Overcoming Limiting Beliefs and Mental Blocks with Nik Cherwink | Elevated Frequencies #40

olivia (00:02.13)
I'm really excited to talk to you because after you claimed me as your sister podcast, I did a little bit of a deeper dive into your background and I'm so impressed. I know a lot about you. My audience doesn't necessarily yet. Give me the quick and dirty story of how you've gotten to where you are today. Hit some of those career highlights for me so we can start picking apart.

the benefits you offer to your clients.

Nik (00:33.418)
Yeah, for sure. So, you know, fresh out of college, I didn't know what I wanted to do. Like I went to college, I was not passionate about any of these subjects, you know, and it was literally like when I was graduating, I got a business degree, but my friend's dad pointed out, he's like, hey, you are passionate about music. Like you love music. You grew up playing music your whole life. Like that's what you love. Why don't you put those two things together and go work in the music business? I was like, oh shit, that's a great idea. Why didn't I ever think about that? So I pretty much...

packed my bags, moved to LA with like $1,000 in my bank account and I had one friend that lived there and just was like a crazy young kid chasing a dream but through the power of networking and a little bit of manifestation, even though I didn't even know what that was at the time, ended up getting a job at Capital Records. So that was pretty much like my first real job right out of college and that opened up so many doors for me.

I started working for the woman that pretty much signed and kind of created Katy Perry. So I was just thrown right into the deep end, got, you know, learned a lot about the music business. I wanted to be a publicist at that time. And so, you know, helping artists get written in magazines and get booked on late night TV shows and have blogs write about them. And I was kind of being groomed to be like the next like rock publicist because I'm a big, you know, rock guy, big metalhead.

Um, but then I fell in love with dance music. I like was already listening to it, you know, and, um, I was just, you know, this is like before it was cool. It was, it was still weird. It was still underground. And I just started like really falling in love with the music. And then eventually it went to my first rave and this was like 2009, like right before shit really popped off in, you know, living in LA, but there was like 10,000 person like underground parties happening, you know, it was really, really cool and exciting time. And.

just caught that whole wave of dance music. So I left Capitol because I really wanted to go deeper into the dance music scene and became a manager, worked for a couple different managers, worked for the manager of the Black Eyed Peas for a little while and that was really cool and exciting because he's basically best friends with Pasquale. They like grew up in the game together and Pasquale runs Insomniac Events, one of the biggest promoters in the world, if not the biggest.

Nik (02:56.418)
and they were collaborating on this idea called the Discovery Project. So that was kind of like a talent scout for like the next wave of music producers and DJs and it was gonna be kind of like an artist incubator type of a thing. So was really involved with that, which was really fun. And then eventually I met the owners of Icon Collective and that's a music production school. So there's a theme here of always like.

kind of teaching like the younger up and comers. Like I got to work with the A-list artists and even working with like, you know, I was working with Pasquale and Insomniac and working on all the big stuff, but there was something in my heart, I think that was always drawn towards working with like the younger artists that were coming up. And Icon Collective invited me to just teach a music business class. And so I would come in for an hour a week and just teach a music business class. But as soon as I got in front of that room, I was lit up. I was like, this is fun. I'm having way more fun in this one hour.

olivia (03:25.107)
Right.

Nik (03:52.022)
than I am in all this other cool music industry management stuff. And so just really found my passion there. It felt like that was my calling and really my family. It really felt like that's where I belong. So I spent seven years helping build Icon. And part of that, I eventually started teaching this class called the Art of Flow. And that was kind of like Icon's secret sauce. They taught everybody how to produce music, but then we had this class called the Art of Flow, which is really all about creativity.

And I always say it's kind of like, it was like the intersection of psychology, philosophy, and spirituality and just exploring this idea of creativity, exploring this idea of how to get into your flow. And teaching that class, I kind of shifted from being like the business guy to being kind of like the, I don't know, creativity, you know, mini Rick Rubin, you know, spiritual guru guy. And eventually I had students coming up and asking me like, hey, I want you to, I want you to mentor me.

And that's when I really just kind of really heard my calling. I kind of had this voice in the back of my head to like be a life coach because I've always loved personal development. And eventually I literally students were like coming up and asking me directly, you know, like, hey, like I want you to mentor me. So I was like, all right, it's like universe. I hear you. I hear what you want me to do. So I for two years while I was at icon for.

olivia (04:54.582)
Mm-hmm.

Nik (05:09.058)
The last two years I started coaching kind of just on the side. I would take on some, you know, some of the graduates and people and, um, did like a year long professional life coaching certification became a certified life coach and then, um, yeah. And then that just really became my thing. I've been doing that for four, almost five years now, full time.

olivia (05:26.878)
That's, it's such a cool story. And what I've picked up on is throughout your journey, all these things that you said you might do, right? You might be a publicist, you might write blogs, you might do management or you might stay in management. All of these things now have kind of been wrapped up into one as a coach, because in a way you're guiding your clients to be able to seize these different opportunities because of your collective experience across all of these different platforms. And that is so valuable.

to have someone like you to be able to show your client, hey, maybe this is a rabbit that you should chase or you shouldn't chase based on you actually having boots on the ground experience in the industry.

Nik (06:08.438)
Yeah, it's funny because when...

I had this idea of being a life coach. I really thought it was going to be a complete career change. I really felt like I had to get out of the music industry. And to be honest, I was kind of burnt out on it a lot. I was like, I don't really wanna be out in nightclubs and around all this partying. I was like, I was really on my spiritual path. I was really on this personal development path. And it always felt like there was a conflict. There's this crazy sort of world of partying, but then there's this other more pure spiritual path. And I was like, okay, I'm gonna be a life coach. I'm gonna leave behind.

this music industry thing. But then I like as I kind of took some steps there, I realized I like well one like I like only know artists. I was like every one of my friends is like a music producer. I've just been in that in that space for so long. But two it was just like that

It was so needed, you know, like the, the mental, emotional, spiritual side. I was like, it really is this side of it. It really is needed. And so at first I was really like, that's all I want to do is just be a life coach and just focus on that. It's only been really more so this last year that I am seeing the demand. Cause I've always kind of helped a little bit with that, but now I'm really merging all of it of like.

the art and the soulful side, the human and emotional side, but also the business side. I'm like, wait a minute, yeah, like I have worked at major labels and I've managed artists and I've done a lot of shit in the business too. So really integrating all of it, it kind of took me a little while to realize that cause I was like, oh, I don't wanna coach on like the business stuff. And that's not really coaching, you know, but I was like, well, I have been in the industry for 15 years and there's a lot that I have to offer. And like exactly if somebody's chasing the wrong rabbit, I'm gonna tell them and guide them. So it's a little bit of,

olivia (07:46.383)
Yeah.

Nik (07:47.844)
coaching but also consulting, you know?

olivia (07:49.846)
Well, what we talked about when I was on your podcast is that you teach people to operate from their heart and not their ego. And that goes hand in hand with business decisions. So you can't really have, if you're trying to build a career, you can't have one without all of that spiritual and emotional intelligence side of things. So they're really getting a lot of value out of both sides of your brain. I'm curious because I...

I said this on your show as well. I feel like people are starting to become more open to the concept of manifestation. And you know, we call it woo woo. And that's to kind of like, you know, get people's guards down to let them know, we know this is a little bit out there, but I fully embrace it, believe in it. Manifestation is how I've gotten to where I am in my career. You know, like I said, I don't have a business degree and somehow yet here I am with a business.

olivia (08:47.422)
When people approach you with some resistance and skepticism, like they want to work with you because you have the credentials, you have the credibility, but maybe they're a little skeptical on your approach when it comes to that woo-woo stuff, what do you tell those people?

Nik (09:01.742)
tell them to fuck off. No, I'm just kidding. I'm just kidding. No, but to be honest, it's like, if I'm not for you, I'm not for you, I'm not gonna sell you on it. It's like either you resonate with my energy, I'm not going to convince you to believe any of these things. But you know, it's like, when I talk about them, if there's something in your heart and soul, if there's a part of you that gets activated and feels like, yeah, there's something here, then like you're gonna be drawn to it. You know, if there's blocks and resistance, like I've definitely,

olivia (09:02.806)
Hehehe

Nik (09:31.696)
even that there's blocks and resistance. And I'm like, I'm getting out my sledgehammer every day. And I'm just like chiseling away at this like hard wall that they've put up. And it's all fun. It's fun. You know, like, I think that for all of us, like we're not for everybody.

And that's been a big lesson that I've come up to kind of learn. And I was even talking to one of my clients recently who's like very spiritual and we're having so much fun and we are manifesting so much shit. It is crazy how quick the results are happening. It's like, it's just wild, but it's like she gets it and she's tapped in. And so there's even a part of me, I was like, man, you know what? I might like eventually only want to take on people.

that are really kind of tapped into this sort of spiritual side, just seeing what's possible and how much fun it is. But at the same time, I've always seen myself kind of as a bridge between that little woo world and then the more sort of 3D, you know, world. It's like, don't get me wrong. I can't.

I always say like I'm part hippie and part bro. Like I'm a fucking bro to the core. Like I got tattoos, I go to metal shows and I'm in the fucking pit and like I, you know, came up playing rugby and it was just like a crazy party animal. Like I've got this side of me that is very relatable and I think people are, you know, I can relate with people on that level.

but also can be a bridge to like, I can hang with like the woo crazy spiritual people that like live in the clouds. And it's like, it's being able to integrate all of it. Like, can you be the whole thing and can you be open to the whole thing, you know?

olivia (11:06.654)
Yeah, yeah, I think that's very like disarming for clients who might have some resistance, who like you said are interested, they wanna dip their toes in, but they're not sure. What I always tell people when I've been faced, cause you know, I do a lot of like manifestation content on TikTok and when I get, you know, comments like, oh, if I can't see it, then, you know, I won't believe it. And it's like, listen, buddy, manifestation is literally free.

Nik (11:28.653)
Yeah.

olivia (11:33.246)
Like you can literally sit and write in your journal or make a vision board and it could cost you $0. So what's the harm in trying?

Nik (11:33.516)
Yeah.

Nik (11:41.066)
Yeah, yeah. Well, this is what I say is, we are, this is why I like working with artists specifically. I've had a client from the tech world that was just so logical and so in his head, and I did that one time. I was like, yeah, I'm never gonna be able to work with somebody like that. Artists are usually a little bit more open to their.

olivia (11:54.518)
Hmm.

Nik (12:03.814)
inner world in a way or just like their heart and their soul and like, you know, they know what it's like to tap into flow and to create something and be like, Whoa, where did that come from? Like that came from somewhere else. I don't even know like what just happened, you know, like most artists have had that experience. And so that's why I love working with them because I like to say that like we're all

Creators and we are we ourselves are creations like you were literally created by your mom and dad Through the process of procreation through the process like spiritual energy creative energy Merged together the masculine and the feminine came together and it literally made you are a living breathing walking talking physical Manifestation of creative energy and you are creating all of the time Whether you realize it or not and we can say manifesting we can say creating

up every day and you're creating your life. You're creating your health, you're creating your fitness, you're creating your relationships, you're creating your financial, you know, income, you're creating your career. The question is are you doing it consciously or unconsciously? So my whole goal is like I want people to wake up to this incredible power that you have. Like you are a fire hose of creative energy. You are a fire hose of potential. Where are you pointing it? Because a lot of times we're also creating all of our problems.

We're creating all of the bullshit in our lives. We're creating all of the drama. And it's like, yo, it's like taking ownership. Like take ownership of your life, take ownership of what you're creating and start learning how to use those creative powers because yeah, look around. Like there's some people out there that are creating some pretty dope shit, right? It's not just what's happening on the outside. It's what's happening on the inside. It's the inside out game, not the outside in game. The outside in game is I'll believe it when I see it.

The inside out game is I'll see it when I believe it. And that's like core, core foundational lesson number one that I'm like hammering into people. Like, you gotta believe this shit. You gotta believe it, have the vision, and then like show up and do the work. But you can be working all day long and not be, and not believe in it. And good luck.

olivia (14:00.415)
Yeah.

olivia (14:04.982)
And to the people who aren't tapped in, when they see other people's successes, they tend to attribute it to nepotism or, oh, they have thousands of dollars in marketing, which sometimes all of those things can be true, but it's an easy excuse for people who don't wanna put in the work themselves and don't want to explore their potential because it's a big mountain to climb. So that...

That leads me to my next question. What I'm curious is what is the first thing that artists when they approach you, what do they think they need help with and what is it actually?

Nik (14:47.838)
I'm getting a lot these days that think, you know, they just are coming to me because they want, like everybody wants to grow their career. They're like, I wanna get to that next level of my career. I wanna be a full-time touring artist. I wanna live this dream. And so like the logical kind of practical surface level thought is that like, all right, I need to build my fan base. I need to, you know, get better at social media. I need to build my brand or whatever it may be. I need more followers, right? Okay.

Cool. Well, let's look at like why you don't have them. What's actually going on, right? Are you showing up and are you doing the work? Part of it is just not knowing like the strategy like, okay, maybe you don't know the business strategy for how to build the followers, but even underneath that, well, okay, well then why don't you know the business strategy?

because it's available. There's podcasts, there's books, there are thousands of fucking videos on YouTube that are teaching you this. So it's more of a you problem, is why are you not learning this? And it's like, we just dig, dig deeper. It's like, oh, well, there's some resistance, oftentimes, to being seen, to showing up, getting rejected. They oftentimes don't really know who they are. Like, why am I even doing this? Like, what am I trying to actually say?

And then deep down too, there's often just times like that, there's just fear, fear of like, I don't actually really believe that I can do this. So a great way to not find out is to just not really try. You know, like then if I don't really put in full effort.

then I can't really fail, because I'm not really trying. So there's a whole deeper level of, we gotta, I gotta unpack where your mindset is at. And okay, once we get to the root of it, okay, cool, now let's go build some strategy, but it's not just the strategy. There's so many limiting beliefs that people have. And there's a lot of people that just, they're just not putting out music. I could talk to this kid the other day, I'm like, oh, you're sitting on fucking 40s, he's been producing for 10 years. You're sitting on 40 tracks that are good.

Nik (16:50.958)
It's like, okay, what's going on? There's a huge mental block. There's a huge fear of there. So, you know, it's like my job is to come in, let's shine some light on these blocks. Let's shine some light on these limiting beliefs. Let's throw a fucking stick of dynamite at it. Let's blow that shit up. And then I'm gonna be by your side and you're gonna have accountability. You're gonna have support. Like, yo, let's fucking go. Let's take action now. Like, yeah, it's scary.

olivia (16:53.429)
Yeah.

Nik (17:16.802)
Cool, there's fear. Don't worry, let's not ask for the fear to go away. Let's ask for courage to take action in the face of that fear, right? And it's easier to be courageous when you have somebody else in your corner. So I, it's a, yeah, that's a good little insight, to what I'm up to.

olivia (17:35.89)
Yeah, it's the root causes versus the symptoms. People tend to only look at the symptoms and they ignore the root cause of why things are going that way, why they have those symptoms. So what I'm curious about is I talk to so many different types of artists, some who are like raw dogging their careers and good on them, doing it without a manager, without an agent, without any help.

having good to moderate success. Then I talked to other artists who literally have multiple managers all for different facets of their careers. I'm very interested in the psychology behind how an artist builds their team because it's not cookie cutter. Some artists may really benefit from publicists, whereas others will benefit from having a manager who can help them

They can't stay focused. So talk to me about the benefit of having someone like you on your roster and how it can impact different parts of your career.

Nik (18:36.948)
Yeah.

Nik (18:50.558)
Yeah, definitely. You know, I think that, exactly, I do like to position myself, and this is ultimately, I think my bigger picture goal is, you know, when artists do have teams, they have, you know, let's say you have a manager, you have a publicist, you know, you have all of these, you know, a booking agent, and I have a vision for the music industry someday also having like coaches as being part of the team, especially more so for the, for higher level artists

And again, at the end of the day, we're all human. And we are, regardless of what level of success you're at, you're going to have challenges. You're gonna have mental challenges, emotional challenges. Like, shit's hard. Life is hard. Chasing these goals is hard. Sustaining success is hard, right? And so again, it's like, yeah, there's, there are so many great managers where they know how to be a good therapist.

for their client, they know how to give them that emotional support. But a lot of them don't. A lot of them are also just, they're like, yo, my job is to like, help you run the business. I'm the CEO of the business. I'm not the HR department. I'm kind of more like the HR department. I'm like, yo, let me make sure that like, you're emotionally in a good place.

olivia (19:54.674)
Right.

Nik (20:01.27)
You know, it's like, that's more so of this like life coaching side of it. Um, so it kind of, it kind of does depend on where you're at for an artist. That is maybe full-time touring. Like you probably don't need a lot of help running your business. You probably got a team in place already. Your managers, you know, you're booking agents, getting you shows and whatnot. So like, I might be there to more support you of like, yo, you're living a really fast paced life and you know, maybe you're, maybe your, your relationship is suffering. So I'm going to help you with like getting, getting yourself in a good

the plants in your garden, making sure that your relationship is doing well, or, you know, you're just taking care of yourself, you know, being healthy and just having somebody to talk to about that kind of stuff. And also have a game plan and have accountability, to really hold them accountable that they can check in with regularly. You know, that's a lot of the stuff I really, really love. But then also just for, I think, some of the younger artists, a lot of younger artists, they just don't know how the game works, you know. So I think that's a big part is like kind of laying out the roadmap.

of like, all right, this is how the game works. This is where you're at. Let's come up with a game plan. Kind of like, what's the chess strategy? What's the stuff that you need to be focusing on? I think that's something that a lot of younger artists get very overwhelmed with is like, where do I begin? There's so much stuff to do. What should I be focusing on right now?

olivia (21:16.606)
Yeah.

Nik (21:16.706)
Right. And so I really help people with that part of it. Like right now, this is what you need to focus on. Like let's just get momentum one week at a time, one foot in front of the other. This is the stuff, but then also painting the bigger picture. Cause I, I'm not here to work with people forever. Like I usually work with people for three months, six months, you know, and like, okay, cool, now take the training wheels off and run with it. Um, but then hopefully get them to a place where it's like, okay, cool. Now you've got a, you know, a manager and a support team and system there. So.

Yeah, there's a lot of different areas that I can kind of show up and serve, and it really just depends on where the artist themself is at, you know?

olivia (21:55.514)
Yeah, that's huge. I love that you just said that you're not there forever because that really shows the value that you're providing is you're getting people to a place where they can go off on their own and thrive. I think that's a big misconception about coaching in general, that it's like, oh, well,

You know, you're always gonna need me to be here. Like you can't do things. And so it's great that that's, you know, that that's how you promote the service. And what I also am interested in is, so for artists who, like you were talking about younger artists, one thing that I think is really dangerous about this scene is that,

Nik (22:28.396)
Yeah.

olivia (22:44.502)
People are eager to jump at any opportunity that comes their way because they're just so excited to be given a chance. So maybe they'll play a gig for like pennies or maybe do it for free or maybe they'll get wrapped up into a bad deal with a label because they were just excited to be able to work with someone. And there's the business advice that comes in there, but then there's also the, hey, let's check in.

Nik (22:55.134)
Yeah.

olivia (23:11.134)
with like your emotions? How does this make you feel? Like let's really like untangle the web here and figure out like is this the best thing for you? Is that something that you deal with those newer artists who are just eager to jump in?

Nik (23:25.798)
Oh man, literally yesterday I had a call with one of my clients and we're going through this and it's, she's a fun client. I fucking love my clients. I would just say first off, shout out, if any of my clients are listening right now, whether a current client or a past client, I fucking love you. I love you so much. It is such an honor to be on your journey. And just to backtrack a little bit, like.

a coach should always have the goal of being put out of a job. Like a good, a good coach should have the goal of like not being needed anymore. You know? And so for everyone that has kind of come through my, you know, my world, I always, where I leave office, I always say, Hey, like the coaching container is ending. But

where just the nature of our relationship is now changing. Like now I'm your homie, now I'm your brother, now I'm your friend and I'm always gonna be in the corner for the rest of your life. So I still am getting hit up all the time by old clients. So just real quick, shouting everybody out, I fucking love all of you guys. Now, back to this current client that I have, literally yesterday, she was struggling with, she's playing a show that she doesn't really wanna be playing, right? And it's but.

And so I'm just like questioning, like, okay, you're playing the show, but like, basically, she's just complaining about how the promoter really sucks and all this stuff is happening. And I'm like, all right, well, why? Like, why are you saying yes to this? And when we really started to dig deeper, it was like not believing that she's worthy of something better.

Like, Oh, well, I'm at this level. So I have, this is all I can say yes to. Right. And like, okay. Yeah. On the one side, maybe there's a little bit of business strategy there, but honestly underneath it is like, you're saying yes to these things because you don't believe that you're worth more. This is a worthiness issue. When you start to see yourself as like, no, I'm a boss ass bitch and I can get good gigs with good promoters and play dope clubs, like that's the stuff I'm working on. I keep trying to steer her back in this direction. Or it's like, no, this is about you believing in yourself.

Nik (25:26.708)
your value, when you feel that on the inside first, like you show up that way to the industry and the industry is going to treat you differently. But if deep down, you don't actually believe in yourself, you're not carrying that kind of energy and confidence with you, then you're going to be treated in the way that you are seeing yourself. And so that's why you're, you're saying yes to these, these shitty deals and these shitty opportunities. And you're like associated yourself with these like, you know, kind of like lower level.

opportunities and artists and promoters that you don't really want to be a part of. So it's like, it starts like, it starts with the inside. You will see it when you believe it, but if you don't believe it, then you're going to keep saying yes to these opportunities that are in alignment with this, like low depiction that you have of yourself.

olivia (26:10.846)
Yeah, 100%. I always say this on my consulting side of my business. Anytime, and I think it's only happened twice, where I've offered some sort of discount or met a client where they're at on pricing for no particularly good reason, just that they were cheap, it's been a horrible experience versus my highest paying clients who never have any complaints about what I do, they're always like, great, let's do it.

Nik (26:32.875)
Oh yeah.

olivia (26:40.606)
You know, don't need to check anything for approval. Don't need to micromanage. We're off to the races. And that is so true in every industry. And so, like you said, you, when you don't believe in yourself, you are only going to energetically align with others who, you know, are at that low vibration. And it's so important. Now on the flip side of that, I do think it's also important to make mistakes.

Nik (26:45.483)
Yeah.

olivia (27:06.554)
in your artist journey and your entrepreneur journey, whatever it is, because that's, that's how you learn. You can't avoid every landmine. And I know personally, I've certainly had to go through plenty of them. And that's the building block that I know, okay, I'm never going to do that shit again.

Nik (27:13.356)
Yeah.

Nik (27:18.541)
Yeah.

Nik (27:23.518)
Yeah, yeah. And that's a fundamental pillar of my philosophy and process, because this is where a lot of people get stuck, is they're scared to make mistakes. They want to do it right. We're so caught up our logic and our intellect is like, okay, what's the right way to do things? And we get so caught up trying to figure out the right way to do things, that we you know, it's paralysis by analysis, a lot of people just end up not doing as much as they could be doing, if anything.

Right. And so that's where there's a huge block so often that I find people just being stuck where they're at. It's like, yo, don't worry about doing it. Right. Just start doing it and you will figure it out along the way. You know, the metaphor I always use, there's a great speech called the man in the arena by Teddy Roosevelt. And there's a, there's an excerpt from that speech where basically he talks about like, yo, like, like get in the arena.

You know, like I would rather be in the arena covered in blood, sweat and tears than sit, then be sitting on the sidelines comfortable where it's safe, you know, trying to calculate the right way to do things, but not actually being in it. So that's something I always tell my clients. I'm like celebrating them like, yo, get in the fucking arena. It's not a matter of if you get hurt. It's a matter of when it's going to happen. You're going to get punched. You're going to get kicked. You're going to get stabbed. Like you're going to get fucked up. That's the game we're playing. And I want to be.

in the arena with the other fucking gladiators. Like I'm inviting them to be in there. Like this is how it goes. We're gonna, it's gonna be messy. It's gonna be nasty. But hell yeah, that's the kind of life I wanna live. I don't wanna live a fucking safe life on the sidelines where everything is just, you know, trying to get it right and perfectly calculated. It's like, that's not why we're here.

olivia (28:57.534)
Right. And I love that you just kind of, we just got a glimpse at your sports background. I always find it so interesting talking to former athletes who have now transitioned into business. Like I have a great friend who was a White Sox player and now he like works in ensuring cannabis companies. And so many of the philosophies that, you know, he's learned from sports, he's been able to successfully, you know,

apply to his business tactics and the way he runs his business. And so it sounds like that's true for you too.

Nik (29:34.014)
Yeah, I'm glad you caught that. I think my journey has really been being an artist and being an athlete. And I think that's where this sort of duality shows up. Of like, okay, on the one hand, it's like, yeah, we are here to be tapped into our flow and to be creative and to be really in our spirit, and this sort of like spiritual side. And there's this other side of it, it was like, yo, we gotta put our boots on and get to work and grind and hustle and build this fucking business.

feminine energy versus masculine energy. But I think when we're able to integrate both of those is when we are the most effective. And so I've been blessed just in my life journey to have kind of played on both sides. I was growing up, I was an artist for a long time. But then also, yeah, I played rugby for seven years and can definitely now see where the, you know, being a captain and, you know, I was always captain of every team I ever played for. I had this natural gift for like,

leading the team and convincing people to be like, all right, we are going to go run full speed into these guys as fast as we can and put our life and bodies on the line. And you got to get, you got to get people fired up to do that, you know? So it's definitely carried over into, into the way that I coach for sure.

olivia (30:46.518)
Totally. I love that. So, okay. So I have some maybe like a hot topic, kind of hot take questions for you. I know that there's not one blanket answer, but I always hear my peers complain about it's so hard to be an artist and do X. It's so hard to be an artist and have Y. One of those things that always comes up is relationships.

I'm curious what your take is being in the music industry for so long, working with big-time artists like Katy Perry, Black Eyed Peas, all the way to artists starting out. What is your opinion on that and being able to balance having a relationship and home life with your artistry?

Nik (31:32.555)
Yeah.

Yeah, it's a great question. This literally just came up on my group call this week as well, because somebody said, they're like, you know, it's really hard to have a relationship. And I paused the call and I called him out. I'm like, all right, that's an interesting belief that you have. And it's a belief that, you know, it's also, there's a big belief that it's hard to make money as an artist, right? As societally, right? It's like, oh, you're going to be this idea of a starving artist. I'm like, okay, that's cool. But I also know artists that are making millions of dollars a year, and it's not hard for them to make money.

will fact or is that just a belief that you've been fed that you've been adopted right that you've adopted so

We've got to question these beliefs and myself for myself, like I'm still, I'm 38, I'm single, I've kind of, you know, I've been on this path of, of really not having a partner and recently in my life, like I just started looking around. I'm like, who, who are the guys that I know that are killing it the most that are just like crushing it in life, crushing it in business that are also the happiest and I'm like, Oh, this guy that's running this big agency, he's had a girlfriend, you know, he's married and he's had a girl the whole time with

I started looking at a lot of the artists that I know, both Derek and Scott from Slander, Keaton from Sullivan King, Jaws, like all these dudes that I, that I, you know, taught at Icon, they all had girlfriends. And so it's like, it's, I think that there's a whole different belief there that's available that it's like, you can actually become more successful with a partner. Right? And, and, and it's just, again, it just matters, like, who you, I think the,

Nik (33:11.006)
who you choose to be your.

partner and spend the rest of your life with, or even just to be a girlfriend boyfriend with like, it's probably one of the most important decisions you'll ever make in your life. Right? And so getting in a toxic relationship that isn't healthy and your partner isn't very supportive and you guys aren't on the same page, you don't have the same values. I don't care if you're an artist or not, that's just going to make life harder. It's not, it's not going to support you. Right? But if you can find the right person that supports you and believes in your, in your dream, you know, to be honest, like especially

I'm not gonna say just for guys, but really for anybody. Like if you're single and you know that part of your life, there can be a lot of leaky energy.

right? That it's like, you're out there, you're fucking swiping, you're going on dates, you're hooking up with people. It's like your energy is all over the place. And so how are you going to be really good and efficient with your time and your energy and create the results that you want? If that area of your life is so leaky and messy, you know, I do think that if you actually have like, that part of your life really figured out, and it's got a nice tight container around it, and you've got a good person in your corner, you're going to be way fucking better at what you do.

olivia (34:18.134)
Oh, that is a word. I'm so happy to hear you say that. And one fun story that I've shared before. I wasn't into manifesting. I was one of those people that we've talked about that was like, I'll believe it when I see it. Very logic-based, right? Like I have a journalism background, facts-only kind of person. And my husband, when I first met him, he showed me this picture and

olivia (34:48.146)
I don't know if you'll think this is weird, but I don't really care. My husband's very emotionally intelligent, so he's not afraid to, you know, like, like display, you know, more of what people consider that feminine energy. And he said, I drew this picture. It's of me and a girl holding hands on a dock. And he said, the other thing I used to do was when I was driving, I would hold my hand out in the passenger seat and like imagine that my wife was holding my hand on the other side. And now here you are.

Nik (35:14.91)
Oh wow.

olivia (35:15.738)
And so he was super, like he was so into manifesting. And I used to like in back in the day, I was like, oh, it's so cute. You know, we met almost eight years ago. I'm like, that's adorable. And now I'm like, holy shit. Like you're talking about this leaky energy. He did not have that. He was very intentional. Like this is what, you know, I envisioned my wife to be. Sure, there was like some physical aspects to that, but it was more so like the emotional connection and you know, what I want to experience with her. And just like an artist puts,

Nik (35:40.32)
Yeah.

olivia (35:45.702)
intentionality into building certain parts of their career, you can apply those methods to your relationship, your romantic relationship, your relationship with your friends, your family, like getting a pet if you want to. All of those same principles apply.

Nik (36:01.546)
Yeah, yeah, no, that's beautiful. I'm in that process now where I'm being very intentional about calling in my person, and I'm gonna start holding my hand out in my car while I'm driving and start applying, yeah, for real, I really like that. Oh, what was I gonna say? But yeah, no, it's, my thought totally just slipped my mind.

olivia (36:14.302)
Do it!

olivia (36:26.894)
We're getting really super woo-woo here, but I love it.

Nik (36:29.214)
Yeah, yeah.

Nik (36:34.85)
But yeah, I think it's, I think.

Nik (36:40.714)
Yeah, I don't know what I think. I've had a brain fart. Yeah, I know. I love that. Yeah.

olivia (36:44.054)
That's okay. That's what editing's for anyway, right? So one more myth I wanted to spell and you kind of touched on it already was we said, you know, oh, it's so hard to be an artist and have a relationship. And then you said other people think it's so hard to be an artist and to make money. The starving artist trope drives me fucking crazy because there are so many ways to monetize your genius in 2024.

Nik (37:13.974)
Yeah.

olivia (37:14.33)
And I'm seeing more and more artists that I really love and respect like offering lessons like production lessons, which is one great way to do it. There are communities you can build that have, you know, different monetized tiers. So I'm assuming that's something that you hear often is like, I don't know how to make money or it's so hard to make money in this industry.

Nik (37:33.75)
Yeah, yeah, you hear it a lot and it's so hard. Like this is, you know, one of the first lesson of my group program is like just to start looking at what is some of the societal programming that we've had. You know, we have like all this mental programming. Our parents have told us certain things, you know, parents, religion, education, just society in general. It's like, what are all the thoughts that we've been fed? And that's one of the biggest ones is like, being an artist is hard.

hard to make money, it's hard to survive, you're gonna be a starving artist. And so it's just it's just so simple, though. It's just like, well, you know, okay, is it hard? You know, fucking everything's hard. Right? There's nothing is not hard. But when we

olivia (38:19.574)
And you also, I feel like people fall into the trap of, oh, being a starving artist is like cool, or like I'm roughing it. And that really drives me crazy too, because it's not like a, it's not a costume that you should wear proudly.

Nik (38:26.1)
Mm. Yeah.

Nik (38:34.002)
Yeah, no, I think you should.

I think you should strive to have your shit together. You know? No, it's like, back to just back to that, back to the belief, you know? Like if you don't believe it, then for sure it's gonna be hard. So like you have to really believe that it's possible. And that's why I just look around at other, like look around at other examples. Who are you role modeling yourself after really is the question, right? Who are you looking at and who are you looking up to? Cause I remember, yeah, when I was a manager

olivia (38:40.69)
Yeah.

Nik (39:06.964)
thing where I was like, man, it's going to be like to be a manager and work in the music industry and also have like a marriage and a solid relationship. That's just impossible. But then I was like, well, all right, am I looking at this guy over here who doesn't have that? And, you know, and that's the way that he's living. Or do I want to look at the other guy that I know who has an amazing person in his corner and he's crushing it, you know? So it's like, well, what's real? What's right or wrong? There's so many artists out there that are making a full time living, making music. Like, it's not it's

thousands and thousands and thousands of people that are doing this. So to say, like to say that it's hard, like, yeah, you know, it's hard. Also law school is fucking hard. Becoming a doctor is hard, you know, just like getting out of bed. Sometimes it's hard. Like life is hard, you know, like choose your hard and is it impossible though? Like, no, it's not. And I think like, like just coming back to really having that belief, like if they can do it, I can do it. You got to believe that shit, you know, cause it's just, it's like, if you don't, then you can be working really, really hard.

but not having the belief to back it up. And you're gonna get very, very different results if you're not backing it up with the right energy.

olivia (40:13.674)
I always say pick your suck, you know? Everything sucks, pick your suck. And something that I always try to hammer into people that I'm working with on branding is if you're going to try to be like everyone else, if you're going to try to replicate someone else's success, that's not going to take you very far. Everyone gets so overwhelmed with, but there's so many good artists out there right now. You know, there's so many doing this, so many doing that. In my mind, I mean, I'm a branding consultant. There are...

Nik (40:16.255)
Yeah, yeah, yeah.

olivia (40:42.026)
thousands of us, but there's only one Olivia, there's only one Nick. And once you start to see things that way that there is no competition, like I don't believe in competition. And I know from a sports perspective, like it's a little bit different, but when you're talking about just being you and operating from your heart and like fulfilling your true purpose on this earth, which is just being, it's not doing, it's being, competition doesn't exist.

Nik (40:45.75)
Yep.

Nik (41:05.898)
Yeah. No, that's one of the biggest, biggest things is knowing that you are one out of eight billion people and that you have a special gift that nobody else in the world can bring. Only you. You got to really like know that and own that. The problem is, to be honest, I'm going to go out on a limb and talk about a hot topic. There's actually probably a lot of people that...

actually shouldn't be artists or chasing the artist's dream because that's not actually what they're meant to do. That they're not actually really tapped into their soul and to their purpose, they're...

ego is seeing like, Hey, this looks like a really cool way to get a lot of attention and make a lot of money and get a lot of hot girls and go to a lot of parties. Right. And so it's like, you can play that game and you can, you can win in the short term at that game, but this is where you really get to fucking check yourself. It's like, why are you doing this? If that's where it's coming from? It's, it's probably going to be really hard, you know,

But when you, and the sad thing is like, if that's what you're chasing, there also is probably something else that you should be doing that is like, this is your Dharma. This is why you were created, that you're ignoring, right? Maybe you're supposed to be a school teacher. Maybe you're supposed to be a fucking mechanic. I don't know. I don't know what it is, but it's like, what is actually lighting up your heart, not lighting up your ego, right?

And if you can figure out what that is, I think for most artists it is. I think that most artists have like, yo, there's something really calling me on a deep soulful level.

Nik (42:51.914)
but the mind and the heart are just constantly at battle. The ego's always gonna be there. It's always gonna fuck you up. It's always gonna be like, oh, well I should do it this way because this is how it's being done and that's the way to be successful. That's what everybody else is doing. It's this very logical part of ourselves that is gonna ultimately wanna keep us safe but is just gonna be kind of calculating everything. Rather than feeling everything, I wanna feel what feels like the right thing to do, what feels like the right direction to go. You gotta tap into your intuition

really like get in touch with that deeper part of yourself, because there's this like inner GPS inside of you that's always gonna guide you, you know? And the thing is it's fucking scary, because it's probably gonna guide you in a direction that doesn't make any logical sense. And maybe the path hasn't been paved yet, and you're gonna have to pave it yourself, and that's scary. It's a lot easier to go down this other path that everybody else has already walked down.

olivia (43:43.35)
Sure, absolutely. And I always like to kind of end these interviews with practical advice. And I think one thing that people might, they might hear this and say, okay, that's really good advice, but how? How do I figure this out? And for me, the two methods that I always promote are one, journaling. I have my journal with me at all times. And then my vision boarding. That's how I, that's how I started my, my career as an entrepreneur started with a vision board.

I wrote down exactly what kind of life I want to live, why I want to live it. Really got down to the root of like I want to live this life because I don't want anyone to tell me what to do anymore. That was like the core of why I'm doing what I'm doing. So what do you tell your clients? Like what's one way that they can kind of figure out this purpose and start to massage out these ideas?

Nik (44:35.434)
Yeah, the number one tool that I recommend every artists implement and practice on a daily basis is called morning pages. And this comes from Julia Cameron's book, The Artist's Way. It's like a 12 week workbook. And basically what it is, is right when you wake up, you're still kind of in that unconscious dream state. You haven't really fully woken up yet. You can do it at any time of the day, but like that's the best. It's like right when you wake up,

olivia (44:59.443)
Native State.

Nik (45:05.328)
deeper unconscious part of yourself. And you just go straight to your journal and you write three pages of stream of consciousness writing. And what I mean by stream of consciousness is that you just start writing and you don't let the pen stop moving. Don't even think about it. You don't come into it with an agenda. It's just whatever is happening in your mind at that moment, just dump it out on paper.

And there's this really beautiful thing that happens because ultimately what you're doing is you're having a conversation with yourself and it's just you and you. And the deeper you go into the writing, the deeper you go into yourself, the deeper you go into your own thought process. Because this is the problem is usually we're listening to everybody else. We're listening to what the world is saying. We're just downloading so much stuff from social media and other people's thoughts and opinions and ideas. And it's like, well, what the fuck do you want? And the only way you can figure out what you want and who you are and what you're calling

is to start really carving out time to have that conversation with yourself, right? And for me, it's always like the first two pages are just kind of gibberish garbage. They probably don't really make any sense. It's like, whatever, you're literally writing like, God, man, it's so early in the morning right now. I'm so hungry. Like, this is stupid. My hand hurts. It's just kind of garbage, but always by the third page.

I'm dropping into some deep insights. We all have these questions circling around in our mind, and this is just a time to sit down and start answering some of those questions. Some of those things that are in the back of your head, you're giving it an opportunity to actually surface, and when you start doing it every day, it's just more and more clarity, and you dig deeper and deeper, and it's like all the answers are inside of you.

olivia (46:43.126)
I love that. I talk to myself a lot, a lot. If it's not writing, I literally will, if I'm inspired, I'll make a voice note. If I'm driving or sometimes just whenever and that's where some of my best ideas come from. So that is fantastic advice to end with. And I'm so grateful that you have shared some of your wisdom. You're such an open book. You provide so much value even to people who aren't your clients. And

Nik (46:46.158)
I'm going to go ahead and turn it off.

olivia (47:11.172)
I am personally very grateful for everything you do. So thank you so much for being on the show.

Nik (47:16.33)
Yeah, thank you for having me on. It is a true honor. I am really happy to have claimed you as my sister podcast and we get to be on this journey together. So yeah, thank you for having me on and I'm just excited to see what we both built together.