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In this episode, I explore a pattern I see repeatedly in my work as a therapist and mentor to high-performing founders, business owners, and high net-worth individuals: external success paired with deep internal dissatisfaction.
Many of the people I work with have everything society tells us should make us happy—money, status, freedom, luxury, opportunity—yet feel confused, unfulfilled, or disconnected from their lives and businesses.
In this conversation, I break down the psychology behind this experience by exploring the research on two very different types of happiness:
• Hedonic happiness — short-term pleasure, dopamine hits, validation, quick wins
• Eudaimonic happiness — meaning, values, purpose, and long-term fulfillment
We look at how chasing hedonic happiness in business can quietly lead to burnout, nervous system exhaustion, loss of identity, and values misalignment—even when things look “successful” from the outside.
I also share insights from working with:
- High-earning entrepreneurs and founders
- Clients facing chronic illness or end-of-life reflections
- People navigating the emotional cost of building businesses disconnected from their values
This episode invites you to question:
- What success actually means to you
- Where your business may be rewarding short-term gratification over long-term fulfillment
- How values-led, nervous-system-aware decision making creates sustainable success
- Why fulfillment comes from alignment—not accumulation
I also talk about how to begin identifying your core values, why so many of our “values” are actually inherited or conditioned, and how misalignment shows up in relationships, health, parenting, and business.
If you’re building a business—or a life—and don’t want to wake up one day wondering why success doesn’t feel satisfying, this episode is an invitation to slow down, reflect, and redefine what sustainable success really looks like.
And if you'd love to explore working together in 1:1 menntorship you can click below to apply:
https://www.the-soul-institute.com/biz-identity-mentorship
Connect With Me Via IG (and feel free to drop any questions you want me to cover in the podcast!): @nikki.heyder
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