Work Besties Who Podcast

Breaking Free: From Burnout to Breakthrough

• Work Besties Who Podcast • Season 2 • Episode 62

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In From Burnout to Breakthrough, Nicole Richards takes us on her journey from living the “perfect” life on paper to realizing that success without well-being is unsustainable. She opens up about hitting burnout, setting boundaries, and the radical decision to put herself first — without apology.

Along the way, Nicole shares how the power of community, a shift in mindset, and unapologetic self-care helped her reclaim her energy and purpose. She even gives us a sneak peek into her retreats designed for high-achieving women ready to step off the hamster wheel and step into a life that truly feels aligned.

Guiding this conversation are your Work Besties Who Podcast co-hosts, Jess & Claude — one bringing thoughtful questions and deep dives, the other delivering short, sharp, and impactful moments. And yes… somewhere in this episode, Claude disappears for a moment. 👀 Can you spot when?

Whether you’re craving a career reset, dreaming of a wellness retreat, or just need permission to actually rest, this episode is your reminder: self-care isn’t selfish — it’s survival.

Nicole Richards contact info:

https://www.cpa-coaching.com/

nicolerichardscpa@gmail.com

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Work Besties! Theme Song Written by Ralph Lentini @therallyband

Jess K:

So I never feel like you've done everything right career, success, responsibilities but somehow you're still utterly exhausted.

Claude F:

It's like you've built the life you were told to want, but it's burning you out.

Jess K:

So what now? Today's guest, nicole Richards, walked away from a life that looked perfect on paper but was draining her. She's here to tell us why stepping away isn't failure. It's the first step towards real success.

Claude F:

Make sure you stay till the end. Nicole reveals the number one myth about success that's keeping high-achieving women stuck in burnout. Let's get into it. Hi, I'm Claude and I'm Jess. We are corporate employees by day, entrepreneurs by night and work besties for life.

Jess K:

Join us as we explore how work besties lift each other up, laugh through the chaos and thrive together in every industry. Work besties Hi, Nicole, Welcome.

Nicole Richards:

Thank you for having me. I'm so excited to be here today.

Jess K:

As we mentioned in our opener, you took that this step back because of burnout. What exactly caused you to do this?

Nicole Richards:

Great question Caused me to do it. I'm like there's different levels to this, right. The last recent one, where I said I don't need this job anymore, is because I found my purpose in coaching others right. I got my certification as a master coach last year and a positivity practitioner, trauma-informed coach because I was trying to heal out of my marriage that had ended really abruptly to me. But when I look back at it, I'm like it really didn't, right. If you really stopped and paused and looked at your life, let's be real. Yeah, it was there and it's the same thing with the job and things like that.

Nicole Richards:

One of my biggest burnout which is what I tell people is my purpose that has walked me through this life now is I had a stillborn five years ago and like being in the hospital during COVID right, you don't have a doctor there. The nurse is helping me deliver. It was just all the things. I have a mask on my face and I'm sitting here wondering what the hell is this? I have done everything you've asked out of me, right, I have done the job. I've gotten married, I have this beautiful son, but this was my third miscarriage, my third loss, and I was like you keep doing this to me. What is the purpose?

Nicole Richards:

And I kept trying to find the answer to this and so, along the way of my grief, in that I had a sisterhood that just found me right. It was like a friend from here, from work right, and that's my work best friend who's picked me up. She has been at appointments with me on the phone or in person, just making sure I'm covered. She's come to my house after the loss just to hold me and cry with me. That's so important, that community. And she ended up bringing a friend and then someone else brought another friend. Next thing, you know, I have four other women with me making sure that I was okay and it was just like, wow, like you guys took the time out of your day to see that I was okay. That's what like had the goosebumps tingling Right.

Nicole Richards:

And I've been chasing that for the last five years. I've been in coaching programs, I've been in masterminds. I go to networking events and every time I've seen myself rise is because I found my people. So I'm like why am I not taking that and doing that for others? I have all this wealth of knowledge as a coach and a CPA. Why not figure out how to do something for these women who have experienced loss in some kind of capacity, whether it's a transition of their career, right, people have lost their DEI, roles and things. They don't know what to do next, or they've lost a loved one, or they've just lost themselves. So we're bringing that back and showing you there's other ways to survive.

Jess K:

So you're paying it forward. Your community helped rebuild you, so you're now finding ways for others to build their own community. That's fantastic. So we talk a lot about work besties, and our work besties tend to ask us a lot of questions about burnout. So how did burnout affect your relationships, and did it also affect your relationships at work?

Nicole Richards:

Oh, yes, one of the reasons where I said I don't need to do this anymore. I can go help people and just like, not feel like I'm losing myself it was the pandemic, right, we went into lockdown and we worked from home and then I worked for the federal government. So when president Trump came in January and inauguration and said you have to come back into the building, and they had just gotten us back in like twice a pay period, so four times a month, I know I was very privileged and I was like, absolutely not, I've been doing my job here at home really well for the last couple of years. You want me to go back into this building where people are going to be toxic? Right, it's toxic culture, it's government, it's politics, it's all the things.

Nicole Richards:

I don't want that for myself. Right, I have finally healed past all the nonsense. When I really look back at my life and saw how like my ex treated me and how family members treated me and how jobs have treated me, I realized I need to have boundaries and, yeah, I, I refuse. That was my point. I was like, yeah, I'm not going back, y'all.

Claude F:

To put that in place. Boundaries, because it's always so hard for some of us.

Nicole Richards:

Yeah, yeah. It's one of those things where, when my boundaries were crossed, I saw myself go out of character. I didn't like who I was whether I'm snapping at my son or snapping at another person and I'm like wait, what's going on here? So now I do self-coaching. Where is this feeling coming up? What is this feeling that I got? I got upset because I told them no and then they still showed up with this piece of paper. Why are they here, right? Why are they here, right? What am I making this about? And oh, when I tap back into something that's happened in my past, someone violated that boundary before, and this is why it's making me read.

Nicole Richards:

Our nervous system remembers. Right, we might've forgotten in the brain, but our body feels it right. You might tense up in your stomach and you're like oh, I don't like this feeling. I want to stop this. Is this worth my time and energy? Because so. Is this worth my time and energy? Because I already told you no.

Nicole Richards:

So now we don't talk. It depends on the situation and the relationship, right? Like if it's someone at work, I had no problem telling them no, I'm not doing that. You have to tell me why you want me to do this. You can't just tell me to put it on the job. We're going to have a conversation about it. Tell me the reason. Tell me how long it was supposed to do this. Right, as an employee, I show up and I do my job. When you bring these other tasks on, where does that fit? That's a simple conversation. If you can't answer that, go get somebody else. Get me someone who can bring me the answer. Right, because my time is precious, right? So that's how I start looking at my boundaries. My time is precious. I've lost a lot of time with all my grief. Now I'm focused on get the task done.

Jess K:

Let me know what you need. You left that fast paced environment, which I don't know how fast paced it was, but it definitely was a corporate environment. What gave you that courage to step away?

Nicole Richards:

So I started my career in a mid-sized firm in Long Island, new York Jericho to be specific and then, when I got married, we moved to Charleston, west Virginia really Scott Depot, west Virginia. So going from New York to West Virginia, you end up not finding a job that matches New York. Right, you try to take the first thing that you get. I ended up somewhere where we're going to talk about it. There was panel walls on a house and it was a CPA firm. So I went from a midsize that has cubicles and all the things to have an office now, but you want me to throw out my trash and people are giving me tax returns in a plastic bag with cigarette smells. I know that's someone's path, but I'm a little bougie and this is not it for me and me and that manager, because I'm very proud of my boundaries in my mouth. Right, I said I'm not doing certain things and he didn't like that. And we got into it at lunch and I said you know what? I don't need this. I'd rather be unemployed than deal with you. Right? He started huffing and puffing. Right, because now he's mad that I put my boundaries up. He's like give me back my key. I'm like no problem here. I left halfway through the day. I didn't care. I was like something's going to work out for me. And I say that because as soon as I got in my car a headhunter already called me and asked me to come in for an interview with Ernst Young. So I went from being at this little panel area where we were taking a chest and the old school like receipt tape, like he might as well have had the visor right. Old school accountant like no, I'm too fabulous for it, we're not doing this. Um, so going to Ernst and Young, it was just like I'm getting a small town feel but I'm still with a big company. So I'm getting the benefits of learning a work-life balance learning from my supervisors there, right?

Nicole Richards:

One of my favorite supervisors used to say I don't care if you're going home to wash the paint and dry, I want you to go spend that time with your family. Or go find the spouse that I'm going to go home to go to. I'm going home to my kids, and she put her boundaries in. She said I'll pick this back up when they're in bed so she'll work at 10 PM. That was her prerogative. Me I'm not doing that, but it was the fact that she gave me the permission right, that was the most important for me was to have leaders and supervisors for me who are always in that role.

Nicole Richards:

My boss I loved her. She hired me, sight on scene. She saw my resume and decided that I was qualified enough to get a government job and I had never had government experience. I was qualified enough to get a government job and I had never had government experience. And she took me in and I learned so much from her. I mean, if she she asked something and I challenged her, we could have a healthy relationship back and forth about it. Right, and it was just like wow, someone who's an adult.

Claude F:

It does happen.

Nicole Richards:

I've never seen it before, though, right Outside of the Ernst and Young experience, and it was just like, wow, this is what it's like to have a conversation.

Jess K:

You just had two examples to sign that when one door closes, something bigger is right around the corner.

Nicole Richards:

Yes, and I mean there was stuff in between. But even though my boss is really good, she still has to deal with the politics above her and she's only limited. I know you're trying to help us and be our advocates and I see it and I appreciate it, but I cannot come back into this environment and that's how that story was read.

Jess K:

So what made you go from that to then starting your current company?

Nicole Richards:

So last year, my son has graduated from high school. I'm separated. I don't know what's going on, right? I'm in the midst of. Is this a burnout? I guess it is Just trying out what was happening.

Nicole Richards:

I was everything on Instagram, just doom, scrolling right, trying to figure out life, and I ended up seeing a post about narcissism and it made me realize how, being an empath that I am that feels a lot of feelings and picks up energy, I attract those types of people, right? So, even though I've told about my great supervisors, I have not talked about those other ones, right? The ones where you're like there's not enough money in the world that's worth this. So I looked at myself and I started being an adult. Let's do that. Quote, quote, unquote. Right, I have a single mom working at Walmart and I think my paycheck was $7.50 per hour and I said this is not sustainable for me and my son and I just swallowed my pride and went back in with my parents and go back to school, and I did that because I wanted a career, right? And it was like oh, accounting 2008,. Everything else was crashing and this seems recession proof. I know we're in a current state of crisis. Whoever listens to that part. Take a little grain of salt. Don't just chase whatever's happening. Right, choose a thing that's in alignment with yourself. That's all I'm going to say. With that and going through that, it's just like I can do this.

Nicole Richards:

Right, I went and did the accounting and I said I started with $50,000, right, go from $7 an hour to $50,000. You think you're balling, right? Oh my gosh. And then the raises were like this and like that. And then I went to West Virginia and it dropped because locality changes, right. So now I got to go dig it back up.

Nicole Richards:

So when I went into government, that was the first time I got to six figures. And I'm like it took this long to get to six figures and everything costs $50 million. Are you kidding me? So I picked up Rachel Rogers book we Should All Be Millionaires, and that book was have a million dollar vision, have a million dollar plan, have all this. And she's like do what you want to do to get to your million dollars. And I was like oh, no one's ever told me that before. Have my own dreams and ideas and not negate it and say it's not possible. Let's see what's possible.

Nicole Richards:

So, between that and the Instagram about the narcissism, it all just clicks. How can I have a business? That is in my zone of genius? That comes naturally to me. It is fulfilling. I have never felt this fulfilled Like, no matter how many T accounts I looked at, debits and credits, there was nothing that could have ever fulfilled me, except watching a woman who looks stressed out and I say something, I ask a question, and you see all the energy and everything lift off of her right Because it's like wow, no one's ever asked me that. Wow, I never thought about that. You know what? When you asked me that, it brought back something in my past and I said let's massage that out. Let's massage these feelings because we've been burying them and trying to keep up the busy work and it's like no, we need to feel these feelings, process them and keep moving forward.

Claude F:

Earlier you said that you were a positive coach. Can you explain a little bit more what it is?

Nicole Richards:

So a positivity practitioner is someone. We don't look at it as we're just all happy, right. We look at life as it is what it is. It could be worse, it could be better. There is no circumstance that's going to really make life life right.

Claude F:

Does it mean that you're looking at a more positive way of it is what it is.

Nicole Richards:

No, I'm looking at it as it is, what it is. How do you want to receive it? Do you want to sit here and be mad about the situation for the rest of your life, or are you ready to move on from it, because you can sit here and be mad, right? I'm not going to force that. If that's what you choose, all right, let's sit with it. Right? We're not saying that we're going to ignore it. We're not pushing it down. It is what it is. You're mad. I can't do anything about that for you.

Jess K:

Thank you, you're welcome. The positivity is it's getting you past it, you're addressing it, you're positively talking about it.

Nicole Richards:

It's just accepting it, versus like saying no, no, I'm not mad. That's the negative right, You're lying. I don't want to say you're lying.

Claude F:

I'm fine, no worries, no worries.

Nicole Richards:

Yes, all the worries in the world are sitting in your body. Yes, feeling your neck, your back, your shoulders your head.

Jess K:

Yes, your lack of sleeping is my issue usually, nicole. It sounds like in your new venture as this positivity practitioner that you work with high achieving, I assume, women. What red flags do they tend to miss? That's causing them to come to you?

Nicole Richards:

They can't see a break. They're like I have to do all this, I don't have the time. You can see it, because I've had it. When I start seeing myself move really, really fast or talking really fast, it's because my brain is still doing a whole brain dump of all of my to-do lists and it's like hold on, stop trying to leave the to-do list in your head and just write it out. Now let's look at what is really important. Some of the stuff we don't even need is not even our responsibility to carry, but we assume we're supposed to be carrying this load. When they sense that, it's like oh so can we just pause and realize that we're safe right now, in this space, to receive what we're about to receive? Right, what is it you need right now, in this moment? Is it you need a nap? Is it that you want to spend more time with your kids? Is it that you want everyone to leave you alone for five minutes? Because then let's go work on that, right, let's not think about your to-do list, Because the to-do list is not going away. It's not going to get done either.

Nicole Richards:

I want to find someone who's finished their to-do list. I would love to find that one person, right, show me the list you finished, and like we have to stop it, because as soon as we do, we're like oh no, I need to find more stuff to put on here. This list looks too long, right. It's like why are we wired this way? But society has set us up this way. It's not our fault. It's literally like I've been told when I rested you're being lazy, since when Everyone else gets the rest, whether they're resting on a golf course or the spa in the middle of the day, I should be able to do that. I don't have to confine to this desk every single day, right, my part of my job is living and experiencing my life.

Claude F:

And allowing ourselves to not to do it and not feel guilty about it.

Nicole Richards:

Yes, taking the shame and the guilt away is the most important thing. We can't move past anything. We have to get past that. That, those thoughts, thoughts about it. We don't see an end in sight. That's what my clients come in. They don't see an end in sight. They are like well, when it, when the set, when it settles, when it clears out, I'll do the next thing, I'll start my business. Whatever that next thing is, it's never going to calm down when the storm stops. The next storm is right behind there. Matter of fact, there's a tornado in it. It's a flooding right like it doesn't stop.

Claude F:

Yeah, I have to say, as you get older you accept a little bit more about no, don't feel like doing it some part a little bit more, a little bit more, I don't know. I think there's a little mix for other podcasts.

Jess K:

Been talking about this over other podcasts Gen Z and. Gen Alpha for sure already have that in green. It is a mentality that Gen X and older millennials definitely harbor, maybe with the age of them, but I don't think it's just when you get older.

Claude F:

I think the younger cohorts have already figured it out, that's true.

Nicole Richards:

I did meet with someone who was in their 70s today and she's learning how to prioritize. She wants to learn how to prioritize herself because she has put everyone else in front of her her whole life. So it's not about being older at all, it's just you need someone to give you the permission, like no one ever even thought about it.

Claude F:

Oh.

Nicole Richards:

I never thought about that before, because no one's allowed you to stop and pause, breathe and think.

Jess K:

It almost sounds like you have to work with them to stop old habits creeping in right Like to recognize it but then to stop it. What do you do to do that? Is there some type of mantra, phrase or trigger that you help them through?

Nicole Richards:

We focus on one event at a time. So we have that awareness that we have shame around. Let's say we're talking about the rest. We have shame around this. Okay, let's take that away. I understand that you feel it right, but why? Where was the first time? What were you trying to do here? And I was trying to do all these things. I heard all the wins they had, but they can't even see their wins because they think of their to-do list.

Nicole Richards:

So what is it you want out of your next chapter? When we get into that, that's me saying, okay, you want to change. Right, that's the CPA part. And then, when I'm asking you why that's your purpose, why do you want this? What are we getting down to these layers? What is the reason for this? Just really trying to gauge it, right, because I need to understand this. When I say, all right, let's come up with a game plan, that's your action, a right. And if I hear any objection come out of you, I now have the reason why you wanted to change the awareness. You had your reasons why. So now you're giving me all these excuses. It's not adding up, because you're the one who said you wanted this. I'm not telling you what to do. Right, I am guiding you through what you've already said and I'm stopping you from having the negative self-talk. I don't let my clients beat themselves up because I said I don't let my friends beat themselves up, so I'm not going to sit here and let you talk to yourself that way.

Jess K:

That's fantastic. That is so smart. Self-care isn't really being selfish and you found ways to really prioritize that for yourself. How has honoring your own needs really helped you show up better in your relationships, whether personally or professionally?

Nicole Richards:

It has been trying. When I first truly learned how to rest, I was miserable. It was not easy. Oh, this is going to be a piece of cake, because I'm like going on vacations and I love to travel. So I was like, oh no. And I was like, wait, I want my clients to kind of just sit and do nothing. So, sitting in the house, I almost cried every day. It was almost like everything in my life just came out of nowhere and I'm shutting it out.

Claude F:

I'm like what.

Nicole Richards:

What is happening.

Nicole Richards:

I don't know what's going on. And then I realized it's a release. Right, my muscles were so tight everywhere because I've been on the go, just moving, moving, moving. Now I'm sitting in silence. I'm hearing all the ideas come down. You can do this, you can do that. Where are you coming from? Like, what voice is this? Oh, that's my voice. Why are we this way? I just kept doing that, right, and I'm like writing notes to myself and I'm asking myself questions. Right, I'm not just saying, oh, today I ate bread and then my son, like, didn't throw the trash again. I'm so pissed off. I'm like why did I cry about something that happened? 25? Let's see what those were.

Nicole Richards:

There's a model that I use. It's called CTFAR. So we look at that circumstance, right, what is the event that happened In that event? It's like what is that first thought you had? What is the thought that came up when you have that thought? What was the feelings you have?

Nicole Richards:

For me, when I first started this, I didn't have feelings, because that was not something that was allowed in my house. You're quiet and you're not. There's nothing else. So I didn't know how to describe my feelings. So it helps me and my clients to say, okay, what is your feelings you have? It's like, I don't know. I'm happy and it's like, oh, there's more to happy. It's like, are you content, are you cheerful? And it's like, oh, let's drag it out some more. Are you optimistic? So that's C, t, f, we go to A.

Nicole Richards:

Your actions, your actions determine, like, how you go about your day. Are you walking around more happily? Are you being more productive? What is it you're doing? And, as a result of that, that's your result from all your actions.

Nicole Richards:

So, for example, for me, I could say today is sunny. That is my thought about the day. It might be rainy over there, I don't know. I can't see your window, but this is my feelings about, right, and my thoughts is like it's sunny, right, and I'm. I enjoy the sun, I get excited about it. When the sun is out, I'm smiling, I'm waving at people, I'm so productive, right, I'm doing all these things and, as a result, I'm moving forward in my business. But if it was raining outside, nicole is gloomy. She's like, oh, it's a relaxing day, let's just go get under that blanket and be still. As a result, my business doesn't go forward. Nothing gets done. Looking at it that way and operating. I have to look at my life that way. Now, if we're going to go here and think about these thoughts, we got to realize what's the result of this. What is the result we want?

Claude F:

You were saying earlier, it was horrible that I could stay still at home. I wasn't used to it. How long did it take you to break this vicious circle where, finally, you were like I'm okay to stay home and listening to my head and doing nothing?

Nicole Richards:

I would say About a good two, three weeks of isolation before I said I need to reach out to someone else, whether that's a therapist, a coach, a friend, right. And it was like what do we need to do to break that stagnation? Resting doesn't mean you just lay in bed, right. It means we look at finding what joy is right. I started going outside or moving my body in the house. Let me just do a quick dance off. When was the last time I danced to my music? I'm just listening to it but I don't feel the music.

Nicole Richards:

How can I do other things? My coach tells me sit down and have a meal and chew slowly. Put the phone down. You shouldn't be like picking up your phone and trying to eat at the same time. Go sit away from the computer. Go feel some fresh air for a little bit. What are those things that you can do to reclaim your time, reclaim your peace? Having that conversation with yourself to say it's okay to be bored. It's actually fun to be bored because I get to learn so much about myself now. We used to do this as kids. You sit in bored, I'm bored. We'll go get a piece of paper and go color in a book, and then your imagination is just going wild. At that point You're finding something to do, and that's all I'm bringing us back to is our inner childs are calling us home.

Jess K:

So, knowing that this podcast is about work besties and making sure the work besties help each other, how can work besties support each other when one of them is clearly going through?

Nicole Richards:

burnout. That's the one I struggle with right now, even though I don't work there anymore. I know that my bestie I left her behind, right, we've always had that plan. We send the memes and things like about to be out this job, we're leaving together. So when I when seeing her now, I'm like I feel like she's burnt out and a friend is like there's boundaries there, right, I don't coach my friends unless they've asked me, so it's kind of like I sit here and I can give it from the coach's perspective, but I'm going to give from the friends, the bestie friends, and you just be present and you check in, you call, you see them. If they're out of the patterns that they normally do, and if you see them not laughing the way they are, pick up the phone, have a conversation.

Nicole Richards:

Hey, so I was going through blah, blah, blah. Let their minds escape what's going on in their life just for a few minutes and then say what's going on, because now their guard is down. Right, they done heard your mess. Okay, what's going on with you? Oh, wait, what? Yeah, no, we're making this about you right now. Thank you for being there for me in my dilemma that I had. Now can I be here for you. Hey, let's go out for a drink. Hey, let's go out for a food, like, there's so many things. Hey, let's do something together outside of the office, even if it's for like. We used to take a lap around our building when our boss pissed us off. Right, let's go for a walk. Right, we can go back and finish the day. We got this.

Jess K:

I think that's smart You're giving examples of when you're still working together, but also when you do leave, because a lot of work besties do go on to different places and do different things, but you can still be there for you Absolutely yeah, okay. Why don't we shift a little bit and talk of retreats, where you're getting a bunch of individuals together to help them? Can you give us a little bit of details around that and what's the intent of them?

Nicole Richards:

Yeah. So the first one is going to be this October 10th through the 12th. It's a three day, two night in a private home in Virginia beach and we're going to keep it intimate with, like, no crowds, no overwhelm. The plan is to bring in a private chef and have a wellness experience and guided coaching sessions where we talk about investing in your health, wealth and yourself. Every guest gets a like a rest and reset workbook to help them design a 90 day plan tailored for their life. Right, it's structured, but it's like a gentle structure because I don't want to overwhelm them. We don't need more on their to-do list. Right, they're already thinking about those things. But it's like, how do we get to the next level of clarity and peace in a strategy that honors their boundaries and their bandwidth? For example, I was telling one client today I today the goal is to practice boundaries right, we're going to learn how to tell people no, we're doing role plays. Right, because she's like, how am I wait?

Nicole Richards:

you just want me to tell them. No, I'm like, yes, that's exactly what I want, like we're explaining it's not necessary and you know, like most retreats that I've been on, it's always beneficial when the best one has been. From my coaching experience, when I got my certification, we have this time as a community and I became so close to these girls All right, these are my sisters for life. When we talk about the work besties, the entrepreneur besties oh my gosh, oh my gosh, someone who's on a journey, we don't know what we're doing. It's not like we're looking at an employee handbook and the boss is telling you what to do. You are the boss, right? Having that group of people together so they can have that moment where we're going to do this next thing. This next thing is what for me, is it starting a new business? Let's do this together. Now we know each other, we know we're so invested. We're holding you through the journey. I met my sisters halfway through our journey. We have weekly calls, we have a group text, we have like 30 different group text, chains and things like that.

Nicole Richards:

For any event, we're planning hey, who's going to this event? Or hey, I'm going into this event and it's just so beautiful, right? Because you see how I don't want to say miserable I was, but I see my breakthrough, right. I see where my face was in the past and I look back at pictures. I'm like, wow, that girl was so sad, but it's okay. She had a lot going on. But look at her now, look at all these people like been around her. So that's what we're offering with this retreat is giving her that moment to say she can do it, and then, in 90 days, use a plan with somebody else. And my goal for this is to do this four times a year, the first one being virginia beach, the second one being in jamaica next year, in 2020, and then doing a cruise in may from barcelona. And then the last one is either going to be asia or africa. Yes, this is I'm. I'm having so much fun with this part.

Jess K:

Getting to marry both of your passions as well. Yes, it's amazing and who would you expect would be core candidates to sign up for these?

Nicole Richards:

retreats. So it's those high achieving women, right? The ones who don't know to put something down and rest, right. This is normally like a first generation immigrant child it might be the oldest daughter, it's someone who's like always had to take on everything, and it's like no girl, you don't. You don't need to worry about your brother's situation over there. Let him worry about that. You only have control over you and your life. My coach, right, rachel Rodgers. She's like it's that easy to get to a million dollars, but we're overthinking this process, so let me help you.

Jess K:

That's so exciting. I'm ready to sign up, especially for the Barcelona or the Jamaica I'd go to. Jamaica, I would do Asia or Africa.

Nicole Richards:

It's coming, coming.

Jess K:

I love it. How can people find out more about the details of this Nicole?

Nicole Richards:

So they can go on my Instagram at Nicole Richards 718. And the information will be linked in my bio. They can email me at Nicole Richards CPA at gmailcom.

Jess K:

This has been fantastic. I just have one final question for you. Someone is listening right now and they feel trapped in their high pressure job, or even in working in the government job, or maybe even just starting their own business. So they're secretly miserable. What's that one thing that they can do today to break free and have that more freedom in their life?

Nicole Richards:

Get out of the mindset. It's the mindset. That was the first thing my coach said. Rachel Rogers said to me this year was you can't get to your next level if you don't fix your mind, if you don't clean that up. You're just going to be fighting it. I heard that and was like oh, I've been signing up for all these programs trying to fix this. I don't want to have to do the money, I just want to help everybody. That's how I was before. I want to help everyone. It's like help everybody with what. I want to go on vacation with them. I'm a cool person with the right people. Who are they Right? So I was like, oh, okay.

Nicole Richards:

She said you can't do it unless your mind is not until you clean up your mind. That makes so much sense, cause my mind trash is really bad, right, I started thinking about all. I was like where does that voice from? Like you know, as soon as I came up with an idea no, you can't do that. Who's going to come see you? How dare you? What in the audacity? So then they'll sit there and I'm like okay For me. I've always wanted to be an entrepreneur and I didn't realize it, but I've always knocked it out of the contention right Like from college. Oh, what are you going to do with? That Was all the questions people used to say all right, well, I'm just going to get the principal accounting job. But in my mind I'm coming up with a business idea every time.

Claude F:

I'm like why am I coming up with these?

Nicole Richards:

random ideas. Now I sit in and I'm like, oh, it's because this was always my path. I kept listening to everyone else's voices. That was my mind trash. It wasn't me talking, it was everyone else talking in my ear, talking you out of it out of your, what you felt was your design path. Yep.

Jess K:

It's fascinating, I love it and I love the mindset of the mind trash Clear that, trash out.

Nicole Richards:

Yes don't throw it out.

Claude F:

I have to start doing it. Yes.

Nicole Richards:

So, like my inner child, so she has inner child wounds and one of them is being unlovable or not feeling worthy. And so sometimes, when she comes out with her mind trash and her negativity, and if I'm in the middle of a conversation, the way my coach did was like put her in a seat. Put her in a seat and how are we going to put her away? And I said we're going to put her in a car seat in the back Because she's a child. So we put her another strap and a muzzle. You better shut up because we still got time for you. I have too many things in the future to worry about versus worrying about all the things that happened in my past. My past got me here. I am proud of who I am today, so thank you for how you showed up, but I don't need you Think about how child's in the back of the car you got to turn around. Girl, if you don't be quiet.

Claude F:

You're a child, you're not going to tell me what to do.

Nicole Richards:

Yes, yes, so that's why we have to muzzle with some tape or something else, so I can see her. She's back there.

Jess K:

Nicole, thank you so much. This story has been super powerful and such a great reminder that rest is brave and allowed and you should give yourself permission. So work besties out there. We are giving you all permission and the tools to pause, put yourself first. This is something you really need to think about and learn. Whether it's a full retreat Nicole's got a lot of options. You might see us at one of them or even just that 15 minutes alone to journal or color anything. It really just counts, yeah.

Claude F:

And this week's calls to action is send this episode to your work bestie and ask how are we making sure we are not surviving? But actually, thriving.

Jess K:

Until next time, protect your peace and take care of you first. Remember whether you're swapping snacks in the break room, rescuing each other from endless meetings or just sending that perfectly timed meme, Having a work bestie is like having your own personal hype squad.

Claude F:

So keep lifting each other, laughing through the chaos and, of course, thriving. Until next time, stay positive, stay productive and don't forget to keep supporting each other. Work besties.

People on this episode

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Claude F

Co-host
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Jess K

Co-host
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Nicole Richards

Guest