Success, Rewritten

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick
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Success, Rewritten explores the moments that change how ambitious people think about achievement, work, and the lives they are building. Hosted by Emily Washcovick, former Yelp Small Business Expert and host of Behind the Review, this show features candid conversations with founders, executives, and leaders who have faced pivotal moments that forced them to rethink what success actually means. Some left high-powered careers. Some rebuilt after burnout, illness, or loss. Others discovered that the version of success they were chasing was not sustainable. In each episode, guests share the turning points that reshaped their priorities and how redefining ambition helped them build businesses and lives that work together. This is a podcast for thoughtful builders, entrepreneurs, and leaders who are not stepping away from success. They are redefining it. If you are asking bigger questions about ambition, balance, and what it really means to build a meaningful life, you are in the right place.

Episodes

  1. 1 DAY AGO

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

    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

    52 min

  2. 14 APR

    05: What to Say to Someone Grieving | Shelby Forsythia

    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

    53 min

  3. 7 APR

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

    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

    48 min

  4. 31 MAR

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

    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

    48 min

  5. 24 MAR

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

    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

    53 min

  6. 12 MAR

    01: How My Bipolar Diagnosis Reframed Success

    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

    59 min
  • 6 Episodes

About

Success, Rewritten explores the moments that change how ambitious people think about achievement, work, and the lives they are building. Hosted by Emily Washcovick, former Yelp Small Business Expert and host of Behind the Review, this show features candid conversations with founders, executives, and leaders who have faced pivotal moments that forced them to rethink what success actually means. Some left high-powered careers. Some rebuilt after burnout, illness, or loss. Others discovered that the version of success they were chasing was not sustainable. In each episode, guests share the turning points that reshaped their priorities and how redefining ambition helped them build businesses and lives that work together. This is a podcast for thoughtful builders, entrepreneurs, and leaders who are not stepping away from success. They are redefining it. If you are asking bigger questions about ambition, balance, and what it really means to build a meaningful life, you are in the right place.

Information

  • Creator
    Emily LoMenzo Washcovick
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    6
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    Success, Rewritten

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