In our increasingly complex world marked by what I’ve come to call “societal inflammation,” what does it truly mean to thrive as leaders and human beings?
Recently, I sat down with Nicki Sizemore, creator of Mind, Body, Spirit, FOOD, whose journey through the food industry offers profound insights for leadership in these turbulent times.
The Power of Inner Connection
What struck me most from our conversation was Nicki’s emphasis on leadership beginning with a deep connection to self. After experiencing burnout at the peak of her successful blogging career—when she found herself “writing for Google rather than expressing who she was”—Nicki took an unprecedented summer off to reconnect with her purpose.
“Inner connection is how I find thriving,” she shared. “The beauty of that is when we’re deeply connected to ourselves, we can authentically connect not just to other people, but to the world at large.”
This inner work isn’t just a nice-to-have—it’s essential for thriving, sustainable leadership. When we’re rooted in self-awareness, our ability to lead others flows naturally rather than becoming another depleting task.
From Extraction to Reciprocity
Perhaps the most powerful leadership paradigm Nicki described was the shift from extraction to reciprocity. In the food world, she’s witnessed the devastating impacts of taking from the earth, workers, and communities without giving back. The emerging alternative is a system of mutual exchange and regeneration.
“Where I see thriving now is in practices, systems, and businesses where reciprocity is the structure,” Nicki explained. “We’re not just producing for us, but in a way that’s beneficial to the land, to the people working the land, and to all the workers bringing us food.”
This principle extends far beyond food—it’s a fundamental leadership orientation. How might our organizations thrive if we designed them around cycles of giving and receiving rather than continuous extraction?
The How Matters as Much as the What
One of my favorite moments in our conversation was when Nicki said: “We have the power to change our lives by how we do the things we do, not necessarily by what we do.”
This wisdom aligns perfectly with one of our core principles at Wisdom Works: How we work together matters as much as the results we achieve together. The process through which we accomplish goals shapes not only our impact, but also our experience.
To bring the “how” to life, Nicki uses her “BESTT” practice when she cooks:
- Breathe to center yourself
- Engage your senses
- Set an intention for how you want to feel
- Thank your body
- Thank the food/resources
While created for the kitchen, this practice is a powerful tool for any leadership activity. What if we approached our meetings, decisions, and interactions with this same intentionality?
Finding Freedom and Sovereignty
“I talk a lot in my work about sovereignty,” Nicki shared. “I want people to find personal sovereignty, freedom from the ways we are so conditioned, so that we have the agency to create and live the lives we want to live.”
This inner freedom allows leaders to help people they work with discover their own sovereignty, creating space for their unique magic and talents to emerge. This is a radical departure from prescriptive leadership models that attempt to mold people into predetermined roles.
Embracing Change as the Only Constant
In closing our conversation, Nicki offered perhaps her most profound insight: “Change is the only constant in our lives… I don’t want leaders that are dogmatic and stuck. I want leaders that are willing to grow and change and evolve. And I think that’s really how we are going to create a thriving world.”
True leadership isn’t about having all the answers or never wavering from a path. It’s about flowing with what emerges, trusting the process of growth, and remaining open to evolution—both personal and collective.
Moving Forward
As we navigate our world together to foster organizations and societies where thriving is a priority, I invite you to consider:
- Where might you need to pause and reconnect with your deeper purpose?
- How can you build reciprocity into your leadership practices?
- What would change if you and your team or organization focused as much on how you do things as what you accomplish?
- Where can you embrace change rather than resist it?
Comment below to share your thoughts on these questions and how you’re cultivating thriving leadership in your unique situation.
ABOUT NICKI SIZEMORE
Nicki Sizemore is the leading voice bridging together mindfulness and cooking. As a trained chef, she’s spent over two decades in the food industry working as a recipe developer, educator and cookbook author. She publishes the MIND, BODY, SPIRIT, FOOD newsletter and podcast, where she shares mindfulness practices, rituals, weekly recipes, and more to bring presence, connection, ease and joy into the process of cooking and eating. She also publishes the From Scratch Fast blog and is the author of three cookbooks. Her fourth book, MIND, BODY, SPIRIT, FOOD: Adaptable Recipes and Grounding Meditations for Preparing Meals with Joy and Intention, will be released in January 2026! Find her at nickisizemore.com and @nickisizemore.
