Emily thought a packed calendar was proof she was successful, right up until a manic episode at 28 forced a pause she never would have chosen. In this solo reflection on her Pool Nation Women's Summit keynote, she unpacks why busy is not the same as balanced, why no one else will manage your output for you, and how to build a structure you can return to. The takeaway: you don't need a diagnosis or a breaking point to redefine success.

Mikel McGee had a master’s in criminal justice, a stable nonprofit job, and no plan to become a florist. On Success, Rewritten, the founder of Milwaukee’s 414loral traces the pivot from human-services work to a Bronzeville flower shop, and how she stopped measuring success in dollars.

When Jenny Dempsey lost her dad, then her job, then got rejected by 400 employers, she didn't find her way forward on a trend feed or a job board. She found it in a friend's basement, in the shape of a junky table. This episode is a conversation about grief, layoffs, and how redefining success sometimes starts in the most unexpected places.

Former news anchor Lynn Smith spoke to millions for a living and was terrified of public speaking the entire time. In this episode, she breaks down the Brain Bully, why your communication challenges have nothing to do with communication, and how reframing fear is the only fix that actually works.

Before I start interviewing other people about the moments that changed everything, you should know mine. This is the story behind Success, Rewritten — and the manic episode, the layoff, and the decade in between that made it necessary.