Lately, we have been in crazy meal prep mode over here because we got our hands on an incredible new cookbook. And today, you get to meet the author – my dear friend, Nikki Schneider.
Nikki recently published a cookbook that is so in alignment with the values of our company, which is this idea that you can be an ambitious entrepreneur and a leader in your space, but when you come home at the end of the day, are you leading there? Are you taking the time to be intentional with your family, and to show up for your family in leadership, the way that you try to show up so hard and so well in your business?
This doesn’t have to be hard. It can be this simple:
Are you gathering around your table for a family dinner to nourish your bodies and build connections?
How Nikki’s Cookbook Came to Life
Nikki and her husband Adam have been successful entrepreneurs for years, owning a few different companies. Before having her son, Isaac, Nikki was working as an interior designer and architect, but after having her baby she felt that simply wasn’t fulfilling to her anymore and decided to pivot. This is when she first got into the health coaching space, and the funny thing about it is that she started that journey with a purpose to share recipes.
Nikki always believed that God wouldn’t have made food taste good if He didn’t want us to enjoy it, and she always had this idea of a cookbook in the back of her mind. Finding success in the coaching realm made her ignore that but recently, she came to a point where she couldn’t ignore it anymore and that is how the “Sacred Table” cookbook was born- aka my husband’s favorite Christmas gift of the year.
Why Family Dinner Is So Important
Nikki feels that enjoying food around the dinner table as a family is a lost art. So, the mission behind her cookbook is to bring people back to the table and help them create their own sacred table with their families.
And if you really think about it, that is the intention of a mealtime – to connect the family. That is something that we’ve always kept at the forefront of our family and Nikki wants to bring that to as many families as possible. Even if it’s one meal a week together, it is enough to break down so many barriers.
This is especially important for families that run their own businesses because it is incredibly challenging. Our work doesn’t necessarily have an end time and it can often bleed into the evening hours. And what we don’t see behind the scenes, is that this is at the degradation of our family, because there’s a slow gradual breakdown when we let go of that time centered around the table. There’s just something different about breaking bread together. There’s something different about the pace of a meal, and having intentional time together as a family to talk and communicate and celebrate the fact that you’re blessed enough to sit down and have a meal together.
So that is the mission – to bring people back to the table and sometimes we just need some new recipes to make that happen. And let me tell you, these recipes are amazing! The book is beautiful and has a photo of every recipe. That was important to Nikki as she has experienced looking at recipes and skipping them because there was no photo of how it would turn out.
And the cool thing about prioritizing family meals and putting it into practice, it will become ingrained in the souls of our children, they’re going to do the same thing and that’s where that generational change happens. It starts with whatever you decide to make imperative in your home.
Why Family Dinner is the Key to Success for Busy Entrepreneurs
One pattern that I keep seeing with entrepreneurs who have children is that they realize that they were chasing this dream for their family, just to wake up and realize they did it at the expense of their family. So, if anyone’s in that stage “I’m building the dream”, take a minute to look ahead 5-10 years – what would your kids say in reflection of this period in your life?
If you’re feeling that disconnection within your own family, try having meals together at the table and see how it shifts the energy in your heart, in your home, in your children and honestly, in your business. I know for me, when I feel like I’m not honoring my commitment at home to my family, I feel a certain level of pressure in my business. And it’s not fun for me. But when my priorities are in check, when we are doing the things that bring us together and connect us and help them understand why my time is going towards the work that I do, that alleviates that pressure. It brings joy back into my work.
And if you’re thinking “But we don’t have time for that. It’s not my fault, my kids are teenagers, and they’re in 15 different activities, etc” it just comes down to priorities and what you value most. Again, as entrepreneurs, we need those intentional moments to slow down and connect as a family because whether or not the kids are involved in the business, the family should be in on the mission of the business. So coming together to talk about that, to talk about life, to talk about what’s going on, it’s a way to keep a heartbeat in the home.
What’s Next for Nikki
Currently, Nikki has started “Sacred Table ” Volume Two (which, in my opinion, cannot get here soon enough!) but in terms of “what is going to develop from this whole mission?”, she still isn’t quite sure. She really is just allowing herself to be used as a vessel for the Lord’s mission of bringing families back together and she feels like He’s not going to reveal those little pieces to her all at once. There will definitely be more books coming. Will they all be cookbooks? Who knows!
Nikki’s story is definitely a testimony for anyone out there who has something on their heart that just keeps nagging at them but it doesn’t fit into “their space” to have the courage to go down that path and blaze their own trail, regardless of their current career, credentials, or business model. Sometimes, the thing that you are so on fire for is what’s going to create a ripple effect that will lead you into the next big thing, whether it be in your career or in your life.
RESOURCES
- To purchase the Sacred Table cookbook, visit Nikki Schneider’s website
- Your Blue Flame by Jennifer Fulwiler
- Nikki’s photographer Lori Dunbar
- Connect with me on Instagram!
