Lisa Nickel Coaching

10/12/2026

The last 6 days have been bonkers. I was delighted to return to DFA on Wednesday to share a workshop with the amazing customer service team. I love the culture that they work so hard to cultivate there. Thanks for inviting me. I’m a big fan.

On Friday, I loaded my car for Wichita to set up for a new format one-day coaching conference. I was lucky to work with a go-get-em committee and an uber talented co-chair. The Friday night dinner and Saturday conference were awesome. Can’t thank all the speakers, volunteers, board members, and attendees enough. (You will probably see lots more posts about this conference.)

Today, I returned to an organization that I love - Kansas Association for the Gifted Talented and Creative - to present two workshops at their annual convention. I roped a coach friend into working with me to teach educators some key coaching principles to help keep the student first in conversations. Amanda can do anything and she nailed it. Then, I shared a session on using my 6 Pathways of Happiness framework as a lens to support The Whole Gifted Child.

I’m exhausted and wildly energized by these opportunities. Once I catch my breath, I’ll start on all the follow-up tasks.

Thank you to the organizations and people who believe in me, my leadership skills, and my message. I absolutely love sharing!

10/11/2026

Had an amazing day at the 2026 ICF Heartland Coaching Summit! ICF Heartland Chapter for KS/MO

10/09/2026

Stephen A. Smith fell into the trap of forgetting that we often judge ourselves based on our intentions, but we judge others based on our reception of their actions. Sometimes it's easiest to just tell others what you hope to accomplish so they know where you're coming from and to think about how you can share so that your intentions are known.

A day after insisting he’d been misconstrued, Stephen A. Smith opened Thursday’s ‘First Take’ by saying something he rarely says on air, which is that he was wrong.

Smith spent nearly four minutes at the top of the show apologizing to Lane Johnson and the Philadelphia Eagles for his comments Wednesday, when he made light of Johnson’s decision to retire four games into the season to focus on his mental health.

The 58-year-old Smith insisted ESPN didn’t mandate the mea culpa, credited Charlamagne Tha God, Michael Wilbon, Jay Glazer, and Kimberley A. Martin with setting him straight, and said his deepest regret was the damaging message his remarks may have sent to people who are struggling.

“As much as I owe the apology to Lane Johnson and to the Philadelphia Eagles, it does not stop there,” Smith said. “Mental health obviously is an incredibly serious issue. I know it. I went through it myself. I know a lot of people who have gone through it. I want to thank people like Charlamagne Tha God, like the great Jay Glazer, like Mike Wilbon, like Kimberly Martin, who told me in real time yesterday that I was coming across as making light of the situation. Thank goodness she was sitting here next to me, because I was immediately alerted that that was how it was coming across.

“That was wrong, that was irresponsible on my part, but more importantly than that, especially speaking to my guy Jay Glazer this morning and Wilbon yesterday, there’s a lot of people in this country and in this world that are going through mental health issues. And the biggest regret that I have for all of this is the fact that it may have given people that wanted to open the door to seek help a reason to pause and hesitate and not do so. And I can’t emphasize enough how sorry I am about that because it is a real issue.”

Full story in the comments.

10/01/2026

I just returned from a wonderful holiday in the UK and Ireland with my sister. We soaked up new places and new experiences.

There were lots of differences between Kansas City and the European cities we visited - like castles, driving on the left, and crazy flavors for their chips (crisps). But, I was reminded that we are more similar than we are different. People want connection, purpose, and happiness on all the continents.

Sometimes, we let differences in external packaging distract us from our commonalities. These are just potato chips with different flavorings. That’s what makes them interesting.

09/18/2026

ICF Heartland Chapter for KS/MO We had a great time talking about books and coaching recently at the ICF Heartland KC Book Exchange. Thanks to everyone who joined and to Marilyn O'Hearne who hosted the event. I’m excited to dig into my new books.

09/15/2026

Happiness can be a competitive advantage. 💡

I had the opportunity to join Keith Miller on the Lifestyle CEO Podcast to talk about why leaders and teams can’t afford to put happiness on the back burner until “things settle down.”

We talked about happiness, leadership, connection, toxic positivity, my 6 Pathways of Happiness, and one simple practice you can start this week.

🎙️ The Happiness Edge – How Lisa Nickel Turns Joy into a Competitive Advantage for Leaders and Teams

Give it a listen—and let me know what resonates with you!

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/lifestyle-ceo-get-your-life-back/id1769047174?i=1000770971847

09/13/2026

This is a post about the perfectionism trap - with a dose of beautiful photos from our son's wedding last year.

Last Saturday was the first anniversary for Rob and Anna. I had planned all week to write a beautiful post that expressed how magical and special the wedding was to us. Then, life got too crazy and I realized I couldn't write the post I wanted to share, so I didn't get around to doing one at all.

What a shame. I let perfect be the enemy of good. Well, luckily, I'm teachable and I know that I would rather do a big random wedding photo dump and express a few quick thoughts than to let more time go by without celebrating. I created that post on my personal account.

Am I the only one who struggles with "good enough"? How do you escape the perfectionism trap?

Cheers to a first anniversary and to many more years in good health and happiness! ♥🥂

09/07/2026

Session #3 is here this week!

Join us for one of the two FREE sessions of Your Retirement Income and Identity Paycheck. Retirement isn't just about replacing your income. It's also about replacing and reinventing the things that made your working life meaningful. Your next chapter deserves a financial plan and an identity plan. We're here to help.

Register here:
Wednesday, Noon, Sept 9th Link:
https://www.linkedin.com/events/7499604314433257472?viewAsMember=true

Thursday Evening, Sept 10th Link:
https://www.linkedin.com/events/7499605937725362176?viewAsMember=true

08/31/2026

A funny thing happens when you stop saying, “We should do that sometime” and actually put a date on the calendar.

It became a three-day adventure through Kansas—with seven friends, hundreds of miles, and our trusty white rental cargo van, Betty White. 🚐

The best part was the hours in the van, the miles we logged together, the conversations and laughter, the unexpected discoveries, and the chance to explore more of our own home state.

We supported small businesses in small Kansas towns, saw parts of Kansas we might otherwise have driven right past, and most importantly, made memories with people we care about.

There’s something powerful about being intentional with fun. An idea doesn't have to be elaborate to become an adventure. Sometimes you just need to say, “Okay. Let’s actually do it.”

And I’m very glad we did. 🌻🍻

08/27/2026

Dolly understood. Pay attention to the good around you. Be intentional about your happiness.