In this episode of The Aligned for Success podcast, Nikki addresses one of the most universal experiences in entrepreneurship: that crushing feeling when you look at your life or business and think "I suck and I'm failing."

With vulnerability, Nikki admits she's been experiencing this exact feeling during the week she's recording, making this episode feel like a real-time conversation with a friend who truly gets it. She reminds listeners that even the people they look up to most have felt this way, emphasizing that feeling like you're failing doesn't mean you actually are, it means you're mid-story.

Throughout this empowering conversation, Nikki breaks down why this feeling hits high achievers so hard: we set big goals that aren't always easy to reach, social media constantly shows us everyone else's highlight reel, and our brains are wired to notice problems more than progress as a survival mechanism. She explains how we often overlook dozens of things that are working while fixating on the one or two things that aren't.

Nikki provides a practical four-step framework for pulling yourself out of the failure spiral: pause and get perspective (never make decisions from an emotional headspace), reframe the story by distinguishing facts from feelings, take one small doable action today rather than trying to fix everything at once, and lean on people who understand your journey rather than trying to muscle through alone.

Drawing from Taylor Welch's concept of "looping," Nikki explains how reframing failure as learning literally changes how your brain looks for solutions. She challenges listeners to shift from "I'm not cut out for this" to "I'm in my growth phase" and from "I blew it" to "now I know what doesn't work."

This episode delivers powerful reminders that you're not stuck or stagnant, you're learning, growing, and still in the middle of your story, making it a must-listen for anyone who needs perspective during a challenging chapter.

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