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. 5d ago

    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

  2. Jun 2

    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

  3. May 26

    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

  4. May 19

    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

  5. May 12

    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

    1h 13m

  6. May 5

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

    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

    1h 7m

  7. Apr 28

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

    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

    51 min

  8. Apr 21

    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
See All (13)

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
    2K
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026
  • Show Website
    Success, Rewritten

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