Brilliantly Resilient

I needed to understand why this happened to me and think about what was next. Life is all about what you do on the second climb  ~ Jeffrey Abramowitz Have you ever made a mistake? One that changed your life, and not for the better? We all make mistakes, but usually, we do so without ill intent. Mistakes, by their nature, aren't intentional. We don't mean to screw up. That's why Jeffrey Abramowitz, this week's guest on the Brilliantly Resilient podcast, makes a distinction. Having spent five years in prison for a financial crime, Jeffrey notes that he made a choice that led to consequences. Consequences that changed his life forever. Jeffrey learned much while serving his sentence, and it brought him to his true purpose, to advocate for justice and education for those reentering society after incarceration. Jeffrey learned that two things are essential to successfully rebuild a life--responsibility and education. Once Jeffrey accepted his responsibility for his own actions, he dedicated himself to a life helping others, teaching inmates while serving his sentence and advocating for education to prepare inmates to re-enter society and build a life. Jeffrey encourages others to look forward and gives them the skills to do just that. By acknowledging our responsibility for our choices, we empower ourselves to move forward. Tune in to hear more about Jeffrey's mission and listen for these additional bits of brilliance: "I don't think any of us should spend time looking in the rear-view mirror. We can learn lessons, but we need to look forward." "It took me to really lose everything before I learned the lessons I needed to learn. But then I could define what the next chapter of my life could be." "We have to bring humanity back into our system, but the self-responsibility piece is the first thing you have to accept. I opened a door and I needed to accept everything that happened after that." "It's simple if you take just one little step. Turn the chair around." (Listen for this super-cool story!) ~ Jeffrey Abramowitz (https://www.jeffrey-abramowitz.com/) Let's be Brilliantly resilient together! KS & MFB

Your home is a tool. If your home is cluttered, it's not working for you. De-cluttering is not about being perfect. It's about making your house work for you as an asset to make room for happiness. ~ Tracy McCubbin We're just a few days into 2023, and if you're like us here at Brilliantly Resilient, your brain is already racing with goals and to-do's for the coming year. Like most people, we're raring to go and looking forward to crushing it in the New Year. But first, it's time to put away all of the lovely holiday decor that bejeweled our homes for the last five or six weeks. Funny, though, how those things that sparkled a short while ago now make rooms seem tired, dusty, and cluttered. Our friend Tracy McCubbin is the perfect person to help us begin 2023 by decluttering our homes and mindsets with some fundamental ideas and actions aimed at making our surroundings work for us, not against us. As Tracy advises, when we think of our homes as a tool meant to help us, it allows us to more clearly see what's working and what isn't–and what can be loaded into the donate or discard pile. So much that we hold on to no longer serves us. When we make room for more in our lives by decluttering, the space becomes mental as well as physical, and change becomes exponential. Tune into this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast to hear more of Tracy's wisdom and be sure to check out her new book, Make Space for Happiness: How to Stop Attracting Clutter and Start Magnetizing the Life You Want . Listen for these additional bits of Brilliance from Tracy in the episode: I saw the choke-hold that people's stuff can have on them. Don't become a museum to the past. The more clutter you have, the more your cortisol goes up. Clutter is a constant to-do list. And the more decisions your brain makes, the more tired it gets. If you couple the source of your happiness to your stuff and it goes away, where are you? Start with your "why." Why are you decluttering? Keep your why positive. And start with the easy things. Things you can declutter in 5 minutes. ~Tracy McCubbin Wishing you all good things in 2023. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

Just a few more days to go before we welcome in the New Year! Who's ready to see 2022 hit the road?? The last few years certainly haven't been easy. And there's a great temptation to feel little enthusiasm for what's to come. BUT, throwing yourself a big, 'ol pity party doesn't provide much satisfaction--at least not long term.  So here it is, our most listened to episode from 2022, and it features our friend, Keith Baldwin. If there were ever an example of how to live a Brilliantly Resilient life in the midst of a giant pile of poo, Keith provides it. And although Keith loves a good party, his best advice involves putting the breaks on one. Read on to hear more from Keith and listen to how he managed a major sucker punch BRILLIANTLY!!! Thanks to Keith and all of our Brilliantly Resilient guests for sharing their wisdom, humor and humanity with us in 2022. We are beyond grateful. And thanks to all of you who listen to learn how to live a Brilliantly Resilient life--we're still learning right along with all of you! Happy New Year to all and here's to a fabulous 2023!!! Limit your Pity Party. I threw a hell of a Pity Party, but those emotions don't help you with solutions or move you forward. ~ Keith Baldwin Have you ever thrown yourself a Pity Party? Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we were experts at it. When life hits you with a sucker punch, it seems like you're entitled to feel sorry for yourself. And you are–to a point. But you can't live in that place of pain. Acknowledge it, feel it, and then get the heck out of there! This week's guest, Keith Baldwin decided to make 2020 a year of firsts and wrote a book (A Leap Year of Firsts) about his experiences. But what started out as fun and games quickly turned serious when the pandemic produced some unwanted firsts–as when Keith had to lay off his entire workforce.  After realizing that feeling sorry for himself wasn't helping him or his staff, Keith got to work, finding a unique solution to his problem and hiring all 45 workers back within hours of laying them off. Remember, sometimes life just sucks. The question is, are you just visiting that place of yuck or are you going to live there? Tune in to this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast to hear more about Keith Baldwin and his Leap Year of Firsts! XO, KS & MFB

As we approach the end of 2022, we wanted to bring you another favorite episode with our viewers from this past year. Our dear friend, Diane Berberian, left us this year, but she also left behind many lessons and the endless light of her hard-won wisdom. Tune in again to hear more from this Brilliant woman. Every day, just be enough.                                                                                                                        ~ Diane Berberian It is with a mixture of both sadness and joy that we bring you this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast. Our dear friend, Diane Berberian, passed away peacefully last week after a long battle with cancer. To say that Diane was a bright light is an understatement, but she never saw herself that way. In her mind, she was always "just Diane," although she inspired so many with her grit and grace. A true Northeast Philly girl (we're a tough lot!) Diane fought, but never looked like she was fighting, her wide, bright smile always at the ready. When we spoke to Diane two years ago, she dropped too many Brilliance Bits to count, but her advice to "Every day, just be enough." was brilliantly simple and striking. Do your best, help others, and just be enough.  Tune into this episode to hear more of Diane's simple, beautiful brilliance. Here are a few more quotes to listen for: Sit still and think. People don't take the time to sit still. Find those people you belong to. There may be different people at different times.  Beginners need to know that you get more than one chance if you fail.  If I don't ask, the answer will always be "No."  ~ Diane Berberian We love you, Diane. Thank you for sharing your light with us all. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together. XO, KS & MFB

We've got a few holiday treats in store for you here at Brilliantly Resilient! We've decided to share some of this year's top episodes as we head into 2023. Here's our first fave! Stay tuned for more in the next few weeks! The holiday season is all about family, whether related or chosen. Yet, not everyone has family to surround them with love. Enter one of our favorite folks--Rob Kenney, of "Dad, How Do I?" fame. Rob's warmth and advice fills a void for many, and we couldn't think of a better way to honor the season than to share our friend Rob and his brilliance once again. Here's more about Rob below.... S.E.L.F. Serve others, Eat and exercise, Learn something, Forgive somebody. ~ Rob Kenney, a.k.a. Dad, How Do I? Rob Kenney is America's Dad. A kind, fun-loving guy, Rob has sky rocketed to rockstar status - all because he gives some good Dad-ly advice and tells a few goofy Dad jokes. Yet, Rob is really about reaching out to those who are missing their dads--and the support and love dads can provide. With a genuine, simple approach, Rob not only teaches viewers how to do "Dad" stuff, he dispenses wisdom about how to live a good life. Tune in to hear Rob's story about creating the "Dad How Do I?" videos and how Rob's values infuse his work. Get Rob's book on Amazon here: Dad, How Do I? Join the Brilliantly Resilient Facebook Community for daily motivation to move forward through life's sucker punches! www.Facebook.com/groups/brilliantlyresilient! Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together, and Happy Holidays! XO, KS & MFB

When you have a heart to give and a heart to serve, you can get lost in the mission. That's why we have to take that pause. Serve your purpose but don't lose yourself. And remember, we're not called to serve everybody. ~ April Ervin Do you love to help people? Most of us do. When we help others, it makes us feel good, as though we're somehow making the world better. That's not a bad thing, except when our helping depletes us to the point where we feel anxious, stressed and overwhelmed.  April Ervin knows how it feels to be depleted. At 35, her doctor warned April that she was on a path toward illness and health problems if she didn't take a pause and reassess her life and priorities. That's when April decided to become a Chief Peace Officer, intentionally stopping her mad race to achieve and taking the time to rest, reflect and finally recalibrate her choices and life. That focused approach allowed April to not only decrease her stress and overwhelm, but to actually be more effective in all areas of her life. Living our best lives as well as serving others must be goals that work together for us and those we care about. By making intentional decisions and understanding that we cannot serve everyone, we empower ourselves to deliver our best to others and ourselves. Tune in for more of April's tips and wisdom on this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, KS & MFB

I was driven towards chaos, turn-arounds, new-ideas, startups. I discovered that I like the burning buildings. You can lead through disruption, but it's important not to make fear-based decisions. ~ Antonia Hock How many of us are drawn to chaos? We've all had more than a taste of it over the past several years, and most of us couldn't wait to get back to "normal." Yet if we're honest, that state of chaos encouraged many of us to be creative, find our brilliance and rebuild our lives in ways that were new. While we'd never say we enjoyed the chaos, our friend Antonia Hock looks at chaos with a unique perspective, seeing the opportunity dramatic change can offer to remake and rebuild things we often content ourselves with because they've always been that way.  A world-renowned business coach, Antonia believes that great challenges offers great opportunity, and encourages her clients to value people, building "exceptional customer experiences and a world-class employee culture." Antonia also recognizes that we must constantly challenge ourselves in order to grow, and took up rock climbing to engage herself physically and mentally, helping to add clarity and focus to all areas of her life. How can you put aside fear to lead through chaos and disruption? Tune in to hear more of Antonia's wisdom on this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, KS & MFB

Bad things happen. It's what we do with them. Grace is defined as an undeserved, unmerited gift. I've been given a gift. ~ Geralyn Ritter Those of us who live in the Philadelphia area remember with great clarity the early evening of May 12, 2015, when an Amtrak train bound for New York from Washington, D.C. derailed in Philadelphia, killing 8 and injuring over 200 people.  Geralyn Ritter, our guest today on the Brilliantly Resilient podcast, was on that train, and was one of the 11 people critically injured whose lives would be forever changed. Taken unconscious to a nearby hospital, Geralyn was without identification and was unable to contact her husband and children, who searched desperately for her all night. Geralyn speaks of her experience, how she survived her trauma (doctors said her survival was nothing short of miraculous) and how she has dedicated herself to helping others heal from devastating challenges by sharing her story, especially through her book, Bone by Bone. With a determined, resilient spirit, Geralyn offers lessons to navigate crisis and even find the true purpose within them.  Tune in to this week's episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast to hear more of Geralyn's truly inspiring story. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, KS & MFB

We don't celebrate failing. We should fail proudly and share our failures. Just show up imperfectly. ~ Renee Bauer How many times have you failed in your life? Beginning with childhood (babies fall around 17 times an hour learning to walk!) the answer is probably zillions–so, a lot. As children, we innately recognize that failure is a part of learning. And as we absorb the lessons of each failure, we come that much closer to success. It's only as we begin to know shame and embarrassment that failure becomes FAILURE!!! and we neglect to recognize its value. The other downside of our relationship with failure is that it makes us afraid to try. Our friend Renee Bauer knows "failure" in what many think of as the traditional meaning of the word. She's also chosen to take intentional action to not only learn from her failures, but use them to propel her forward both personally and professionally. Twice divorced and now happily married in a blended family, Renee built a legal practice serving individuals who couldn't imagine a happily ever after by encouraging a mindset change along with imperfect action and courage with hard decisions. She also inspires women around the world with her She Who Wins Summit. Tune in to hear more of Renee's wisdom on this week's edition of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast and start on the path towards your happily even after. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, KS & MFB

Self care is not about bubble baths. A self-care and energy audit encourages us to look at six essential areas of our lives to see what is feeding us and what isn't working. Where are we in terms of relationships, emotionally, psychologically, environmentally, spiritually, and  career-wise? ~ Peg Sadie In the last three years, how many times have you heard the term "self-care?" Probably almost as often as you've heard about "resilience." But what do they mean? If we try to define either word, we rarely agree on a singular definition. As to how to integrate either, or both, into our lives, well, that makes room for even more opinions and suggestions, but few concrete strategies. Here at Brilliantly Resilient, we're all about specific tools to help you tap into your inherent resilience (learn more at www.brilliantlyresilient.net), as is our friend Peg Sadie, founder of the Resilient Mom Academy, and an expert on helping mothers create calm and intentional lives. Peg advises that in order to practice meaningful self-care, we need to intentionally take note of what is and is not working in six major areas of our lives. Being unbalanced in any one, or more likely several, can lead to anxiety, overwhelm, and parenting that is not only less than ideal, but passes on those challenges to our children. By recognizing what is lacking, we can "reverse engineer" the problem, finding solutions to fix what's broken or let go of it altogether. Self-care is not about bubble baths (not that there's anything wrong with that!), but rather, allowing ourselves the time and focus to pay attention to ourselves. Tune in to hear more of Peg's wisdom on this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast. Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together! XO, KS & MFB