Big Money, Burnout & Going Conscious w/ Brand Expert Nikki Trott

Show notes in order of appearance:

• Nikki’s last oh shit moment
• Psychology, design and economics.
• Fashion industry and the environment
• Explain what you mean by Masculine energy running a female industry
• Fast fashion
• Did you feel a low or rock bottom when you left the job, boyfriend, and cut
• Nikki talks psychedelics
• Getting a facial with Caviar
• Separate worlds of psychedelics and consulting.
• Coaching entrepreneurs on finding purpose and alignment
• Nikki’s process:
  – Coaching base. Internal Work.
  – Purpose. Personal values and how it translates….defining Missio
  – Driving Impact through brand.
• Nikki’s book: Going Conscious
• Nikki shares her top two traits for a conscious leader to embody

Visit nikkitrott.com and find Nikki Trott on Instagram

Connect with Sebastian on Instagram

SebastianNaum.com

Below is a transcript of the video podcast created by Seb’s Robot buddy, Zekton. He tends to make mistakes so please forgive him if you find errors or some funky sounding sentences. For the real deal, watch the video or click on your favorite audio Podcast platform above! Enjoy!

Sebastian Naum (00:09):
What’s up fam. We had a really great show today. We talked a little bit about sports, a little psychedelics, the journey of finding oneself and of course, conscious business with that. I wanna give a special thank you and shout out to the sponsor of today’s show conscious capitalism, Los Angeles, whose aim is to connect, inspire, and cultivate conscious business leaders in LA. It is a key piece of a larger scale worldwide conscious capitalism movement. Today I had on Nikki trot, the founder and CEO of conscious accelerator where help entrepreneurs transform both internal mindset and external impact to unlock their full potential fulfillment and success. Nikki has consulted for over 100 top fashion lifestyle brands globally from Mulberry to mango to lap Prairie before aligning her work and values. Her work is built upon the belief that business is driven by purpose and that together we can change our lives and the world through conscious entrepreneurship. We hit some juicy topics today, including burnout, anxiety, dissonance, partying, and how all of that ties into purpose. So stick around and enjoy the show.

Sebastian Naum (01:20):
Nikki, welcome to the show. Glad to have you on.

Nikki Trott (01:22):
Thank you so much. I’m happy to be here with you.

Sebastian Naum (01:25):
Yes, Nicki, I’m gonna start right away with a question that I ask everyone that I have on, which is what was your last, oh, moment. What’s the first thing that comes to mind.

Nikki Trott (01:33):
Um, oh my gosh. My last, oh, moment. I think it was when I realized in the last couple of days, how little time I have to finish my book and how many chapters I want to write.

Sebastian Naum (01:48):
Wow. Well, congrats. So what’s going on with the book?

Nikki Trott (01:51):
Um, well I’m writing a book all about how conscious business can change the world and how we can transform our own lives and the lives of other people and the way we interact with the planet through using businesses a force for good. So it’s really based on all the work that I’ve done and my programs and everything that we may or may not touch on today, uh, that I, it is really about my mission and, and what I’ve been doing. Um, so I’m really excited to share it with the wider world in the book form.

Sebastian Naum (02:18):
I can’t tell if it’s you speaking or me speaking. Um, so if you need a co-author, I’ll fly over there to London. So that’s amazing, Nikki, that sounds awesome. I can’t wait to read it. And, uh, you are in London right now, correct?

Nikki Trott (02:31):
I’m in London right now. Yes. Got it. Where I’m originally from back, right where I was born after being nomadic and living away for five years. So it’s nice to be here for a little bit. I know

Sebastian Naum (02:42):
That’s cool. And before we get in into you being nomadic you’re London, and right now at the time of recording, um, the Euro cup’s going on, so England’s gonna be in the final. So by the time this goes out, oh, you know, something will be out there, but, uh, how, how do you feel about that? All that stuff. Is it crazy over there?

Nikki Trott (02:59):
Honestly, I have no idea. Um, I did watch the last game with my dad and my husband, very chilled at home. I only watched the second half, uh, and afterwards I was going to going to sleep in north London suburbs where it’s beautiful and quiet, and I could hear people shouting and on the streets, which is new, never happens here in this part of London. Really. That was kind of funny. I mean, I’m bad, it’s making people happy, but it’s not something that I personally really care about.

Sebastian Naum (03:28):
Yeah. So I grew up in Argentina. Yeah. And so I grew up very passionate about soccer. And so I still, I love wa I, I don’t watch too many, like too much club or any of that stuff, but I do love watching Argentina. And there’s something that kind of sparks in me when I watch it. And that I really care about over the years though. Like it, I love watching it and I’m in the moment watching it, but I, I care less and less, I think in a weird way of the result and kind of just enjoy the process and just enjoy the whole thing. Um, but there’s definitely something there to be said about the way people are from a nationalistic standpoint, you know? Um, I’ve got some crazy stories of friends that used to go to world cups and just like insane and particularly British fans and Argentinian fans.

Nikki Trott (04:17):
Oh.

Sebastian Naum (04:18):
And you guys brought the sport to our Argentina actually, when you built the railroad, I dunno if you knew that, but, uh, how do you feel about all that nationalistic stuff?

Nikki Trott (04:27):
Yeah. I, I think it’s really interesting because I feel like culture is moving on so quickly, but then maybe things stay more stagnant in traditions like football. Right. I think a lot of people like you describe, might have been exposed to it as a child. It might be part of just what they do as a family. I, we never watched football as a family. My dad’s from New Zealand, its soccer’s not something that they really play there even, I don’t think. And you know, the all blacks rugby team, if there’s gonna be a coolest sports team in the world, it’s gotta be them. Um, not that he even supports the watches them either, but you know, I, I’m pretty uncomfortable with the nationalistic kind of us versus them. Let’s beat those, whoever. And I watched the England Germany game in a pub in England because, uh, I was taking my dad on the trip with my husband and my sister and we thought, okay, for the experience, let’s go to an English pub of German husband.

Nikki Trott (05:23):
Um, and it was really interesting. The people there were so lovely and we, we had lots of laughs with the other people. Then there was this very racist German war bomber song at the end when we beat, uh, Germany. I say we, I mean they, um, and you know, it’s just really interesting because I don’t think there’s any other context would find myself in that situation, but it seems somehow accepted. So yeah, I don’t have a lot to say about football, but I’m just, I want everyone to win. I want the world to be a more open place and I, I don’t like this kind of fighting between countries and I don’t know what it is that gets people so excited and it feels like an excuse for racism or going back to the war days. I don’t know, not for me,

Sebastian Naum (06:04):
It’s SU it’s a super interesting subject and I’m sure there’s actual full blown podcast about this whole thing too. Absolutely. Um, because there’s something beautiful about sports, at least in my opinion, that I let that I love about the competition and win and, and just kind of the comradery that comes from playing in team sports and representing your colors versus the whole other aspect of us versus them and the hate and all that. I actually just watched a documentary on ESPN. It was called white and blue. I believe it was called something like that, but it’s about a very famous Sergeant team and soccer player that won the world cup that went to play in England. Um, and at the time where there was no internet and any of that, and then the, the LAN island war came in and it kind of talks all about mixes sports and, and war and everything.

Sebastian Naum (06:47):
And, and it keeps very pessimistic and kind of goes off with like, all that he cares about is that the war is not good. Basically. That’s kind of the, the whole, but anyway, I digress so totally different subject, but I thought it was interesting since, uh, you’re over there in London as this is happening. So you were interested in psychology design and economics. That is a really interesting trio things. When, when you started, when you went to school, I, I was actually very interested in psychology and economics as well. I started studying some economics and, uh, it was on a macro level and, and got pretty bored with it. So it was more so, okay. I love psychology and I’m gonna take that into business and entrepreneurship. So how did that work out for you in terms of business design and economics?

Nikki Trott (07:28):
Yeah, well, I mean, I think I remember at school just being generally frustrated that what I was learning didn’t seem very practical. I always wanted to get my hand study a bit and be out in the real world. I guess I was always an entrepreneur in some way. I just didn’t know. Um, because in my quite traditional education, there was no mention of entrepreneurship. Actually. It was just all of the different, more traditional career paths that you might be choosing from. And I’ve always been fascinated by people. What motivates us, what within us is really causing us to you make decisions or take actions or feel the way that we do and react the way that we do. I’ve always loved deeper, meaningful conversations. I’m not really one for small talk, but at the same time, I found economics really interesting because it’s all about how the world works.

Nikki Trott (08:12):
What are these systems that we have created and, and all of the intricate details of them and how can we use them play with them. But I also found economics to be a bit too, I mean, at a school level, certainly. And at university level as well, which I, I did also have economics modules in my degree. It was still a little bit too theoretical and kind of idealistic and, and didn’t was dry. Yeah, yeah, it was dry, but it was based on models, which were, were never gonna happen. And I remember quite upsetting my, my economics teacher when I was saying at school, that that was my issue with it. But, you know, design also has just always been something I’ve loved because I love creative pursuits and painting and drawing and kniting and music and, and really making creative things. And also, I, I appreciate design and good design so much, and I’ve always been very aesthetically led and I’ve been interested in how can I bring those things together? Um, so that it’s, it’s meaningful. And where I ended up at the beginning of my career was in fashion, uh, in the business side of the fashion industry. That was a place where I thought those things all came together. I found it thrilling and exciting, met incredible people, um, made friends for life, but as I went through my fashion career, more and more, I felt I wasn’t aligned with my values.

Sebastian Naum (09:30):
Hmm. Yeah. I, I, um, I watched a doc a while bad, um, the true cost, I think it was called. Yeah. Yeah. And, uh, that showed me a whole different side of fashion and fast fashion and clothing that I had no idea it being actually one of the dirtiest industries in a way from, uh, you know, what we’re doing to the planet. Uh, it was like the second after or the oil industry, I believe. Um, so tell me a little bit more about that. What about it? Did you not like, what was it not, what was not resonating with you?

Nikki Trott (10:05):
Well, I was working in the business side. I was working for agencies and startups and I was consulting and then eventually had my own company consulting, big brands on strategy and branding and, you know, it was exciting. Um, and the projects were impactful. They were big budgets, big brands, but at the same time, I started to feel the first thing was, I just felt like the work was pointless. I, I was, I on one hand, I’d be she’s simulated and really enjoying it. And then I would deliver this PDF and think, what, what is the point of this? I’m helping Mercedes-Benz to sell more cars, you know, or I’m helping H and M to get more returning customers. What why? And, and I used to sometimes zone out in meetings and kind of almost hover above and watch and think this is absolutely absurd. There’s 10 incredible people in this room.

Nikki Trott (11:05):
And we’re talking about, you know, where this, this bit of text is positioned on an ad for, to sell a bikini. I mean, it’s nuts actually, what are we doing? You know? And then I’ll kind of come back in again and, and travel and stay in great hotels. And there was, you know, it was, it was like being on hamster wheels. So I was really, really distracted, but more and more had this niggling feeling inside. So it started with feeling like it was really pointless, then it, then I was really questioning the impact on the planet and the sustainability or lack of, um, and why do we need more clothes at all? I almost feel like if we just never made any more clothes, it’ll be fine. I think there’s at this point, You know, there’s, I think there’s enough. Um, yeah. And, you know, so more and more, it just started to feel very uncomfortable for me, but I also became really passionate about body positivity and promoting a more positive, uh, and more diverse view of beauty ideals to people and have been involved in work around that as well. So there were various different areas that started to become more important to, to me. And it, it just made the work that I was doing seem less and less aligned with what I cared about

Sebastian Naum (12:20):
When you and I chatted before you mentioned something about, uh, masculine energy running this industry. Yeah. Can you explain a little bit of what, what you mean about a masculine energy running an industry?

Nikki Trott (12:32):
Yeah. Well, I think, think that most business and corporations are run by a masculine energy at the moment. And, and this is not about sex, you know, it’s not about whether you’re a ma male or female body, although that does obviously play a part, um, especially historically, but it’s really been for me. What I experienced was I had to show up with my masculine energy at the front, which actually I kind of always did. So I think that that was natural to me. Anyway, it was easy for me to do. That’s how I succeeded because I looked at all of these companies and when you’re meeting sea level executives at top fashion brands, you’re in a room of men and they’re working out what they wanna sell to women and how to tell women that they’re more beautiful if they give them their money. It’s, it’s really absurd actually, and to succeed. So

Sebastian Naum (13:18):
Whether or not you’re a man or a woman, it’s not about, like, there could be more women in a room. However, the masculine energy is what’s running that room.

Nikki Trott (13:26):
Yeah. And I think that’s because the industry has, has typically been run by men. So then when the women go in, they need to show up or they feel that they need to show up with their masculine energy to match what’s happening in that room to be taken seriously, to be listened to. And that the other sides that are in all men and women of, of the feminine or the softer are, are not appreciated in business, are they, or in, in corporations. And that’s one of the big problems. I think that’s led us to put profit above all else and with the planet with no, no real care, as long as the, the numbers are going up,

Sebastian Naum (14:02):
There’s an interesting connection there almost right. Between the masculine and feminine energy and to where capitalism has gone, I believe. And I think that is change. I, I, I see change. I believe there’s change. I wanna believe there’s change in that. Yeah. Um, to where males are changing as well and that’s yes. Yeah, yeah,

Nikki Trott (14:20):
Absolutely.

Sebastian Naum (14:22):
Yeah,

Nikki Trott (14:22):
Absolutely. The amount of enlightened men and women and any gender, a tool that I’m meeting now is incredible. And I think that we are starting to show up as our full selves, more and more and say, I’m not going to leave my values at the door and take this paycheck. I’m not prepared to do that. And I think millennials and younger especially are just not able to separate. And we live in this new world now where everything’s online, where we are publishing our opinions all the time. Most people are, or young people are on social media in some way or another, maybe have a podcast or maybe have a book and we are sharing our opinions. So we need to be full and whole in what we do at work. And at home, it comes from the same place.

Sebastian Naum (15:08):
Absolutely. Yeah. Yeah. Well, I’m glad, I’m glad we’re seeing this change. And I know we’re, we’re a part of it. We’re at least part of inspiring that change. And I’m happy that, that we’re, we are a part of that. And so, but Nicky, you must have hit some sort of rock bottom or something happened in that journey of yours realizing that this industry wasn’t for you when you were talking about that moment of hovering above the room and being like, what the heck am I doing in here? We’re talking about the positioning of a, of a text on, on an ad or whatever that might be, which by the way, I used to be pretty obsessed when I was younger about like little tiny things on ads on, I remember watching like super bowl commercials and being like, just, oh man, that’s what I wanna do. One day. I wanna figure out what little things of design detail, you know, positioning of one thing or an other, uh, you know, an emotional, emotional marketing, you know, what, what about it is gonna cause somebody to wanna make a purchasing decision or like, or not like a brand. And now I see that differently. I, I mean, I still think that way, but more towards conscious brands as opposed to just buying anything. Right? Yeah. So there’s still that,

Nikki Trott (16:09):
That, cause I completely agree with you. It’s an art and it’s beautiful or when it’s used the right way, but we were selling an H and M bikini. So I’m thinking, what is the point of this? You know, it’s not about the art of how you might be communicating, which can be used in positive and negative ways. It’s like we are all here talking about a 3 99 H and M bikini that nobody needs that comes from no mission whatsoever. It does not sing in any of ourselves. So that’s where that, that thought came from.

Sebastian Naum (16:39):
Yeah. Yeah. So

Nikki Trott (16:40):
Are you

Sebastian Naum (16:40):
Asking

Nikki Trott (16:41):
Another question?

Sebastian Naum (16:42):
What’s that

Nikki Trott (16:43):
When I hit you asking me when I hit rock bottom, right? How, how did I make the change? Yeah,

Sebastian Naum (16:47):
Yeah. Anyone out there though, if you see a 3 99 bikini, think about it, think about that. There’s a reason it’s 3 99. Don’t buy it. Okay. Yeah. So, uh, so yeah. So what was the, the rock bottom then? Nikki? What, what happened? What was the transition for you?
Nikki Trott (17:04):
Well, what really happened was I, I was going on my personal spiritual journey and that was starting to underpin how I felt about work. Um, of course being one whole human. And so I’d become fully vegan. By this point I had started meditating. I had started reading spiritual books, the first one being the power of now, by which I’m sure most of your listeners, if not all have read, you know, and, and, and kind of taking steps to discovering my spirituality. And I had been brought up in a very science dictated sense of the world. Science is fact science is truth, nothing else exists. And I started to realize that by there’s nothing wrong with science, but that it needs to be very much complimented by. And actually before even looking at science needs to come a sense of our own experience and intuition and, and things, which you can’t really measure, um, and consciousness, you know, which, which cannot be, or we haven’t found a way yet to measure.

Nikki Trott (18:08):
And so the, the separation decided to grow and, and I had a, a big Saturn return. I don’t know if, if you familiar with that, I didn’t know what a Saturn term was. I know nothing about astrology whatsoever, but I was told many times as I went through it, you are having a Saturn return, which is when you are planets are all in the same places when you were born for the first time when you are around 29, um, years old. And anyway, that happened to me. I, I didn’t know this had return thing, but I left my long term partner, moved out of my apartment, quit my job as a director of a, a great agency. I act, I cut my long hair off. I moved to Berlin. I became fully vegan. All the things happened within three months. Um, and so then I went to Berlin and, and I set up a business and I was consulting, still big brands, Mercedes-Benz and Mac and the Prairie.

Nikki Trott (18:58):
But I had twice money, half for half of the working time and lots of freedom and lots of time to explore my spirituality and actually started doing a lot of Pilates, which for me was a really spiritual practice because I connected with my body again. And before that my body had been the shell that I just pushed around and burnt the candle at both ends and traveled and worked and partied. And, and then I started to kind of connect into my body and I realized that I could no longer do the work I was doing. And the actually you asked me if there was one moment, there was, I was flown from Berlin to New York to run a digital strategy conference for luxury skincare brand. And I’d started to really try not to fly long distance for short times, but, but this one I did.

Nikki Trott (19:46):
And, um, they asked me to have a facial so that I could get in a product. And it was actually my first ever facial and I had quite low maintenance. And so I was having this facial and this wonderful woman, um, who, who was giving me the facial beautiful soul. She, she was explaining to me that the, the products had caviar in them. And I asked her what real caviar? And she said, yes, yes, it’s, it’s real caviar. It’s our signature. And I was just lying there, thinking this is absolutely absurd. I’m vegan. I would never buy this product. It’s a small plastic pot with more plastic than cream, you know, huge ostentatious design, little bit of cream in the middle, a thousand us dollars, um, retail and caviar. And I just thought I would never buy, I would never tell anyone I know to buy this.

Nikki Trott (20:34):
I would never give this as a gift. This is just not me. And it was really, I just lay there thinking it’s only me. Who’s gonna change this because more and more companies are gonna come and offer money. And money has never been my biggest driver. It it’s only I can change this and change a cycle. Otherwise it would just carry on forever and the projects get bigger and the brands get bigger and the money gets bigger and everyone’s even more stuck. So after that, I got on the plane and I said, that’s the last time. It doesn’t matter what comes on my desk, not doing it again. And I walked away from that business. And, uh, yeah, I much to the dismay of some of my friends and family who were wondering when earth is happening to me leaving this successful business, which by the external measures of what you’re told success should be it, it ticked those boxes, but fulfill me. So that was the start of the next journey.

Sebastian Naum (21:31):
Hey guys, I just wanna remind you, if you wanna find more content like this, you can visit Sebastian nom.com. That’s Sebastian na.com. You can also get a ton of other marketing resources for myself and my agencies ranging from SEO to social media, influencer, marketing, branding, web development, and more again, that’s S fashion.com. Thank you. And enjoy the rest of the show. Start of the next journey. What is success

Nikki Trott (21:55):
To me? Success is freedom, fulfillment and positive impact.

Sebastian Naum (22:01):
Hmm. Freedom, fulfillment, and positive impact.

Nikki Trott (22:03):
Yeah. Love

Sebastian Naum (22:04):
That.

Nikki Trott (22:05):
I’ve thought about it.

Sebastian Naum (22:07):
Yeah. You had that one ready? Yeah. So, um, when you, it’s interesting when people sometimes, um, have a rock bottom or they have a, cause it sounded like you, you had a little shift before that, cause you, you left a, a boyfriend, you, you cut the hair, you left a job, but there was still something missing there because you still went back to consulting and it was just, you had started your own business at that point, but then you realized you were kind of back in the same cycle, right? Yeah. Um, it’s kind of easy to find one self. Like you, you, you have this shift and then you leave something and then you kind of get back in it. Um, I found that that’s, it’s happened to me, you know, in life. Yeah. Um, and then you kind of need a bigger push, uh, to get out of that. And um, so last time we talked, you also mentioned that, uh, you took some psychedelics and there was something going on there that also caused a shift was, was that before this, after, during,

Nikki Trott (23:08):
Um, psychedelics and part medicines started during this phase. So after I had made that first big cut, um, and then I started to explore opening my mind more and it was part of my spiritual transformation, I guess, which had many elements. Yeah.

Sebastian Naum (23:29):
Got it. Do you feel that’s necessary for anybody?

Nikki Trott (23:34):
Definitely not for everybody. I mean, I don’t think there’s any tool which is for everybody. Um, maybe breathing actually. It’s pretty, there you go, everybody. But, um, and you know, we can all use our breath better, but I don’t think there’s any tool that’s for everybody. Um, I have asked myself that question. How important was this process with psychedelics in my overall experience? Um, I mean, I’ve had more intense experiences just through the passionate meditation, 10 days of, of silence and meditation, um, has given me more intense experiences. And breathwork has also given me more intense psychedelic experiences than, um, par medicines or psychedelic substances. So I think there’s many ways that we can access these different realms within ourselves. Yeah. And I don’t think that you even have to, but just for me, it was really important overall, all of these different tools coming together to change my perception of reality and open up my mind and get me to dismantle the identity that I had built for myself, because I realized that the only person who was trapping me was me and I had started to value myself based on my social currency, based on the company and the brands I work with and the money that I made and the way that people told me you are really successful because you’ve done these things.

Nikki Trott (24:56):
And I then started to believe that and say, that’s who I am. Yeah. And so I think that they really helped me to break that down and go back to the core.

Sebastian Naum (25:06):
Yeah. Yeah. And that’s true. People do all kinds of different things and some people use different tools and, you know, I, some people will shave their eyebrows and shave their heads because that kind of, when you see yourself without eyebrows or hair, it’s a totally different person. Right. And now all of a sudden you’ve lost that identity. I recently heard, uh, you know, you, you mentioned, you know, partying throughout, you know, when you’re in that kind of industry, you know, and you’re making lots of money, it’s easy to get into partying. I’m very guilty of, of partying a good amount in my life. And, um, and then you start, when you shift outta that and you start doing things like breath work, and you can see how powerful that is. And, um, I, I heard Russell bra say recently that, um, a drunkard on a corner is just a, a guy trying to have a spiritual experience.

Sebastian Naum (25:53):
And I was like, what in the world are you talking about? And then he went out and he went out to explain it, and it’s, we have this desire to leave our bodies, to try to understand something deeper than what’s just right here to try to connect with other human being on a deeper level. And in a way people partying are actually doing just that. That’s just the way they know to, to, to forget about, you know, their job or their problems or whatever, to try to connect on a different level. And, uh, I think it’s, it’s really important, hopefully more and more people can find a different way of doing that when cause when you, once you realize that there are different ways of doing that, like you just said, you could have a more powerful experience on doing breath work than with plant medicine.

Sebastian Naum (26:36):
Yeah. Um, which is crazy. Yeah. Um, and it’s, it’s, it’s amazing. And, and it’s, I love being able to do some breath work and then I immediately go to journal and write things down. Yeah. Because otherwise I just remember the experience being powerful and I won’t necessarily remember so much, then I’ll go back and read it and be like, yes, that’s right. That was the realization I have. I need to, I need to integrate this more into my life. I, I, I, okay. I gotta remember it. You know, so I think writing things down after meditating, after doing breathwork is super important. Really cool.

Nikki Trott (27:03):
Yes. I agree with you. The integration is super important and it’s a whole other topic, isn’t it? Yeah. And on the partying thing, I need to look up that from Russell brand. I really enjoy his perspectives a lot. And, um, the, what I, what I see is different is there are many substances which take you away from yourself. And somehow I don’t know how I managed to escape using any drugs at all, apart from alcohol. Um, although I was constantly surrounded by them, I think I was surrounded by them so much that it was so offputting, you know, I’ve been in work parties where people have said, the boss just asks you to have a line. That’s an honor. I can’t believe he said, no, I don’t care. I, I don’t, you know, if, if that, if that makes me do better in my job or not, it’s not, for me, it’s probably the wrong job.

Nikki Trott (27:50):
You know, I knew that already. And, and I think that, you know, I used to drink alcohol a lot. I’m from London. We all did. And only now I can see that probably me and every single person I know had an alcohol problem, but we, we think that it’s totally fine to drink every week to drink every weekend to drink. When you wanna celebrate to drink, when something’s annoyed, you, you know, or we, we, I broke up with my boyfriend, let’s go and get drunk. I mean, this, this was like normal, normalized and actually super unhealthy. And I, I found that we separated me from myself. Um, so I stopped drinking alcohol completely, uh, a couple of years ago or more now. Yeah. More than maybe two and a half years ago. And before that started to really cut it down, um, I’m not saying alcohol is evil for everybody it’s wrong, but I think we have a very dangerous relationship with it, which really hinders our development.

Nikki Trott (28:44):
And there are lots of other drugs and substances, which I haven’t personally used, which I have observed very closely and seen how they take people away from their true selves as well, and, and remain more in the ego. But that’s why psych addicts and part medicines are so different because obviously as you know, they’re not addictive and they’re not harmful to your body, but they’re also instead of blockers. And so that is a totally different experience. But when I lived in Berlin, I started going clubbing. I was like in my early thirties and I’d never, I’ve never gone clubbing like that ever in my life, partly because I was vegan. I, I had like next level energy than I’d ever had before. Um, but also because the club Sarah are so amazing and there’s a club called Birdheim, which is my favorite club and it’s techno.

Nikki Trott (29:32):
And I used to go many, many times, not every Sunday, but most Sundays in the daytime in the afternoon and psychedelics are not, you know, completely sober or bit of psyched, whatever, dancing for six hours to incredible techno music. I found so spiritual and it completely changed my understanding of partying. And I made so many friends there who were so diverse, uh, who really experienced partying for very different reasons. And it, it’s amazing just be in a massive club and dancing, completely sober and connecting with your body and, and, and seeing all of the bodies together and, and moving as one and this connection between everything. And it just makes you feel like you can see the connection of everything in the universe there. And we’ve been dancing since ever right since the beginning of time. And I haven’t danced myself for, for like the last 18 months and I I’m craving it and I, my own, and it’s, it’s kind of nice, but it’s different. It’s this, this energy of everyone together. I, I wanna say tribal, but I, I don’t wanna be disrespectful by using that word, but it’s just, you know, people coming together and dancing to the same, it’s, it’s just something that we all know deep in our soul. So I think we can use partying as something really spiritual. We can use it as something to just escape ourselves and our lives or anything else.

Sebastian Naum (30:52):
Yeah. I’m so glad you, you, you put it that way. It’s so interesting. First of all, it, it is maybe it’s a very LA in London thing that it’s so easily to get caught up in. Oh, you know, during the week, you know, you do all your. Right. Uh, you know, I, I do well on my job. I make money. I, I, I meditate a couple times and then it’s like on the weekend, you know? Yeah. You get wasted and that’s not wasted. And then, so you just, you think that’s okay. That’s okay. And that’s normal until something happens at some point for some people never, but something at some point, um, that you realize like, this is not okay, you know, and that doesn’t mean that you have to go be completely sober or not do anything. And just like you were saying, right.

Sebastian Naum (31:33):
Parting, whether it’s sober, whether it’s like a Delex or not, or this or that, but the dancing aspect, because the reach to point to me where I was associating, like parting is only one way and, and, you know, partying heavy partying, fun parties are only this way. And it, you know, it requires substances or whatever, right. Yeah. Or alcohol. And, um, once you realize not, and I, I think, I don’t know if it was the first time I realized it. I think I, I always knew it, but I did like this, um, ecstatic dance in, um, Thailand, which the whole idea of it is, you know, to be fully sober and also, uh, no kind of like, you’re not supposed to be hitting on the opposite sex or the sex, whoever you’re attracted to, it’s just being yourself and just allowing the music to go through you and just dancing. And it’s super effing, weird and fun. And it was such a different experience. And it was like, oh man, you can have, you can party hard without, you know, getting drunk or doing anything, you know? Yeah. And, uh, it’s so true how it is. It’s very connecting, you know, in a way. So, um, and it’s the essence dancing is, is part of the essence of ours self. Um, all right. So you started, um, we went all over the place there, which is, what’s fun about this. That’s what I like. So you

Nikki Trott (32:48):
Never know where we’ll

Sebastian Naum (32:49):
Go. Yeah. So conscious business. And so after you had a lot of these realizations and you, you stopped, you dropped that consulting, um, gig, even though you were doing very well working, you know, half the time making double the money, uh, how did you make the shift into conscious business and consulting unconscious business?

Nikki Trott (33:09):
So, first I describe it as like the pendulum completely swung the other way. I, I went and trained in life coaching and transformation coaching. I wanted to learn something about how to really affect people at a deeper, meaningful level. And I, you know, I just felt like people can just pay me whatever they can. And I just, I don’t wanna, you know, I wanna help everyone and, and I wanna save the world and I don’t want the damage, any of thing, the planet ever again. And, and I kind of went for the other side and then went through my training, got certified and everything, and started coaching, incredible visionary, uh, women and enlightened men. Um, and really people who were aligned with my values who want to make positive impact on the world. And then through this process, I realized, okay, all of that experience, I have those years of consulting and business and brands and entrepreneurship are there to help all of these people to succeed as well as the coaching part.

Nikki Trott (34:13):
So where I started with the coaching, being the main driver, it became one piece, one part of how I help clients and businesses. And, and so I brought them together. And I, I learned through this that we really normally treat our internal deep, personal development as something completely separate to our business goals and how we are improving our businesses. Yeah. And I think that’s totally flawed because as the people who are driving our businesses, it comes from within us and they’re, and our business is like an outward expression in the world of our inward environment. So if you’re feeling really negative and there’s a lot of hate inside, then that’s gonna be expressed through the work you do. You’re not gonna care about people. You know, it will affect the culture of the company and many other things. So I started to then bring them together.

Nikki Trott (35:00):
And, and that’s why I created my program transform on purpose, which is all about, okay, let’s look at the internal world, let’s work on really igniting your power and removing your blockers, like fears and limiting beliefs and self-sabotage, and all the things that we all have in doing at different times, and then really aligning with your, your purpose and your values and what really matters to you. And then building a really smart G and brand platform and tools for your business to succeed and putting those, all of those things together so that your objectives are like personal and professional in one place. And then you can really set yourself up for success instead of having these fragments that don’t really complement each other.

Sebastian Naum (35:38):
So would you say that you don’t think that somebody can have, uh, a different, like their own personal goals be completely different from their business

Nikki Trott (35:49):
Goals? I think can be, but values, no

Sebastian Naum (35:53):
Values. No.

Nikki Trott (35:54):
Okay. Yeah. So I think we, we all have one set of values, underpin, absolutely everything we do. And so you can set different goals based on that. Like I can say my, my value is freedom. And one goal in my business is going to be to be able to run it remotely. And one goal in my personal life is gonna be to be able to go to New Zealand and hike this trail. I really want, you know, like you can make different goals, but I think they come from the same place if we are, if we’re in alignment with our true self.

Sebastian Naum (36:23):
Okay. So we can ha and so that’s the key, right? Because we can have certain values internally, and then we are expressing completely different values in our jobs on a daily basis. So what, what happens when we do that, which is probably what 90% of us, or maybe more do.

Nikki Trott (36:43):
Yeah, the really interesting thing. And I’ve actually learned this myself, but also through all of the people I’ve interviewed on my podcast and, and, and listen to actually, and I hear again and again from people that they get signs in their body that they’re all telling them, and our mind is rationalizing, but I’m doing really well or, oh, but just two more years. And then I’ll get to this point. And I that’s what I have to do, but the body is, is saying no stop. And that shows up for some people in anxiety, it shows up for others in panic attacks or depression, or just, you know, feeling a disconnection from south, or just feeling a, a meaninglessness to life and, you know, treating yourself badly, you know, addictions, all sorts of things can kind of come from that. And I think that really, when we ask ourselves, am I really fulfilled?
Nikki Trott (37:34):
Am I aligned with my mission in this world? If you can’t answer. Yes, right now today, I feel that I am, then you are going to be trying to make up for that gap and filling that hole in other ways. So that’s why we buy clothes as well. You know, I don’t truly love myself, but maybe I will, if I wear this dress, didn’t work. Let’s try another one. No, still not working. Maybe I’ll be more valuable if I buy one more and, you know, then you realize it’s nothing to do with any of the external stuff. I think that’s a, a good illustration.

Sebastian Naum (38:07):
Yeah. That’s really interesting. And, and, uh, I love what you’re saying in terms of how it shows up through your body. It really does. I’ve experienced that a lot. Have you, and, uh, I’m learning, well, I, I’s an ongoing, I think I’ll continue to learn it until I’m 120 cuz that’s how old I’m gonna be. Um, but so, uh, I am learning to try to pick up on that faster and faster, quicker, so that it’s more immediate as opposed to what happens when you allow it to just build up over time, you know? Yeah. Uh, which is what happens to most of us. Uh, a lot of stress can build up over time and stress builds up even when you have no idea that it’s building up. And, you know, I think stress will continue to build up either way. It’s figuring out ways to diminish that to, you know, we’re where it, I think it’s just almost like a pro uh, you know, it’s just, we’re a product of what’s going on too, with all of these new tools in media and things and stimuli that are coming at us at all times, that’s causing more anxiety and stress that we’re not used to.

Sebastian Naum (39:07):
You know, we’re not really, we don’t really have the tools of how to, how to deal with that and we’re working on it. But in terms of having your values, not really in with what you’re doing on a daily basis and that showing through your body and showing in different signs, I think that’s a beautiful way how you put it. And I think it’s a great way for people to start paying attention to that. Um, because I think it’s really easy to say, Hey, you know, my, my values are about taking care of my family. My values are, you know, uh, my values are all family oriented and I wanna provide for my kids and, and my wife and this and that, and this job that doesn’t align with my values pays me a lot, which allows me to fund this other side of my values. So that’s a really easy way to kind of get caught in, in a, in a lie per se. Right?

Nikki Trott (39:56):
Yeah. Yeah, I think so. I agree. And, you know, taking care of your family is one value, but what are the others and how are they showing up? Right. And, you know, I, I think also that scenario you described really brings us to this very common misconception, which I have had myself, uh, which I I’m focusing on in my book to try to dispel that you can only have one or the other, you can either make good money or you can do something with meaning. And there’s no such thing as doing both. So what are you gonna choose? And that’s how we’ve been conditioned in our societies. And that’s what we truly believe. I think, I mean, that’s what I believe said, don’t need the money anymore. Have that doesn’t matter. I’m gonna go the other way. I’m just gonna do something with meaning. And then I realized, oh wait, now I’m delivering more value than ever. I’m more aligned with my true creativity and, and potential than ever. This is, this is bigger than anything I could have dreamt of. And, and, and so I think we’re seeing more and more examples in businesses like Oakley and Patagonia and these companies who are leading their categories because their, their brands are driven by purpose. And that brings more value even to the old school stakeholders who are still judging businesses in the same old ways, even for them. Now we’re seeing that purpose driven businesses are winning. So

Sebastian Naum (41:22):
Absolutely. Yeah. I love that too, because, um, I, I wanna make sure that anybody listening and when I talk to my friends and people that I speak to in general, it’s not just for entrepreneurs. It’s not just, if you’re a founder, no. Right. It works for entrepreneurs too. You can bring this to your business, to your brand. And if you do your absolute best to bring consciousness to the, your workplace, and it’s just not working because it’s not aligned, you can go get a job in a big company or corporation, cuz if that’s your thing and you wanna work for a big corporation, be because they can move mountains, like a Patagonia very slow,

Nikki Trott (41:56):
But yes they can. Yeah,

Sebastian Naum (41:58):
Exactly. Right. So, but, um, essentially yeah, you can, you can do it and, and that’s, what’s awesome that we’re what we’re seeing in the world today, you know? So, um, so you have a, you have a process, Nikki, right? You have a step process. Yeah. Do you wanna, uh, tell us a little bit about just the basics of those three step process?

Nikki Trott (42:18):
Yeah. So that’s what I, I kind of touched on very briefly around the first one being around really firing up your personal power and getting rid of your blockers. Okay. And I truly believe that we have to do that. We have to look inwards first, um, when we want to make it transformation, when we want to level up in our business, in our jobs, in our careers, the first thing is what’s holding me back. Well, the main thing is gonna be you. And so what are you scared of? What are you not looking at? And what are you avoiding? You know, very well as I’m sure as I do that as humans, we prefer to be in the discomfort of where we are that and the discomfort of where we want to be, which is just completely madness, but we all do in some ways it sometimes just hang around a bit longer than

Sebastian Naum (43:03):
Well, it’s known, it’s known discomfort versus unknown discomfort sounds scar.

Nikki Trott (43:08):
We prefer the known discomfort. Yeah, exactly. Um, you know, and so really helping people to break that down and also to build on, on practices and ways that they can really feel that they’re in their power in their zone. Um, you know, building self love is actually a big part of that as well. And, and so that’s the first step. It’s all about getting rid of your blockers and firing up your power. And then the second step is aligning with your values and defining purpose and really going them within once you’ve cleared out some of the, the noise and going inwards and, and finding those values. And I have a methodology around that, uh, and around then getting your purpose clear and then translating your purpose into a, a mission because it’s also really important that we have very clear mission statement that we are bring into our work. And then the third step is about then really driving your impact on the world and driving the impact you’re meant to make. So that’s where we are very much in the consulting space then by the third step. And it’s all about looking at your business, your brand, your platform, your strategies, and how you’re going to really, you make a success of what you’ve discovered you really, truly want to be doing.

Sebastian Naum (44:21):
Love that. Yeah, that’s great. Nicki, what are the two traits that a conscious leader must embody today? The two most important traits in your opinion that a conscious leader must embody?

Nikki Trott (44:30):
Well, that’s a good question. I can only answer it in the moment now, what comes through, which is, um, openness and being really open, um, which means being a great listener and not turning up with assumptions, but asking questions and, and really seeing what comes back. Um, and the second one would be, I think, to be really generous in, in allowing other people to really shine and grow, um, in collaboration. So having an abundance mindset to collaboration and community, rather than trying to keep everything for yourself and trying to just Excel and, and kick the competition out the way in this old school mindset. But rather knowing confidently that you will succeed when other people succeed even more than you do.

Sebastian Naum (45:24):
Wonderful. Love that. So, Nikki, you said you’re writing a book and you also have a podcast. Um, how can people get a hold of you? What, what, or tell us a little bit about the book. Do you have a date planned? Am I putting you on the spot?

Nikki Trott (45:39):
I don’t have a, a date. I’m, I’m waiting for my publisher. We we’re in, we’re discussing the date. So I can’t share the date exactly now. Um, but it will be hopefully this year. Um, my cast is called going conscious and I would love to invite you as a guest, if you would have the time, it would be wonderful to have you there

Sebastian Naum (46:00):
Invite accepted.

Nikki Trott (46:02):
Thank you. Brilliant. I’m looking forward to continuing our conversation then. Um, and I’m definitely gonna be asking you about what you described around the tools that you are using to listen more to your body. And that sounds really fascinating. Um, so yes, you can search go unconscious on any, on any platform. But the easiest way to find me is probably just on Instagram, which is Nicki trot. N I K K I T R O w T. Um, or on LinkedIn? Same name, clubhouse, same name. Yeah.

Sebastian Naum (46:31):
Awesome. Wonderful. Well, thank you so much, Nicky. Absolutely loved our conversation. Love what you do. So please keep doing you keep being you and, uh, thanks again for being on today.

Nikki Trott (46:42):
Thank you so so much. It’s amazing to meet another aligned person. I’m so happy. Thank you. Thank you.