever said you want to build a company, a legacy, or a business that works without you… this episode is for you.

This isn’t about doing more. It’s about becoming the leader your business needs next.

In This Episode:

• The difference between calling yourself a CEO and actually embodying one
• Why the solopreneur-to-CEO shift always begins with identity, not strategy
• The hidden ways conditioning keeps you stuck doing everything yourself
• What a CEO’s real role is, and why it’s not delivery, marketing, or hustling
• How and why businesses outgrow their original structures
• What it means to lead from mission instead of comfort

The CEO Shift Workshop

If this episode resonates, you’re invited to join us for The CEO Shift, a free 3-day interactive workshop happening February 3–5.

This experience will help you:

• Step out of solopreneur mode
• Understand what stage your business is actually in
• Learn how to think, plan, and lead like a CEO

Sign up here:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/the-ceo-shift

Resources:

Sign up for “The CEO Shift” FREE webinar!

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/the-ceo-shift

Purchase my book here!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966346050/

View the full show notes for this episode here: https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/blog/episode158

Learn more about the Spiritual Business Incubator Mastermind:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/incubator-mastermind

Get the Aligned Biz Quiz here!
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hd-quiz

Ready to design your business around your Human Design?
Book a 1:1 Human Design for Business Reading:
www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdreading

Learn more about your Human Design with the 64 Gates Library
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdlibrary

Get your personalized Entrepreneur by Design HD Report:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/business-report

Interactive Human Design Chart:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdchart

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamannanichols

Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols)

Design Your Aligned Business PDF Guide:
https://iamannanichols.ck.page/aligned_biz_guide

Connect with Anna Nichols:
Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols/)

Welcome to 2026, my friends. And before we talk goals… plans… launches… any of it, I want to start with one question that changes everything:

Why are you in business?

… the answer to that question is what will carry you through the hard days, guide your decisions, and become the foundation for the kind of growth that actually feels good.

In this first episode of the year, I’m sharing my 2026 intentions, what I’m building inside the Spiritual Business Incubator, and the strategic path I’m using to make it real, not in a “perfect plan” way, but in a this-is-what-it-actually-looks-like when you’re building a legacy kind of way.

We’re talking about what it means to thrive as an entrepreneur… not just make money. Not just hit milestones. But build a business that supports your life, your nervous system, your family, your health, your joy, and still creates real impact.

If you’re ready to move out of the “I have to do everything myself” era, and into the CEO identity, the version of you who leads with vision, structure, and alignment, this episode is for you.

In This Episode:

• The question I’m using to anchor my entire year (and why it changes everything)
• What “thriving” actually means as an entrepreneur, beyond hustle and revenue
• The stages of business growth, and how to know what stage you’re in
• How Human Design supports clarity, confidence, and aligned leadership
• What I’m building in 2026 and how the Incubator is evolving into a multi-stage “school” for business

Resources:

Sign up for “The CEO Shift” FREE webinar!

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/the-ceo-shift

Purchase my book here!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966346050/

View the full show notes for this episode here: https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/blog/episode158

Learn more about the Spiritual Business Incubator Mastermind:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/incubator-mastermind

Get the Aligned Biz Quiz here!
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hd-quiz

Ready to design your business around your Human Design?
Book a 1:1 Human Design for Business Reading:
www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdreading

Learn more about your Human Design with the 64 Gates Library
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdlibrary

Get your personalized Entrepreneur by Design HD Report:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/business-report

Interactive Human Design Chart:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdchart

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamannanichols

Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols)

Design Your Aligned Business PDF Guide:
https://iamannanichols.ck.page/aligned_biz_guide

Connect with Anna Nichols:
Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols/)

In this final episode of 2025, I’m sharing the good, the hard, and the honest reality of what it actually takes to create a year of massive expansion, in business, identity, leadership, and life. This year changed everything for me: my business model, my visibility, my nervous system, my capacity to hold responsibility… and even where my family calls home.

None of it happened by accident.
 It happened with intention, planning, and a willingness to walk through the uncomfortable middle.

If you’re someone who feels called to build something meaningful, impactful, and lasting, and you know deep down that your next level will require more of you, this episode is for you.

In this episode:

• Why massive growth never happens by accident, it happens by design
• The truth about expansion: what feels “bad” is often initiation
• How leadership stretches you emotionally, energetically, and structurally
• What it really means to move from solopreneur to CEO
• Why the uncomfortable middle is not failure, it’s transformation
• A powerful reframe for growth, visibility, and responsibility
  
  

This episode is both a reflection and an invitation, to look at what you created in 2025, and to consciously choose what you’re building next.

Resources:

Purchase my book here!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966346050/

View the full show notes for this episode here: https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/blog/episode154

Learn more about the Spiritual Business Incubator Mastermind:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/incubator-mastermind

Get the Aligned Biz Quiz here!
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hd-quiz

Ready to design your business around your Human Design?
Book a 1:1 Human Design for Business Reading:
www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdreading

Learn more about your Human Design with the 64 Gates Library
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdlibrary

Get your personalized Entrepreneur by Design HD Report:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/business-report

Interactive Human Design Chart:
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdchart

LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/iamannanichols

Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols)

Design Your Aligned Business PDF Guide:
https://iamannanichols.ck.page/aligned_biz_guide

Connect with Anna Nichols:
Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols/)

What happens when you stop trying to “do it all” like a solopreneur… and start making decisions like the CEO you’re becoming?

In today’s episode, I’m joined by my friend Amanda Riffee, a 3/6 Projector whose business is truly skyrocketing, for a real, honest conversation about identity, growth, and what it actually looks like to build a team in alignment. Amanda shares her journey from 18 years in corporate to creating a coaching business that went from “$30 practice clients” to six figures, and we break down the mindset + leadership shifts that made that possible. If you’ve been feeling the pull toward your next level, this episode will meet you right where you are, and expand what you believe is possible.

In this episode:

• Why stepping into your CEO identity has to come before the strategy
• Amanda’s real numbers + timeline (and why it normalizes the growth curve)
• The moment “one-on-one only” stops being sustainable, and what to do instead
• How Projectors and Generators lead differently (and why your business needs both energies)
• What to look for when hiring support so you’re not the bottleneck
• A powerful reminder: your past experience isn’t “separate” it’s part of your zone of genius
  
  

View the full show notes for this episode here: https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/blog/episode156

Resources:

Connect with Amanda Riffee:

Instagram:https://www.instagram.com/amandariffee_coaching/

Freebie: https://acr-professional-coaching.kit.com/1342e1ff2b

Get a copy of my NEW book!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966346050/

Sign up for the next round of Spiritual Business Incubator Mastermind

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/Incubator-Mastermind

Take the “Aligned Biz Quiz”
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hd-quiz

Learn more about your Human Design with the 64 Gates Library

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdlibrary

Get your personalized Entrepreneur by Design HD Report:

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/business, report

Schedule a Human Design for Business Reading:

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdreading

Interactive Human Design Chart: 

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdchart

Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols)

Design Your Aligned Business PDF Guide:

https://iamannanichols.ck.page/aligned_biz_guide

Connect with Anna Nichols:
Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols/)

In this powerful episode, I’m joined by 3/5 Manifesting Generator Irene McKenna, the new Director of Alignment & Program Integration inside the Spiritual Business Incubator. Irene’s genius is helping entrepreneurs understand the subconscious patterns, growth edges, and energetic blocks hidden inside their Human Design… and how to move through them with compassion instead of force.

If you’ve ever wondered why you know your design but still get stuck in the same loops, this conversation is going to land deeply.

In this episode:

• What Human Design shadows really are
• How your growth edges are coded into your chart on purpose
• Why triggers are powerful invitations, not setbacks
• The missing energetic work most entrepreneurs skip
• Practical ways to shift from shadow → gift with more clarity and ease

This one is grounding, paradigm-shifting, and full of the kind of insight that helps you finally get out of your own way. 

View the full show notes for this episode here: https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/blog/episode155

Resources:

Get a copy of my NEW book!

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1966346050/

Sign up for the next round of Spiritual Business Incubator Mastermind

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/Incubator-Mastermind

Take the “Aligned Biz Quiz”
https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hd-quiz

Learn more about your Human Design with the 64 Gates Library

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdlibrary

Get your personalized Entrepreneur by Design HD Report:

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/business, report

Schedule a Human Design for Business Reading:

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdreading

Interactive Human Design Chart: 

https://www.spiritualbusinessincubator.com/hdchart

Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols)

Design Your Aligned Business PDF Guide:

https://iamannanichols.ck.page/aligned_biz_guide

Connect with Anna Nichols:
Instagram: @iamannanichols (https://www.instagram.com/iamannanichols/)