In this episode, Nikki sits down with Chelsea Piazza Willsey author of Finding Chelsea: How Cancer Ripped Me Open and Brought Me Home. Chelsea shares her raw, honest journey from a breast cancer diagnosis at 37 — with two small children at home — to the unexpected reckoning that came after treatment ended. They dive into the impossible standards women hold for themselves, the identity loss that comes with being a patient, and how feng shui became the unexpected tool that helped Chelsea rediscover who she really is.

In this episode:

• Chelsea's cancer diagnosis at 37 while balancing motherhood and an HR executive career
• Why life after cancer is oddly harder than treatment
• The impossible standards women set for themselves in today's society
• How donating a kidney to her brother was part of a pattern of over-serving others
• The awakening: "What's the point of life? What do I want to be remembered for?"
• How feng shui helped Chelsea reclaim control and reinvent her space — and herself
• Mind, body, spirit: why you can't ignore one and favor the others
• The mom guilt of not knowing how to talk to your kids about cancer
• Rapid-fire round: Buffy, Practical Magic, mantras, and what wellness means now

Guest Links:

• Book: Finding Chelsea: How Cancer Ripped Me Open and Brought Me Home — available October 1 on Amazon and Barnes & NobleWebsite/business: https://sunbloomawakening.comInstagram (business): @sunbloom_awakeningInstagram (decorating/feng shui): @decoratingw.purpose

This episode on financial literacy, money psychology, and how spirituality and manifestation can coexist with practical money management. She clarifies she is not a financial advisor and critiques “woo” financial advice that encourages people to spend money they don’t have on challenges or expensive coaching by maxing out credit cards. Nikki advocates for building a savings cushion, understanding cash flow, debt and interest rates, and learning about retirement options like 401(k)s (including employer matches), IRAs, and 529 college savings plans.

She frames financial stability as supporting nervous system regulation and wellness.

She discusses Tara Swart’s The Source and summarizes key ideas from Morgan Housel’s The Psychology of Money, emphasizing spending less than you make, saving consistently, investing long term, compounding, and defining “enough."

Time Stamp:

00:00 Welcome to the Podcast

00:30 Money Meets Manifestation

02:12 Why We Need Both Worlds

04:08 Gabby Bernstein Manifestation Challenge

07:18 Calling Out Costly Coaching

10:43 Practical Money Basics

15:01 The Woo Woo Side

17:46 Books and Money Lessons

22:46 Your Next Money Steps

24:04 Be Both Spiritual and Practical

Find Nikki online:

Substack - https://nikkilanigan.substack.com/

Instagram - www.instagram.com/elevate_and_align_podcast

Welcome back to Season 7 of Elevate + Align with Nikki!

This episode is all about navigating September — from sending kids off to college and back-to-school jitters, to the everyday systems that keep home life running smoothly.

Nikki shares her go-to dinner shortcuts, after-school snack ideas, favorite books and planners for teens, and more.

Find Nikki:

Instagram: @elevate_and_align_podcast

Substack: https://nikkilanigan.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips