Meet Anna Nichols | Business Strategist & Mindset Coach

We had the good fortune of connecting with Anna Nichols and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Anna, any advice for those thinking about whether to keep going or to give up?
My answer to this question comes from my favorite undergraduate finance professor: “it depends.” Now that I have fully embraced following my Human Design in conjunction with doing regular subconscious mindset work, I believe deciding whether to keep going or give up truly depends on the situation and the goal that you are working towards. Through my Human Design, I have learned that when I feel frustrated, I need to take a pause and assess the situation. A perfect example of this is when I was first starting to market my business, I had a coach who told me that all new coaches should start with getting one-on-one coaching clients. This did not feel aligned with me because I have always been an extrovert who loves leading groups of people. When I was trying to follow her advice, I wasn’t excited about what I was doing, so I struggled getting any clients and ended up feeling frustrated with building a business. This is where Human Design came in and was so powerful, because learning my design reinforced that I am meant to be in groups of people, and so I shifted to marketing to a group coaching program. In less than 30 days, I had launched a group program and it actually was fun and easy. This story could have gone many other ways… I could have kept trying to get 1:1 clients and remained frustrated. I could have given up on my business altogether. Deciding whether to keep going or to give up is a deeply personal decision and there are many factors to consider. Ultimately, you need to trust yourself and follow the path that feels most aligned for you in each situation.

Alright, so for those in our community who might not be familiar with your business, can you tell us more?
As a child of immigrant parents, I was taught at an early age the value of hard work and determination. My parents were originally from Poland and came to Chicago to follow the American dream. This lead them to run several businesses in their lives, the one that made the biggest impression on my life was running a motel in Colorado. I started working here at 10 years old, helping my parents clean rooms, serving customers at the front desk, or working the weekend banquets. This experience was so different than the kids I grew up with, but it has become the basis of the life I wanted to provide for my own children. When I was 18 years old, my parents sold their motel and that lead me to a couple of years working jobs in customer service and hospitality, then finally landing in higher education administration for ten years.

Once my children were both born, I knew it was time to start my own business and so I took the leap of faith and started my own coaching & consulting business. When I first started trying to get clients, I was struggling with low confidence and imposter syndrome, which resulted in me being afraid to put myself out there. This is when I started learning about the subconscious mind and Human Design, which allowed me to reprogram the limiting beliefs holding me back and start building a business aligned with my unique gifts. The biggest lesson that I have learned is how to trust myself and the decisions I am making in life, which has led me to build a business I once only saw as a distant dream. My goal is to help other entrepreneurs do the same!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
If I was planning a fun adventure around Denver, this is what I would do. Definitely having breakfast several times at Snooze with a flight of eggs benedict and flight of pancakes! The first time I experienced this, I was in LOVE! During the week, we would also pop over to the Denver Biscuit Company for you guessed it… the BEST biscuits ever. For lunch we would be eating tacos at Machetes, which is my favorite food in general but these are just amazing! Since a vacation is a special occasion in my book, we would be going to Fogo de Chao for an amazing Brazillian meat feast. So what would we do between all of this eating? I love indoor and outdoor adventures, so we would absolutely check out Meow Wolf where you can get lost for hours exploring all the amazing places inside. And of course, no Colorado adventure would be complete without an outdoor adventure. Red Rocks is something everyone needs to experience and is definitely a place worth visiting!

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
I am fortunate to have had many mentors throughout my life, however, my Shoutout is dedicated to Dr. Aparna Palmer who is the reason I started my journey of self-discovery that has led me to take the leap to start my own business. Aparna and I worked together at Colorado Mesa University and she mentored me through a time when I felt lost personally and professionally. Because of her encouragement, I realized that I wanted something different in my life and took the steps to actually create the life and business of my dreams. I will always be grateful to Aparna’s profound impact on my life.

Website: www.annanicholscoaching.com

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

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

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=10225011

Image Credits
Bronson Henriquez