Brilliantly Resilient

If you're like us, you're gonna need some resilience reminders and some super strategies from some of our most favorite guests all summer long. You'll get the book selections and the podcast episodes.

~ Kristin & Mary Fran

It's SUMMER!!! We love summer here at Brilliantly Resilient, especially because it means Beach Reads!! And have we got a list for you!

From some old favorites (Pictionary creator Rob Angel's story in Game Changer and Rob Kenney's Dad How Do I?) to some inspiring new best-sellers like Selena Rezvani's Quick Confidence and Geralyn Ritter's Bone By Bone, we're bringing you some amazing stories by some of our favorite Brilliantly Resilient authors, podcast guests, and yep, they're our buddies!

Starting the first week of July, 2023, you can visit www.brilliantlyresilient.net to get a download of our 2023 Summer Reading List! The list provides not only great reads and book titles, but a link to the Brilliantly Resilient podcast episode featuring each brilliant guest!

We're super excited about this year's addition (Can you tell by how many exclamation points we've used???!!!!!) and we know you will be, too. Be sure to visit the Brilliantly Resilient podcast each week for more inspiration and enjoy a summer of spectacular reading!

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!!

XO,

Kristin & Mary Fran

~ Clarke Reynolds

We humans love to talk. It's our primary means of communication, and one specific to us as living beings. Yet so many of our conversations in this world are fraught with anger, mistrust and frustration. 

Clarke Reynolds wants to change that. As a blind artist, Clarke is intent on changing people's perception of blindness through his artwork–and sparking conversation. 

Despite a challenging childhood, health issues and deteriorating eyesight, Clarke was determined to follow his dreams. With his sketchbook as his role model and his "shrink," Clarke worked hard, evolving with his circumstances and using his art to tactically communicate with both the sighted and unsighted worlds. By creating a bridge through his work, Clarke helps others find commonality in experience, sparking positive interactions–and conversations.

Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we understand the need to evolve. Life doesn't stand still, and neither can we if we want to live happy, fulfilling lives. That rarely means that things work out according to plan, but by keeping our mental conversations positive and focusing on doing the work, we can make an impact–even if it's not the same one we envisioned. (And it's often even better!)

To hear more from Clarke, check out his website at https://www.seeingwithoutseeing.com/ and tune in to this week's edition of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast. Be sure to listen for these additional bits of brilliance:

• Braille is a great ice breaker; you can physically use it to tell stories. We live in a coding age. Braille is just a different way to code. Braille is just a new language, as is coding.

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Kristin and Mary Fran

~ Margaret Guerrette, Reliance Matrix Co-Chair of the Women's Employee Resource Group (ERG)

Have you ever felt the need to put on your "happy hat" at work to convince colleagues and bosses that you've got everything under control, despite being overwhelmed and utterly stressed out? Did you ever hear the term "work/life balance" and want to scream--just a little? 

Prior to the pandemic, work/life balance was touted as something workers could achieve just by talking about it–and it was on them to make it happen. Support for employees from within the corporate structure to help them achieve that balance was rare, as workers hesitated to share their challenges while on the job.

As Margaret Guerrette from Reliance Matrix tells us, Covid changed all of that. As employees "zoomed" to work from home, the world saw in real time just how difficult a work/life balance was to achieve. Workers' mental health was under attack like never before, and companies recognized the desperate need to provide their workforce with support, for the good of the worker as well as the organization.

Enter the Employee Resource Group (ERG), a now formal umbrella term for corporate associations within an organization specifically designed to provide support for employees. The groups are often populated by workers sharing a specific identifier–women, LGBTQ, Hispanic, etc.–and bring together workers from across the company to share challenges, solutions and mentorship. Margaret notes, "The diversity of thought from women at all corporate levels and from different backgrounds makes us this power group; it's wonderful to see!"

Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we know the value of a tribe. When companies recognize the need to support their employees in their entirety as people, everyone benefits, both with employee as well as consumer retention. Plus, it's just the right thing to do.

Kudos to Reliance Matrix and all organizations that support their workforce with ERGs or BRGs. To hear more from Margaret about how to start an ERG within your organization, tune into this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast, and be sure to listen in for these additional bits of brilliance:

• We should be, as companies, supporting  workforces in the efforts to be seen, stay healthy, and to have a healthy balance because you can do both. You can caretake, you can do well in your job, and it doesn't have to be one or the other.

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Mary Fran & Kristin

~ Judy Chinitz

Have you ever tried to get a point across to someone but couldn't find the right words? Most of us occasionally struggle to find the right words to communicate our thoughts.

But what if you couldn't communicate at all? What if you were trapped in a body incapable of speaking or sharing your thoughts? Worse, what if everyone around you believed you were profoundly mentally handicapped and incapable of even having intelligent thoughts let alone sharing them?

Judy Chintiz spent 25 years of her son's life thinking exactly that, only to find after empowering her son with a unique method of communication that Alex had an even higher IQ than normal and was really very intelligent–he just couldn't tell her.

Judy's remarkable journey with her son, Alex, reminds us that persistence is key to any success, even if it seems a situation is hopeless. Despite frustration after frustration, Judy refused to give up, ultimately finding the tool to give Alex a voice and freeing him to express his thoughts. (Alex is enrolled in a college program this fall!)

Now a founder of the Mouth to Hand Learning Center, Judy has brought the voices of the silent to the world through her work and through her book, Spellbound: The Voices of the Silent, which features the work of those previously unable to communicate.

Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we know the power of persistence. When you believe with all your heart and you do the work, you will find answers. They may not always be the exact answers you want, and the path may be different than what you choose, but the journey will be fruitful. 

Tune in to hear more about Judy and Alex and be sure to listen for these additional bits of brilliance!

• After my son was diagnosed with autism, my life was set. That was my path.

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Kristin & Mary Fran

~ Shereen Thor

Did you have a life plan? Most of us did. We thought if we chose an "acceptable" career path, did the "right" things and followed all of the rules, life would be grand. Except it doesn't always work out that way.

For many of us, "acceptable" career paths and life choices don't make us happy, usually because the roads are rigid and don't allow us to stretch to be who we really are. Yet, making a decision (and then sticking with it) to deviate from the "right" path can seem impossible, especially when we believe we will be disappointing those who see success differently.

Shereen Thor, former cubicle monkey, standup comic and entrepreneur, discovered first-hand that making choices to fulfill someone else's idea of success rarely ends well. As she began to feel she was abandoning her own life, Shereen tuned into her inner rebel and did the unthinkable–she left corporate America to become a standup comic, living happily ever after…or not.

As Shereen notes, "You are going to experience hard things whether you are on the right path or not, but the right path makes the challenges worth it." Here at brilliantly Resilient, we know that life is ever-evolving, always offering a mix of good and bad. But when you choose to live with a Brilliantly Resilient, values-based mindset, the rough spots are a little less rough–and always come with a lesson to help move you forward.

Tune in to hear more of Shereen's wisdom on this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast. And be sure to listen for these additional bits of brilliance:

• Standup comedy was terrifying, but I wanted a different life. I was tired of abandoning myself.

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Mary Fran & Kristin

~ Paige Leigh DeAngelo

Did you lose anything during Covid? All of us lost something or someone, and some losses were far more painful than others.

But even seemingly minor losses had profound effects, causing us to question our identities, our past decisions and our futures.

A dancer since early childhood, Paige DeAngelo lost that part of her identity when she was unable to dance on stage during Covid. Initially grieving that loss, Paige eventually looked inward to determine what skills she had learned during her dance career that she could transfer to other passions.

In 2021, after recalling the copious amount of makeup used during her dance days, Paige founded Aer Cosmetics, creating a sustainable mascara that allows the user to buy a small tablet of mascara as a refill, using the product's original tube, rather than buy an entirely new unit every time. Now a recipient of over $70,000 in grants and business competition winnings, Paige is a full-fledged entrepreneur and will be bringing her product to market in the near future.

Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we love Paige's emphasis on utilizing her transferable skills to rebuild her life after Covid's sucker punch. What transferable skills can you bring to other areas of your life? Tune into this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast to hear more of Paige's words of wisdom, and listen for these additional bits of brilliance:

• I realized at a very young age that if I wanted something I was going to have to do it myself. I determine my final outcome.

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Mary Fran & Kristin

~ Catherine Grace O'Connell

The "M" word. If you're a woman, menopause looms in your life as something to dread–the end of vitality and usefulness. At least, that's the way it used to be.

Catherine Grace O'Connell, the founder of  Forever Fierce: MIdlife Matters and Modlife Media, knows the power of women in midlife. A self-described "Ageism Positivist, Catherine sums up midlife for women like this: "Women at Midlife & Beyond are the Perfect Storm. We are the first demographic in history to have health and vitality, wisdom and life experience, and a pocketbook to match. We are a fierce creative force balanced by compassion and empathy. It's time we make our presence known!"

Part sage, inspiration, practical advice, and all fierce fabulousness, Catherine has mastered her own challenges and turned midlife into a powerful period of creativity, using her wisdom and smarts to guide others to embrace midlife and find the joys and power within.

Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we love Catherine's spirit, can-do attitude and her practical strategies for making the most of modern midlife. (And she looks amazing, too!) To hear more of Catherine's wisdom, tune into this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast, and be sure to listen in for these additional bits of brilliance:

• Most women at midlife are exhausted from the duty side of life. Those sparks of creativity and joy need to be honored. We must use our voice to inspire others and be who we are supposed to be.

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Kristin & Mary Fran

~ Dr. Greta Uehling

Can you imagine life in a war zone? The residents of Ukraine have lived amidst devastating war and crisis for years, first with the invasion of the Crimean Peninsula and now with Russia's further invasion starting in 2022.

For those of us living in the United States, life in a war zone is something we observe from afar. The images we most often see are devastating, showing civilians huddling in fear near bombed out homes and cities.

Yet, when Dr. Greta Uehling visited Ukraine to better learn how civilians were coping with the war, she discovered resilience and brilliance as people often "made choices based on others' vulnerability," discovering also that "relationships became essential to resilience." Dr. Uehling's book, Everyday War illustrates how individuals found their worldview shifting as they discovered the importance of relationships, awareness of others' suffering and the usefulness of transferable skills in navigating life in a war zone with resilience.

This week's powerful interview with Dr. Uehling illustrates the concepts of how to live a Brilliantly Resilient life in the most challenging of circumstances, highlighting the power of employing our transferable skills in service to others. Even Dr. Uehling's personal journey to Ukraine required a willingness to evolve with changing situations, and not being married to a particular outcome.

Tune into this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast to hear more of Dr. Uehling's wisdom, and be sure to listen for these additional bits of brilliance:

• I had to let go of my previous agenda. I couldn't control the occupation of Crimea, but I still had the power of my pen.

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Kristin & Mary Fran

How often do you look towards an upcoming event, goal, work or personal situation, and think, "This isn't going to go the way I want?"

Most of us are guilty of sometimes assuming the worst of a situation even before it happens. Whether it's a form of self-protection, preparing for what we believe is certain disappointment, or planning a next step after failure, we focus on the potential negative outcome far more than we allow ourselves to consider the positive.

Blind for the last 35 years and now a highly successful businessman, L.A. Williams has experienced negativity, and knows that allowing a negative mindset to take root will only bring on more of the same. Once we plant an idea or outcome in our minds, the brain begins to work on that scenario, helping us to consciously or unconsciously achieve exactly what we are telling ourselves will happen.

It's essential to stop negativity in its tracks before it takes root–and setting a mental timer to get off the doom and gloom carousel is just the solution.

Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we've also welcomed failure with open arms by allowing it to grab hold of our minds. When we believed things wouldn't work out, they didn't, at least in part because all of our mental energy was preparing the way for us to fail.

We're believers in intention and mindset. At the very least, living hopefully is a heck of a lot better than living miserably. At best, we've found over and over that showing negativity the door and setting a lovely place for success leads us precisely in that direction.

To hear more of L.A.'s wisdom, tune into this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast. And be sure to listen for these additional bits of brilliance:

• I didn't want anyone putting any limits on me. The only thing I can't do that you can do is see.

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Kristin & Mary Fran

How often do you respond, "I'm fine" when someone asks how you are feeling? It's almost automatic–partly because it's a standard greeting, but also because many of us believe that sharing our feelings, especially if we don't feel like rainbows and sunshine, is a sign of weakness.

Being vulnerable and admitting to feeling lonely, stressed, anxious or depressed is particularly taboo if you're an executive in today's business world. We expect our leaders to be strong, even if that means they must ignore their humanity and the negative feelings that sometimes come with it. The problem is that refusing to acknowledge or manage those feelings only compounds the problem, weakening the ability to lead and live effectively and happily.

Nick Jonsson knows first-hand the perils of suppressing negative feelings. After moving to a foreign country, leaving friends and family behind, Nick struggled with isolation and turned to some unhealthy ways to manage the strain. It was after a friend's suicide that he realized the problem was more widespread than simply personal. 

Nick founded the Executives' Global Network–a confidential peer networking group of over 700 executives to share their challenges, receive support and learn. He also authored Executive Loneliness: The 5 Pathways to Overcoming Isolation, Stress, Anxiety and Depression in the Modern Business World, and created a suicide prevention organization.

Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we know that life isn't always brilliant. Anyone can experience negative feelings–regardless of how things look to those on the outside. Building a tribe of support is essential to mental health, as is allowing ourselves to acknowledge our vulnerability. Once we do, we often find a community of others who not only feel the same way, but serve as a source of strength as we regain our emotional equilibrium.

To hear more of Nick's wisdom, tune into this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast, and be sure to listen for these additional bits of brilliance:

• Executive men especially keep secret and silent until we can't cope any more and we turn to other things that can end up harming us.

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO, 

Mary Fran & Kristin