Brilliantly Resilient

“I talk about having a kudos folder… you can’t lie with statistics.” Nicole Stephenson: President and CEO of Narrative Consulting and Author of Unapologetic: Boldly Lead the Life and Career You Deserve   How often do you doubt yourself? If you're a woman, the answer is most likely "a lot." And it's not because women aren't accomplished, but rather that life has taken us places other than where we thought we'd end up, which many of us view as a failure. Not so, notes Nicole Stephenson, founder and CEO of Narrative Consulting and Author of Unapologetic: Boldly Lead the Life and Career You Deserve. Once seeing herself as achieving the goal of becoming a teacher, Nicole found herself working in marketing for a Philadelphia radio station upon graduation from college. She started the station's Facebook page and implemented other innovations which greatly contributed to the station's visibility and marketing ambitions. Next up was a highly successful tenure as Executive Director for The Society of Professional Women for the Philadelphia Main Line Chamber of Commerce. And now, founder of her own company and author. Yet despite these successes, Nicole acknowledges the presence of self-doubt-- acknowledging the internal struggle many women face, noting, “It is not easy to say, ‘I’m good at something.’” By encouraging practices like keeping a “kudos folder” she offers tangible ways to counter the tendency to downplay achievements. Her reflection—“I totally downplayed my accomplishment… like this was just an everyday thing for me”—captures a common pattern among high-achieving women, who also need to own and share their brilliance.  Further, Nicole reinforces the importance of honoring personal growth and evolution without judgment, a key pillar of Brilliantly Resilient. Stating that “We need to stop labeling things we don’t attain as failure” encourages us to redefine resilience and success on our own terms. By encouraging women to embrace their experiences, celebrate their progress, and remain open to possibility, Nicole echoes the Brilliantly Resilient belief that resilience is not just about pushing through—it’s about recognizing your value, adapting with intention, and allowing your brilliance to evolve. (Oh, and by the way, Nicole is now a lecturer at the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania, fulfilling her long-held dream of teaching!) Be sure to pick up your copy of Unapologetic: Boldly Lead the Life and Career You Deserve and connect with Nicole here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-stephenson/ https://narrativaconsulting.com https://www.instagram.com/_nicole_stephenson/?hl=en  Tune in to this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast for more of Nicole's wisdom and listen for these additional bits of brilliance!    “I talk about having a kudos folder… you can’t lie with statistics.” “If I increased my sales budget by 26%, that’s not me bragging—that’s a fact.” “You have to admit it to yourself—you have to say, ‘I’m struggling with self-doubt.’” “It is not easy to say, ‘I’m good at something.’ I am in my head all the time.” “I totally downplayed my accomplishment… like this was just an everyday thing for me.” “Why didn’t I live in this moment longer?” “Don’t be afraid—if the door doesn’t open, go through a window.” “You never know where your talents lie… sometimes other people know you better than you know yourself.” "We're not tied to any one thing; we don't have to be." Thank you, Nicole! Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, Mary Fran

“If you don’t understand your value, no one else is going to understand it for you.” ~ Theresa Hummel Kralinger: Founder-High Five Performance, Author of Make Waves: A Career Pathing Guide to Stand Out, Stay Employable, and Sail Ahead, Professional Speaker and Comedian   How's your work-life looking? The world is changing at lightening speed, and it's no secret the workplace is changing almost as fast. With businesses scrambling to figure out how to use AI and new technologies, and the workforce doing the same, it can feel like the professional world is moving on--and you may be missing it. Workplace expert and High Five Performance founder Theresa Hummel Kralinger offers strategies and brings clarity to the confusion in her new book, Make Waves: A Career Pathing Guide to Stand Out, Stay Employable, and Sail Ahead. Theresa acknowledges how it feels to be stuck in your career — disconnected, uncertain, and wondering if the professional world has quietly moved on without you. But rather than panic or pressure, Theresa first advises awareness--not only giving value to clarity, but approaching everything with love. (Yeah, I didn't see it either, at first!) So many people feel irrelevant in their work — especially in these tumultous seasons of transition. Whether it’s returning to the workforce, changing industries, or simply realizing that what once fit no longer does, Theresa reminds us that relevance isn’t about chasing every trend. It’s about understanding your strengths, articulating your value, and staying awake to how the marketplace is evolving. That’s resilience in action. It’s not rigid survival — it’s responsive awareness. Back to the love part. When companies care about their workers (yep, it's a form of love) employees feel valued, in turn wanting to bring value to the organization by engaging in their work and learning continuously as new technologies and strategies are introduced. Everyone wins. Using sailing as a metaphor, Theresa breaks down the steps necessary to forging a life-long career path, leaning on inherent resilience and personal brilliance (skill sets) to raise visibility, build momentum, grow relationships, and foster credibility as you move forward with intention. At its heart, Make Waves is about reclaiming agency in a time when things may feel out of control. By approaching a professional life with curiosity instead of fear, we open the door to learning and growth, to navigate careers instead of drift with the tides. To hear more of Theresa's wisdom, tune into this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast and pick up your copy of Make Waves here.   “People don’t feel stuck because they’re incapable. They feel stuck because they lack clarity.” “Relevance isn’t about doing everything — it’s about knowing what you do well and being able to articulate it.” “If you don’t understand your value, no one else is going to understand it for you.” “You have to stay aware of what’s happening around you, but you can’t lose yourself in the noise.” “Career management is not something you do once. It’s something you do continuously.” “When people approach their job search with fear, they shrink. When they approach it with love and curiosity, they expand.” “Clarity creates confidence.” “You don’t wait to be chosen. You position yourself to stand out.” “We all need to make waves at some point in our careers — otherwise we just drift.” Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, Mary Fran

“Respect—of each other, of our team, of the process—was everything.” Andi Shaughnessy and Danielle Carter, Co-owners of ExpressIt   What would you do if you were suddenly in charge of running a business, despite having no experience doing so? Andi Shaughnessy and Danielle Carter were not business women--not by a long shot. But their father had built a business that they respected, and which they were handed after his untimely passing. After the death of their father, Andi and Danielle found their focus shifted in ways they weren't expecting. Grief clarified their priorities and deepened their commitment to continuing their father's legacy, and building something that reflected their, and his, values.  Neither of the sisters began with business plans, MBAs, or corporate blueprints. They started with a dedication to their father's work, a shared vision, and a willingness to move forward before they felt ready. Though they had no experience running a company, they chose imperfect action over paralysis--a Brilliantly Resilient strategy that involves examining what you can control, trusting your transferable skills, and taking the next step even when the path isn’t fully visible. Andi and Danielle leaned into faith and trust—not just in the process, but in the people around them. They respected expertise where they didn’t have it, brought in the right support, and built their business collaboratively rather than defensively, building a complementary tribe that worked with their personal skill sets. Resilience isn’t white-knuckled independence; it’s knowing when to ask for help and honoring the strengths others bring to the table. Andi and Danielle offer a powerful example of perception shaping possibility. Instead of seeing “We’ve never done this before” as a stop sign, they reframed it as a starting line, focusing on progress, not perfection. Adapting, trusting and evolving, they they revealed their brilliance—not because they had certainty, but because they had courage. Learn more about Andi and Danielle's journey, and about ExpressIt here. Follow them on Instagram on @unlikelybosses Tune in to this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast for more of the sisters' wisdom, and be sure to listen for these additional bits of brilliance: “We had never run a business before. Not even close.” “We didn’t know what we didn’t know—but we knew we could figure it out." "We just kept taking the next right step.” “If someone knew more than we did, we listened.” “We had to trust the people we brought in to help us.” “It wasn’t about ego. It was about building something that worked.” “There were moments we thought, ‘What are we doing?’ But we kept going.” “Faith played a huge role. We believed it would unfold.” “Respect—of each other, of our team, of the process—was everything.”   Thank you, Andi and Danielle, for sharing your Brilliantly Resilient journey.  Let's all be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, Mary Fran  

“Resilience isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about aligning what you want with what your system feels safe enough to allow.” ~ Carol Looke: Therapist, Coach and Author of The Yes Code and Yes Thank You   Are you sabotaging yourself? The obvious question is, "Why would anyone do that?" The not so obvious answer is that you may not know you're doing it. Carol Looke is a renowned therapist, author and coach who explores how resilience and forward momentum can be blocked not by lack of effort, but by unconscious sabotage and unresolved nervous system stress. Carol (who grew up with two alcoholic parents) explains that we often live in survival mode--a mindset that focuses on keeping us safe and avoiding potential harm, whether the risk of harm is real or not. In an effort to avoid harm, the mind creates obstacles to risk, ultimately keeping us stuck. Our emotional stress, internal resistance, and self-sabotage also live in the body and nervous system, not just in our thoughts. So what to do? One helpful solution, consistently applied, relies on Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), one portion of which relies on "tapping." Tapping relies on releasing stored emotional tension by tapping on points on the head and upper body while repeating positive affirmations. (On a personal aside, I thought tapping was downright silly--until I tried it!) A nervous-system-based approach, tapping creates safety, awareness and emotional alignment--encouraging momentum without forcing change. Carol's work and her book The Yes Code—help people identify the invisible “no’s” that keep them stuck and transform those patterns into forward momentum, building resilience through intentional action, clarity and self-permission. Living a Brilliantly Resilient life requires reflection as well as action. Once we recognize our internral resistance and yes, self-sabotage, we can move from frustration and burnout as we align our bodies and minds to allow our brilliance to shine.  Learn more about Carol and The Yes Code here and use this link for bonuses. Tune into this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast for more of Carol's wisdom and listen for these additional bits of brilliance: “Sabotage isn’t a character flaw—it’s an internal conflict that hasn’t been resolved yet.” “When people keep trying to push forward but can’t, it’s usually because part of them is saying no beneath the surface.” “The Yes Code is about finding those unconscious no’s and turning them into conscious yeses.” “Stress lives in the nervous system, not just in our thoughts, and it has to be released—not reasoned away.” “When you calm the nervous system, clarity and motivation follow naturally.” “Emotionally focused work helps people feel safe enough to change, instead of forcing themselves to change.” “Tapping allows the body to release emotional conflict so the mind doesn’t have to keep fighting itself.” “When internal resistance dissolves, success stops feeling like a battle.” “Resilience isn’t about pushing harder—it’s about aligning what you want with what your system feels safe enough to allow.” Thank you, Carol, for sharing your wisdom and encouragement with us. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, Mary Fran

“Resilience doesn’t mean you’re not broken—it means you keep going anyway.” ~ Andrea Wilson Woods, Author of Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days, Patient Advocate and Founder of Blue Faery   Grief. The loss of someone we love is likely the most devastating of human experiences. And while death is a part of life, the death of a young person proves particularly wrenching. Author of Better Off Bald: A Life in 147 Days, Andrea Wilson Woods suffered the loss of her younger sister Adrienne after a desperately critical and short illness due to a rare liver cancer. Adrienne's illness and death affected Andrea in countless ways, among them hopelessness leading to thoughts of suicide. Ultimately, Andrea began to channel her grief into advocacy, noting the lack of resources for patients and families during her sister's illness.  Refusing to let despair consume her, Andrea began to take intention, imperfect action to address the needs of families and patients and founded Blue Faery, an organization created to provide education, support, and hope to those affected by bile duct cancer. What began as a response to personal heartbreak evolved into a mission-driven community—one rooted in compassion, awareness, and resilience. Blue Faery exists not because the journey was easy, but because Andrea chose to respond rather than retreat. Andrea's journey personifies how to live a Brilliantly Resilient life--evolving and resetting in the midst of terrible challenges, rising through advocacy and action, and ultimately revealing brilliance through service to others. Her journey reminds us that resilience doesn’t erase grief—it gives us a way to move with it, transform it, and use it to light the path for others walking a similar road. To learn more, visit Andrea's website and tune into this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast for more of Andrea's wisdom. Listen for these additional bits of Brilliance: “We were overwhelmed, scared, and grieving—but we also knew we had to do something.” “Advocacy became a lifeline for us when everything else felt out of control.” “Watching someone you love fight cancer takes an emotional toll you can’t fully explain.” “Adrienne wanted to help others even while she was fighting for her own life.” “Blue Faery’s mission is to educate, support, and bring hope to patients and families affected by bile duct cancer.” “There were days when resilience looked like simply getting through the day.” “We didn’t have a roadmap—we learned as we went.” “Taking action gave us a sense of purpose in the middle of so much pain.” “Grief and hope can exist at the same time.” “Resilience doesn’t mean you’re not broken—it means you keep going anyway.” “If our experience could help even one family feel less alone, then it mattered.” Thank you Andrea and Adrienne for your brave hearts. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together. XO, Mary Fran