The Squeeze – Nikki Reed: The Power of Purpose Pt. 2

Host: Taylor Lautner
Featuring: Nikki Reed
Date: November 12, 2025

Episode Overview

In this heartfelt continuation of their conversation, Taylor Lautner and guest Nikki Reed dive deep into mental health, self-awareness, and purposeful living. They explore the challenges of maintaining balance amidst professional and personal demands, the evolution of wellness (and wellness products), and celebrate how individuals can honor their growth. Nikki shares her experiences from the frontlines of business, parenting, and personal healing, delivering honest reflections on what it means to live with intention and compassion—toward oneself and others.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. On Overwhelm & The Assault on the Nervous System

• Nikki, Taylor, and the co-host discuss the pressures of modern life: the relentless to-do lists, always-on communication, and feeling "wired" by technological and societal expectations.

• Nikki’s perspective:

  • "It's almost like an assault on your nervous system all the time..." [04:00]
  • She highlights how our nervous systems are in a constant state of inundation—between work, parenting, and technology, leading to continual anxiety.

• Main Insight:

  • While tasks and digital notifications feel urgent, most are not real emergencies. Stepping back, practicing humility, and simplifying priorities are core strategies for peace.

• Quote:

  • "None of these things are actually a big deal... Are we healthy? Are we okay? Are we connecting?" – Nikki [05:40]

2. Grounding and Boundary-Setting

• Nikki advocates for simple, accessible wellness tools:

  • Getting sunlight for 10 minutes.
  • Spending time in nature.
  • Turning off phones from Friday to Monday for a digital detox.

• Memorable moment:

  • Nikki recalls regularly going off-grid in an Airstream with no service, noting the profound impact on her well-being. [07:20]

• Encourages:

  • Lowering the bar instead of striving for perfection daily:
    • "If I just fed myself well today, got through a couple of the five most important things on the list... okay, yeah." – Nikki [08:24]

3. Type A vs. Type B – The To-Do List Mentality

• Taylor and the co-host reflect on the host’s tendency to start each day with an aggressive list, a holdover from nursing where the stakes were life and death.

• Insight:

  • These obsessive organizational habits often stem from survival mechanisms learned during high-pressure jobs and can persist long after.

• Nikki reframes:

  • “Most of the time, the things that we criticize about ourselves are actually tools we needed at one point to survive.” [17:35]

4. Self-Compassion & Letting Go of Judgment

• The group discusses the importance of not shaming oneself or others for past actions:

  • For Nikki: growing from someone who “ate fast food, smoked, and threw trash out the window” to an advocate for health and sustainability.

• Quote:

  • “If we don't embrace the journey, then we don't get to actually see the beauty of the evolution... what we're doing is we're shaming people into not changing, actually, if we don't honor the whole journey.” – Nikki [41:04]

5. Wellness Industry: Transparency & Effectiveness

• Nikki shares frustrations with the wellness and supplement industry:

  • People are often sold “hope” in the form of unregulated, ineffective products.
  • The body processes everything we put in it—if a supplement doesn’t work, it can still have consequences.

• Aha Moment:

  • "That lit a whole other fire under me to actually create products that you could actually feel in the moment so that it was quantifiable so you knew that they were working." – Nikki [22:51]

• On Supplement Regulation:

  • “There's crazy stats that back this up. Like, you pee out 84% of your supplements, which is wild, Right. So it's like, what are we doing? What are we putting in our bodies?” – Nikki [32:35]

6. Absorption Company – Mission and Science

• Nikki explains the science and mission behind her company, emphasizing bioavailability and tangible results.
• “People deserve to feel good. It's really that simple. And they deserve to have access to products that are honest and real and transparent.” – Nikki [26:06]
• She describes the technology ("capsoil") that increases absorption in supplements, enabling consumers to feel real effects.

7. Personal Evolution & The Right to Change

• The conversation circles back to honoring personal evolution without shame.

• “How cool that as humans, we get to evolve and learn and change things…if we don't…we’re shaming people into not changing.” – Nikki [41:04]

• Taylor's affirmation:

  • “You may not be making the change you are today if you don't go through those things.” [42:13]

• Ending thought from Nikki:

  • “If you really invest in that idea that today, maybe something about yourself you'd like to change—tomorrow, you get to do that.” [42:38]

8. Celebrating Strengths & Self-Reflection

• The hosts and Nikki share what they’re most proud of in themselves—a practice that feels foreign but healing.
• Nikki: “I'm fiercely honest. I'm fiercely protective of what I believe in, fiercely passionate about things. So maybe I guess I'm proud of those qualities. I don't know.” [45:30]
• Taylor: “How well and deeply I love people...I care and love people so deeply that even at the end of the day, if I get burnt or my heart crushed, I wouldn't have it any other way.” [46:43]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the impact of technology:

  • “Conversation feels casual but yet dire. Like you've got to reply to that text where someone just says, hey, how are you doing?... None of those things feel satiating for the soul.” – Nikki [03:35]

• On practical self-care:

  • “Go outside for 10 minutes in the sun. I don't know anyone that doesn't feel better after they do that.” – Nikki [06:53]

• On nervous system conditioning:

  • “So much of my brain is wired to be life or death. And now when I'm literally like giving notes on a social clip...my brain, like, doesn't know the difference yet.” – Co-host [16:42]

• On embracing growth:

  • “Let's talk about that. Yeah, that's so real. That was part of the journey...now is a champion for health and mental health. And how cool that as humans, we get to evolve and learn and change things…” – Nikki [41:04]

• On transparency in wellness:

  • “To have a product that people take and they immediately feel...the joy, it makes it worth even doing the things that I'm uncomfortable doing.” – Nikki [34:12]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [03:00-08:00] – Daily overwhelm, grounding tips, value of simplicity and boundaries
• [13:55-15:30] – The ongoing effects of high-stress jobs on mental habits
• [17:35-18:10] – Reframing personal “flaws” as survival skills
• [22:51-26:22] – Wellness industry critique and the origins of Absorption Company
• [32:30-34:30] – Supplement effectiveness and satisfaction from helping others
• [41:00-42:45] – Owning personal evolution, not shaming the past
• [45:00-47:30] – Reflections on self-love, pride, and personal qualities

Tone & Language

The episode is candid, supportive, and conversational. Nikki’s vulnerability invites honesty and self-compassion, while Taylor brings warmth, curiosity, and a grounding presence. The conversation weaves between practical advice, personal anecdotes, and big-picture reflections—creating a sense of community and validation for listeners navigating their own journeys.

For Listeners

This episode offers wisdom on balancing ambition with self-kindness, demystifies the wellness industry, and models the power of self-reflection. Anyone struggling with feeling “enough” amidst high expectations, or wanting reassurance that personal evolution—and even major change—are possible, will find comfort and practical takeaways here.

End note: Only the main content is covered; all advertisements, intro/outro, and credits have been omitted.