This is a replay of one of our most popular episodes from over a year ago! If you've ever felt burnt out, overwhelmed, or like your worth is tied to your productivity — this one's for you. Nikki dives into the #girlboss era, hustle culture, people-pleasing, and how to finally break free. She also explores whether our parents had it just as hard, and what it actually means to redefine success on your own terms.

In This Episode:

• How the #girlboss era sold us on "doing it all" — and what it really cost us
• The physical, mental, and emotional toll of hustle culture
• People-pleasing: why we do it and how to heal
• 5 practical ways to break free from hustle culture
• Did our parents have it just as hard? Gen X vs. Millennial burnout
• Why slowing down is not weakness — it's growth

Resources & Links:

• Neeshi Protein Powder — Use code NIKKIYOGA20 for 20% off: [www.neeshi.com]
• 🍵 Mantra Matcha — Use link for 15% off: [mantramatcha.com]
• 📬 Subscribe to Elevate & Align on Substack for weekly podcast episodes during summer break: For Paid subscribers {https://substack.com/@nikkilanigan}

Connect with Nikki:

• Instagram: @elevate_and_align_
• Instagram: @fitfunandfrazzledpodcast
• Substack: Elevate &Align https://substack.com/@nikkilanigan

In this episode, host Nikki Lanigan welcomes you into a special summer solstice edition of the show. Nikki opens with a guided Summer Solstice Activation Meditation — and visualization practice to help you release what's heavy and step into the second half of 2026 with clarity and intention.

From there, Nikki dives into the yoga philosophy behind the summer solstice — the longest day of the year and the peak of solar energy — and why it's the perfect midyear checkpoint (no January required).

She walks you through three simple but powerful prompts to use as your mid-year reset:

She's taking July and August off from the main podcast feed, but will continue dropping shorter, bite-sized episodes exclusively for Substack subscribers (Elevate and Align with Nikki).

Links & Resources:

• Subscribe to Nikki's Substack: Elevate and Align with Nikki https://substack.com/@nikkilanigan
• Rate & review the show
• Share this episode with someone who needs a mid-year reset

Summer is beautiful — but let's be honest, it can completely derail the routines that keep us grounded. In this episode, Nikki talks about why you don't need a perfect schedule, you need rhythm. She breaks down how to create your "Summer Three" — the three anchors that keep you feeling like yourself even when schedules go out the window. From exercise and meditation to food and mindset, this episode is your permission slip to enjoy summer fully without abandoning yourself in the process.

Substack article - https://open.substack.com/pub/nikkilanigan/p/how-to-have-an-80s-and-90s-summer?r=usp93&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web

* As mentioned in episode, sponsors and affiliates:

Mantra Matacha - 15% off with code NIKKIWELLNESS ⁠⁠https://mantramatcha.com/⁠⁠

Neeshi Protein Powder - 20% off your first order with code NIKKIYOGA20

www.neeshi.com⁠Gloci - Use code ELEVATE_AND_ALIGN_ for 10% off your order

https://getgloci.com/ELEVATE_AND_ALIGN_

Nikki Lanigan shares her personal reading list of 10 books she believes every woman — and teen — should read in 2026. From self-worth and confidence to motherhood and healing, these picks span powerful non-fiction and deeply resonant fiction chosen to help women unlearn scarcity, reclaim their identity, and live more fully.

Sponsors & Affiliates:

Mantra Matcha — The only matcha Nikki uses at homeUse code NIKKIWELLNESS for 15% off → mantramatcha.com

Neeshi Protein Powder — Nikki's go-to protein + their cacao spreadUse code NIKKIYOGA20 for 20% off (first-time orders) → neeshi.com

Subscribe on Substack — Free + paid tiers available

In this episode of Fit, Fun, and Frazzled, Nikki Lanigan opens up about something she's kept private for two years — her battle with chronic migraines.

In honor of June being Migraine and Headache Awareness Month, she shares the full picture: the triggers, the treatments, the nervous system connection, and the emotional weight that comes with an invisible illness.

Nikki covers the metaphysical side (think Louise Hay and Nicole Sachs' journal speak method), what her neurologist has her on, the supplements that actually help, and what daily life really looks like when your brain feels like it's on fire.

This one is raw, real, and for anyone who's ever been told to "just drink some water."

In this episode of Fit, Fun, and Frazzled, host Nikki Lanigan sits down with pelvic health physical therapist Val Brown to explore one of the most overlooked parts of women's wellness: the pelvic floor.

Val shares her Vital Axis Method — a groundbreaking approach that integrates pelvic health, neurology, yoga, and functional medicine to help women reconnect with their bodies, reduce injuries, and step into their pleasure, power, and purpose. Whether you're a postpartum mom, a busy professional dealing with burnout, or an athlete who keeps getting hurt, this conversation will change how you think about your body.

Find Val:

• Website: http://vitalaxispt.com/
• Instagram: @Vital.axis.method
• YouTube: Vitalaxis
• Workshops: link in Val’s Instagram Bio

Timestamped Show Notes:

• 0:00 — Intro & Meet Val Brown
• ~1:00 — What Is the Vital Axis Method?
• ~2:30 — Pelvic Floor Beyond Pregnancy & Kegels
• ~5:00 — The Neurology & Shame Behind the Pelvic Floor
• ~8:00 — Chronic Stress, Burnout & Pelvic Health
• ~10:00 — Exercise, Movement & Whole-Body Connection
• ~12:30 — Why Women's Health Is Dismissed
• ~16:00 — One Thing Everyone Should Know
• ~17:00 — Rapid Fire: Books, TV, Matcha vs. Coffee
• ~22:00 — Where to Find Val

Most people think core training is just doing crunches — but it's so much more than that. In this episode, I sit down with fitness educator and KIPS founder Tyler Valencia to break down what the core actually is, why functional movement matters more than endless ab exercises, and how core strength connects to back pain, longevity, and everyday life. We also do a fun myth-busting true or false round covering six-packs, soreness, spot training, and planks. Whether you're just getting started or you've been at this for years, this one's for you.

Topics covered:

• What the core really is (hint: it's not just your abs)
• Functional vs. isolation training
• Core training and low back pain
• How training changes after 40
• Fitness myth-busting: crunches, planks, soreness & more

Find Tyler:

• Instagram: @_tylervalencia_
• @kipsfitness
• KIPS Podcast: KIPS Podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen
• YouTube fitness workouts: https://www.youtube.com/@kipsfitness
• KIPS (fitness education & certifications): https://kipsonline.org/

In this episode, Nikki gets personal about her journey with anxiety and OCD — from high school through motherhood, to her 40's. She opens up about the stigma of being a health and mindset coach and a yoga and fitness instructor while also having anxiety and OCD, and why she believes in bio-individuality: there is no one-size-fits-all approach to your health and well-being. Nikki also tackles the resurgence of thinness culture, now rebranded as "wellness," and breaks down the real tools that help her manage stress — movement, breath work, co-regulation, and community. If you've ever felt like you had to earn your rest or push through everything, this episode is for you.

Topics covered:

• Nikki's personal history with anxiety and OCD
• Medication, talk therapy, and holistic tools — using all of them together
• Over-exercising as a form of OCD and the shift to intuitive movement
• Why your nervous system needs a foundation before anything else
• The return of thinness culture and how to protect yourself and your kids
• Co-regulation and the power of community
• The difference between discipline and dysregulation

As mentioned in this episode:

21 Day Mindset Reset

https://stan.store/nikklanigan/p/31day-nervous-system-reset-program