Success, Rewritten

28: Recovery Is Worth It: Jordan Kernen on Eating Disorders, Mental Health, and Asking for Help

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 01 Sep 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Jordan Kernen is a teacher and mental health advocate who knows firsthand how difficult it can be to recognize when you need help, and how powerful life can become when you finally accept it.

In this episode of Success, Rewritten, Jordan shares her experience with anxiety, depression, OCD, and anorexia, tracing her mental health journey back to college when two traumatic events left her searching for something she could control. Food and exercise became that outlet, eventually developing into an eating disorder that she initially struggled to recognize as a problem.

Jordan opens up about reaching a life threatening point in her eating disorder, entering inpatient and residential treatment at Rogers Behavioral Health, and discovering through treatment that she wasn't alone. She and Emily discuss exposure therapy, challenging disordered thoughts, finding the gray area between black and white thinking, and why recovery doesn't necessarily mean never struggling again.

The conversation also explores Jordan's work as a teacher and how her own recovery shapes the way she talks to children about food, bodies, emotions, and mental health. Jordan explains why adults need to be mindful of the messages children absorb around dieting, calories, body image, and emotional expression, and why creating spaces where kids can safely be themselves matters.

Above all, Jordan shares the message she wishes she had heard sooner: asking for help can be terrifying, but once you realize you have people in your corner, recovery becomes possible.

In this episode:

Why Jordan Wishes She Had Asked for Help Sooner
Meet Jordan Kernen
When Anxiety and Mental Health Struggles First Appeared
Recognizing That Something Wasn't Right
How Trauma Led to Controlling Food and Exercise
When "Healthy" Behaviors Become Warning Signs
Disordered Eating vs. Eating Disorders
Red Flags That Someone You Love May Be Struggling
Finding Mental Health Support in College
Being Diagnosed With Anorexia, Anxiety, Depression, and OCD
The Two Year Struggle Before Entering Treatment
The Medical Crisis That Changed Everything
Entering Inpatient and Residential Treatment
Realizing She Wasn't Alone at Rogers
Challenging Anxious Thoughts and Choosing the Opposite Action
What Eating Disorder Recovery Actually Looks Like
Creating Food and Body Positivity in the Classroom
Why Comments About Bodies Can Be Triggering
Why Eight and Nine Year Olds Are Already Talking About Calories
How Adults' Relationships With Food Influence Children
Why Asking for Help Makes Recovery Possible
Teaching Kids That It's Okay to Feel Their Emotions
Resources for Eating Disorder Support
You Are Not Alone and Recovery Is Worth It

Resources

New episodes of Success, Rewritten every Tuesday. Check out the show website for previous episode articles and more about our guests. And check out the show on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@SuccessRewrittenShow

To connect with Emily, email emily@successrewrittenshow.com or follow her on social:

Emily's Instagram, Mental Health Advocacy profile Bipolar Brought Balance, and the show's Instagram: Success, Rewritten

27: Finding Your People: Christine Burns on Childfree Life and Community

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 25 Aug 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Christine Burns spent more than two decades building a corporate career before a layoff forced her to confront a difficult question: who was she without the job title, salary, and professional identity that had defined so much of her life?

In this episode of Success, Rewritten, Christine shares how panic attacks, career pivots, money scarcity, and eventually losing her corporate role pushed her to rethink what success was supposed to look like. She opens up about moving from accounting and consulting into HR, becoming an entrepreneur, and learning why clarity about what you offer matters when building a business.

Christine also shares the story behind Lady No Kids, the community she is building for women without children, whether by choice, chance, or circumstance. She and Emily discuss friendship, identity, finding community as other people's lives shift toward parenthood, and why women without children deserve spaces centered on connection, opportunity, learning, and celebration rather than judgment or division.

The conversation closes with an honest look at burnout, therapy, hyper-independence, and learning to ask for help instead of carrying everything alone.

In this episode:

Meet Christine Burns
Building Lady No Kids
Following the Traditional Corporate Success Path
When Anxiety Became a Wake-Up Call
From Accounting to HR and Leadership
The Layoff That Changed Her Identity
Starting Over as an Entrepreneur
Unrealistic Timelines and Money Scarcity
Why Entrepreneurs Need a Clear Position
Validating the Idea for Lady No Kids
Moving to Toronto, Sailing, and Finding Community
Creating a Community Without Being Anti-Mom or Anti-Kid
How Motherhood Changed Her Friendships
Burnout, Mental Health, and Asking for Help
What's Next for Lady No Kids

Connect with Christine

To connect with Emily, email emily@successrewrittenshow.com or follow her on social:

Emily's Instagram, Mental Health Advocacy profile Bipolar Brought Balance, and the show's Instagram: Success, Rewritten

26: Betting on Yourself: How Ali Schwartz Left Corporate for Music

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 18 Aug 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Ali Schwartz spent years building a successful corporate career while treating singing, songwriting, and dance as a side passion. Eventually, she realized the creative work she was doing outside her day job was what truly energized her.

In this episode of Success, Rewritten, Ali shares how she went from working at Yelp and Fortune Media to pursuing music full time. She discusses treating creativity like a business, using skills from her corporate career to build her music career, and why streaming numbers and social media views are not the best measures of success.

Ali also talks about earning income through songwriting and vocal work, developing a more authentic creative identity, and building Pop Hang, a community connecting artists, producers, and songwriters in New York.

The conversation is a practical look at entrepreneurship, creativity, community building, and why meaningful progress often happens much more slowly than social media makes it appear.

In this episode:

Meet Ali Schwartz
Life as a Singer, Songwriter, and Entrepreneur
Turning a Creative Hobby Into a Career
How Corporate Skills Helped Her Music Career
Redefining Success Beyond Views and Streams
Why Relationships Create Opportunities
Lessons From Building Community at Yelp
Kindness, Boundaries, and Handling Difficult People
Learning to Adapt When Events Go Wrong
How the Pandemic Changed Her Corporate Career
Leaving Corporate and Choosing Music
Making Money Through Songwriting and Vocals
Finding an Authentic Creative Identity
Building Community Through Pop Hang
Why Progress Is Like an Ice Cube Melting

Connect with Ali

To connect with Emily, email emily@successrewrittenshow.com or follow her on social:

Emily's Instagram, Mental Health Advocacy profile Bipolar Brought Balance, and the show's Instagram: Success, Rewritten

25: Solo Ep. 4: Why Better Sleep Makes You More Effective

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:11:00 -0500

In this solo episode of Success, Rewritten, Emily shares why sleep has become one of the most important foundations of her mental health, productivity, and long-term success. She reflects on how she once viewed needing less sleep as a strength, and how that mindset changed after experiencing a manic episode and hospitalization in 2018.

Emily explains how consistent sleep habits, earlier wind-down times, a better sleep environment, and tracking her sleep have helped her feel sharper, calmer, and more focused. She also challenges the idea that sacrificing sleep is necessary to be productive or successful.

The episode is a reminder that better sleep is not about slowing down. It is about creating the energy, stability, and focus needed to keep going without constantly running on empty.

In this episode:

Why Emily Used to See Less Sleep as a Strength
Why Sleep Became Essential to Her Mental Health
Emily's Experience With Severe Sleep Loss and Mania
Challenging Hustle Culture and the "Sleep When You're Dead" Mindset
Why Consistent Sleep Habits Matter
Practical Habits That Help Emily Sleep Better
Creating a Consistent Sleep and Wake Window
Why Winding Down Before Bed Matters
Creating a Better Sleep Environment
Using an Oura Ring to Track Sleep Patterns
How More Sleep Improved Emily's Productivity
Protecting Sleep as an Entrepreneur
Why Sleep Loss Affects Mood and Mental Performance
Redefining Success Without Sacrificing Sleep
Going Back to Basics When Your Sleep Gets Off Track

Find me:

Success, Rewritten | Website | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

To go deeper on my experience with bipolar disorder, visit bipolarbroughtbalance.com

24: Adapting Without Losing Yourself: Quint Boa on AI, Sobriety, and Success

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 11 Aug 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Quint Boa has spent more than 25 years building a global video and animation production company through constant changes in technology, from VHS tapes and DVDs to social media, animation, and generative AI.

In this episode of Success, Rewritten, Quint shares how anxiety often pushed him to stay ahead of industry changes, how his background in psychotherapy shapes the way he approaches storytelling, and why animation is such a powerful tool for explaining complex ideas in healthcare, finance, and technology.

He also discusses the difficult decisions that come with adopting AI, including helping creative teams adapt without treating people as replaceable. Later in the conversation, Quint opens up about his experience with alcoholism, 12 years of sobriety, and how recovery gave him more freedom, empathy, and clarity about what truly matters.

This episode is an honest conversation about innovation, mental health, leadership, addiction, and learning how to keep evolving without losing yourself along the way.

In this episode:

Meet Quint Boa
Building a Video Production Company From the Ground Up
The Anxiety Behind Constant Innovation
How Psychotherapy Connects With Visual Storytelling
Using AI and Animation to Explain Healthcare
The Difficult Reality of Adopting AI
Leading Employees as People, Not Numbers
Quint’s Journey With Alcoholism
What You Learn When You Stop Drinking
Mental Health, Therapy, and Reducing Stigma

To connect with Emily, email emily@successrewrittenshow.com or follow her on social:

Emily's Instagram, Mental Health Advocacy profile Bipolar Brought Balance, and the show's Instagram: Success, Rewritten

23: Building More Than a Flower Shop: Mikel McGee on 414loral, Pricing Your Work, and Redefining Success

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 04 Aug 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Mikel McGee did not set out to become a florist.

Before 414loral became a beloved Milwaukee flower shop, before the bouquet bar, weddings, workshops, farmers markets, and the bigger space on Historic King Drive, Mikel was working in nonprofits with survivors of domestic violence and human trafficking. She had a master’s degree in criminal justice. She had student loans. She had a full-time job with healthcare, PTO, and a path that made sense on paper.

Flowers were the thing she did for fun.

She would buy bunches from Trader Joe’s or Pick ’n Save, arrange them at her kitchen counter, and give them to friends. It was creative, low stakes, and joyful. Then that joy slowly became pop-ups, deliveries, subscriptions, weddings, and eventually a brick-and-mortar shop.

In this episode, Emily sits down with Mikel, founder and owner of 414loral in Milwaukee, to talk about the path from criminal justice to flowers, the early delusion of entrepreneurship, what it means to price your work properly, and how success can become something much more meaningful than money.

In this episode:

What 414loral Is Today
Building a Flower Shop That Feels Like Community
The Early Days of Hustling and Figuring It Out
Learning to Price Her Work Properly
From Speech Pathology to Criminal Justice to Flowers
Flowers as a Creative Outlet After Heavy Nonprofit Work
Choosing a Life Centered Around Joy and Creativity
Redefining Success Beyond Money
Staying Present in a Growing Business
Bringing Her Identity Into the Business
Honoring King Drive and Bronzeville
The Support System Behind 414loral
How Her Husband Ray Supports the Business
The Valentine’s Day Flower Disaster
What Comes Next for 414loral
Using Social Media to Stay Human and Connected

To connect with Emily, email emily@successrewrittenshow.com or follow her on social:

Emily's Instagram, Mental Health Advocacy profile Bipolar Brought Balance, and the show's Instagram: Success, Rewritten

22: Solo Ep. 3: They Built Empires With Bipolar Disorder and ADHD

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Thu, 30 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500

What do the founder of JetBlue, the co-founder of Kayak, the founder of Bonobos, and Olympic gymnast Simone Biles have in common?

They have each spoken publicly about living with ADHD or bipolar disorder while achieving extraordinary success.

In this solo episode of Success Rewritten, Emily explores what their experiences reveal about mental health, entrepreneurship, achievement, and the assumptions we make about successful people.

These stories are not meant to frame ADHD or bipolar disorder as automatic superpowers. Both diagnoses can bring serious challenges. Instead, the episode looks at how people can better understand how their brains work, create systems that support them, and find success without hiding or feeling ashamed of their diagnoses.

In this episode:

Billion-Dollar Founders with ADHD and Bipolar Disorder
Emily’s Diagnosis and Return to Work
What We Assume About Successful People
Andy Dunn and His Hidden Bipolar Diagnosis
Burn Rate and Building Bonobos
How Hiding a Diagnosis Can Affect Healing
Paul English, Bipolar Disorder, and Kayak
The Benefits and Risks of Intensity
David Neeleman, ADHD, and JetBlue
When ADHD Challenges Became Visible at Work
Building a Company Around How Your Brain Works
Why a Diagnosis Is Not Always a Superpower
Simone Biles, ADHD, and Mental Health
Success Without Romanticizing a Diagnosis
When Mania Resembles Startup Culture
Disclosure, Support, and Finding Balance
Resources and Closing Thoughts

Find me:

Success, Rewritten | Website | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

To go deeper on my experience with bipolar disorder, visit bipolarbroughtbalance.com

21: The CIA Research Behind Headphones That Calm Your Brain | J Johnson Jr, High Frequency Highway

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 28 Jul 2026 06:30:00 -0500

J Johnson Jr borrowed $100 from his mom at 14 to put his first app on the App Store. It hit #7 on paid entertainment apps. That instinct to spot the trend early and just build the thing has followed him ever since.

In this episode, Emily talks with J Johnson Jr, founder of High Frequency Highway, about a journey that runs from #1 in the nation for track at age 17, to walking away from D1 athletics for Silicon Valley, to building a frequency wearable company now shipping over 1,000 units a month. It started with an ADHD diagnosis and a medication that helped his focus but wrecked his appetite as a sprinter, which pushed him to look for another way and led him to the power of sound.

J gets into the skeptical experiment that made him a believer, the declassified CIA document behind his obsession with frequency, and how he went from prototype to shipping in seven months through a run of rooms most founders never get into. He also shares how he protects his energy, why he refuses to "go below neutral," and how his definition of success moved from "normal jock trying to make a lot of money" to peace on Earth and raising the frequency of the planet. As J puts it, "You live life differently when you're at a high frequency."

High Frequency Highway (get the headphones!)

Follow High Frequency Highway on Instagram and TikTok

And Follow J for more of his personal journey on Instagram and TikTok

To connect with Emily, email emily@successrewrittenshow.com or follow her on social:

Emily's Instagram, Mental Health Advocacy profile Bipolar Brought Balance, and the show's Instagram: Success, Rewritten

20: Jay Laurie & Charlotte Maya: Surviving a Suicide Loss, and Learning to Live Again

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 21 Jul 2026 07:00:00 -0500

Content note: this episode is an honest conversation about suicide loss. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, free and available 24/7.

Jay Laughrey and Charlotte Maya met at a yoga studio. He complimented her ring, she told him the story behind it, and within minutes they had found the one thing nobody wants to have in common: they had each lost someone to suicide. Charlotte lost her husband Sam. Jay lost his brother Jeff. This week, Emily brings them together for a group conversation about the loss that so many people carry and so few people talk about.

It is an imperfect conversation on purpose. Charlotte, a former attorney and the author of Sushi Tuesdays, and Jay, a business owner who became an advocate after his brother's death, talk through the language that heals and the language that hurts, why "died by suicide" matters, and why 988 belongs in everyone's phone. They get into what actually helps a grieving family, from the lasagna on the porch to the idea that everybody has a light and the job is to bring it, and the things people say with good intentions that land all wrong.

They also sit with the harder stuff: comforting everyone else while you are the one who lost the most, the questions you will never get answered, and how you learn to hold grief and joy at the same time. As Charlotte puts it, suicide is a disease that takes our loved ones, it just looks uglier from the outside. And as both of them keep proving, the way you honor the people you lost is by living, out loud, with their names still in the room.

For their individual stories, listen to Charlotte's and Jay's one-on-one episodes.

Charlotte's solo episode

Jay's solo episode

IN THIS EPISODE

How Jay and Charlotte met, and why that connection was instant
Why the words we use around suicide matter
What actually supports a grieving family, and what to stop saying
Suicide literacy: how to ask someone directly, and why it does not plant the idea
Why 988 belongs in your phone right now
Honoring the people we lost by living with joy

RESOURCES

New episodes of Success, Rewritten every Tuesday. Subscribe, rate, and follow wherever you listen.

19: Solo Ep. 2: Suicide Literacy: What to Say, What to Ask, and Why Language Matters

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Thu, 16 Jul 2026 06:00:00 -0500

Most of us have been touched by suicide in some way, either directly or through someone we know. But when someone we love is struggling, most of us don’t actually know what to do.

Not because we don’t care.

Because nobody taught us.

That gap has a name: suicide literacy.

Emily talks about what suicide literacy means, why it matters, and how having the right language can help us respond with more care, clarity, and confidence when someone may be in crisis.

This episode follows Emily’s conversations with Jay Laughrey and Charlotte Maya, both of whom lost someone they love to suicide. Those interviews made Emily aware of the gaps in her own understanding, and this solo episode is her way of helping listeners prepare before they ever find themselves in that moment.

Suicide literacy is not clinical training. It is not about having all the answers. It is about knowing enough to recognize warning signs, ask direct questions, use careful language, and know where to turn for support.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

In this episode:

Suicide Literacy and Why It Matters
Why Language Is the First Step
Why “Died by Suicide” Matters
Suicide Is Not a Lack of Love
Warning Signs Can Look Different for Everyone
The Guilt Trap Around Warning Signs
The Direct Question That Can Save a Life
Self-Harm and Suicide Are Not the Same Question
What to Ask Next If Someone Says Yes
Know 988 Before You Need It
For Survivors, There May Never Be a Clear Answer
Grief as a Heavy Sandbag
Jay and Charlotte’s Upcoming Conversation
Keep Talking, Even When It’s Hard

Find me:

Success, Rewritten | Website | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

To go deeper on my experience with bipolar disorder, visit bipolarbroughtbalance.com

18: Charlotte Maya: Surviving Suicide Loss and Learning to Love Again

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 14 Jul 2026 19:29:23 -0500

Charlotte Maya was terrified she'd be ostracized by her community after her husband Sam died by suicide in 2007. Instead, being open about it drew people closer.

In this conversation, Charlotte talks about writing her memoir, Sushi Tuesdays, raising two young sons through grief, and the messy, nonlinear reality of loss. She shares why asking someone directly if they're struggling can open a door instead of planting an idea that wasn't already there, and how she eventually found love again with her husband, Tim, building a blended family out of two families shaped by loss.

Charlotte Maya is an author, attorney, and suicide loss survivor. Learn more about her and her book, Sushi Tuesdays, at charlotte-maya.com.

If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline.

17: Jay Laughrey on Losing His Brother to Suicide, Grief, and Rebuilding After Loss

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 07 Jul 2026 07:00:00 -0500

Jay Laughrey has built Proteus Pools into a thriving pool business, but the road there was rocky and started with losing his brother and mentor, Jeff, to suicide in 2009.

In this episode, Jay shares what it was like to watch Jeff's rapid decline into depression at a time when almost nobody talked about mental health, the day he got the call that changed everything, and the words from a police officer that he credits with saving his own life. He talks about rebuilding his brother's business, learning to reframe grief instead of anger, and why sharing his story, including with total strangers, has become part of his own healing.

This is a conversation about loss, men's mental health, and what it really takes to rebuild.

If you're struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.

New episodes of Success, Rewritten every Tuesday.

16: Solo Ep. 1: The Habits That Protect My Mental Health as an Entrepreneur

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 30 Jun 2026 07:28:00 -0500

The mental health advice entrepreneurs don't want to hear is that working less can actually make you more effective in your life and business. I can prove it, because it happened to me.

In 2018, I had a manic episode that turned into psychosis. I was hospitalized, diagnosed with bipolar disorder, and spent three months on medical leave from a full-time job I loved. When I came back, I rebuilt my work life around three things: sleep, structure, and workload limits. I thought it would break my career. It made me sharper.

Then in fall 2025, I got laid off and became an entrepreneur. Every habit I'd fought to protect came under pressure again. This episode is about what those habits actually look like, why they work, and what it costs when life breaks the routine.

If you've ever worn "busy" as a badge of honor, this one is going to challenge that directly.

In this episode:

Why sleeping more and working less made me better at my job
My eight-hour sleep minimum and the rules that protect it
How a weekly to-do list beats a daily one for sustainable output
What it cost me when I stopped saying yes to everything
The mindset shift my therapist forced me into around work hours
Why habits never stay linear, and how I do a hard reset back to zero

Find me:

Success, Rewritten | Website | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

To go deeper on my experience with bipolar disorder, visit bipolarbroughtbalance.com

15: Gabe Howard: Why Mental Illness Isn't Something You Get Over

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 23 Jun 2026 01:28:00 -0500

Subscribe to the newsletter at Success, Rewritten for more conversations like this one.

The language around mental illness is completely wrong.

Gabe Howard, a sought-after mental health speaker, author of Mental Illness is an Asshole and Other Observations, and host of the Inside Bipolar podcast, joined me to crack that wide open. We both live with bipolar disorder, but our experiences land in very different places. That contrast is what made this conversation feel refreshingly candid.

Gabe walks through what suicidal thoughts sound like day-to-day, including the "good days" where the thought is still present. He explains why asking someone directly about suicide does not plant the idea, and why softening the language often fails the person you're trying to help.

We also get into the parts of mental health advocacy I rarely hear questioned: the person-first language debate, who actually carries the blame when the system breaks, and what daily management of a serious mental illness really looks like.

If you love someone living with mental illness, or you're living with one yourself, this conversation will give you something to hold onto.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[2:19] Gabe thought constant suicidal ideation was just part of being human

[5:56] What suicidality actually feels like on good days, not just bad ones

[10:11] Asking "are you thinking about hurting yourself" and "are you thinking about killing yourself" are not the same question

[14:31] The importance of taking any suicide threat seriously, even if it’s a frustrated teenager

[19:32] Mania, garbage, hypersexuality, psychosis, and the full spectrum most people never talk about

[23:56] Why "walking through sludge" is an incomplete description of depression

[29:35] The person-first language debate and why telling sick people how to speak backfires

[40:42] The mental health system isn't broken, it's working exactly as designed

[44:25] Bipolar disorder as a reluctant roommate you negotiate with, not a battle you win

[48:21] Why "are you okay" needs to be replaced with words that actually mean something

Resources Mentioned:

NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) | Website

NAMI Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Programs | Website

Tune in to Gabe’s shows, Inside Bipolar Podcast and Inside Mental Health Podcast, here.

Find more from Gabe:

Mental Illness is an Asshole and Other Observations by Gabe Howard | Book

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website | Instagram

14: Mignon François, The Teenage Mother Who Risked Her Last $5 to Build a $10M Empire

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Can you turn $5 into $10 million?

Mignon bet the last $5 she had for dinner to build a bakery business that has sold over five million cupcakes and crossed $10 million in revenue.

She didn't know how to bake initially. She had six kids, a stack of bills, and a customer who promised to pay her the next day. She gambled the $5 on cupcakes instead of groceries, turned it into $60 by morning, and $600 by the end of the week.

What followed was two years of baking out of her house in Historic Germantown before there was ever a storefront. The Cupcake Collection now ships nationwide and operates across two states, but Mignon still runs it with the same principle she started with: all you have is all you need.

I sat down with Mignon to walk through the early years as a young mother trying to make ends meet, the spiritual practice that shaped how she built the company, the moments she had to fire good employees so they'd stop playing it safe, and what she tells entrepreneurs who think they need money, credentials, or permission before they begin.

She also shared with me why she's started bringing her four-month-old grandson into work meetings, and what she wants other mothers to take from that.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[01:10] The $5 gamble that started Mignon’s multi-million dollar bakery

[05:53] What being a teenage mom taught her kids, and what her kids taught her

[10:16] The moment she realized favor had been sitting in her house the whole time

[19:34] Why Mignon fires people who play it safe

[23:28] Why her children's boldness is the real proof the cycle broke

[29:04] Mignon’s philosophy: All you have is all you need

[38:44] Speaking what you seek until you see what you said

[40:07] How small businesses win by collaborating with bigger ones

Resources Mentioned:

Made From Scratch by Mignon François | Book or Audiobook

Start speaking life with intention, get your copy of Mignon’s new book: Speak Like Every Word Counts.

Find more from Mignon:

Mignon François | Instagram | LinkedIn

The Cupcake Collection | Website | Instagram

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website | Instagram

13: Amy Morin: The Therapist Who Wrote the List That Helped 50 Million People

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

For deeper reflections on work, resilience, and redefining the way we live, subscribe to the Success, Rewritten newsletter.

Mental health and mental strength are not the same thing.

Amy is a psychotherapist, host of the Mentally Stronger podcast, and the author of 13 Things Mentally Strong People Don’t Do. Her TEDx Talk has been viewed over 24 million times. But the part of her story most people skip is where that list actually came from.

She wrote it after losing both her mother and her husband by age 26. The viral article started as a letter to herself on one of her worst days. “I didn’t write this from the top of the mountain,” she told me. “I wrote it from the bottom of the valley”.

What struck me most was that she almost let the world believe she had mastered the list. Instead, she decided to tell the truth about struggling with every single thing she wrote.

We talked about why mental health and mental strength are not the same thing, why emotions aren’t positive or negative, and how your brain consistently underestimates what you can handle.

This episode felt like an honest conversation about what helps when life breaks your heart.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[05:59] Only three days of bereavement leave, and America wonders why we can't grieve

[10:08] What Amy’s coworkers did right when she came back to work as a widow

[14:25] The absence of tears is not a sign of strength

[17:05] The physical toll of grief that nobody warns you about

[21:46] From a $15 internet article to seven books: how the mental strength franchise was built

[29:58] Why mindfulness alone isn't enough, and what to do instead

[35:15] Name it to tame it, the labels keeping you stuck

[37:52] The two-minute gratitude flash that can turn your entire day around

[41:46] Most executives can only name five feeling words, and that's a problem

[46:09] Mental health and mental strength are not the same thing

Check out Amy's books here.

Find more from Amy:

Amy Morin, LCSW | Website | LinkedIn | Instagram

Mentally Stronger Podcast | YouTube

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website | Instagram

12: Alex P. Taylor Shares What He Learned About Media & Entrepreneurship

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Pre-Order Totally Nachrageous here.

If you're sitting on a creative idea waiting for permission, this episode is about the person who stopped waiting.

Today’s guest, Alex P. Taylor, sent his cookbook proposal to ten publishers on April 2nd, 2025. Typically, it would have taken 6 months to 2 years to receive a response from publishing companies. He heard back in a week, and by Easter, he had a signed deal with Quarto Books US.

Alex is the self-proclaimed Nacho King of Connecticut, a media personality, and the author of Totally Nachrageous, a cookbook releasing August 25th, 2026. His path runs through nonprofit youth work, a Yelp community manager role during COVID, local TV segments on Great Day Connecticut, and reality TV appearances on Below Deck and Hell's Kitchen.

We discuss what he calls "mandatory pivoting", why he sent his proposal directly to publishers instead of waiting for an agent, and the mantra that's shaped his decisions: success is struggle adjacent.

He also tells me why pre-orders make or break a book launch and what most creators get wrong about social media engagement in the first 30 minutes after posting.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[02:58] How a pizza kitchen job shaped Alex’s approach to flavor

[03:56] What leading forums for 350 students at a time taught him

[08:08] The mandatory pivot that ended a 10-year nonprofit career

[12:37] Why his first Zoom nacho tutorial changed everything

[30:45] What being on Below Deck taught him about reality TV agendas

[37:11] Meeting Gordon Ramsay the night before filming Hell's Kitchen

[40:12] The 80-page proposal that landed a publishing deal in a week

[45:28] Why pre-orders decide whether a book becomes a bestseller or not

Resources Mentioned:

Quarto Publishing | Website

Desperately Seeking Susan (Movie) | IMDb

Find more from Alex:

Alex P. Taylor | Website | Instagram | TikTok | LinkedIn

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website | Instagram

11: Ramon Ray on Getting Fired, Selling Businesses & The Celebrity CEO Framework

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 26 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

If this conversation gave you a clearer way to think about your next move, you’ll find more episodes and insights at Success, Rewritten. It’s all there to help you keep moving forward and build something that actually works for your life.

What happens when getting fired forces you to figure it out fast with no backup plan?

Getting fired forced Ramon Ray to make things work. Ramon is a serial entrepreneur who worked at the United Nations before starting multiple businesses and selling several of them.

In this episode, we get into how he started building on the side while working a full-time job, installing modems and learning technology, and how that drive came with real pressure to keep providing… especially after having a child young and needing stability before he felt ready.

When his contract ended, he leaned on his network and existing relationships to rebuild income from scratch. He shares how he navigated those early financial decisions, what he learned in hindsight after selling his businesses, and why he believes smaller, more intentional rooms create deeper connection than chasing big stages.

Ramon is also the author of Celebrity CEO, and we talk through his personal branding framework for entrepreneurs who want to build a recognizable, trusted name in their space.

This is an honest look at building out of necessity, working through entrepreneurial depression, and learning to keep moving without losing yourself.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[04:24] The UN years and the side hustle that got Ramon fired

[13:16] Rebuilding income without a safety net

[19:04] What Ramon learned from selling three companies

[23:48] Why 20 people in a room beats 300

[25:40] How to recover when you fail a client

[28:11] Experimentation as a strategy, and its limits

[30:33] Genius Talks, Bitdefender, and the Celebrity CEO framework

[34:16] How Ramon works on entrepreneurial depression

Resources Mentioned:

The Celebrity CEO (Ramon Ray’s book)

Bitdefender | Website

If you want practical ideas and resources built for entrepreneurs in the middle of figuring things out, head over to Zone of Genius. It’s a place to learn, stay informed, and find support as you grow your business.

Find more from Ramon:

Ramon Ray | Website

Ramon Ray | LinkedIn

Ramon Ray | Instagram

Zone of Genius | Website

Zone of Genius | YouTube

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

10: The Phone Call That Made Jay Baer Quit His Job The Next Day

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 19 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Explore SuccessRewrittenShow.com and Jay's top locations: tequilareport.com and jaybaer.com

When Jay Baer was 30, his best friend called to say he had brain cancer. Jay quit his job the next day.

That call, and the list he made afterward of what he was actually afraid of, set off a 28-year career of building, selling, writing, and starting again. Jay is a sixth-generation entrepreneur, a seven-time author, and one of the most recognizable names in customer experience. He's also taking a sabbatical from speaking after 18 years on the road to focus on his newest venture, Tequila Report.

This conversation moves through parts of his story he doesn't usually tell. He explains why he sells his companies and what he chooses to build next. He breaks down why his books are built from audience stories rather than the usual Starbucks-style case studies, and why he continues to choose collaboration in industries built on competition.

He also explains why responsiveness is finally a competitive advantage, a decade after he predicted it would be. It's a conversation about timing, decisions, and what actually holds up over the long run.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[02:03] Selling Budweiser.com for 50 cases of beer

[04:05] The phone call that made him quit the next day

[07:37] Why doing it all yourself is the trap

[14:35] Where the stories in his books actually come from

[18:29] The idea he was a decade early on

[22:33] Selling a company is like giving it up for adoption

[29:41] How a tequila hobby became Tequila Report

[36:53] Walking away from 60 keynotes a year (for now)

[44:37] Which parent the kids call, and why it matters

Resources Mentioned:

The E-Myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber | Book or Audiobook

Behind the Review episode on Jay Baer’s Playbook for Customer Loyalty | YouTube

Find more from Jay:

Jay Baer | LinkedIn | YouTube | Instagram

Jay Baer’s Books | Website

The Tequila Report | YouTube | Instagram

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

09: Marketing Mistakes, Customer Avatars & Hustle Culture | Zanade Mann

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 12 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

If this helped you think more clearly about what you’re building and who it’s for, there’s more waiting for you at Success, Rewritten.

The same drive that made her successful is the thing she had to unlearn to protect her health.

Zanade Mann is the founder of Zanade Enterprises, a full-service marketing and communications agency she built from a single client into a collaborative team of strategists and creatives. Her work focuses on helping brands, nonprofits, and public figures connect with their audiences through clarity and storytelling rather than hype.

A former New York City public school teacher and single mom, Zanade later earned Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top 100 Women of Impact recognition… but the hustle that got her there came with a real impact on her mental and physical well-being.

She talks honestly about what it took to slow down without losing momentum, and the intentional wellness practices that helped her rebuild her nervous system, from yoga and hiking to learning how to truly rest and reset.

She also shares practical insights on small business marketing, including how to define your target customer, why your origin story matters, and a simple AI exercise you can try today. Zanade then introduces what she’s building next: a creator ecosystem for experienced professionals, ready to step into influencer marketing with real expertise.

Whether you’re building, pivoting, or starting fresh, this episode offers both practical tools and a more sustainable way to think about success.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[02:20] How to tell your brand story and stop marketing to the wrong people

[04:02] The unexpected moment that sparked Zanade’s career shift into marketing

[07:02] Why not knowing your ideal customer creates unnecessary stress and wasted effort

[09:30] Zanade’s simple AI exercise to pressure-test your target audience

[14:55] What a seventh-grade teacher's pay stub did to her childhood dream

[26:37] What it actually took to defy every stereotype working against her

[37:58] How the constant hustle took a toll on her mental and physical health

[44:18] The small shifts that helped her regulate, rest, and rebuild her energy

[01:00:48] Creating new opportunities that align with your life, not just your ambition

Subscribe to Zanade's mailing list for the Millennial Creator Economy Movement. Subscribers will receive a free guide with insights on the creator economy and how they can leverage their professional and lived experience to participate in this $500B industry.

Resources Mentioned:

Blue Cross Blue Shield | Website

NYC Teaching Fellows | Website

The Rise of the Corporate Influencer by Zanade Mann | Article

Find more from Zanade:

Zanade Mann | Website

Zanade Mann | LinkedIn

Zanade Mann | Instagram

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

08: Why We Need to End the Mental Health Stigma | Dr. Ricardo Anderson

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 -0500

End stigma together, one story at a time, with The WISE Approach.

How long can you run away from trauma before it catches up to you?

Dr. Ricardo Anderson was a principal making six figures and finishing his doctorate, all while silently struggling with his mental health. At 32, he quit everything and moved to start addressing it for the first time.

His story shows what happens when trauma goes unprocessed for decades. His mother died when he was 11. He was unhoused at 13. He started to put himself through Marquette University at 16. He spent years inside a cult. And through it all, he built a career in education while carrying experiences he hadn’t yet made sense of.

This conversation walks through his recovery journey as a Black man navigating mental health, childhood trauma, stigma, and a hearing loss he didn’t talk about for years. We get into what it means to suppress those experiences, why stigma keeps people silent, and what begins to change when you finally start addressing it.

Dr. Ricardo now works as a Mental Health Recovery Support Specialist for the Illinois Division of Behavioral Health and Recovery, and serves on the executive committee of WISE. He shares how he supports others in their recovery, including how to validate your own experiences and make sense of what you’ve been through.

If you've ever questioned your own memories or been told your experiences didn’t happen the way you remember them, this episode will resonate.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[04:51] What being unhoused at 13 in Milwaukee actually looked like

[09:06] Signing himself up for university at 16 and adulting with no roadmap

[15:02] Finding identity as a young Black man at Marquette

[18:20] Chasing degrees inside a cult while teaching Milwaukee's kids

[26:51] The student who held up a mirror to his own unaddressed childhood

[29:59] Leaving the cult, the marriage, and the identity tied to both

[38:23] What rebuilding looked like after walking away from everything

[47:03] Supporting people who don't yet have words for what they went through

[52:13] Why group dialogue heals, and where it can go wrong

[55:09] WISE's mission to end stigma and what good crisis support actually looks like

Resources Mentioned:

Marquette University | Website

Boys & Girls Clubs | Website

Urban Learning Collaborative (formerly MTEC) | Website

Find more from Dr. Ricardo:

Dr. Ricardo Anderson | LinkedIn

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

07: Xerxes Nabong on What His Dad's Death Rewrote

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 28 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

If you’re thinking more about what’s really important in life, you can get the newsletter at Success, Rewritten.

What if success isn't about retiring someday, but funding the life you actually get to live?

This week on Success, Rewritten, I sat down with Xerxes Nabong, a wealth advisor with twenty years in the business and his own firm, Wealth Avenue. Xerxes was nine years into his career when his dad passed away at 58. His dad served thirty years in the U.S. military and never got to retire. That loss rewrote the why behind his work and changed how he talks to clients about time, money, and what they're actually building toward.

We also get into what he learned on a municipal golf course at fourteen, the Yelp job that doubled as a social life, the $80,000 he lost on a cafe investment, and how he ran a $2 million escape room business on three hours a month. Plus naps, phone boundaries, and what it means to build a business that can run without you for two weeks.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[05:32] Why losing his dad rewrote the purpose behind his wealth advisory work

[09:28] From Yelp event planner to escape room owner, what sparked the leap

[15:08] How he built a $2M escape room on three hours a month and launched Kristen's career

[29:04] From 60-hour weeks to a schedule that works; how his relationship with time evolved

[32:22] Whether work helped or hurt after losing his dad, and how grief shifted his perspective

[37:13] How Xerxes protects his time off the clock: phone boundaries, naps, and workouts

[46:22] Why people hire the advisor they like, not just the one with the best returns

Find more from Xerxes:

Wealth Avenue | Website

Xerxes Nabong | LinkedIn

Xerxes Nabong | Instagram

Xerxes Nabong | Facebook

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

06: Why A Layoff Can Be Your Greatest Opportunity | Jenny Dempsey

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 21 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

If you’re in the middle of your own shift, get the newsletter at Success, Rewritten.

What happens when the person who taught you to work hard is the one who makes you question it?

Jenny Dempsey, also known as San Diego Furniture Flipper, started by rescuing discarded furniture and found herself rebuilding her own confidence and career path in the process. That idea of restoration, finding potential and giving things a second chance, runs through everything she does.

We get into what it feels like when your identity is tied to your work, and suddenly that’s gone. There’s a moment where she describes seeing herself in a piece of furniture someone else had written off, and how that shifted the way she approached both creativity and her own life.

She also shares how the loss of her dad and the words he left her with forced her to rethink what she was chasing in the first place, adding a deeper layer to how she defines success now.

The conversation moves through the emotional weight of job loss, the reality of rejection when you’re trying to return to what’s familiar, and the clarity that can come from asking what you actually need instead of what you’ve been taught to chase.

If you’ve ever questioned your career identity, navigated a layoff, or felt pulled toward something more creative, this episode explores redefining success, career reinvention, and life transitions in a way that feels grounded and real.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[03:16] The origin of San Diego Furniture Flipper: Seeing herself in a junky table

[08:30] His last words changed everything she thought she knew about work

[10:17] The grief she kept running from finally caught up with her

[13:32] A layoff mindset shift that neither of them was prepared for

[19:00] The "good enough" job strategy that lets her build her real dream

[27:22] Learning furniture flipping from scratch with zero experience

[33:04] The local and online community Jenny built from the ground up

[39:16] Her real daily strategy of staying intentional without burning out

[44:00] Giving yourself permission to not push through

[48:05] Your "thing" might already be in the trash

Find more from Jenny:

San Diego Furniture Flipper | Website

San Diego Furniture Flipper | Instagram

San Diego Furniture Flipper | YouTube

Jenny Dempsey | LinkedIn

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram

05: What to Say to Someone Grieving | Shelby Forsythia

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 14 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Order Of Course, I’m Here Right Now, your compassionate, practical guide to comforting someone who’s grieving.

You don’t need better intentions to support someone who’s grieving; you need better words.

Grief isn’t just about death. It shows up in divorce, diagnosis, job loss, and the moments that reshape your life.

Shelby Forsythia is a grief coach, author, and founder of Life After Loss Academy, a community helping people navigate life after major loss. After her mother died in 2013, she became what she calls a “student of grief”, building her work around one core focus: helping people find language for what feels impossible to explain.

What we say to grieving people often creates more distance than support.

What’s actually happening beneath the surface is often misunderstood. Shelby breaks down the three core stories many people tell themselves in grief, and how simple, grounded language can shift the entire experience.

Grounded in her own losses, Shelby shows why permission matters more than advice and how to support someone without trying to fix something that can’t be fixed.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[01:28] How Shelby accidentally became a grief practitioner

[08:10] The four grief support styles and what your clients will eventually tell you

[16:18] The unexpected pivot point that changed everything

[26:09] What a medical crisis revealed about her audience and her hustle

[29:55] Learning to grieve out loud after losing her best friend

[40:47] Words are the most powerful grief support tool you already have

[47:54] The three stories every grieving person is telling themselves

Resources Mentioned:

Permission to Grieve: Creating Grace, Space, & Room to Breathe in the Aftermath of Loss by Shelby Forsythia | Book

Your Grief, Your Way: A Year of Practical Guidance and Comfort After Loss by Shelby Forsythia | Book

My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor | Book or Audiobook

Hero on a Mission: A Path to a Meaningful Life by Donald Miller | Book or Audiobook

Coming Back | Podcast

What’s Your Grief Support Style? | Quiz

Check out Shelby’s Free Workshop to help you cope with grief and find your way again.

Find more from Shelby:

Grief Grower | Podcast

Life After Loss Academy | Website

Shelby Forsythia | Website

Shelby Forsythia | YouTube

Shelby Forsythia | Instagram

Shelby Forsythia | Facebook

Shelby Forsythia | TikTok

Shelby Forsythia | LinkedIn

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | LinkedIn

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram

04: How to Face the Challenges of Entrepreneurship | Cate Luzio

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0500

What if the hardest part of success is not starting, but continuing?

Today’s guest, Cate Luzio, is the Founder and CEO of Luminary, a global professional networking platform designed to support women and allies across every stage of their careers. After two decades in corporate banking leadership, she left to build a self-funded startup with no external capital and no backup plan.

Networking opened doors in her career, but building her own company meant taking full responsibility for every outcome. Every decision carried weight. Every challenge became personal. Even years in, she still questions whether she made the right decision sometimes.

We get into the reality of entrepreneurship, from the pressure of leading a team to the loneliness that comes with ownership. She shares how quickly external conditions can shift what feels stable, and how the pandemic reshaped her business.

Cate breaks down how she approaches time management and prioritization, and why access has been central to her work. She also opens up about learning she had breast cancer minutes before leading a call with hundreds of people.

This is an honest look at founder challenges, career transitions, and what it means to keep going when certainty never fully arrives.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[01:41] The side work that turned into the main career

[08:07] What Luminary actually is and why anyone can walk through the door

[13:27] Betting on yourself without a backup plan

[15:51] The doubt that never fully goes away, even when you're winning

[22:28] What was really happening behind Luminary's seamless pandemic pivot

[25:50] What Cate does when everything feels like it's falling apart

[32:18] How Cate protects her time and decides what actually deserves it

[36:02] Getting a cancer diagnosis five minutes before a 400-person Zoom call

[41:45] Why Cate keeps coming back to one piece of advice above all else

Resources Mentioned:

For high-impact programming focused on collaboration, professional and personal development, and community, explore Luminary Events & Programs.

Kim Perell | Website

Find more from Cate:

Luminary | Website

Luminary | LinkedIn

Luminary | Instagram

Cate Luzio | Website

Cate Luzio | LinkedIn

Cate Luzio | Instagram

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram

03: The Secret to Become a MAGNETIC & UNSHAKABLE Speaker | Lynn Smith

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 31 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Explore more conversations like this and dive deeper into the work at Success, Rewritten.

Why do smart, capable people still struggle to communicate clearly under pressure?

Today I’m joined by Lynn Smith, a former news anchor turned communication expert, who now helps leaders confront what she calls the “brain bully.” Her work focuses on how fear, not skill, is often the root of communication struggles.

Lynn shares the moment her confidence broke on stage and how that failure forced her to investigate what was actually happening in her mind. That experience became the foundation for her framework, which connects thoughts to outcomes in a direct, practical way.

We break down why ineffective communication costs businesses real opportunities and how internal patterns like self-doubt and fear of failure shape how you show up. Tracing where those patterns come from, naming the environments and people that drain or elevate your energy, and building the skill of reframing thoughts in real time before they control your actions.

This is a conversation about clarity, ownership, and what it actually takes to show up with confidence when it matters.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[02:05] The keynote bomb that proved fear, not skill, is behind every communication breakdown

[09:43] Why Lynn wrote a children's book about failure, and the "just keep going" text that started it

[13:22] The painful personal low that taught Lynn what words actually help someone who's struggling

[15:33] Leaving news, betting on purpose, and building a business before the paychecks stopped

[21:11] What manifestation actually means according to neuroscience, and why most people misunderstand it

[27:42] How the executive coaching process works: self-discovery questions, brand story, and mock interviews

[31:52] Why investing in your presence matters more than ever, and what AI-faked emails cost in trust

[34:48] A failed partnership, a business rebuilt from zero, and why clean breaks protect your integrity

[40:15] The yes/no/want bucket system Lynn uses to protect her time as a working parent

[42:31] Building a business from a big idea: nucleus concept, IP frameworks, and staying resilient without a roadmap

Find more from Lynn:

Lynn Smith | Website

Lynn Smith | Instagram

Lynn Smith | YouTube

Lynn Smith | LinkedIn

Resources Mentioned:

Matt Cook | Instagram

Beyond Wanting by Matt Cook | Book

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram

02: The Best Way to Build & Scale a Proftable Franchise | Jami Stigliano

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Tue, 24 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0500

Find a nearby class and get two weeks of unlimited DivaDance classes for $59!

What if the thing you started for fun after work turned into a national business?

Jami Stigliano, founder of DivaDance, joins me to talk about how a frustrating experience in a competitive New York dance class led her to create something entirely different. She originally started teaching classes because she wanted a space that felt welcoming, social, and confidence-building rather than intimidating. Over time, what began as a casual side project (what she jokingly calls her “manicure money”) evolved into a growing company and a franchise business with dozens of locations.

Jami shares how listening to customers from other cities helped her realize the concept could scale, and how franchising allowed the brand to expand using other people’s investment rather than opening every location herself.

We dive into the practical side of entrepreneurship, including questioning limiting beliefs about growth, implementing EOS business systems to create accountability, and thinking about health the same way you think about running a company by paying attention to the data.

Along the way, Jami shares the personal rituals that keep her grounded: dancing regularly, teaching classes she loves, and holding onto the joy that started the journey in the first place.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[04:44] Renting spaces instead of owning, the asset-light model born from necessity, not strategy

[06:40] Why Jami chose franchising, how it actually works, and the two DivaDance franchise paths

[14:13] Three near-breaking moments and the delusional confidence required to push through them

[21:53] Having kids at 41 and 43, building systems that enabled maternity leave, and reframing working-parent guilt

[28:55] Running physical health like a business: blood panels, KPIs, and what her parents' opposite trajectories taught her

[34:26] Discovering EOS/Traction at 50 franchises, right-people-right-seats restructuring, and the hardest year in DivaDance history

[40:15] Paying yourself fairly, outsourcing home tasks, and questioning whether you actually need that employee

[47:15] Jami's daily reset: diet Coke, teaching class, and doom-scrolling her own camera roll

Resources Mentioned:

Traction by Gino Wickman | Book

Entrepreneur Operating System (EOS) | Website

Burn Boot Camp | Website

DivaDance Franchise Opportunities | Website

Find more from Jami:

DivaDance | Website

DivaDance | Instagram

Jami Stigliano | Instagram

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram

01: How My Bipolar Diagnosis Reframed Success

washcovick@gmail.com (Emily LoMenzo Washcovick) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 12:51:00 -0500

If you’re ready to redefine success in a way that supports both achievement and well-being, subscribe to my YouTube channel, follow me on Instagram, and join us at Success, Rewritten.

What happens when a manic episode interrupts a high-achieving life that looks successful on paper?

Welcome to Success, Rewritten. I’m your host, Emily, and from the outside, my corporate career in tech was accelerating. I had moved across the country to work at Yelp, built a reputation supporting small business owners, and hosted more than 200 interviews with entrepreneurs. Ambition, achievement, and professional identity had always defined me.

In my late twenties, a manic episode led to a bipolar disorder diagnosis. Years later, an adult ADHD diagnosis forced me to examine the relationship between mental health and high performance. I began asking a question many driven professionals wrestle with: Is the version of success we’re chasing sustainable for our well-being?

In this first episode, I’m joined by my friend Shelby, a grief coach, three-time author, and podcast host, who helps guide the conversation and unpack the foundation behind this show.

Today, I speak openly about bipolar disorder, mania, ADHD, burnout, resilience, and the pressure of ambition in corporate and entrepreneurial spaces. I’m committed to redefining success so it supports both achievement and mental health, and creating space for more honest conversations about identity and the courage to choose a different path.

You’ll Learn:

[00:00] Introduction

[07:05] The risky move to a big city that might actually have been hypomania

[14:50] Building and hosting a 200+ episode podcast and tying identity to achievement

[25:10] What mania actually feels like from the inside

[29:50] A mental health crisis and hospitalization that forced everything to stop

[33:12] The hidden mental health patterns that can shape major life decisions

[37:01] When doctors warned her dream job might not support bipolar instability

[39:25] The surprising performance boost from sleep, boundaries, and no multitasking

[52:58] Losing career stability and discovering the freedom to bet on yourself

[56:00] The promise behind this show and why other people’s stories can reshape your own

Resources Mentioned:

Rogers Behavioral Health | Website

Find more from Emily:

Success, Rewritten | Website

Success, Rewritten | Instagram

Bipolar Brought Balance | Website

Bipolar Brought Balance | Instagram

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick | Instagram