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Episode 226: The Power of Sharing Your Story, with Sara Connell

Brilliantly Resilient

Release Date: 09/03/2025

Episode 233: The Art of Rising: Finding Resilience Through Creativity with Pia Maillot-Leichter show art Episode 233: The Art of Rising: Finding Resilience Through Creativity with Pia Maillot-Leichter

Brilliantly Resilient

“You have to give yourself permission to suck — that’s how we grow and develop. Resilience is built in the messy middle.” ~ Pia Maillot-Leichter, Founder of The Kolektive Studio and Author of Welcome to the Creative Club Pia Maillot-Leichter, founder of The Kollektive Studio and author of , joins the Brilliantly Resilient Podcast to explore how creativity is one of the most powerful tools for resilience and self-discovery. Pia reminds us that creativity isn’t reserved for artists — it’s a life skill. Whether you’re building a business, solving a problem, or reimagining...

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Episode 232: Turning Resilience into Action: Introducing the Brilliantly Resilient Mini-Course Series show art Episode 232: Turning Resilience into Action: Introducing the Brilliantly Resilient Mini-Course Series

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“These courses are a roadmap — they guide you to not only uncover your resilience but to rise, thrive, and ultimately find your brilliance within life’s challenges.” ~ Mary Fran Bontempo, Creator of the   Today it's me--sharing the story behind the creation of the Brilliantly Resilient Mini-Course Series — Reset with Resilience, Rise and Thrive, and Reveal Your Brilliance. After years of helping people bounce back from life’s challenges through her books, speaking, and podcast, I wanted to create a hands-on way for anyone to learn and live the Brilliantly Resilient...

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Episode 231: Building Resilience One Move at a Time with Jake Weiner of Zooz Fitness show art Episode 231: Building Resilience One Move at a Time with Jake Weiner of Zooz Fitness

Brilliantly Resilient

“Sometimes resilience looks like showing up. That’s it. Just being here, trying again, and refusing to give up.” ~ Jake Weiner--Founder,    Everyone knows that exercise and movement are important to health, both mental and physical. But can exercise help build strength in other ways--like resilience?  Jake Weiner thinks so. Jake is the founder of Zooz Fitness, an inclusive fitness community in Los Angeles dedicated to making health and movement accessible to individuals of all abilities. Jake has witnessed the transformative power of movement, and shares how...

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Episode 230: How to Build Resilience By Questioning the Status Quo, with Victoria Lenormand show art Episode 230: How to Build Resilience By Questioning the Status Quo, with Victoria Lenormand

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“I realized I was battling in a system that valued the system over the child — and that was a big wake-up call.” ~Victoria Lenormand, Former Police Detective, Founder of Gemini Directions and Author of    Have you ever felt like you just didn't fit in? Occasionally, and especially during the teenage years, everyone feels like they don't belong. But how would you manage feeling like that every day? And if you were a parent watching your child struggling with such feelings, how would you help them (and you) through it? Victoria Lenormand is a former police detective from the...

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Episode 229: How to Make Leadership a Habit, with Habituelle Founder, Jessi Sheridan show art Episode 229: How to Make Leadership a Habit, with Habituelle Founder, Jessi Sheridan

Brilliantly Resilient

“Habituelle is rooted in the belief that leadership isn’t a title—it’s how we show up, again and again.” ~ Jessi Sheridan, Founder of Habituelle   When you think of habits, what comes to mind? Often, when we think of a habit, it's in a critical way--as in a bad habit we want to break. But Habituelle founder Jessi Sheridan believes that making something a habit is a positive way to create powerful, lasting change.  In this episode of the Brilliantly Resilient podcast, Jessi Sheridan shares how her approach to leadership grew from the belief that leadership is a habit--one...

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Episode 228: Resilience Beyond the Expected: Harnessing Neurodivergent Brilliance with Rita Ramakrishnan show art Episode 228: Resilience Beyond the Expected: Harnessing Neurodivergent Brilliance with Rita Ramakrishnan

Brilliantly Resilient

"We have to reshape how we talk about neurodivergence in the workplace--shift from it being a disability that needs to be accomodated to a form of cognitive diversity we can cultivate and harness to drive success." Rita Ramakrishnan ~ Founder and CEO of   What if the very things you’ve seen as challenges are actually your greatest strengths?  Rita Ramakrishnan was diagnosed as neurodivergent and autistic as a young adult, but she always knew she was different. Getting her diagnosis proved to be the proverbial light bulb, explaining much of what made Rita wonder about how she...

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Episode 227: How Conflict Offers Opportunities to Build Resilience and Growth, with Ursula Taylor show art Episode 227: How Conflict Offers Opportunities to Build Resilience and Growth, with Ursula Taylor

Brilliantly Resilient

“Every disagreement is an invitation to pause, reflect, and reset before we respond.” Ursula Taylor ~ Founder,    The legal profession is basically founded on conflict. One side tries to prove the other wrong in order to "win." A former commercial litigator with 17 years of experience, Ursula Taylor has seen her share of conflict, and she's committed to changing the idea of conflict as a battle to be won into an opportunity to clarify values, adjust perspective and focus on solutions instead of blame. By working with corporations and individuals through Conflict Reimagined,...

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Episode 226: The Power of Sharing Your Story, with Sara Connell show art Episode 226: The Power of Sharing Your Story, with Sara Connell

Brilliantly Resilient

“The very thing you’re afraid to say is often what will inspire someone else to keep going.” ~ Sara Connell, Best-selling Author and Founder of Thought Leader Academy   Have you ever thought about writing a book but believe you have nothing to say? For those of us living "ordinary" lives, it's easy to feel our stories have little meaning beyond our own lives. Yet Sara Connell holds the opposite to be true.  As founder of the Thought Leader Academy and a 5x Bestselling author, Sara knows that even everyday stories can have profound impact. In fact, the experiences that test us...

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Episode 225: How to Reset When Achievement Feels Empty, with Dr. Toni Warner show art Episode 225: How to Reset When Achievement Feels Empty, with Dr. Toni Warner

Brilliantly Resilient

“We get addicted to achievement because it’s how we prove we matter.” ~ Dr. Toni Warner, Certified Trauma Therapist and Author of    Achievement. Do more. Be more. Check off more boxes.  UGH. Most women feel the need to achieve, which is not a bad thing in itself. But when that need keeps us spinning, working, accomplishing, but still feeling drained, and unfulfilled, somethin' ain't working. Dr. Toni Warner’s has walked the walk, achieving by all of society's standards but feeling something missing. Her work centers on redefining success for high-achieving women as she...

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Episode 224: How to Episode 224: How to "Graduate" into a Joyful, Fulfilling Retirement, with Author and Retirement Expert Elizabeth Zelinka Parsons

Brilliantly Resilient

“The happiest people in retirement are the ones who stay curious.” Elizabeth Zelinka Parsons ~ Retirement Transition Expert, Former Attorney and Author of   When you began your work life, do you remember thinking about retirement?  For many decades, retirement was the 65-year-old's goal: the end of the "job" and the entry into leisure and relaxation until...um...the end??? Too often, though, the relaxation didn't materialize--at least not in the way it was intended, especially for those who not only enjoyed working, but whose work life seemed to define them. Too many retirements...

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“The very thing you’re afraid to say is often what will inspire someone else to keep going.”

~ Sara Connell, Best-selling Author and Founder of Thought Leader Academy

 

Have you ever thought about writing a book but believe you have nothing to say?

For those of us living "ordinary" lives, it's easy to feel our stories have little meaning beyond our own lives. Yet Sara Connell holds the opposite to be true. 

As founder of the Thought Leader Academy and a 5x Bestselling author, Sara knows that even everyday stories can have profound impact. In fact, the experiences that test us but which we often overlook as meaningless to others can be the very ones that inspire people to uncover their own resilience and reclaim their power. 

Sharing our stories enables us to give voice to our own truth, find meaning, and heal as we rise from challenges. Each time we share our journey--the messy parts--the vulnerable parts, we strengthen our own resilience and provide a roadmap for someone else to rise.

Ultimately, Sara notes that Brilliance is not about a perfect story, but about sharing authenticity. Our stories, no matter their scope, hold the potential to heal, connect, and inspire, becoming catalysts for resilience, transformation, and brilliance that ripple outward into the world.

Learn more about Sara and the Thought Leader Academy where she helps coaches, experts and entrepreneurs scale impact + create 6-7 figures by becoming bestselling authors and in demand/TEDx speakers. Tune in for more of her wisdom on this week's Brilliantly Resilient podcast and be sure to listen for these additional bits of Brilliance and check out Sara's FREE GIFTS BELOW:

 

  • “Stories are the bridges that connect us—we heal ourselves and others every time we tell them.”
  • “You don’t need a blockbuster story to make an impact. Your everyday story can be the light someone else needs.”
  • “When we give voice to our story, we reclaim our power.”
  • “Your story isn’t what happened to you—it’s the meaning you choose to create from it.”
  • “Stories are proof that we survived, and they become roadmaps for others to rise too.”
  • “The very thing you’re afraid to say is often what will inspire someone else to keep going.”
  • “Sharing your story doesn’t just free you—it gives others permission to share theirs.”
  • "Every time you tell your story, you expand the possibility of what’s available—for yourself and for others.”
  • “Brilliance isn’t about perfection—it’s about showing up in your truth, story and all.”

Check out these FREE GIFTS from Sara!

7 Steps to Write a Revenue Generating Bestselling Book
(in as little as 2 months even if you’ve never written before)
PLUS: Sara’s bonus templates and worksheets that have generated hundreds of bestsellers: https://www.saraconnell.com/7-steps-to-write-a-revenue-generating-bestselling-book

6-Step Pitch Power Training:
In this training, Sara shows you her 6-Step Pitch- which has resulted in thousands of podcasts, conferences, virtual events, and media appearances: https://saraconnellcoaching.lpages.co/pitch-process/

Let's be Brilliantly Resilient together!

XO,

Mary Fran