My Story
Losing everything, taught me what truly mattered.
In 2014, I graduated with a Bachelor of Health Science and started working as a clinical nutritionist. What began as a small grab-and-go concept took off almost overnight.
We were producing thousands of ready-made meals a day. Stocked in grocery stores. Partnering with restaurants. Delivering meal packages. Eventually, I opened a café and restaurant.
From the outside, it looked like success.
Awards. Public speaking. “30 Under 30.” A growing brand. A full calendar. A Lululemon Ambassador. Television. Radio.
Everything people point to as proof that you’ve "made it".
But internally, I was exhausted.
I was operating from pressure; not purpose.
From insecurity; not alignment.
From nervous system survival ; not strategy.
I was in a deeply codependent relationship at the time, and it was influencing more decisions than I realized. I was overworking, overextending, over-identifying with the business. My identity depended on keeping the momentum going.
When the business scaled quickly, I made reactive decisions. One of them was taking out what I believed was a small business loan to open the restaurant. It wasn’t. It was an overdraft with high interest that quietly drained every dollar coming in.
Even though revenue was strong, the debt kept deepening.
Eventually, everything collapsed.
We took the bank to court — and won on negligence. I didn’t have to repay the overdraft. But by then, the damage was done. Creditors still needed to be paid. The business closed.
And here’s the part that’s hard to admit: I knew in my intuition something was wrong. But I was too proud to say anything. I didn’t understand what was going on, I didn’t know how to ask for help.
I remember sitting alone on the restaurant floor after we shut the doors. The furniture was listed for sale. The room was mostly empty except for the hum of a fridge. I was hyperventilating, thinking: How did I get here?
Then someone knocked on the glass to collect a table they’d bought. I wiped my face and handed it over.
That moment changed me. Not because I failed, but because I finally stopped performing success and started questioning the internal patterns that created it.
I went back to study became a compassion focused psychotherapist. I pursued post-grad training in trauma + Compassionate Inquiry with Dr Gabor Mate. And... I began looking at my life through a different lens:
What beliefs was I operating from?
What attachment patterns were driving my decisions?
What nervous system state was I building a business from?
And I rebuilt ... slowly.
Today, I lead differently.
I build in alignment with what my nervous system can actually hold.
I make decisions based on values, not urgency.
I define success by capacity, peace, and integrity — not optics.
I’m now the sole provider for my family. I run a sustainable business as a therapist and mentor. I’ve published a book. I have time for my son, my husband, my clients, and myself.
The difference isn’t just strategy.
It’s compassion-focused leadership — with myself first.
Because scaling without self-awareness creates fragility.
Scaling with nervous system capacity creates longevity.
And that’s the kind of success I stand for now.
Nikki Heyder Bio
Nikki is a trauma-informed psychotherapist, business mentor, and author of Good Enough: A Roadmap for Compassionate Self-Acceptance.
Raised in Indonesia, educated in Australia, and now based in Bali, she blends psychology, nervous system education, and values-led strategy to help individuals, leaders + fellow practitioners navigate life and business through the lens of sustainability, compassion + stability.
Before becoming a psychotherapist, Nikki built a high-visibility wellness business as a clinical nutritionist—scaling rapidly into retail, retreats, product lines, and a restaurant—before experiencing financial collapse and near bankruptcy. That season became the catalyst for her signature approach: growth that honours capacity, integrity, compassion and real-life rhythms.
As a therapist Nikki worked extensively within the field of addiction treatment, trauma, eating disorders and with clients presenting with high anxiety, perfectionism, people pleasing + over-achieving tendencies. She trained for 2 years with trauma exert Dr Gabor Mate completing his 'Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner' training in 2022.
Today, she supports heart-led founders, creatives and wellness entrepreneurs through programs and trainings that integrate nervous system led strategy, compassion-focused work, neuroscience, and practical tools—so their work creates impact without self-abandonment.
Formal Qualifications:
Bachelor of Business (Small Business Management + Organizational Behavior)
Bachelor of Health Science (NutMed)
Advanced Diploma Nutritional Counseling
Level II Life Coach Certification
Masters Counseling Psychology
Compassionate Inquiry Practitioner - Dr Gabor Mate
Private 1:1 Sessions
Business + Identity Mentorship
Connect directly with Nikki for personalised guidance in your personal and professional growth.
"When we work together I am more than just 'a coach'. You get me as your therapist, your strategist, and your business partner. We work together intimately for 6 or 12 months stepping closer and closer towards your vision."
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Good Enough: A Roadmap for Compassionate Self-Acceptance
By Nikki Heyder
How many times have you felt as thought you aren't enough?
Not capable enough, smart enough, beautiful enough? Perhaps you're really familiar with the fear of failure or the fear of conflict?
We all have it - that voice of criticism and shame that creeps in at the worst possible moment and stops you from creating the life you want.
The good news is that there is a tried and tested way to liberate yourself and actually befriend the voice that shames you. It's worked for Nikki, and it's worked for hundreds of her therapy clients too.
Good Enough is a book for anyone ready to take the journey towards self-acceptance in order to feel truly, empowered, peaceful and free.
Heart Led Hustle
The latest episodes from Nikki's podcast about business, coaching industry, and generally interesting things.
How to honour where you are, build the right foundations, and grow sustainably (without burning out in the process).
Six most convincing, sneaky patterns that quietly block growth for coaches, therapists, and entrepreneurs.
Why do money, status, freedom, luxury, and opportunity still leave you feeling empty… like something’s missing?
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