Success, Rewritten

Emily LoMenzo Washcovick
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  • 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. 7 hr ago

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

    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 jobMy eight-hour sleep minimum and the rules that protect itHow a weekly to-do list beats a daily one for sustainable outputWhat it cost me when I stopped saying yes to everythingThe mindset shift my therapist forced me into around work hoursWhy 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

    14 min

  2. 23 Jun

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

    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: Gabe Howard | Website | LinkedIn | YouTube | Facebook | Instagram 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

    51 min

  3. 16 Jun

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

    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

    49 min

  4. 9 Jun

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

    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

    49 min

  5. 2 Jun

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

    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

    55 min

  6. 26 May

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

    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

    44 min

  7. 19 May

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

    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

    45 min

  8. 12 May

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

    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

    1hr 13min
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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
    16
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    Success, Rewritten

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