Success, Rewritten

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick
  • 4.4 (7)
  • 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. 1d ago

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

    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 SchwartzLife as a Singer, Songwriter, and EntrepreneurTurning a Creative Hobby Into a CareerHow Corporate Skills Helped Her Music CareerRedefining Success Beyond Views and StreamsWhy Relationships Create OpportunitiesLessons From Building Community at YelpKindness, Boundaries, and Handling Difficult PeopleLearning to Adapt When Events Go WrongHow the Pandemic Changed Her Corporate CareerLeaving Corporate and Choosing MusicMaking Money Through Songwriting and VocalsFinding an Authentic Creative IdentityBuilding Community Through Pop HangWhy Progress Is Like an Ice Cube Melting Connect with Ali Ali’s websiteAli on InstagramAli's Youtube ChannelAli on Spotify 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. 6d ago

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

    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 StrengthWhy Sleep Became Essential to Her Mental HealthEmily's Experience With Severe Sleep Loss and ManiaChallenging Hustle Culture and the "Sleep When You're Dead" MindsetWhy Consistent Sleep Habits MatterPractical Habits That Help Emily Sleep BetterCreating a Consistent Sleep and Wake WindowWhy Winding Down Before Bed MattersCreating a Better Sleep EnvironmentUsing an Oura Ring to Track Sleep PatternsHow More Sleep Improved Emily's ProductivityProtecting Sleep as an EntrepreneurWhy Sleep Loss Affects Mood and Mental PerformanceRedefining Success Without Sacrificing SleepGoing 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

  3. Aug 11

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

    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 BoaBuilding a Video Production Company From the Ground UpThe Anxiety Behind Constant InnovationHow Psychotherapy Connects With Visual StorytellingUsing AI and Animation to Explain HealthcareThe Difficult Reality of Adopting AILeading Employees as People, Not NumbersQuint’s Journey With AlcoholismWhat You Learn When You Stop DrinkingMental Health, Therapy, and Reducing Stigma 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. Aug 4

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

    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 TodayBuilding a Flower Shop That Feels Like CommunityThe Early Days of Hustling and Figuring It OutLearning to Price Her Work ProperlyFrom Speech Pathology to Criminal Justice to FlowersFlowers as a Creative Outlet After Heavy Nonprofit WorkChoosing a Life Centered Around Joy and CreativityRedefining Success Beyond MoneyStaying Present in a Growing BusinessBringing Her Identity Into the BusinessHonoring King Drive and BronzevilleThe Support System Behind 414loralHow Her Husband Ray Supports the BusinessThe Valentine’s Day Flower DisasterWhat Comes Next for 414loralUsing Social Media to Stay Human and Connected 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

  5. Jul 30

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

    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 DisorderEmily’s Diagnosis and Return to WorkWhat We Assume About Successful PeopleAndy Dunn and His Hidden Bipolar DiagnosisBurn Rate and Building BonobosHow Hiding a Diagnosis Can Affect HealingPaul English, Bipolar Disorder, and KayakThe Benefits and Risks of IntensityDavid Neeleman, ADHD, and JetBlueWhen ADHD Challenges Became Visible at WorkBuilding a Company Around How Your Brain WorksWhy a Diagnosis Is Not Always a SuperpowerSimone Biles, ADHD, and Mental HealthSuccess Without Romanticizing a DiagnosisWhen Mania Resembles Startup CultureDisclosure, Support, and Finding BalanceResources 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

  6. Jul 28

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

    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 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. Jul 21

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

    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 instantWhy the words we use around suicide matterWhat actually supports a grieving family, and what to stop sayingSuicide literacy: how to ask someone directly, and why it does not plant the ideaWhy 988 belongs in your phone right nowHonoring the people we lost by living with joy RESOURCES 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline: call or text 988Sushi Tuesdays: A Memoir of Love, Loss, and Family Resilience by Charlotte Maya New episodes of Success, Rewritten every Tuesday. Subscribe, rate, and follow wherever you listen.

  8. Jul 16

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

    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 MattersWhy Language Is the First StepWhy “Died by Suicide” MattersSuicide Is Not a Lack of LoveWarning Signs Can Look Different for EveryoneThe Guilt Trap Around Warning SignsThe Direct Question That Can Save a LifeSelf-Harm and Suicide Are Not the Same QuestionWhat to Ask Next If Someone Says YesKnow 988 Before You Need ItFor Survivors, There May Never Be a Clear AnswerGrief as a Heavy SandbagJay and Charlotte’s Upcoming ConversationKeep 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

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4.4
out of 5
7 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
    26
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    Success, Rewritten

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