Podcast
It’s Both — Personal Growth For Real Life Transitions
Hosted by Nikki P · EN
If you’re living in the tension—mixed emotions, unclear answers, big decisions—this show helps with navigating transitions, overthinking, decision making, and emotional intelligence so you can find clarity and calm in real life.
It’s Both is for people who feel the pull of two truths at once. Hosted by therapist-turned-storyteller Nikki P, each episode blends honest conversations with simple, practical tools—one kind next step at a time. We talk boundaries, anxiety, identity shifts, starting over after divorce, career pivots, faith questions, and more—always through a both/and lens.
Expect real stories (not toxic positivity), language for mixed emotions, and frameworks that help you move forward without abandoning yourself. Whether you’re rebuilding identity, deconstructing and reconstructing faith, or stepping into a new season, this space helps you feel seen, feel less alone, and make gentler choices as you grow through transition.
Because life isn’t either/or—it’s both.
20episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Sitting in the Unknown: Emotional Intelligence for Navigating Transitions (without spiraling)
Oct 2800:17:51Tap to summarizeSitting in the unknown can spike anxiety and second-guessing. Today we use emotional intelligence to stay steady while navigating transitions. Why does uncertainty feel unbearable—and why is it also where growth happens? In this solo episode, Nikki shares practical ways to build capacity in the messy middle: naming mixed emotions, separating gut wisdom from fear, and creating space to process before you act. You’ll learn how to tolerate ambiguity, set gentle boundaries with your inner fixer, and make clearer decisions when you truly don’t know yet. Real tools for real life—because it isn’t either/or; it’s both. You’ll learn: - A simple script to give yourself permission to “not know yet” - How to spot the difference between intuition vs. avoidance - A framework to sit with mixed emotions without spiraling into overthinking If this helped: rate/review on Apple Podcasts, share with a friend, and follow the show so you never miss an episode. Resources & Links: - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation - It's Both on Instagram & Youtube
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The Bothness of Parenting: Practical Tips with Behavior Analyst Mandy Grass
Oct 2100:45:57Tap to summarizeParenting isn’t either/or—it’s both. In this episode of It’s Both, Nikki P and Board Certified Behavior Analyst Mandy Grass (The Family Behaviorist) get practical about navigating life’s gray areas and messy moments at home. We unpack both/and thinking for parents: spotting the function of behavior, teaching replacement behaviors, and holding firm boundaries with connection. You’ll hear real talk on tantrums, sibling dynamics, transition moments, and scripts for the messy middle—plus how to model self-compassion, build emotional resilience, and remember that healing isn’t linear. If you’re doing hard and heavy work with little humans while trying to honor multiple truths, this authentic conversation is for you. Resources & Links: - Get connected with Mandy Grass, The Family Behaviorist - Follow Mandy on Instagram - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation - It's Both on Instagram & Youtube
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Getting Unstuck in the Messy Middle: Reggie D. Ford on Duality & Healing
Oct 1401:00:17Tap to summarizeWhat if two truths are real at the same time? In this episode of It’s Both, Reggie D. Ford—author, speaker, and mental health advocate—joins Nikki P to unpack the duality of healing: love and anger, grief and growth, survival and softness. We talk about how language shapes our nervous system, why reframing builds emotional resilience, and what it means to reconnect with the body when you’ve lived in your head. If you’re navigating life’s gray areas, this conversation offers grounded practices for the messy middle and permission to hold multiple truths without shutting down. You’ll hear: - A simple “9 vs. 6” visual for both/and thinking - Tools for getting unstuck from survival mode - How grief, trauma, and identity can coexist with hope - Everyday language shifts that support emotional growth and healing Listen in for raw, authentic conversation that meets you in the hard and heavy—and points you toward possibility. Resources & Links: - Get connected with Reggie D. Ford - Follow Reggie on Instagram - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation - It's Both on Instagram & Youtube
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Ketamine Therapy Explained: Navigating Healing and Stigma in Life's Gray Areas
Oct 700:44:57Tap to summarizeWhat if healing isn’t either/or? In this episode, therapist Liz Perez, LMFT breaks down ketamine therapy through a both/and lens: addressing the stigma often associated with this treatment while highlighting its role in emotional growth and healing journeys. You'll explore who it helps, including those with treatment-resistant depression, anxiety, and PTSD, and how it works alongside methods like EMDR, Brainspotting, and parts work. Safety screening with medical partners is essential, and we'll dive into why recovery is rarely linear—life's complexities often mean navigating messy moments. 👉 If it helped, like, subscribe, and share with someone in the messy middle. Resources & Links: - Get connected with Liz Perez, LMFT - Learn more about Journey Clinical - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation - It's Both on Instagram & Youtube
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Healing Isn’t Linear: Grace’s Story of Duality, Diagnosis & Emotional Growth
Sep 3001:04:50Tap to summarizeWhat do you do when both things are true—when your body is screaming that something’s wrong and the system keeps saying, “You’re fine”? In this episode of It’s Both, Grace Steele shares a raw, vulnerable look at the emotional complexity of living with undiagnosed illness, later identified as POTS and cranio-cervical instability (CCI). We talk about the messy moments of being dismissed, the both/and thinking required to hold fear and hope, and why healing isn’t linear. Grace opens up about advocating for herself, navigating grief while self-rebuilding, and finding self-compassion in the gray areas. If you’re in the messy lives season—seeking answers, setting boundaries, and trying to believe your body—this conversation will meet you with honesty and care. You’ll hear: - How Grace moved from “it’s anxiety” to real diagnosis - The duality of relief and grief during treatment - Tools for self-advocacy, tracking symptoms, and finding community - Why emotional resilience grows in the gray areas - Permission to let your healing journey be non-linear Because life isn’t either/or—it’s both. Resources & Links: - Resources, supplies, and ways to get involved - Follow Grace on Instagram - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation - It's Both on Instagram & Youtube
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Inspiration Over Ambition: Navigating Duality with Khalil Ekulona
Sep 2300:58:57Tap to summarizeThis week on It’s Both, host Nikki P. sits down with Khalil Ekulona—award-winning host and journalist (WPLN’s This Is Nashville, KUNM’s No More Normal)—to explore the duality of being human through the transformative power of honest storytelling. We talk about how joy and sorrow can coexist, how reflection grows wisdom and emotional growth, and why community and curiosity keep us grounded when life feels hard and heavy in the gray areas. Khalil shares a personal story of holding loss and gratitude at the same time, the power of learning from elders, and what changes when we’re led by inspiration rather than ambition. We dig into presence, family values, and practical ways to live a both/and life—embracing messy moments on the healing journey, especially during transition moments. You’ll hear: - Why being inspired > ambitious can recalibrate your choices - How to hold both joy and grief without shutting down - The role of reflection, elders, and community support in resilience - Everyday practices to cultivate emotional resilience and presence in the messy middle Resources & Links: - Follow Khalil on Instagram - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation - It's Both on Instagram & Youtube
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Becoming Your Authentic Self: Paula Stone Williams on Gender, Faith, and the Messy Middle
Sep 200:55:33Tap to summarizeWhat does it mean to live authentically when both things are true? In this episode of It’s Both — Navigating Life’s Gray Areas & Messy Moments, therapist and storyteller Nikki P sits down with Paula Stone Williams—pastor, author, and international keynote speaker—to explore duality in gender, faith, and belonging. Paula shares her journey of transition and self-discovery with honest storytelling—the losses and joy, and the emotional resilience required to live in truth. Together, Nikki and Paula talk about how privilege, misogyny, and bias shape experience; why proximity and narrative build empathy; and what it looks like to hold multiple truths without abandoning yourself. You’ll hear: - Why “everyone is in a state of becoming” - How misogyny and gender bias show up day-to-day - The role of privilege and proximity in empathy - Why Paula rejects the concept of a “dead name” - Practices for self-compassion, emotional complexity, and courage If you’re in the messy middle—questioning identity, deconstructing faith, or seeking authentic conversations—this episode offers language, nuance, and companionship for navigating life’s gray areas. Resources & Links: - Connect with Paula Stone Williams - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation - It's Both on Instagram & Youtube Thank you again for listening and remember, life isn't either/or, it's both.
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From Refugee Camp to Resilience: Abdikadir on Belonging, Fear, and Finding Home
Aug 2600:53:26Tap to summarizeWhat does belonging look like when your story begins in a refugee camp? In this episode of It’s Both — Navigating Life’s Gray Areas & Messy Moments, therapist and storyteller Nikki P sits with Abdikadir Mohamed to explore duality in identity, safety, and home. Abdi shares his journey from 14 years in a Kenyan refugee camp to rebuilding life in the U.S.—the fear and excitement of transition, the weight of elder sibling leadership, and the emotional complexity of holding gratitude and grief at the same time. Through authentic conversations and honest storytelling, they unpack culture shock, community support, and what it means to belong while still feeling between worlds—the true messy middle. You’ll hear: - How refugee life shaped resilience and responsibility - Why community and proximity build empathy and healing - Practices for self-compassion and steadiness in uncertainty - How to honor grief, gratitude, and hope—together If you’re navigating cultural identity, family duty, or a big transition, this episode offers language, nuance, and companionship for navigating life’s gray areas—without toxic positivity. Resources & Links: - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation - It's Both on Instagram & Youtube Thank you again for listening and remember, life isn't either/or, it's both.
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Fresh Starts After Divorce — The Bothness of Breaking Up & Beginning Again
Aug 1900:50:01Tap to summarizeWhat does starting over really look like after divorce or a breakup? In this episode of It’s Both — Navigating Life’s Gray Areas & Messy Moments, host Nikki P talks with Olivia Howell and Jenny Dreizen, co-founders of Fresh Starts Registry, about rebuilding with courage, clarity, and community. Olivia and Jenny share honest storytelling from their own divorces and the people they serve—how relief and grief can coexist, why healing isn’t linear, and how practical support systems make all the difference. Together, they explore the messy middle of separation: paperwork and parenting, identity shifts, and the small rituals that create momentum when you feel stuck. You’ll hear authentic conversations about boundaries, self-trust, and the power of asking for help—plus simple practices to cultivate self-compassion, emotional resilience, and hope. If you’re considering divorce, in the thick of it, or finding your footing after a breakup, this episode offers tools, language, and companionship for navigating life’s gray areas—without toxic positivity. Resources & Links: - Learn more at freshstartsregistry.com & on Instagram: @freshstartsregistry - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation - It's Both on Instagram & Youtube Thank you again for listening and remember, life isn't either/or, it's both.
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Permission to Pause: Balancing Life’s To-Do Lists with True Rest
Aug 1200:26:40Tap to summarizeWhat does it look like to honor rest when life won’t slow down? In this solo episode of It’s Both — Navigating Life’s Gray Areas & Messy Moments, host Nikki P reflects on the duality of doing and being: launching a show, parenting, working, creating—while practicing stillness, presence, and care in real time. Through authentic conversations with herself and honest storytelling, Nikki shares how she’s learning to hold multiple truths: you can be productive and also deeply need rest. She offers a simple check-in practice—pause and ask: What do I need right now?—plus thoughts on boundaries, capacity, and resisting the pressure of constant output. If you’re in the messy middle, feeling the weight of your to-do list, or trying to reconnect with yourself amid chaos, this episode normalizes emotional complexity, invites self-compassion, and builds emotional resilience—without toxic positivity. It’s permission to breathe, recalibrate, and move forward with tenderness. Thank you again for listening and remember, life isn't either/or, it's both. Resources & Links: - Subscribe, rate, & review It's Both on Apple Podcasts - Join the Courageous Living Group Transformation - Sign up for Hungryroot and get $50 off your first box - It's Both on Instagram & Youtube
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