Success, Rewritten

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick
  • 4.6 (9)
  • Mental Health

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.

  1. 16h ago

    42: Say the Words: Suicide Prevention, Warning Signs, and the Power of Connection

    What does suicide prevention look like when it happens outside a therapist’s office, in the everyday moments when someone almost says they are struggling but stops themselves? In this special Success, Rewritten episode, Emily shares a suicide prevention panel from the Say the Words event, moderated by Barb Bigalke, founder and executive director of the Center for Suicide Awareness. Barb is joined by Lisamarie Arnold of REDgen, trauma therapist Dr. Maria Amarante, and U.S. Marine Corps veteran and mental health advocate Mark Ross for a candid conversation about recognizing warning signs, challenging stigma, creating connection, and knowing how to respond when someone may not be okay. The panel explores why suicide prevention does not have to be clinical. Warning signs may show up through changes in energy, eye contact, isolation, communication, or behavior even when someone continues to say, “I’m fine.” Dr. Amarante explains why slowing down, being present, asking direct questions, and genuinely caring about the answer can make a meaningful difference. Mark shares his experience living with PTSD as a Marine Corps veteran, suffering in silence, and eventually recognizing that he needed help. He discusses the stigma men can face around vulnerability and mental health, why asking someone whether they are okay may not be enough, and the importance of paying attention to what people are doing as well as what they are saying. Lisamarie discusses REDgen’s peer-to-peer approach to youth mental health and how the organization grew after a series of suicides devastated a Wisconsin community. She explains why resilience, authenticity, belonging, trusted adults, and young people sharing their own experiences can help create support before someone reaches a crisis. The conversation closes with a simple but important message: you do not have to be a mental health professional to make a difference. Being present, listening without judgment, asking the difficult question, and letting someone know they matter can create the connection they may desperately need. Content note: This episode includes discussion of suicide, suicidal thoughts and behavior, suicide loss, PTSD, depression, trauma, abuse, addiction, and mental health crises. In this episode: It’s Okay to Not Be OkaySuicide Prevention Is Community ActionRecognizing a Shift in EnergyPTSD, Veterans, and Suffering in SilenceBreaking Men’s Mental Health StigmaThe Turning Point to Get HelpCreating a Safe SpaceWhy Connection Creates HopeWhy Clinicians Need to Slow DownBuilding Youth Resilience Through REDgenThe Power of Peer-to-Peer SupportBreaking Mental Health Stigma in SchoolsLiving With PTSD as a Lifelong JourneyWhat Someone Needs to HearYou Don’t Need to Be a Professional to Help Resources Center for Suicide AwarenessHOPELINE™: Text HOPELINE to 741741 to connect with a trained, nonjudgmental crisis counselor.REDgen – Resilience Education for the Next GenerationMulticultural Trauma and Addiction Treatment Center of WisconsinThe Speak Your Truth with Mark Ross PodcastSoldier Stories Podcast 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

  2. 5d ago

    41: Solo Ep. 9: The Burnout Signs I Mistook for Success

    Emily shares the burnout signs she overlooked for years because they often looked like ambition, productivity, and success from the outside. She reflects on a period when she was constantly traveling, speaking at events, managing teams, and feeling validated by how busy she was. She could always push through the next conference, presentation, or project, but once it was over, she would crash. Sometimes that meant sobbing from exhaustion, isolating from friends and family, or needing another project just to feel motivated again. Emily breaks down some of the most common ways burnout can show up, including numbness, resentment toward work you once enjoyed, procrastination, self-doubt, isolation, trouble concentrating, changes in sleep, physical symptoms, and relying on screens, food, alcohol, or other coping mechanisms just to unwind. She also reflects on how often the body recognizes burnout before the mind does. She also explains how her bipolar disorder diagnosis and past manic episode changed the way she thinks about protecting her energy, sleep, routines, and work boundaries. Importantly, Emily distinguishes burnout from a mental health episode, explaining that while her mania and psychosis were part of bipolar disorder, burnout was the slower pattern building underneath for years. The episode closes with a practical reminder: if you would tell someone else to slow down, rest, or ask for help, try giving yourself the same advice. Sustainable success is not about never working hard. It is about protecting yourself enough that you can keep going. In this episode: Burnout Signs We Miss in OurselvesThe Burnout Signs I Mistook for SuccessWhy Burnout Builds SlowlyWhen Busyness Felt Like ValidationPushing Through Until Everything Fell ApartThe Exhaustion Behind High AchievementStaying Busy to Avoid BurnoutCommon Signs of BurnoutIsolation and Pulling Away From PeopleWhen Easy Tasks Start Feeling HardPhysical Symptoms of BurnoutWhen Your Body Speaks FirstWhen Your Body Forces You to StopProtecting Sleep and Mental HealthWhy Entrepreneurs Need Work BoundariesUsing Sustainability as the MeasureBurnout vs a Mental Health EpisodeBreaking the Hustle-and-Grind MindsetRecognizing Burnout in YourselfWhy We Help Others Better Than OurselvesBurnout Warning Signs to Watch ForSmall Ways to Protect Your PeaceWhy Sustainable Success MattersBurnout Can Happen to Anyone Resources Mentioned Success, Rewritten YouTube: Success, Rewritten 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

  3. Oct 27

    40: You Aren’t Bipolar, You Have Bipolar: Margaux Baumgarten on Identity, Motherhood, and Mental Health

    What does it look like to build a full life while living with bipolar I, especially when the diagnosis comes at just 16 years old? Emily sits down with mental health advocate and mother of two Margaux Baumgarten to talk about bipolar disorder, identity, motherhood, relationships, and learning to advocate for yourself through different seasons of mental health. Margaux shares how a manic episode during high school led to her bipolar I diagnosis and eventually to a therapeutic boarding school in Vermont, an experience that later became part of her advocacy around the troubled teen industry. Margaux opens up about hiding her diagnosis through high school and college, telling her now-husband about bipolar disorder on their first date, and the fear she carried after watching her grandmother live with the same diagnosis. She also shares how she and her husband created a practical checklist and set of safeguards while she was stable, giving him permission to step in when he recognizes signs that she may be becoming unwell. The conversation also explores pregnancy, medication decisions, postpartum psychosis, and why maternal mental health planning should begin before a crisis happens. Margaux explains why sleep, community, supportive relationships, medication routines, and a postpartum plan became essential to protecting her stability as a mother. Margaux also discusses her work with NAMI Southeast Wisconsin, Moms Mental Health Initiative, and her experience as an Ending the Silence presenter. She reflects on moving from secrecy to advocacy and why bipolar disorder is something she lives with, not the entirety of who she is. Content note: This episode includes discussion of bipolar disorder, mania, psychiatric hospitalization, the troubled teen industry, and postpartum psychosis. In this episode: You Have Bipolar, You Aren’t BipolarMeet Margaux BaumgartenMental Health Advocacy and MotherhoodFinding Her Voice Through NAMIDiagnosed With Bipolar I at 16Entering a Therapeutic Boarding SchoolLearning to Hide Her DiagnosisTelling Her Husband on Their First DateIdentity and an Early Bipolar DiagnosisFear of Becoming Her GrandmotherSharing Her Diagnosis With Her HusbandMania After Years of StabilityRecognizing When Something Is WrongThe Role of Family and CaregiversCreating a Mental Health Safeguard ChecklistPreparing for Pregnancy With Bipolar IExperiencing Postpartum PsychosisWhy Maternal Mental Health Support MattersBuilding a Postpartum Mental Health PlanCreating a Support System Before BirthMoms Mental Health InitiativeYour Postpartum Plan Can Look DifferentProtecting Mental Health as a MomCommunity, Purpose, and AdvocacyBipolar Is Only Part of Your IdentityYou Can Get Through ItWhere to Follow Margaux Resources NAMI Southeast WisconsinMoms Mental Health InitiativeMoms Mental Health Initiative: Find a ProviderNAMI Ending the SilenceMargaux Baumgarten on Instagram 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

  4. Oct 22

    39: Solo Ep. 8: Who Am I Without the Title?

    Emily shares a recent five-minute talk she gave at the Emerging Women Leaders Speaker Blitz about identity, mental health, career, and what happens when the job title you have carried for years is suddenly gone. She reflects on how her career became a major part of her identity, first while building a demanding life in San Francisco and later while becoming the public face of small business content at Yelp. Behind that success, she was also struggling with extreme work habits, lack of boundaries, and a manic episode that eventually led to a bipolar disorder diagnosis and intensive treatment.  Emily explains how returning to work with stronger boundaries taught her to advocate for herself, but also how easy it was for her identity to become tied to her career again. When she was laid off on her 11-year anniversary, she was forced to ask a different question: who was she without the title?  She also reflects on building Success, Rewritten, finding a voice that was no longer shaped by corporate talking points, and learning to share her own beliefs, experiences, and story more openly. The episode closes with practical encouragement around self-advocacy, boundaries, safe spaces, networking, and developing confidence in your own voice.  In this episode: Introducing “Who Am I Without the Title?”The Emerging Women Leaders Speaker BlitzConnecting Voice to Personal IdentityWhen Your Job Becomes Who You AreBuilding a Career in San FranciscoHigh Achievement Without Healthy BoundariesThe Manic Episode That Changed EverythingLearning to Manage Bipolar DisorderAdvocating for Yourself at WorkBecoming the Face of Small BusinessBeing Laid Off After 11 YearsRealizing She Had Another VoiceStarting Success RewrittenUsing Your Voice to Ask for HelpVulnerability on StageMoving Beyond the Corporate VoiceAdvocating for Yourself and Setting BoundariesFinding Safe Spaces to GrowSharing Your Story to Help Others Resources Mentioned Success, Rewritten YouTube: Success, RewrittenTempo MilwaukeeYelp 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

  5. Oct 20

    38: From the Dodgers to Breathwork: Jamie Janko on Burnout, Belonging, and Choice

    What happens when the career that once gave you purpose, identity, and belonging starts taking a toll on your body? Emily sits down with Jamie Janko, founder of ReWild Breathwork, to talk about burnout, nervous system regulation, identity, mental health, and rebuilding a life around what actually feels sustainable. Jamie shares how she spent more than a decade working in Major League Baseball with organizations including the Braves, Yankees, and Dodgers, only to realize that the drive and ambition she once viewed as success were pushing her toward chronic stress and burnout.  Jamie opens up about the physical signs she initially ignored, leaving baseball, and eventually discovering breathwork after burning herself out again in coaching and wellness. She explains the three basic categories of breathwork, leads Emily through a simple coherent breathing exercise, and shares why nasal breathing and longer exhales can help support nervous system regulation. The conversation also goes much deeper into identity, depression, suicidal ideation, and the difficult period Jamie experienced after leaving her career and marriage and moving to Bali. She shares a near-death experience that became a turning point, how somatic work helped her process trauma, and why speaking openly about mental health has become such an important part of her work.  They also explore how Jamie built ReWild Breathwork into a global education and certification company while intentionally creating a business that honors sleep, relationships, community, and her nervous system. Today, Jamie lives a nomadic lifestyle, leads retreats around the world, and helps individuals, entrepreneurs, therapists, coaches, and corporate teams reconnect with a sense of choice and agency. Content note: This episode includes a candid discussion of depression, suicidal ideation, suicide loss, and a near-death experience. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In this episode: When Your Body Says You’re Burned OutMeet Jamie Janko and ReWild BreathworkBuilding a Career in Major League BaseballWhen Your Job Becomes Your IdentityThe Physical Signs of BurnoutLeaving Baseball and Losing a Sense of PurposeDiscovering BreathworkThe Three Types of BreathworkA Simple Coherent Breathing PracticeWhy Nasal Breathing MattersMouth Taping and Better BreathingBreathwork, Bali, and Starting OverLosing Your Identity After a Career ChangeWondering If You Made a MistakeWhen Success Becomes Associated With SufferingJamie’s Experience With Suicidal IdeationThe Accident That Changed EverythingHow Somatic Work Helped Jamie HealBecoming a Mental Health AdvocateTalking More Openly About SuicideChecking In With the People You LoveThe Different Ways Suicidal Ideation Can Show UpBuilding ReWild BreathworkComing Back to Who You Were Before ExpectationsTurning Breathwork Into a Global Certification BusinessBuilding a Business Around Your Nervous SystemRecognizing Dysregulation Before BurnoutExpression Instead of SuppressionCreating a Nomadic LifeBreathwork for Leaders and OrganizationsHow to Work With ReWild BreathworkYour Past Does Not Define You Resources ReWild BreathworkJamie Janko on InstagramReWild Breathwork on InstagramWHO suicide fact sheetLondon Assembly, men's mental health (July 2025)The Hill, More women attempt suicide. More men die by suicide.Lewis-Healey et al., Breathwork-induced psychedelic experiences modulate neural dynamics, Cerebral Cortex (2024) 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

  6. Oct 13

    37: Redefining Success After Burnout and Selling Your Business with Crystal Vilkaitis

    What happens when the business you built successfully no longer feels like the life you want? Emily sits down with entrepreneur, speaker, and former Crystal Media founder Crystal Vilkaitis to talk about burnout, selling a business, and redefining success on your own terms. Crystal shares how she built a thriving company, grew a team, launched podcasts, spoke at industry events, and reached many of the milestones she once thought would mean she had “made it” — only to realize that success on paper did not necessarily mean fulfillment. They talk about the signs of burnout Crystal missed at first, why running a larger team began to drain her, and how podcasting gave her permission to show up in a more personal and authentic way. Crystal also opens up about the years-long process of deciding to sell her business, the pressure of outsourcing her decisions to other people, and what changed when she finally trusted herself enough to move forward. The conversation also explores what life looked like after the sale, from letting go of financial pressure to creating more space for creativity, journaling, breathwork, nature, and new ideas. Crystal shares why every business owner should think about an exit strategy, even if they never plan to sell, and why success should be built around your real priorities instead of someone else’s revenue goals. In this episode: Redefining What “Enough” MeansMeet Crystal and My Epic EmpireSelling Crystal MediaWhy Success Keeps EvolvingHow Crystal Built Her BusinessWhen Growth Stopped Feeling GoodThe “We Made It” MilestonesRealizing It Was BurnoutPodcasting and Finding Her VoiceFear of What People ThinkBuilding a Real AudienceDeciding to Sell the BusinessLetting Go of the OutcomeCreating a Clean ExitLife After SellingReleasing Financial PressureBuilding a More Restorative LifeJournaling, Breathwork, and TherapyWhy Every Business Needs an Exit PlanDesigning Your Epic EmpireWhere to Follow CrystalCrystal’s Book Recommendation Resources My Epic EmpireSubstack: Building My Epic EmpireCrystal on InstagramBook Recommendation: The Go-Giver 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

  7. Oct 6

    36: Beyond the Bipolar Label: Breaking Self Stigma and Shame with Dr. Andrea Vassilev

    What happens when the stigma surrounding bipolar becomes part of how you see yourself? Emily sits down with psychotherapist, author, and mental health advocate Dr. Andrea Vassilev to talk about living with bipolar, overcoming self stigma, and building an identity that goes far beyond a diagnosis. Dr. V shares her own journey from being diagnosed with a mood disorder at 14 to experiencing years of severe symptoms, ECT treatments, and eventually turning her lived experience into work that helps others. They explore why bipolar can look so different from person to person, the importance of medication and sleep in Dr. V’s own wellness routine, and the power of peer support and community. Dr. V also shares the story behind her workbook, Beyond the Bipolar Label, and how a doctoral project focused on self stigma grew into a program being used internationally. The conversation also explores the difference between having bipolar and allowing a diagnosis to define your entire identity, how to challenge shame and self stigmatizing thoughts, and how to decide when, how, and with whom to share your diagnosis. Above all, Dr. V encourages people to respect their own pace because healing is not linear and everyone’s relationship with bipolar is different. In this episode: Losing Years to BipolarDr. Andrea Vassilev’s StoryHow a Bipolar Diagnosis Can Affect IdentityUnderstanding Self StigmaThe Years Dr. V Lost to BipolarHow Seasons and Sunlight Can Affect MoodUnderstanding the Bipolar SpectrumWhy Bipolar Can Be Difficult to DiagnoseBipolar and Other Mental Health DiagnosesSeparating Symptoms From Your IdentityWhat Stigma and Self Stigma Really MeanWhy Peer Support Can Be So PowerfulTurning a Dissertation Into a Global ProgramDr. V’s Nonnegotiables for Managing BipolarFinding Your Bipolar CommunityThe Story Behind Beyond the Bipolar LabelWhat You’ll Find Inside the WorkbookDeciding Whether to Disclose Your DiagnosisLiving Openly and Challenging StigmaHow to Support Someone Living With BipolarWhy You Shouldn’t Judge Your Healing JourneyHealing Is Not Linear Resources Dr. Andrea Vassilev's websiteDr. V on Instagram: @best.life.bipolarBook: Beyond the Bipolar Label: A Workbook to Overcome Self Stigma, Break Free from Shame, and Live AuthenticallyDepression and Bipolar Support Alliance: dbsalliance.orgThis Is Bipolar: @this.is.bipolar on InstagramDisclosure Decision Cheat Sheet: Available through New Harbinger Publications as a free companion resource for Beyond the Bipolar Label 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

  8. Oct 1

    35: Solo Ep. 7: The Most Expensive Business Mistake I’ve Made

    Emily shares the most expensive business mistake she has made during her first ten months as an entrepreneur and what the experience taught her about choosing the right partners. She explains why she initially hired a higher priced podcast production company for Success, Rewritten, hoping for a collaborative relationship that included production, strategy, and organic growth support. Over time, she began noticing gaps between what she expected and what she was receiving, from tight review timelines to missed opportunities on YouTube and a lack of the strategic partnership she had hoped for. Emily also shares how a conversation with another podcaster led her to a new production company that offered a free sample edit before asking her to commit. Even after realizing she could receive more support at a significantly lower cost, leaving her original contract meant paying an early cancellation fee. She reflects on why taking that financial hit was ultimately the better decision, the importance of recognizing when something is no longer the right fit, and why other entrepreneurs can be one of the best resources when navigating difficult business decisions. In this episode: Emily’s Biggest Business Mistake So FarWhy It Can Be Hard for Entrepreneurs to Talk About MistakesWhy Success Rewritten Needed a Production CompanyLooking for a Collaborative Production PartnerWhen Expectations and Reality Started to SeparatePaying More for Strategy and SupportTight Turnarounds and Growing FrustrationThe Small Details That Started Adding UpDeciding Whether to Ride Out the ContractHow a Fellow Podcaster Helped Emily Find Another OptionTrying a New Production Company With a Free Sample EditRealizing How Much She Was OverpayingGetting More Support at a Lower CostWhy the New Production Process Worked BetterPaying the Early Cancellation FeeWhy Leaving Was Still the Right Financial DecisionLearning the Lesson and Letting Go of the MoneyKnowing When It Is Time to Find Another SolutionAccepting Mistakes as Part of EntrepreneurshipWhy Talking to Other Entrepreneurs Matters Resources Mentioned Bipolar Brought BalancePodcast Engineers 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

See All (42)

4.6
out of 5
9 Ratings

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
    2026
  • Episodes
    42
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    Success, Rewritten