Latest / Discomfort Required / Discomfort Required Podcast: Nikki Lobach| Built Different, Being Tactical And Crushing Life

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Discomfort Required Podcast: Nikki Lobach| Built Different, Being Tactical And Crushing Life · Discomfort Required

• Trent: That's great. Okay. We're gonna get into it and stuff, like, what else was fucking awesome about ⁓ Arizona? Nikki: Perfect. Do everything was, am I allowed to say? Cause you just said it. And that was gonna be one of my starter questions was like scale of like one to 10, like how much am I allowed to swear on this? Trent: you to be 100 % yourself and trust me, we both cuss all the time. Yes. Yeah, that's fucking great. Nikki: Perfect. ⁓ Arizona was fucking awesome. Dude, was awesome. I mean, you and I talked a little bit before about like just my thoughts going into it and my nerves going into it and how I almost didn't go because I was just kind of oscillating between like, am I ready enough to go? Have I been doing this sport long enough to justify? competing at that level and stuff. And so like I had a lot of feelings going into this weekend and ⁓ I'm so glad we just like sucked it up and went. It was the best weekend. It was, I'm like still kind of riding the high of like the weekend a little bit. ⁓ It was just a really, really cool experience. And then we'll talk a little bit more about like the actual like events and stuff, but like, I don't know. couldn't, I can't imagine. Trent: Fuck yeah. Yeah Yeah, we're gonna get it. Nikki: a scenario where like I didn't just send it. And it's like hard for me to think about like a couple of weeks ago that I even like entertained the idea of not doing it. ⁓ That seems like silly now. Trent: Yeah, like, I'm, well, I mean, it's like, but you, there's only so much you can do, right? Like, I mean, you were gonna go solo. Like, I mean, how the fuck were you gonna pull that off? Nikki: I mean, but I always do like that. can think of so many other experiences in my life and other like things that I've gone through where that's been the case for me, where it's been like, well, how am I going to do this? And then I just do it anyways. So like, wouldn't be the first time and we always just make it happen. So yeah, it was going to be more difficult and it was going to be more stressful, but I don't think, I mean, I've done it before. Trent: I love it. Great. Nikki: And that's just always been my personality anyways. It's like, well, we'll just figure it out. And then we always do. There's never been a case where it hasn't worked out. My husband calls it Nicky luck. And I'm like, it's not really Nicky luck if I'm putting in the work to make it happen. If the stars kind of align for me a little bit and things also still work, then that's like, I'll take that and we'll call that Nicky luck if you want. it was going to work out either way. Trent: Yeah. Fuck yeah. I love that. Or is just making your own look? Right? So yeah, for sure. Okay, so pretty much, like, it is not a script here. I'm just gonna ask you these things and then I just want you 100 % to yourself. Like, don't hold back. Fucking just be you. Don't think that you don't have to sugarcoat anything. Okay. Yeah, and I fucking love that. That's one of reasons why I want to have you on this, right? Like I want more people to be inspired. Nikki: Perfect, because I can't. Yeah. Trent: by everyone, right? Like you're a fucking badass and I want that to inspire everybody. Nikki: Jesus Christ. I have big dogs and ⁓ they want to be involved, I guess. This one just knocked my coffee cup out of my hand. Trent: Yeah, always. Perfect. ⁓ So and then at the end, like when we say, when we're like, okay, like this is gonna be the end, like where can people get ahold of you or find you on Instagram or social media and shit like that. Don't hang up, right? So like, I'm gonna let it just continue recording. And then we're just gonna have like a chat afterwards, right? Because like, it's gonna be fun. Cool. I also got a fucking holster. Nikki: ⁓ Yeah. Trent: right? And I ordered it and it's dope. It's a little too hulster. And the fuckers shipped me one that's not lightbearing and I'm like, come on, it's not. Yeah, I'm like, it's not that fucking fun. Just. Nikki: ⁓ no! Wait, so when do you, when can you pick up your pistol? Trent: Friday. Nikki: That's way more than 10 days, it seems like. Trent: No, it's exactly, it's exactly 10. I was up there last Tuesday. So today's day eight. Yeah. So if they make me fucking wait through the weekend, I'm gonna lose my mind. It's like, yeah, I'm like, you motherfuckers. like, uh, cause my birthday is on Monday and I'm not like, I'm not going to do a lot of work. And I'm like, I'm going go fucking shoot this gun. And if I swear to God, yeah, yeah. Yeah. Nikki: ⁓ gotcha. It's like 10, 10 business days. Yeah, I'm ready. This is my gift to myself and it's not cheap. It's not a cheap hobby. Trent: Yeah, no fucking shit. ⁓ That's why I bought one that I didn't have to upgrade. Like, I'm like, you know what? This is gonna be fun. This is fucking work. Okay. All right, you ready to do this? Nikki: I'm ready, yeah. Trent: What's up guys? This is Trent. So I fuck these up every single time I So like this podcast is episode 10 and my other podcast was 39 episodes and I fuck up the I'm the worst. Okay, but I Should have a screw. This is fucking awful cuz like I'm like just wait. I just wing everything so alright here we go What's up guys Nikki: Maybe you should have a script. Bye. Trent: This is discomfort required. Yeah. Let's do it one more time. I got this. I got this. I promise. I'm probably gonna leave all this in there too. That's gonna be great. Nikki: Do want me to do it for you? Trent: What's up guys, this is Trent. This is Discomfort Required. I have my good friend, Nikki Lovak on today. She is an all-around badass. She's a firefighter. ⁓ She's a CrossFit athlete. She's Tactical Games athlete. ⁓ I started coaching her in January and it's now April and she is just absolutely crushing it. So without further ado, Nikki, how are you? Nikki: Wonderful, good morning. How are you doing Trent? Trent: I love this. I'm good. I'm good. It's like we haven't, I haven't recorded a podcast in the morning in a very long time. And I'm like, this is fucking great. I'm like full of coffee and I've already had two meals. It's perfect. Nikki: I'm not even full of coffee yet. I'm working on it. So if I'm like working on my coffee during this podcast, I mean, I'm a firefighter. So we drink coffee all day long anyways. So ⁓ I mean, like, know, cause we do our, all of our check-ins remotely that I'd never don't have a cup of coffee in my hand. So yeah. Trent: Same. Same, same, Yes? Also same, I've also noticed that. And then like no matter what time it is, I'm like, yep, coffee, always. And I noticed like since I quit drinking, like I've always drank a lot of coffee, but since I quit drinking, I exponentially is gone. Nikki: ⁓ Mm-hmm. I think part of it too is like my having my emotional support mug in my hands too. was like, especially if I'm like on video with somebody or I'm like talking to somebody on FaceTime or whatever. It's like, I remember an anchor man he's like, I don't know what to do with my hands. Like if I have a mug in my hands and I feel like I'm, you know, then it's like, we're having coffee together and it's not, I'm not, there's no pressure on recording a podcast. I'm just here having coffee with a friend and we're just checking in. Trent: Secure and safe. There we go. There we go, for sure. Okay, so I ask this of everybody. What do you think discomfort required means to you? Nikki: I think, ⁓ I love this actually, because you sent me like a list of questions and all of them kind of like fall back to the same kind of like premise where like, I think that if you're not careful, you could end up living like very, very ordinary life. ⁓ And I think that that's. I think you have to be uncomfortable if you want to see that kind of return in your life with anything. ⁓ And I think anything that's worth having that's valuable or exciting or fun in your life is gonna require some level of discomfort, of some level of like pushing yourself out of your comfort zone. And so when you say like, ⁓ that like discomfort required, like, well, if you wanna have... If you want to reach your goals, if you want to have that exciting life, you want to have that job that you think is awesome, you want to have, ⁓ you want to reach wherever you want to go in your fitness goals, whatever it is, you're going to have to push yourself out of your comfort zone. And so I think that kind of encompasses like why we do what we do and why we're here, right? Like, I think you kind of like took who we are as people and why we like connected and why like our circle of people kind of all like vibes with each other and just like boil it down to like the essence of what it is, which is like, we're all people who are like not satisfied with the ordinary and not satisfied with like, okay, I just wake up and I pay my bills and I, you know, pay my mortgage and that's it. And then one day I'm gonna die. And that's like, a lot of people are, are seemingly fine with that, which blows my mind. ⁓ But we're, we're not. I'm, I... Trent: Yeah Yeah. Crazy. Nikki: I'm sure we'll touch on that a little bit later, just based on like the questions that I kind of saw in like the brief outline. ⁓ But I personally am not fine with that at all. And that to me is like a huge motivator to be like, a little bit of discomfort now will save me all of that later. So I'm perfectly okay with being uncomfortable if it means that I'm gonna not have an ordinary life. Trent: ⁓ for sure. 100%. No, for sure. And I agree with that 100%. The reason I love asking this question is everybody has a little bit of a different take on it, but it all comes back to the same. If like, I don't. I cannot grasp people that are just like completely fine with the media of your life, right? Like they're not doing anything exciting. They wake up, they go to work, they come home, they eat dinner, they sit and they just rinse and repeat, right? They don't travel, they don't do anything. And it's like, you are wasting what little time you have to like, just go do something, anything, just get out of your comfort zone because like literally all you're doing is just waiting to die. That's not fun, right? Like you can have good times for sure, but if you're not like trying to grow, that's like, Nikki: Yeah. Trent: That's like the end of it right there and it's like I can't do it and I resonate with people that also can't do it and that's how I found you and that's how I'm coaching you. So let's work it out. Exactly, for sure. ⁓ So I want to talk about how you got into firefighting. What was the main driver there and like how did this end up being your career? Nikki: That's why we're friends. Okay, so we're gonna have to take it back, back, back, back a little bit because I have kind of like a very, I wanna like really be so clear. Like I'm the most ordinary person there is. Like there's nothing like incredible or special about me, anything like that. My origin story is like so, so ordinary and I like. Trent: Okay, for sure. Nikki: I went to college, I got the degree, went to, got my corporate job right after college, did like what I thought I was supposed to do growing up in like a middle class family, right? Like you go to college and then you get your, you know, starter $60,000 a year corporate job, you sit in an office nine to five, and then that's what you do. And I did that for a couple of years and... I was okay with it. I, my job was fun enough. I liked the people I worked with. There was this little kind of like voice in the back of my head that was like, do you, is there anybody here that you kind of like look up to that you want to be in the next 15, 20 years? And like the answer to that was like resounding no, but like I do have stuff going on outside of work that I can kind of like pull from too. Like I was doing CrossFit at the time. So if we're talking like timeline wise like I already was doing CrossFit So I would like wake up early and train and then I would go like sit in an office all day long ⁓ But there was like this this big piece missing for me where I was like This isn't like what I want to do with my life. Like I really don't look up to any of these people I'm not I don't really don't feel like what I do like matters on like a macro level ⁓ Trent: Okay. Nikki: I kind of just like push paper and like, don't, I'm not really like in love with, with what I'm doing. And then the big like catalyst for me was, um, so this was in Hawaii. My husband and I used to live in Honolulu. And when I, uh, we moved back to San Diego, which is where I'm from and I kept my job. So now I'm working remotely. I'm doing the same job, but instead of working in office with all these people, now I'm working from home. I'm living in San Diego. Hi, baby. I'm living in San Diego. and I'm working from home and I have all this kind of like freedom during the day ⁓ to train while I'm like working my job. And so I'm training at Invictus. I'm going to cross it Invictus while I'm working remotely. And I'm with all these people who like also don't work during the day and they're like cops and firefighters and like paramedics and they're people who work like shift work. And I was like, ⁓ this is cool. Trent: It's like, it also blows my mind. Nikki: These people who are using their, they're here and they're obviously super, super fit people because they're training at CrossFit Invictus. They're going to the competitors class, which I thought I was like so cool. Cause I was like worked out with the competitors like, but, I was like, but, but that's what they were using their fitness as their like career also. And it's just like, it was weird to me that that had never occurred to me as like a possibility for me before. Cause then I would go home and I would go sit at my desk by myself in my house and push paper for the rest of the day. ⁓ Yeah. And that's why I started getting dogs, collecting dogs. ⁓ and so, but still I was like not, I didn't pull the trigger. Cause I was like, it sounds cool, but it still sounds like out of reach for me, maybe. And the real big kind of like cat, cause nothing, nothing for me happened very like quickly. Trent: Yeah, with no interaction with other people. Yeah. What uses? Nikki: But like if we're talking timeline, so I'm at Invictus, I'm starting to like plant these seeds, that would be awesome. I wish that could be my story, but I'm not quite brave enough to like pull the trigger on that yet. So now my husband gets into this school, we're moving to Virginia. We're there for six months and I'm training at a gym out in Virginia. And I'm gonna like throw out ⁓ a shout out to my girl Kayla and she probably has no idea how big of an influence she was on my life, but. I worked out with this amazing girl. name is Kayla Harper. She's a firefighter out in Virginia beach. And it was like same story. We'd be like, cause now I'm not working at all and not doing anything during the day. And she's also has this shift work and she was a firefighter out there and we would do these workouts together. And, ⁓ I would like, we'd be training together and she was the first person to be like, you know, that you're like strong enough to do this job, right? And to have another female firefighter tell me like, Hey, what like, there's no reason why you couldn't start pursuing this. Like, why are you not at least walking down this road? If you've already told me this is something that you're interested in doing, you're, seeing that you're physically capable. You're keeping up with me in these workouts. Like, here's what you need to do to get started. And so I'm sure she probably doesn't even think about me anymore, but I think about her all the time because she was like the one that really kind of paved the way for me of like, okay, well, if this is something that you are serious about, you gotta go get your EMT, you gotta go to a fire academy, you have to start getting some box experience, like here's what you need to do to kinda get started. And so our next, we were only there for six months, our next move was to Ventura and like the day we moved to Ventura, I was like enrolled in EMT program, boom, boom, boom, and started getting down that road. it was, the seeds kinda started planting themselves over time, but it was really like the people. Trent: Hell yeah. That's awesome. Nikki: that I met who were doing the job, especially with the women that I met who were doing the job, that were the ones that inspired me. And I think that's part of the reason why I wanna be such a big mentor role, like within our department, like very involved in the Women's Fire Prep Academy, the Girls Empowerment Camp. I do a lot of like mentorship stuff with our cadet program, stuff like that. Because if there hadn't been female firefighters that had told me like, hey, Nikki, you're strong enough to do this job. there's no reason why you can't be out here doing the exact same thing the guys are doing, then I wouldn't be sitting here talking to you like I am today. So that's why it's so important for me to want to be that voice for other women too, to tell them like, hey, if no one has told you before, if you put in the work, you are capable. Trent: Yeah. Yeah, for sure. that's one of the biggest reasons I wanted to. I love inspiring people, right? And most people just need a really like a swift kick in the ass to like do something incredible, right? It's just like, ⁓ I heard that and it's like, wow, maybe I'm gonna make a change in my life, right? And I think it's super, super important that women support women and everything like that. just women like inspiring everybody. I think it's so important. It's so fucking cool. ⁓ That's funny you say, like, Nikki: I just realized my dog is crying because the dog door is shut. me one second. I was like, why are you being so annoying? Okay, there you go. was like, they're like normally annoying, but this is more annoying than usual. Okay, this should be fine. I should be fine now. Sorry about that. Trent: Yeah, for sure. Extra annoying. That's so funny that you say Ventura because one of my friends that I went to high school with, she was a wildland firefighter in Ventura for a lot of years. Yeah, she's a very cool person. ⁓ I love that origin story and it's not ordinary. ⁓ It's pretty fucking badass, right? Because everybody starts somewhere and then you just kind of work through it. So when you were in Virginia, what did you... Nikki: Go thread! Trent: What was the biggest takeaway like when it came to like fitness and mindset? What was the biggest takeaway when you before you got into Ventura? Nikki: when I was in Virginia or just like in general? ⁓ Trent: Yeah. Well, so like you were working out with this awesome chick named Kayla and she like planted this seed, right? So like, what was her biggest mindset shift that you're like, okay, this is the fucking thing. Nikki: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I think it was just like, mean, maybe link her Instagram too, because if you look at this girl, you'd be like, ⁓ my gosh, she's fucking badass, amazing woman. ⁓ And like training with her and having her tell me you are capable of doing this job was huge, right? Because depending on the source of what people, you know how it doesn't like, doesn't like. Trent: Okay. Nikki: is what people tell you, right? Depending on like who tells you it can either affect you or not, right? ⁓ So having her tell me that, like some random person came up to me on the street and was like, I think you're ugly, I hate you. I'd be like, I don't care about your opinion at all because I don't know you and I don't care about you. But like, if somebody that I really respect came up to me and was like, hey, Nikki, you're fucking up. Trent: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Eat a dick. Yeah. Nikki: or whatever, like that would really affect me because I really care about that person's opinion and that's somebody that I like really respect. And that's, think that was like a big factor for me when Kayla was telling me, hey, I think you're capable of this because now here's somebody that I look at and really, really respect telling me, hey, you're capable of doing this. Like, okay, well, you're not just anybody trying to get me out of your hair telling me you're capable of doing this. Like here's somebody who... has put a lot of value into the job, cares a lot about the women who are doing this job, doesn't want women doing this job who are gonna be weak or like not represent females well in this profession, telling me, yeah, you should pursue this, you should put in the work and see if this is for you. And that was huge for me because now like, because of the source of where it was coming from. And so I think that was like a huge motivator for me too, was just knowing like the people who believed in me were people that I really, really respected. wasn't just like anybody. Trent: That's dope. So what year was that? Nikki: That was in 2018. Trent: Okay, awesome. So you started crossing quite a bit before that. So... Nikki: I started CrossFit, oh my gosh, do you wanna hear just really, really quickly? Because I feel like my CrossFit origin story is kind of funny. So I started CrossFit in 2013 and I started doing CrossFit because when I, so I moved to Hawaii on my own volition. I ended up meeting my husband out there. People think that we like moved out there together, it's military stuff. No, I did like full free will. Trent: Yeah. I this. This is what I want. you Nice. Nikki: was like, in the world can I move? And I was like, Hawaii, I'm gonna do it. So, because you have free will and you can do whatever you want, and I'm a huge believer in that, and I still exercise my free will all the time. ⁓ But I did right after college, ⁓ because I went to the ugliest college in America, and so I was like, where can I go that's beautiful that would just reverse and get all the taste of all of that out of my mouth? Hawaii. So, ⁓ I'm out there and I got... Trent: So dumb. Nikki: as you do right when you first land anywhere new, you just get whatever job you can so that you can start paying your bills. And so I started working at a paint store, ⁓ which is like not a good fit for me at all. And it was the first job I've ever been like, I wasn't like fired from that job, but I was, they like came and talked to me they were like, we think this is not a good fit and you should start looking for other jobs. And I was like, I think you're probably right. They were like, do you care about paint at all? And I was like, no, I just care about. Trent: Mm-hmm. That's fucking awesome. Hahaha You're like, great. Nikki: pay my bills and not starve it. So, but it did pay my bills for a little while and it was fine. But the way that obviously, you know, like CrossFit spaces are always in like weird, like warehouse spaces. And so my CrossFit gym was like right next to this paint store or sorry, my paint store was right next to this CrossFit gym. And so all day long, I'm like mixing paint and picking up bugging five gallon barrels and shit. And I can hear them deadlifting next door. ⁓ And so I was like, Trent: money. Okay. Okay. Nikki: This is like, I wanna go in just, I was so weird. I would like park on the other side and then like walk by after work and like, just maybe they would like see me if I'd in like. And like, just because it was like right next door. And then finally, one day I was like brave enough to walk in and like see what they were all about or whatever. And the rest was like kind of history, but like I started going across it because it was literally was like next to my job. Trent: You're like, ⁓ what's in there? I need to see what's in there. So that's not, yeah. Yeah. Nikki: and I could like hear them like lifting weights and stuff. I would like a walk there after work. Yeah, I was like, maybe they'll invite me in if they like see me walk. That's like not how CrossFit works at all. You have to go in and that was back in 2013. Trent: That's awesome. And totally be creepy. You're like, hmm, I wonder what's happening. They're like, hey you, come in here. Right? It's funny. That's so awesome. Yeah. Origin stories. Yeah, I started like right after you. I started in 2014, in January of 2014. And it's a whole fucking thing. Nikki: And I was like so delusional. like thought I was so good, so soon and so like, God, I like look back on like videos and stuff and like snatching like 55 pounds. And I thought I was like going to the games, like amazing. I like, I go back and I watch those videos and I'm like, ⁓ God, it's so crazy. But I like, I've just always lived my life. I've always lived my life in just this like, I don't know. Trent: What was I doing? ⁓ Love it. Yeah, like, some so I can make a before and after. Nikki: I think part of it too, I was joking about this the other day when I was at the tactical games, I do, we kind of joke about being a little bit delulu, but I think a little bit of delusion is fine if it kind of helps you get you where you want to go, right? And I think part of it too is that there's never really been people in my life who have smashed my delusions either. I'm like married to somebody who's like, fuck yeah, honey, do it. Yeah, I'm like, I'm like, you know, snatching my 55 pounds thinking I'm going to go games. And he's like, yeah, honey, you want to go games? Do it. Like I've been, you know, married to like my biggest hype person and like all the people in my life are like my biggest hype people. And so I think that's part of the reason why like in the, my mind now, especially more than ever. Trent: And that's the best, that's literally the only way it should be. Nikki: I'm kind of in this like stage of life where I kind of believe I can do anything because there's like nobody really telling me that I can't. And then if there is somebody telling me that I can't, then I kind of just like, don't talk to them anymore. I don't know. Like if there's somebody in my life who's going to tell me that I can't do something, then like I probably am not going to give that person any of my energy anymore. Like I'm, I don't need someone telling me I can't. Trent: Yeah. Well, and it's like that you're like, ⁓ watch this. Yeah. For sure. And then prove them wrong. Yeah, fuck yeah. Nikki: And then I'm probably gonna spend the rest of my energy trying to prove them wrong. Trent: Exactly, right. ⁓ Yeah, you should have high people right like I Want you like coming for me as your coach, right? Like I want you to be so confident that when you go compete you're going to fucking smash people This is like what I told you ⁓ What my itinerary was for coming to NorCal and I said when you get on the podium I'm not gonna be able to be there because I'm gonna have to fly out and you're like, ⁓ when I get on the yeah That's the mindset right like you It's the only mindset you should have right and it's like I Nikki: Yeah. actually pretty confident now. When we were having this conversation, was like, I'm in the car on the way to the tackle games and I'm like, can't, okay, fine. And when I get to the podium and now that that's weekends over, I'm like, okay, yeah, I'll see you on the podium. Trent: Yeah. ⁓ yeah, and I believe that for sure. I think that your work ethic, how fit you are, and what you're capable of doing, I think that's all attainable for sure. And I don't want you to think anything other than that. I want you to show up and grab your partner and be like, look, you're coming with me and this is what we're fucking doing. You know what I mean? And that's why we jive, right? That's the thing. if we... Nikki: ⁓ yeah. prepared her for that too. I've let AJ know that this is happening. Like get your outfits ready because we're standing up there, okay? Trent: Yeah, and I'm like Yeah, ⁓ I'll have ⁓ proofs and shirts out Friday. Nikki: I told, yeah, I'm ready, I'm excited. Trent: sick. It's gonna be dope. Okay, so when you think of a high performer, right, because the high performers are just built differently, right, what do you think sets them apart mainly and what does it take? Nikki: Delusion a little bit. ⁓ Yeah, I mean, we we talked about that. Just we kind of touched on it a second ago. But I think like a little bit of it is kind of like a delusional amount of like self belief. ⁓ All of it all of it boils down to like stuff that we've kind of already touched on like you have to be okay getting uncomfortable. You have to believe in yourself more than Trent: Yeah, I agree. 100%. You have to be delusional. Nikki: anyone else is gonna believe in you. ⁓ Because nobody else is gonna put in the work for you, nobody else is gonna, especially in competition, right? Like everyone else is kind of like running their own race in competition and you have to be able to focus on your race and be able to put your head down and be like, okay, what's it gonna take for me to get there? And I think a lot of the times for me, And I can't speak for anybody else, like what works for anybody else as far as performance goes. But I know for me, when I have performed my best, this is probably like, goes back to some people have like different learning styles. Maybe people have different like performance styles. I don't know. But for me, if I have like a very clear vision in my mind of like the goal, then I can chase that in my mind. like, For example, when I was in the Fire Academy, ⁓ the Fire Academy had like some very, very challenging days. And I had this like picture in my mind of myself walking across the stage and getting my badge. And like, just, had to envision like that actual physical moment of like graduation. And there would be times where I'd be like doing something terrible. having a horrible day, like whatever in the fire Academy. And I would have to like literally sit there and like envision like, okay, this is the goal. Like if you give up right now, you're not gonna feel what it feels like to receive that badge. You're not gonna be able to know what it feels like to walk across that stage. And like same thing with competition. Like, Hey, if you give up now, then, or like you aren't able to push yourself into that level of discomfort. Fine, you're never gonna know what it feels like to stand on top of that podium. You aren't gonna know what it feels like to like X, Y, fill in the blank. And so for me, I have to have these like really clear pictures in my mind of like these things that I want to accomplish. And like, I almost put myself in that like, in that moment in my mind, like, hey, what's it gonna feel like when I'm standing on top of the podium? ⁓ What's it gonna feel like when I'm, you know, in that moment at the tactical games, whatever it is, and like envision what it feels like to be there and be like, well, I don't want to miss out on that moment and use that as my motivation to get there. So I think it's like that mental toughness aspect is what sets high performers apart from people who are again, just okay being ordinary because people who are high performers like they're hungry for that goal. However they envision that goal, whatever kind of like makes them want to, you know, chase that rabbit or whatever, they like, they stay hungry for that. And I know for me, it's like having that really, really clear picture and then being like, well, I want to step into like the shoes that I've like already, that map I've already drawn out for myself in my mind. Trent: Yeah, and honestly, I think it's the same thing. I think a lot of it comes down to grit, right? And it's like how much you're willing to fight for the thing that you want. If you envision it, if you manifest it, how ever you go about it, right? So I think that grit and... being mentally strong, but those two go hand in hand when it comes to those things and you hit that on the head. So how do you manage when you have nerves and you have a little bit of self doubt and you're kind of like dealing with a little bit of imposter syndrome, right? When you're going to go compete, how do you keep that goal in sight? Nikki: ⁓ I deal with a lot of imposter syndrome, especially with the tactical games. I think just because it's like the newer sport for me, like I've been competing in CrossFit for a long time. and I've kind of more or less like, feel like I've earned my place at the table in that sport. And then now I'm starting this new sport and all of those feelings kind of like reset a little bit. ⁓ And feeling like, okay, you know, again, we touched on it at beginning, like, do I deserve to be here? Have I been doing this long enough to compete? You know, all these other people have, you know, what are they doing? Are they training harder than me? Like you just start to get flooded with these kinds of like thoughts. then I think, I don't know that I really do overcome them. I think. that time just kind of like passes anyways and you just push through, you just push through it. ⁓ You just, you have to show up anyways, right? Because the difference between overcoming it and not overcoming it is like, what am I gonna do? Not, I guess I could not show up, right? Like I guess I could stay home, ⁓ but I'm here and yeah, I'm here and I'm leaning into it and I'm feeling it and I'm feeling the discomfort, but I'm. Trent: Yeah. But what is that gonna do? Nikki: showing up anyways and I'm putting in my best work anyways and even if I'm sitting here feeling like You know, I think you have to be okay being like maybe a little bit embarrassed and maybe you have to, you have to not care, I guess. and part of it too, like, think maybe a little bit of it, here's a funny, like anecdotal, whatever. ⁓ a little bit of my imposter syndrome from this weekend kind of like reared its ugly head, like after the fact. And this is like, so We're at the tactile games. I'm feeling like, okay, I'm holding my own against these women. I'm trusting my fitness. I haven't been training for this specific sport for like very long, but I've been doing CrossFit for a long time, been in fitness space for a long time, been athlete my entire life. like, I, at least on the fitness level, like I deserve to be here, okay? And so I'm out here, I'm competing. ⁓ I'm in this division with these women and it's great. everyone is amazing, it's awesome, it's cool. And then they post like these YouTube videos of like these recaps of the events and I'm going back and I'm watching it because obviously I'm going to go back and watch it. And it's funny, like, and I, have to, you have to laugh at yourself, right? Because there's, if you don't, then that's where you start to get those like negative thoughts start to come in because Trent: Yeah, that's a point, For sure. Nikki: I'm so new to the sport. Like nobody knows who I am, which is, that's fine. You have, it takes time, right? Like, and again, I can kind of like walk down that road a little bit too, but like, I understand that it takes time to like build a name for yourself. And if it was that easy to, to be somebody, then it wouldn't be like as special and it wouldn't be worth it. So like, it's okay for it to, for it to take time. Like nobody knows who I am and that's totally fine. Like if it takes time for me to like, build a name for myself, fine. Like I'm totally at peace with that. But I'm working out with these women who have a little bit. And so I'm going back and I'm watching these YouTube videos and the commentator, she's going around, she's like, ⁓ this this amazing girl and blah, blah, blah. And I'm just kind of, she's not even like caring about me at all, right? She's like following all these other girls around. And finally, I'm the last person still like working out. And then finally she goes over to me and she's like, ⁓ and this is, and she like picks up the paper and she's like, Nicola Lowe back like she doesn't even know who I am. And she's like, and I guess she's wearing blue shorts. Like she doesn't know a thing about me, right? ⁓ And she's like, mean, you can go watch the video. She kind of is like, yeah, and you know, yeah. She's like. Trent: ⁓ You know. ⁓ I watched it. Yeah. it's like, you know, that's on a lot of that shit to do is that's on her, right? She should be doing her job better to know who's out there. like, like honestly, like for sure, like everybody's the same, like nobody's better than anybody else. Who fucking cares? Nikki: It was just, it was kind of funny because like I felt, kind of like less the weekend feeling like, okay, yeah, I deserve to be there. Like I put in the work, I was fit, I was good. Like I've been working on my shooting, like everything was good. And then I went back and watched the video and I was like, ⁓ she kind of made me look like, like a little bit of a loser. then like wash that away, overcome that whatever. like that's, it was weird how like that imposter syndrome kind of came in like a little bit later in the game. Trent: Yeah. Nikki: where I was like, oh, did like this person maybe on like with this big platform, like her thoughts about maybe me not being ready to be there kind of like come out a little bit. And they're like, whatever, I don't care. Here's the thing, I don't care. I didn't see her out there competing. Trent: Yeah, off that. Yeah, so like, exactly. That's it right there. Like, you're doing this for you and fuck what anybody else thinks, right? Like it doesn't need to make sense to anybody, right? Like, fuck that. ⁓ And also, like, I don't really care for her as an announcer at all in anything. So that's, that's me personally. Nikki: Yeah. ⁓ Lauren if you're listening, I'm sorry, but also you really were like shading my ⁓ shooting form and I we went back and listened I like literally went back and listened like four times and I was like is she She's shooting on my she's shooting on my shooting board right now and it was And it was like so ⁓ It was so passive too that we were like, wait a minute. ⁓ She's not being nice right now ⁓ Trent: Yeah, not rad, not rad. Yeah, not rad. Yeah, yeah, not cool. ⁓ Yeah, see the thing is like one of my biggest things is like look work hard be a good person and don't be a fucking asshole That's it. Like you don't have to be you don't have to like it takes effort to be a dickhead. Just don't be a dickhead. That's all Yeah, like what like one of my favorite things especially about your mindset and like having you as one of my athletes is like not only do we connect but like Nikki: Yeah, it was like so subtle I was like, ⁓ damn, okay. Trent: When we have pep talk sessions, like you hear me, right? And like, you're like, ⁓ that's right. Like, and you're not, you don't just brush it off. Like you take the feedback and you take the coaching super well, right? Cause there's been plenty of times you're like, fuck this sucks. I like, am I going to be able to, and you're like, yes, you're to be able to do this. Everything's going be fine. I promise you. And like, I want you to understand, like, I believe in you so much that like, I would never tell you to do a thing or I would never tell you to do a thing and I would never fluff your. your fucking ego ever. Like if it's, if you're gonna suck at it, I'm like, hey, Nikki, this is gonna suck for a little bit and then we're just gonna get better out of this, what it is, right? Because that's what I'm here for. I'm not here to fucking hold your hand and be like, ⁓ guys, ⁓ you did so great. No, like if you, if you suck, like, hey, we're gonna fix it, right? And I feel like we prepped you pretty fucking good for that entire competition. Nikki: Yeah, more, apparently we need to do more like awkward rucksack like stuff. Yeah. And then also, yeah, because I don't even know if you're gonna upload the video, but I'm wearing this hat so you guys don't see the fact that I ate my scope a little bit. Trent: Get one that's too big, put it on the back of your head, and then let's go run around with it. Yeah. Yeah. I also saw a video, ⁓ somebody posted a video, one of the ladies was running with a rock and her rock was all fucked up. Like. Nikki: She was running with the rock or she was running with her like rifle and stuff. Trent: No, so like the the big ass backpack that you're talking about the the the rug Yeah, like hers was all fucked. It was like half hanging off of her back and shit Nikki: Yeah. ⁓ yeah, so there were two. So yeah, we had an event where we had to run with all of our shit. ⁓ So like run with your pistol holstered ⁓ in our plate carrier and then your rifle is slung. ⁓ And that was like, that was actually a super gnarly run, which maybe I don't know that my neighbors would super appreciate me like running around my rifle, but we can probably figure like something else out. Trent: Mm. Mm. We're gonna make a stick and we're gonna put a little thing on it and we're run around the stick. Nikki: I have a sledgehammer and I figured maybe like run with that. ⁓ But anyways, ⁓ that was actually a super gnarly event because I'm like, I fancy myself like pretty decent runner. And so we're running and we're ⁓ at elevation, we're running in the sand. I'm looking at my, cause I have my watch and I'm, you know, pacing it out. And I'm like, okay, all things considered. Trent: Yeah. Nikki: I'm at elevation, I'm wearing all this shit, I'm running in sand, and I'm holding like a 920 pace, okay? In my mind, I'm like, this isn't terrible. No, I'm in like dead last place. These, when I'm telling you like these girls that I'm competing with are animals and they're amazing. Like for me to even be in the same sandbox as them is like such an honor. And that's, again, when we talked about, hey, Trent: Don't mess. Nikki: when we're talking about what division to compete in, I'm like, this is why I want to compete in the elite division because I want to be elevated by these women. Like I want these women to push me harder in my fitness, right? And so it was super cool to be competing next to them, one, because they're all awesome, just like personality, was such a fun weekend, but like all of them are such incredible athletes. And that's where I want to be like really. shoved out of my comfort zone is like the shooting I can, I can work on the shooting all the time. I do work on the shooting all the time and stuff, but like that fitness portion is where I like really want to, that's where we're going to be like head and head, head to head or whatever. ⁓ and that's, know, again, when we like talked about that, cause the shooting portion, when you go to the tactical games, like it's going to be the same for everybody. Like everyone has the same loadout. Everybody has the same like, ⁓ distance, everything. but it's like the weights and ⁓ it's gonna be like the calories on the machine, whatever it is, like those are the elements that change with the divisions that go up. And so ⁓ that was where I wanted to be challenged. And I don't know, I'm really glad that we decided to do that because I mean, these women are awesome. yeah, it wasn't like they didn't like super blow me out of the water, but I was like, I'm giving her all she's got. Like this is... Trent: Yeah. Yeah. Nikki: this is the fastest I can run with all this stuff. And I feel if I was out here, not comparing myself to anybody else, like 920 is like a pretty dang good pay. Like I'm pretty happy with that. And like I was, I couldn't catch up to any of these girls. weren't like smoking me. Like I could see them, but I was like, I can't go any, I can't catch them. Like, but I was, were talking about the rug. The second, the second workout was, you know, you have the, Trent: you ⁓ Yeah, for sure. Right. Yeah, ⁓ Nikki: backpack on and I think part of it too was like people weren't, it wasn't your rucksack. was, they provided the rucksacks and so it was kind of like, you, and they give you like a minute to, to, to fit it. Yeah. So it wasn't like, ⁓ I can adjust the straps and really make it like work for me. ⁓ and so if you, and you, literally have a minute to get ready. So if you have like a strap that's wonky or it's like not sitting where it needs to be, you're kind of like, I just kind of like make it work. Yeah. Trent: Okay. Well, fuck, here we go. Nikki: And then I know a lot of people were trying to ⁓ let the straps down. Cause you, the way that that event started was you laid down prone, super long range. I think it was the longest ⁓ rifle shot of the weekend. I think it was like maybe 320 yards. I mean, don't quote me on that. It was like pretty far. I mean, I tried to put my face inside the scope to see it. Trent: Okay. Yeah. Nikki: Didn't work. ⁓ But you're like also, you know, you're also kind of like, you're canted, right? Cause you're like, okay, well now this bag is like, I'm, I'm prone. This bag is like pushing up against my neck. And also I'm like, but so anyways, that's why I ate my gun. But I forgot that recoil is the thing. ⁓ So you're boom, boom, boom, shoot. ⁓ But then, you know, people were trying to let it down so that it could. Trent: I mean, technically it did work. Technically. Yeah. You Nikki: not be so high up on your neck, but then you, when you get up, you have to, ⁓ to fix it and stuff. So yeah, it was like a little bit cattywampus, but then you're, now you have this big bag on and then you put a duffel bag on a ⁓ sled and then while you're wearing your rucksack and then it's basically, it was just like a supposed to be a big like heavy ruck drag kind of like workout. Yeah. Trent: Yeah, grunt work bullshit. Yeah. It looked fun. Like, so I sent the video of all the stages. God, I'm like, I looked at that one and I was like, fuck, I want to do that workout. Like, I like. Nikki: It was the least fun one of the weekend. I just want to let you know that. I think maybe hear me out. If that had been like on day one or like maybe even like earlier in the weekend, I think I would have like enjoyed it a little bit more. It was the last event of the entire weekend. I was just completely smoked. um, as soon as I laid down, Trent: Okay, that's her. Nikki: I couldn't see the target. This thing was like up on my neck. This happened on like the very first shot. And so now there's like blood running down my face. And I think I was like, okay, I know I'm not having a good time. Yeah. Can we start over? Like. Trent: Fuck this. Zero out ten recommend this part. Yeah. Let's rearrange this shit. Yeah, I think like when I saw the stages, I sent it to my fiance immediately because she's in Japan for work. And I was like, look at these. I want to fucking do this workout today. And she's like, I haven't watched it yet. I'm like, will you just watch it please? And then I think she's watching by now. like, I'm like, every single workout, I'm like, this looks like so much fun. So yeah, that's happening soon. Yeah, that's gonna happen soon. Nikki: Yeah. They were really fun. The most fun one for sure was the Axelbar one. And I think it's like the, it's the CrossFit in me, right? ⁓ Lauren, she did compliment my clean and jerk. I'll give her that. I'll give her that. Like that's where I shine. But she sounded like surprised about it. She would like, and she's like following Brittany Underwood and then out of the corner of her eye, she's like, ⁓ that was a nice clean and jerk. Like all surprised. Trent: There we go. We got something. ⁓ She's like, oh wait, she can clean a dirt? This chick, I swear. ⁓ Okay, she like, legit, I'm like, yeah, yeah, don't say it, like, shit, she deserves to be there, fuck all way off, lady. ⁓ anyway. ⁓ Nikki: Ha ha! Like don't sound so surprised. Trent: I do. So this question, when I was writing it, I'm like, this is something that I think is going to be super inspiring. And it's you wear so many hats, right? And I don't think that people realize how much, how many things that you do. And it's like, this goes for a lot of people out there, right? So like your mom, your wife, you have a career that's super demanding being a firefighter. You, your schedule is like, you're gone for 24 hours, you're home for 24 hours, you're gone for 24 hours. So that's super rough. You compete in multiple Nikki: Yeah. good. Trent: how do you find balance when it comes to all that and how do you discipline yourself for all those things because it'd be super simple for anybody like fuck I need a day off like and you don't necessarily get one right like you're so hungry to work out especially on your days off I mean you were hungry to work out on wider work don't get me wrong but like You are so hungry to work out in your days off. Like how do you find balance to keep a good home life and everything that you do on top of being disciplined? That's the thing that is like, that's next level shit. Nikki: Yeah, I think that I just am really careful about what I give my energy to. ⁓ Yeah, like you were saying, I'm a mom, ⁓ I have a baby, I have a husband, and I do give him attention too. And I have a career, I'm a firefighter paramedic. ⁓ And so just those three things alone can take up all of my time and then adding in fitness. on top of that. ⁓ And so I think I just am really, really careful about where I give my energy to. And then I do try to mash those things up where I can, right? Like ⁓ I try to get my daughter involved in as much of my like fitness stuff as I can. ⁓ So like, I, it's not like, ⁓ I'm going to train and she's going off with the nanny or whatever. Like, No, when I'm at the gym, like she's right there with me. ⁓ She's watching me, we're hanging out or whatever. And I know like, so I don't post my daughter on social media at all. But like, so it would be really easy for people to think like, ⁓ she's like, maybe she's not a mom or maybe she like has help or whatever. No, I have no help. She is, she's with me all the time. I just don't post her and. Trent: Which is great. Nikki: That's, really important for me that she sees the discipline that comes with like, like this is what we do. ⁓ we're, we're here, we're training. ⁓ this is also like our social circle. I think that probably helps too, right? That like, you know, like, ⁓ how do you also have friends? Well, they're at the gym. Yeah. Like the social circle is here too. ⁓ but like, I think it's, it's so important that like, Trent: That's like that's where all my friends are actually. Yeah. Nikki: I have to make sure that I dedicate that energy to training because like when I don't, I notice a big difference in like my mental energy. I notice that I don't feel as good. Like I notice that I'm like quicker to frustration with my family and stuff like that. And so because I like see the importance of putting in that work, ⁓ it's... I'm like, okay, well, this is going to be a priority for us and our family. And we've, we've always been that way. Like when I first met my husband, like I, again, I started, I was already doing CrossFit. ⁓ he was doing CrossFit at the time too. He kind of catfished me a little bit. ⁓ he told me he was like really into CrossFit when we first met. And then like, as soon as he put a ring on my finger, he was like, Nikki, I have to tell you something. I hate CrossFit. don't want to do it anymore. ⁓ Trent: this guy. Hahaha Wow. Wow. Nikki: So like he, we like joke all the time that he like totally catfished me. And like, I was waiting for you to ask me like, ⁓ how did you get into the tactical games? Because ⁓ I got into it because I was like, Tommy and I need to do something together again. ⁓ And I was like, Tommy, you ever like do CrossFit with me again? He's like, absolutely not. I just can't do it. And part of it too is like, think tall people have... Trent: Yeah, that was going to be after this question. Thank Nikki: a harder time with CrossFit, like the weight lifting movements are harder for them. Like he's really prone to like back injuries. He's had like back surgery and you know, he's CrossFit and him have like just, you know, oil and water have not gotten along, but ⁓ he's in law enforcement. He was like a firearms instructor. We've always shot firearms together and stuff. And so he was the one who was kind of like, well, I would compete in like tactical games with you. And so was like, ⁓ okay. Well, it... Trent: There you go. Nikki: sure, like let's do that. And so we actually started out doing tactical games together as a team. And then when he had his injury, his back injury, he was like, I need to step away for a little bit, but I think you should full force move forward with it. And that kind of like a long winded answer to your question too, was like, how am I able to stay disciplined? Like I have again, like the most supportive husband on planet earth, right? We're like, we started doing this sport together and when he had to like kind of pull away a little bit, he was like, okay, but what can I do to make you successful as an individual in this sport? And like, I know without a shadow of a doubt, there's nothing that he wouldn't do to make sure that I like have everything that I need to move forward and be successful in this sport. And like, that's why the thought of going to the tactical games this last weekend without him was like so daunting because I was like, oh my gosh, you were like. the person who like made me believe that I was like gonna do well, was ready for this. You've been there for all my training. You taught me everything I know about firearms. And so like to think that you wouldn't be there this weekend, not that I couldn't do it without you, but like, I don't want to like you're my person. Like you're the person who has been there with me since day one through this sport and was like the person who got me here. ⁓ And so thankfully he was able to be there, but. Trent: What happened here? So you just you just cut out for like 30 seconds Nikki: I just said everything important everything amazing. ⁓ All right, where did I where did it stop? Where did was the last card? Trent: I know! ⁓ ⁓ you said that you, ⁓ that you didn't want to do it without him because he's so important. Yeah. That's it. Nikki: That's, mean, that's basically it. Like, yeah, like I could have, I could, could have done it without him if he, you know, cause there was a big chance that he wasn't going to be able to come with me this weekend because of work. And, ⁓ that was kind of when I was dealing with the thought of like, maybe we should try to do a different one or maybe I should not go or whatever. ⁓ you know, like, I mean, I don't want to do this about him. anyways, ⁓ I don't know that I've really totally answered your question about like how I stay disciplined. But I think really what it comes down to is just like, I just try to be really, really careful about who I give my energy to, what I give my energy to. ⁓ I just try to make sure that I'm really like disciplined in like, hey, this is what we're doing today. I think it's like, it's funny when people are like, Trent: You did. Nikki: ⁓ have you seen like, have you watched this movie? Are you like watching this one? Like, no. Nobody got time for any of that, right? Like I'm making sure that like I, those things in my life kind of overlap as much as possible, right? So like, yeah, I'm a mom. Yes, I'm an athlete. How can I mesh those things together? Okay, so I'm bringing, now I'm bringing my daughter to the gym with me so that she can be involved. Trent: What? They have movies? Yeah. Nikki: Now that's gonna be her childhood is like, this is normal. I go to the gym, I'm playing, I'm not in front of the screens. I'm watching my mom do fitness stuff. I have my own little barbell. She has the cutest little plastic barbell. Like she has these two little two pound dumbbells and she watches me and she's like, you know? Because kids like they'll do whatever we do. And it's like really great, but it's also like really horrifying because like, Trent: Love it. ⁓ yeah, I love it. Nikki: all the stuff that like I'll be lifting and she'll be like, you know, try to lift with me and then I'll be doing something else like embarrassing and she'll like copy it and I'm like, no, don't do that. You know, they do everything you do. And so it's this they just hold up this big mirror to you. Like, my phone is a big one. Like if I spend time on my phone, then she gets really, really interested in my phone and she'll like cry for it and try to grab it and stuff. And so I'm like, ⁓ shit, I need to be really careful with Trent: No, don't do that. That's the thing. Nikki: how much I'm on my phone around her because she like thinks that that's one, she thinks my phone is more important than her, right? If I'm attention to my phone, not getting attention to her. ⁓ But also like she thinks that's normal for me to sit there and be like, you know, all the time. And that's like also something that I don't want her to be like, think is normal or whatever. So Tommy and I have this new rule that I'm not like super great about. I'm trying to be better about it, but like when we're home and she's awake and we're doing stuff, phones go in a drawer. My texts, they come to my watch, so if there was an emergency or something really needed something, I could see it. But for the most part, I'm not really answering texts at home and stuff because I'm trying to keep that discipline of, okay, this is how I keep things separate, but then also the things that do need my energy, how can we bring them all together too? Trent: Yeah, that's amazing, honestly. Not a lot of people can do that, right? A lot of people get overwhelmed and they just, that's how people end up not doing anything is because they get overwhelmed and they're just like, I can't do this, right? So. Nikki: Yeah. I've also, I've had to be like kind of clear with my friends about it too. And like, I think a lot of people understand one, like just the energy thing in general. Like if I'm like, Hey, I love you. I do not have the bandwidth for this right now. I think a lot of people are scared to draw boundaries with people. ⁓ or like we kind of live in this world where like, we feel like we need to be available to people all the time. ⁓ or like, Trent: ⁓ yeah. Nikki: Hey, everyone has a phone. like, we need to be like, hey, if I send you a text and you don't respond within five minutes, like something's wrong or whatever. And I think my friends kind of know by now, like, hey, she's made it really clear. Like there's nothing wrong. She's just, you know, not gonna, yeah. She's not gonna answer. ⁓ She's, you know, either at work and putting her energy towards that, or she's. Trent: Yeah, for sure. Yeah, busy, for sure. Nikki: with her family and putting her energy towards that or whatever. And so I really do try to be careful about like where I'm putting my energy in any like given day and like with people too, like, if somebody is like sucking my energy or like, I'm like, am like the nicest one, the nicest people you ever meet. But if somebody is not positively benefiting my life, I'll probably just, yeah, we're not gonna, yeah, like I just don't have the, Trent: That's great. Like. Nikki: I don't have the bandwidth for it. I don't. Trent: Right? Yeah, you have a lot on your plate, right? I think, ⁓ I'm glad that you brought up boundaries, right? I was talking to one of my buddies and he was having dinner with his folks. ⁓ His folks are a little bit older and his mom asked him, she's like, what do you think a modern plague is? ⁓ Brian's answer was ⁓ not having boundaries, right? Like people don't understand that other people have boundaries and they just stomp all over. And I was like, yeah, that and narcissism. Those are the two things that's like modern plauges for sure. ⁓ Yeah, but it's not just that. Yeah, I mean, it's not just the fact that like, you know, we're obsessed. It's the fact that like, Nikki: Mm-mm. Yeah, we're obsessed with ourselves. It's like selfie culture. Trent: People are obsessed with themselves at the detriment to other people which is fucked up. Like that's the thing that I can't get behind, right? Like I can't get behind anybody who's malicious towards another person to benefit themselves. Like fuck that. That is, I just can't get behind it. But I'm really glad you set boundaries because I think more people could perform better and just be higher performing people and happier if they put up solid boundaries around a lot of things. And I feel like that's super, super important. So. Nikki: Hmm. Yeah. Trent: What is your biggest mindset shift you had in the last two years? Nikki: I think the biggest mindset shift like in general for me, I want to call it like, not even in the last like two years, but like, I, my mind shift set really shifted. I've been an athlete for a long time. Okay. ⁓ but my mindset really shifted after I became a firefighter. and I think any first responder can kind of like relate to this a little bit, but like, just start to kind of see things with like a little bit of a clearer lens of like, what is important. what is worth putting your energy into, what is worth caring about, what's maybe not worth caring about, what's worth hanging on to. I think like ever since I started really, ever since I started in this line of work, I've been a firefighter now for about five and a half years. And it really like puts things into perspective in a way that I think is like very unique. So they say that the average person sees one, maybe two, if they're unlucky. And if you're super unlucky, three traumatic things in your entire life. Firefighters, responders, paramedics, cops, ⁓ we're looking at traumatic stuff. I don't wanna say daily because my life, ⁓ completely honest with you, like, I don't, my shift work isn't like 911 Lone Star, right? Like I'm not having like a career rescue every single shift, but like, you know, we're, I'm dealing with sick people every day. I'm dealing with fires and traumas and stuff almost every day. And, I think it does like really put stuff into perspective of like how, how quickly life can change. And I, I think a lot of people don't grapple with that. I certainly never did. and I, makes me. Trent: Yeah. Nikki: to some degree kind of happy that people are like very ignorant to that, ⁓ right? Because like most people, they just don't think about it. And so they're like, well, I don't think my life is gonna change in an instant. I don't think that, you know, I could get sick tomorrow or I could get hurt tomorrow or whatever could happen. And so they just kind of like keep going about their life. ⁓ But when you are in this line of work, you really start to like have that perspective of like, okay, what actually really matters like if I were to have a stroke tomorrow, if I were to wake up tomorrow and my loved one, and all this is like very morbid, like you just follow me here, please. Because people who kind of like do this for a living will probably understand what I'm talking about, right? Because like, mean, we run this call all the time, for example. We get this call, it comes out. Trent: Right, no, it's real. Yeah, it's real, for sure. Nikki: five, six, seven in the morning, cardiac arrest, okay? So we're going and we're like, depending on what time we get this call, ⁓ it's either gonna be like a working CPR or we're gonna get there and it's gonna be like this person died next to their loved one, like some time in the night, right? And then that person woke up next to them. Now this person next to them at some point in the night passed away and they're calling 911. ⁓ And you never think that that's gonna happen to you, right? You never think that you're just gonna like lose the person that you love most in the world. But like this, we get this call all the time. And I think that that like, even that alone, of the frequency that like we seize that call puts things into perspective for me where I'm like, you know, they always say like, don't go to bed angry. Like, I'm never gonna go to bed angry, right? Cause you never know when you are gonna... Trent: Yeah. For sure. Nikki: when your spouse, something might happen to your spouse, right? Or like something that happened to your parents is probably more likely it's gonna happen to your parents. But like, just, it's not like, you just never know when something is gonna happen when it's gonna be the last time you talk to somebody or even like the last time you talk to somebody normal before like they have a heart attack, they have a stroke or whatever it is. And so it's just, I think it's so important to like just embrace life every single day and tell people what you mean every single day because you might not have a chance to tell them again. ⁓ And like if you do think something about somebody or care about somebody or have something to say about somebody, like, you know, I'm not gonna hold back because like, I don't know if I'm be able to say that to you again. ⁓ And so I think that was my biggest mindset shift over the last couple of years. And it grew over the last couple of years too. ⁓ Just like in the, you know. Trent: Yeah, first. Nikki: the more and more you kind of like start to really like, it becomes more and more real to you. ⁓ But now I'm kind of in this place where I'm like, I don't really hold back anything, right? And again, I think a lot of first responders are kind of like this too, where we're like, like anything could happen any day. And it's not like, I'm not trying to be morbid again, but like, it's just that reality of like, we're so... ⁓ We're still like in tune with that reality that I'm like, I'm not gonna, I don't wanna let a single day of mine go to waste because like that, I get one life, right? You get one life and this time is gonna pass no matter what. And I personally don't want one. I would rather, Trent: replace it. Nikki: live in a healthy body, ⁓ be somebody who, know, when I'm 90 years old, if I do have to call 911, it's because, you know, somebody else called for me and there's actually something legitimate going on versus being the 40 year old that called because I can't get off the toilet, you know? ⁓ You just see, you see like the full gambit of like the human condition and what could happen to people if you do take care of yourself, don't take care of yourself. Trent: Right, for sure. Nikki: what happens even if you do take care of yourself, ⁓ even if you are super cautious, you know, whatever. So my biggest mindset shift has been like, I'm gonna live my life exactly how I want to live it because anything could happen. Trent: went up. Yeah, exactly. And I, you hit the nail on the head. think that, that, is so important. think more people need to look at life from a different perspective, right? They look at it from a perception, like, like what has gone on in their life and that's their automatic response. But they, if they look at it from a different perspective and from more of a 10,000 foot view, they'll understand that like, Hey, we only got one shot at this, right? And if we don't take advantage of that, then what the fuck are we actually doing? So I think people just get really complacent and there's like you know checking a box and then and the people that aren't checking a box and are doing more and you know living life and things like that they're just higher performing people for sure and you're not morbid that's it's just what life is and life I mean if people aren't fucking paying attention to that and like living the fact like ⁓ fuck I could get hit by a bus It's not morbid, shit might happen, it's just what it is. I think those things are super important and people shouldn't paying attention to that shit. ⁓ Nikki: Yeah. And I do understand that most people don't think that because again, most people aren't exposed to that stuff. Most people will never experience a traumatic event in their life. And I'm thankful for that, right? I don't want people to have to go through something like that. But at the same time, I think it's kind of built this culture of maybe ignorance where people are like, well, it's not gonna happen to me. And you're a teenager, you're like, oh, nothing bad's ever gonna happen to me. Okay, well, just because it... hasn't happened to you doesn't mean like it couldn't happen to you. like. Trent: Exactly. think people just need to fucking realize that it's a whole ass thing for sure. ⁓ Nikki, thank you so much for being on. ⁓ I love all of, I just love chatting. It's super great and I love your mindset. Nikki: Yeah. I know this is why all of our check-ins end up going ⁓ over an hour. Trent: And there's nothing wrong with that. I'd much rather that happen than us be like, ⁓ hey, you did great, check this out, okay, I'll talk to you later. I don't want that. That's not what I'm here for. I will not subscribe to that shit. But I love having you on. I love your mindset. You're very, very inspiring to a lot of people. I've had multiple people message me saying that you're an absolute beast and all kinds of stuff. yeah, it's very, very, very dope. Nikki: Yep. ⁓ my gosh, I appreciate that so much. Trent: Yes, thank you. ⁓ So what do you have coming up next? Nikki: So next is literally quite literally next. What time is it? 11 o'clock at one o'clock. I'm gonna head to open gym because we're doing the Mountain West qualifier right now. And I got those workouts coming up. And then next like big event is going to be the NorCal Classic. How many days away are we from that? I have a countdown. I do have a countdown. We're 44 days away. Trent: Yes, we are. Do you? Sweet. I'm very excited to be down there to coach. I'm like, I'm at a point in my life. like I competed in NorCal last year. I think I told you that. And I made a decision when I was at Desert City, even though like it was, it's the best competition I've ever been at. I absolutely fucking love it. I love the people that run it. Adam's a good friend. Like it is the epitome of what you want out of a cross-country competition. Nikki: Yeah. Trent: I decided like, don't want to compete as an individual anymore. It's not what I want to do. And I told my fiance that and it's like, if she wants to compete in CrossFit as a team, I'll do it 100%. But I looked at it I'm like, I'd much rather coach you. Like I'd much rather be there to support you because you're so much fitter than I am. And like you could, she really is like, she's a fucking monster when it comes to fitness. But it's like, you know, like I would like, it brings me more joy supporting than it is. Nikki: Hahaha. That's awesome. Trent: doing the thing myself, right? Tackle games, however, I'm like, that shit looks fun, I wanna go do this shit because I wanna support like that. Oh, it's happening, for sure. And I'm trying to drag her in, I'm like, you're gonna do this with me, kid, that's just what we're gonna do. Nikki: You shouldn't. Yeah. Yeah, and it's as so we have NorCal coming up and then we're looking at so now that this last weekend happened, I have all these people messaging me like, ⁓ my gosh, how do I get into tactical games? Well, a lot of them are local to ⁓ either like my gym here or San Diego or whatever. ⁓ And so the tactical games actually does put on ⁓ skirmishes, which are like one day events. ⁓ They're not. They're about three hours away, two and a half hours away from where we live here up in like the inland valley. But if anyone wanted to like do one of those, like in a heartbeat, I would do a skirmish. I the next one's on May 9th and then there's another one in June. And there's like basically like every other month they have them. And it's just like a one day like, hey, see how you like it. They have different, you know, obviously like intermediate up to elite kind of divisions. So I'm like dancing with the idea of doing a skirmish coming up soon. It's more like, hey, if anybody Trent: Thanks. Nikki: who wanted to do a skirmish to like test out to see if they're interested in doing the tactical games. Like I would 100 % do it with you. Like let's go, we'll camp, like I'll do it. So I may or may not be doing a skirmish coming up soon, like depending on who's interested in doing one. Like sometimes people are talk, like they message me and they're like, oh, I want to. And I'm like, great, here's the information. And then it's like crickets, you know? But if people actually like are legit and want to follow through like, Trent: Yeah. Perfect. Yeah. Let's go. Yeah, for sure. Nikki: I will do it with you 100 % because I don't say stuff I don't mean. So if you like say, if you tell me you want to do it, like I will start booking stuff and we'll start doing it. ⁓ but then there's also a couple more regional events coming up later this year. know we were talking about maybe doing the regional in Rupert, Idaho. ⁓ that's going to be in the end of June, like June 20th, 21st, I think. ⁓ so we're kind of toying around with that one too. ⁓ so I, Trent: Yeah. Nice. And then we also have ReservCity qualifiers too. Nikki: Desert City qualifiers coming up too. ⁓ Yeah, that's gonna be online qualifiers. So we got some good events coming up. The biggest one is gonna be the NorCal Classic. ⁓ And then getting, I know, and then hopefully getting ready for another Tactical Games regional event because I don't know, just I feel like the trajectory of like Tactical Games stuff, like where I was in August of last year, which was like my, the first time I competed in the Tactical Games was literally August of last year. And I was like, Trent: Yeah. Okay. Nikki: you know, down here, we're intermediate teams to like now competing as an individual elite. I don't know. I feel like the trajectory has been so like steep and so fun that I just want to like keep running forward with it. Like it's been, you know, I'm, you know, when you're like running and you're like, you're like tripping, but you're like the, it's like pulling you forward. So I'm like, I can't stop. So we're just going to keep going. Trent: Right. Yeah. Yeah. Why does it just keep going? Yeah. I love it. Again, Nikki, thank you so much for being on. I really, really appreciate it. yeah, everybody's going to be looking forward to seeing you do some cool shit. Cool. Thank you. No, that's going to end right back there. So yeah, we're good. How do you feel about? Nikki: Yeah. Cool. You told me not to hang up or something. Okay. That was great, it was fun. I was supposed to talk about the Mantis, because I did, I got an affiliate, I got an affiliate with Mantis. ⁓ Trent: First spot? Yes. Are you serious? Fuck, I should have just waited to buy mine, god damn it. Nikki: Yeah, and I would have made 7 % commission on it, but that's all right. Trent: Damn it. ⁓ You know, it's like, I'm not gonna be able to buy one for my AR when it comes, so that kinda sucks. Dixmag. Nikki: Why not? They have a... ⁓ shit, yeah, because they have, I just got my blackbeard and then ⁓ they emailed me about like a new rifle one that they're coming out with maybe. can't. I don't know anything about it. ⁓ It's called the. ⁓ gosh. Trent: ⁓ is it a fix-mag one? Because I don't know how that's going to work. Nikki: Nevermind. Titan X, the Titan X. Yeah, but I was emailing them yesterday and they're gonna set me up with an affiliate link for Mantis. So I probably should have talked about it so I could link it or whatever, but I'll just put some stuff on social media. Trent: when you find it's in. ⁓ got it. Cool. ⁓ Fuck yeah. Good for you. Yeah, you can talk about it right now. Go for it. I can spot some. Nikki: ⁓ it's splicing in. yeah, but so obviously training, I live in California, so it's not super easy. One, ammo is super expensive. Everything is expensive, man. Like gas is expensive, milk is expensive. Everything is so expensive. So ⁓ ammo is super expensive. So... ⁓ I actually bought my husband a mantis for his birthday, which was back in October. It like right after we came off the tail end of our first tactical games back in August. And I got him the mantis ⁓ more so he could like train for work, but also for like tactical games. I immediately stole it for myself, ⁓ which is fine. ⁓ But just using that to like dial in my dry fire training. And I don't, I think it was like four days in of. Trent: Okay. Nice. Nikki: ⁓ using it, I got a notification that was like, congratulations, you have already paid for this mantis in ammunition. was like, yeah. it's obviously it's like, ⁓ that's a huge tool right there to just be able to, to just dry fire anywhere. And then like, I mean, I live in California. So like, if I'm trying to go out to the range, we're talking like a 20, 30 minute drive to, and like you asked me earlier, like, how am I able to balance having a daughter Trent: Ammunition. Sweet! That's great. Nikki: having a husband, having a full-time job, ⁓ being able to train all my fitness stuff, like how am I balancing all this stuff every day? And like not having to drive for an hour to go to the range a couple times a week is also really critical in that too. So if I can just go in my backyard and do some dry fire training or if I can do some like positional stuff like here in my house a couple of times a week, then that's gonna be huge for me also. Obviously I'm still gonna go to the range. I'm still going to go get some like live fire ⁓ down range as much as I can, but like to be able to go and ⁓ do that dry fire training, like here in the comfort of my home. And now it takes 15 minutes as opposed to like an hour and a half. That's going to be huge for me with like the limited amount of bandwidth that I have and time that I have. And also it paid off too, because versus I saw such a huge difference in my shooting from August tactical games to ⁓ these last two like the skirmish and this last weekend with my pistol. I've had the pistol one since October. And then I just got the rifle one, the black beard like two weeks ago and already ⁓ was noticing a huge difference just in my like accuracy and comfort level with, you know, being able to, it's less about distance, like ranging out because I'm not gonna like range out, you know, 200 yards or whatever, but it's more about like being comfortable with like the cans and stuff. ⁓ A lot of the tactical games we're doing like through slats and just like kind of uncomfortable positions with the rifle. And so being able to do like dry fire and stuff with those like uncomfortable positions, like both of those tools have been really, really helpful for me. like, I don't know. I'm a huge fan of the Mantis. I can't recommend it enough. Trent: Awesome. Hell yeah. And what's your link for it? And I'm going to put it in the show notes too. Nikki: If I send you, if I email you my link, will you put it in the show notes? Awesome. Appreciate that. Yeah. Because I do have an affiliate link. Trent: I will absolutely do that, 100%. Cool. Hell yeah. Alright. Thank you again. I have to get ready to go coach. Which is... Oh, you're fine. You're totally fine. And like, I would much rather do this than go coach, honestly. Like, I'm like... I can't stand this fucking gym. That's part of the problem. So... It's... Yeah, the gym. The people in the gym fucking... Yeah, people in the gym fucking suck. And it's just... Nikki: Yeah, sorry about that. can, yeah, all day. The upper. The gym? ⁓ no! That's because you live in Seattle, buddy. Trent: Yeah, I know. I'm trying to get the fuck out of here ASAP. Tennessee, it's happening. It's like, I'm manifesting that shit. But seriously, thank you again for coming on. I want you to do your workout. Yeah, fuck yeah. Fuck yeah. And we're gonna do a follow up to probably towards August or something. We're gonna debrief all the stuff, if that's cool with you. Hell yeah. Okay. Workout one and four today. Nikki: You need to move somewhere warm. Mm-hmm. Thank you, this was fun. Anytime you want. I'll yap. I'll yap whenever. Whatever, whatever, wherever. Trent: Yeah, one and four today, okay? Nikki: What's up? Trent: Workouts one and four for the qualifier. Nikki: It's one, two and four. Because one and two are like the same one. Trent: Yeah, one, one egg. Yeah, yeah, yeah, let's hammer it out and see how goes. Cool. Thank you again. I'll talk to you soon. Hell yeah. All right, I'll talk to you later. Bye. Nikki: Yeah, I'm I'm stoked. I will let you know how they go. Bye.