In this episode of The Nickolas Natali Show, Nickolas Natali breaks down the “seven levers” that let you tilt the odds of success in your favor. He opens with a sharp hiring story that contrasts talkers with doers, then walks through a practical score-yourself framework founders can use to raise their performance on command. Core themes include cultivating true competitiveness, raising your finish rate on worthwhile commitments, curating an inner circle that elevates your standards, solving problems by building systems, earning credibility others will vouch for, compressing the learn-apply loop, and developing a durable obsession that outlasts boredom. Along the way he flags common traps — envy, perfectionism, over-dependence, overthinking, people-pleasing, course-hopping, burnout — and offers simple guardrails to avoid them. Memorable moments include the “weighted dice” success metaphor, the Scalabrine comparison for calibrating standards, and a Kobe Bryant nod to the cost of greatness. The episode closes with a reminder to track what matters and keep stacking small advantages until the odds feel unfair in your direction.

Takeaways

• Success is not random; you can stack the odds with specific, controllable levers.

• Compete against the best available standard, not the average.

• Raise your finish rate on worthwhile goals; ignore sunk costs on low-value tasks.

• Proximity matters — choose circles that reset your “thermostat” higher.

• Don’t just fix problems once; build systems so solutions are sustainable.

• Earn a reputation others will vouch for through proof, not promises.

• Learn and apply at equal speed: decide, act, get feedback, refine.

• Obsession turns a hobby into a business; channel it so it stays healthy.

• Beware pitfalls tied to each lever: envy, perfectionism, over-dependence, overthinking, people-pleasing, course-hopping, burnout.

• Track inputs and outcomes; what gets tracked gets improved.

• Use rival benchmarks and vivid examples to close the gap faster.

• Keep fundamentals handled so you can endure the boring parts and keep going.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Intro and “weighted dice” success idea.

00:44 The doer vs talker hiring story.

02:15 Lever 1: Real competitiveness and rival benchmarks.

03:03 Lever 2: Finish rate on worthwhile commitments.

03:55 Lever 3: Inner circle that raises your standards.

05:26 Lever 4: Problem solving into systems.

06:10 Lever 5: Credibility others will vouch for.

06:55 Lever 6: Learn–apply at equal speed.

07:52 Lever 7: Durable, healthy obsession.

08:40 The cost of greatness and the Kobe example.

09:20 Pitfalls to avoid for each lever.

10:09 Final push: track, stack, and tilt the odds.

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In this episode of The Nickolas Natali Show, Nickolas Natali lays out a simple, four-part system to sharpen focus and build real mental toughness—especially for founders juggling clients, new offers, training, and family. He opens with a familiar scene of constant “urgent” pings stealing your evenings, then draws a firm line between a keep list and a kill list: meetings without decisions, fake-urgent tasks, doom scrolling, and using caffeine to mask fatigue. From there, Nickolas defines mental toughness as how quickly you return to the main objective after a hit, using a Mario Kart–style metaphor to illustrate “bounce back.” The framework centers on: extending your tolerance “fuse,” setting a pre-committed floor when things go wrong, installing a restart ritual to rebound, and doing one-line postmortems to adapt. He connects this to attention as an asset, the heavy cost of context switching, identity following behavior, and why recovery is an input, not an escape. He closes with a weekly cadence and a short list of cuts that protect deep work and output.

Takeaways

• Most people are not unfocused, they are overstimulated and under-decided.

• Build a kill list for meetings without decisions, fake-urgent tasks, doom scrolling, and excess caffeine.

• Treat rest as productive if it increases output on your one thing.

• Mental toughness = how far you “bounce” off course and how fast you return.

• Four-part system: extend your tolerance fuse, set a pre-committed floor, use a restart ritual, and add a one-line postmortem.

• Use “Because X happened, I will do Y differently next time” to turn setbacks into upgrades.

• Your attention is the asset; context switching creates costly decision debt.

• Decide faster; inaction for months is often more expensive than a well-informed decision today.

• Identity follows behavior; small controlled wins stack belief and reduce overreactions.

• Reframe results as data for improvement, not verdicts on identity.

• Recovery fuels output; sleep, nutrition, stillness, and social detox restore clarity.

• Weekly cadence: pick one thing on Sunday, daily 5-minute review, midday restart, nightly one-line postmortem.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 Intro and promise of a four-part focus system.

00:51 Founder overwhelm story and the cost of zero margin.

02:30 Keep vs kill list; meetings without decisions, fake-urgent tasks, doom scrolling, excess caffeine.

03:40 Rest as productive; training-day analogy for performance.

04:30 Mental toughness defined; Mario Kart bounce-back metaphor.

04:58 Core Four Part 1: Extend your tolerance fuse.

05:33 Core Four Part 2: Set a pre-committed floor after setbacks.

06:20 Core Four Part 3: Install a restart ritual to rebound.

06:50 Core Four Part 4: Adapt with one-line postmortems; Goggins reference.

08:00 Attention as the asset; context switching and decision debt in software and business.

09:20 Decide faster; identity follows behavior and small wins stack belief.

10:23 Reframing results as information; marathon example.

11:10 Recovery fuels output; stillness and social media detox.

12:43 Weekly focus cadence and daily checkpoints.

13:40 Cut list for the week; avoid busy work.

14:20 Final mantra and close.

Want to work with Nick?:

https://allthingsmediallc.com/

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In this episode of The Nickolas Natali Show, Nickolas Natali breaks down the complete, step-by-step process for running Instagram ads that actually convert. Whether you’re brand new to paid social or looking to tighten your system, Nickolas walks you through how to turn strangers into followers, leads, and customers—without wasting ad spend. He covers how to select the right campaign objective, define your target audience, create thumb-stopping visuals, and write short, high-converting ad copy. You’ll also learn how to start small, test efficiently, and scale the right creative for consistent growth.

Packed with practical insights, simple formulas, and relatable humor, this episode helps demystify Instagram Ads Manager and equips you with the mindset and tactics to grow your brand faster. Nickolas also shares a free guide in the show notes detailing the exact KPIs to track during your first 7, 14, and 30 days of running ads, helping you set realistic expectations and make smarter optimization decisions from day one.

Takeaways

• Choose your campaign objective based on your end goal: followers, leads, or sales.

• Target effectively by using interests, behaviors, or custom/lookalike audiences.

• Use native-looking creative that blends in with organic posts for better performance.

• Craft ad visuals with a strong hook, a single clear idea, and a call-to-action.

• Keep copy short and direct—Instagram users scroll fast.

• Use the proven formula: Problem → Agitate → Solve → CTA.

• Launch with a small daily budget ($5–$20) and gather data before scaling.

• Test 3–5 variations of your ad creative to identify top performers.

• Focus on cost-per-result metrics, not vanity metrics like likes or comments.

• Cut underperformers after 5–7 days and scale winners gradually.

• View ads as paid learning—iterate, test, and improve consistently.

• Use KPIs from days 7, 14, and 30 to benchmark progress and expectations.

  
  

Chapters

00:00 The power of Instagram ads

00:31 Choosing the right campaign objective

01:10 Understanding and targeting your ideal audience

01:58 Creating magnetic, scroll-stopping visuals

02:45 Writing clear, short, and persuasive ad copy

03:25 Example breakdown of effective ad copy

04:00 How to launch small and optimize smart

04:55 Key metrics to focus on and avoid vanity metrics

05:14 Testing, learning, and scaling winning ads

05:40 Final thoughts and free KPI tracking guide in the show notes

Want to work with Nick?:

https://allthingsmediallc.com/

Free Resources Made by Nick:

https://nickolasnatali.gumroad.com/

Nick’s Podcast Equipment, Training Equipment and More (Affiliate):

https://www.amazon.com/shop/nickolasnatali

Support The Nickolas Natali Show on Patreon⁠:

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DM Nick on Instagram:

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