I Made the Leap with Arrogance—Then Microsoft Started Layoffs | Symone Opara, LeCuckoo

From Burnout to Book Editor: Why Heather Romanowski Bet on Herself After Loss

What does it take to leave a stable corporate career and bet everything on your own creative business? Editor Heather Romanowski spent ten years in technical editing before burnout — and profound loss — pushed her to take the leap. Today she's the founder behind Book Realm Revisions, helping authors, publishers, and game creators turn rough drafts into stories they're proud of. In this episode, Heather shares: ✨ Why losing two cousins to cancer became the catalyst to finally bet on herself ✨ "Adapt or die" — her honest, principled stance on AI in creative work ✨ Why she refuses to feed a single client's manuscript to generative AI ✨ The feast-and-famine cycle no one warns freelancers about ✨ Developmental vs. line vs. copy editing — explained simply ✨ How self-publishing is getting more stories told that need telling ✨ Leading with kindness as a business strategy ✨ Setting (and sometimes bending) boundaries as a solo founder ✨ Using AI ethically — and how to shrink its footprint ✨ Keeping your childlike wonder alive while you build Whether you're an author, a freelancer, or any woman building something of her own, Heather's story is a grounded, honest look at what it actually takes to go all in. About Heather Romanowski: Heather is an editor and the founder behind Book Realm Revisions, specializing in developmental, line, and copy editing for fiction, nonfiction, and gaming. A lifelong reader, gamer, and self-described second-generation nerd based in Michigan, she helps writers and worldbuilders craft compelling, polished stories. 📚 Learn more at https://www.bookrealmrevisions.com/ [https://www.bookrealmrevisions.com/] RELATED READING — More on the AI conversation in this episode: Heather talks about finding the middle ground on AI and why choosing not to use it can be a valid, principled call. Two pieces from Right Touch Editing pick up exactly those threads: 📖 "AI Isn't All or Nothing—Let's Talk About It" by Erin Brenner — a practical look at how editors can move past both fear and blind trust: https://www.righttouchediting.com/2026/04/23/ai-isnt-all-or-nothing-lets-talk-about-it/ [https://www.righttouchediting.com/2026/04/23/ai-isnt-all-or-nothing-lets-talk-about-it/] 📖 "AI Isn't for Everyone—And That's Okay" by Sean Brenner & Erin Brenner — why opting out isn't the career-ending choice it's sometimes made out to be: https://www.righttouchediting.com/2026/05/14/ai-isnt-for-everyone-and-thats-okay/ [https://www.righttouchediting.com/2026/05/14/ai-isnt-for-everyone-and-thats-okay/] The growth engine for women who mean business. http://www.f5collective.com [http://www.f5collective.com] 3:19 The Book That Started It All 4:43 From Reading to Editing 9:04 The First Fiction Edit That Hooked Her 12:35 Building the Business & Why First Clients Matter 13:45 Copy, Line & Developmental Editing, Explained 17:53 Taking the Leap After Loss 28:34 Editing What You Love: Sci-Fi & Fantasy 32:44 World-Building 101 36:14 Standalone Books vs. Series 38:09 Collaborating With Authors 48:46 Editing Games, War Games & Cookbooks 53:06 The AI Conversation: Adapt or Die 55:41 Why She Won't Feed Client Work to AI 56:50 Using AI Ethically — and Its Real Cost 1:03:56 Publishing: Independent, Hybrid & Traditional 1:07:37 When Self-Published Authors Get Picked Up 1:09:28 On the Horizon: Elder Glade & Story Stream

Why "Be More Empathetic" Is Useless Feedback | Joanna Wiesinger, Thrive With Strengths

Joanna Wiesinger spent years as a PhD inorganic chemist — until life forced a different question. After the loss of her first son and years at home with her three children, she came back to the workplace to find her resume no longer fit who she had become. "Chemistry no longer held my heart. People did." Today she's the founder of Thrive With Strengths and a Gallup-Certified Clifton Strengths Coach who helps executive leaders build high-performing teams in 3–6 months. Her philosophy is built on one quietly radical idea: "At the heart of science is fixing the problem. At the heart of leading people is not fixing them." In this episode, Joanna shares: ✨ The "audible exhale" moment when she discovered her strengths ✨ Why "be more empathetic" is useless feedback — and what actually works ✨ The three leadership myths she fell for (and so do most founders) ✨ The $7 Amazon timer that saved her business from perfectionism ✨ Driver vs. passenger: the difference between leaders and managers ✨ Why "well-rounded leader" is a myth that's costing you ✨ How to recognize people in a way that's actually a lever for results ✨ The five rules to thrive (not just survive) when scaling ✨ Why if your business only works when you show up, you don't have a business — you have a job ✨ Move faster than you feel ready: perfection is expensive Whether you're leading a team, building a business, or staring at a resume that doesn't fit anymore, Joanna's story is a roadmap for what happens when you stop fixing yourself and start leading from what's already strong. About Joanna Wiesinger: Joanna is the founder of Thrive With Strengths, a Gallup-Certified Clifton Strengths Coach, speaker, and leadership development expert. She holds a PhD in inorganic chemistry and has spent the last decade helping leaders and teams at companies like Thomson Reuters and Farmer Brothers build strengths-based cultures that reduce friction and improve results. 🌟 Learn more at https://www.thrivewithstrengths.com/ [https://www.thrivewithstrengths.com/] The growth engine for women who mean business. http://www.f5collective.com [http://www.f5collective.com] 0:00 "At the Heart of Leading People Is Not Fixing Them" 0:12 Welcome + Meet Joanna Wiesinger 1:40 From Poland to the U.S. at 16: Chemistry as a Universal Language 3:24 From Chemist to Coach: What Sparked the Pivot 4:44 When Your Resume No Longer Fits: The Clifton Strengths Exhale 6:00 Getting Certified & Launching Thrive With Strengths 7:42 The Hardest Part of Entrepreneurship: Nowhere to Hide 8:50 Falling for the "Well-Rounded Leader" Myth 10:19 Science Fixes Problems; Leading People Doesn't 14:20 Why "Be More Empathetic" Is Useless Feedback 16:26 Going With the Grain: What Strengths-Based Leadership Really Is 17:58 Strengths as a Business Strategy (75% vs. 9% Engagement) 19:11 Her Process: Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Lead the Business 21:43 Leadership vs. Management 24:59 10 Years In — and Why She's No One-Woman Team 26:59 The Three Leadership Myths She Fell For 29:30 When Strengths Backfire: The Maximizer Trap 37:34 The Real Challenge: Resistance to Being Assessed 40:57 Making Your Leadership Style Explicit 44:05 What's Next for Thrive With Strengths 48:01 Recognition as a Lever for Results 52:22 The Overlooked Reality: Know Your Numbers 53:51 Taking the Leap With Almost No Capital 55:48 Fear of Failure & Why the Best Leaders Fail Fast 1:02:34 Playfulness, Twix Bars & Final Favorites

Everybody Mentors Me: Nancy Gale on Building JAMAH the Hard Way | F5 Collective

Nancy Gale will tell you she's never had one mentor—she's had thousands. "I get into an Uber and start a conversation… it's not one person that's mentored me, it's many people, and it's conversations." In this episode, the founder and designer behind JAMAH—an American-made, ultra-luxury bespoke handbag brand crafted entirely in the USA—shares how staying open to everyone shaped a career built over "23 years of ramen," why she calls the "love what you do" myth total bullshit, and how the success of JAMAH fuels her nonprofit, AMBITION. ✨ Nancy shares: why she believes "everybody mentors me"—and how to stay open to it ✨ "23 years of ramen" and the myth of overnight success ✨ Why "if you love what you do" is a lie—and what's actually true ✨ How your challenges don't dictate your constitution ✨ Why people project their own limits onto your dreams ✨ "Power, not pity" — the philosophy behind AMBITION ✨ Why opportunity is about access and exposure, not money ✨ Building luxury that's personal, not logo-driven ✨ The STOPS reset she's used since childhood ✨ Why she'd rather do it well than chase "scale" ✨ Cause and commerce: separate, but intrinsically connected About Nancy Gale: Nancy Gale is the founder and designer of JAMAH, an American luxury handbag house known for bespoke, made-to-order leather goods handcrafted in the USA, with press in Vogue, InStyle, People, and Robb Report and a clientele spanning celebrities and collectors. She is also the founder of AMBITION (est. 2010), a nonprofit that mentors under-resourced young people by giving them the access, exposure, and resilience tools to reach their goals—anchored in its "power, not pity" philosophy. Raised in Detroit, Nancy built both ventures on a single idea: cause and commerce should be so integrated that one can't function without the other. 🖤 Learn more at ambition.org [http://ambition.org] and shop the collection at https://www.jamah.com/ [https://www.jamah.com/] The growth engine for women who mean business. http://www.f5collective.com [http://www.f5collective.com] 0:00 Everybody Mentors Me 0:33 Welcome: Nancy Gale of JAMAH 1:57 Why It Had to Be Made in the USA 4:53 Her Definition of Luxury 5:23 Where the Name JAMAH Came From 6:25 Becoming a Technical Writer 7:12 Leaping Into JAMAH 7:59 Our Challenges Don't Dictate Our Constitution 9:24 The 25-Year Vision & the Overnight Myth 10:26 23 Years of Ramen 12:28 Luxury Equaled Logo—I Did Something Different 16:10 Filming the Making of Your Bag 18:35 The Motorcar Collection Begins 22:47 AMBITION Started at My Dinner Table 24:11 Inside the Program: You Don't Know About Me 25:44 Power, Not Pity 26:31 Cause & Commerce, Intrinsically Connected 27:55 The Richard Branson Challenge 30:04 On Being Mentored by Everyone 31:10 How Luxury in America Has Shifted 34:13 Working With My Lead Sewer 38:10 Your Why & Tuning Out the Naysayers 43:34 The STOPS Reset 46:21 Out-Anger, Out-Angst, Out-Fear 46:49 What's Next for JAMAH 47:40 Growing AMBITION & Power Not Pity Day 49:37 The National Dance Challenge 51:01 The Story Behind Each Bag 52:46 Put Reason to Everything That Happens 54:40 Targeting Clients & the Press Game 56:55 Editorial Over Advertising 59:56 USA-Made: Added to the Collection 61:57 How to Scale Bespoke Luxury 65:46 The Financial Reality Nobody Talks About 66:28 Bootstrapping With Friends & Family 68:21 What I Almost Did Instead

We Sold the House and Both Cars to Build a Robot That Prints Houses | Anna Cheniuntai, Apis Cor

Anna Cheniuntai is the Co-Founder and CEO of Apis Cor, the deep-tech company building robots that 3D print full-scale houses on site. By 23, she'd already run a multi-million-dollar Olympic infrastructure contract in Sochi. Then she and her husband Nick sold the house, sold the luxury cars, and put everything into building a robot that didn't exist yet. "You are the main resource. Every startup needs a budget for a coach for the founders. 'Ride or die' is not a wise approach if you really want to build a big business." In this episode, Anna shares: ✨ Growing up in Siberia in a family of physicists — and her first business at age 7 ✨ Running the Sochi Olympics navigation contract at 23 (and the surgery that almost stopped it) ✨ "99% of your problems can be solved with a phone call. Except one." ✨ Selling the house and the luxury cars to fund the prototype ✨ Winning NASA's competition to 3D print on Mars — and bringing that tech back to Earth ✨ Why their robots have names: Frank, Gary, and Mary ✨ The housing crisis math: 5 million homes needed, 400,000 trades workers ✨ Origin Homes — their new spec house program in California and Florida ✨ The first $10,000 check that kept the company alive ✨ Why founder mental health is a fiduciary responsibility, not a luxury ✨ The TV show she watches when she can't crack a problem ✨ Why "impossible" is the signal, not the deterrent Whether you're building deep tech, raising your first round, or just tired of being told to grind harder, Anna's story is a masterclass in conviction without delusion. About Anna Cheniuntai: Anna is the Co-Founder and CEO of Apis Cor, headquartered in Melbourne, FL. Apis Cor's mobile concrete printers — Frank, Gary, and Mary — print structural walls of buildings up to two stories tall, including the current Guinness World Record holder for largest 3D printed building. The company is now launching Origin Homes and ADUs in California and Florida. 🏠 Learn more at https://apis-cor.com/ [https://apis-cor.com/] The growth engine for women who mean business. http://www.f5collective.com [http://www.f5collective.com] 0:00 Opening: You Are the Main Resource 0:46 Welcome to F5 Collective 2:14 Family of Physicists in Siberia 2:25 Growing Up in a Siberian City (Not the Wild) 7:48 The Sochi Olympics Contract 11:37 "They Thought They'd Be Fired" — Showing Up as Kids 12:37 Her First Business at Age 7 17:11 The Tumor Found Mid-Olympics 18:54 "99% of Problems = One Phone Call" 20:48 From Olympics to Houses with Robots 24:21 Nick's 3D Printer Idea 24:49 Selling the House and the Luxury Cars 26:38 Why "Impossible" Drags Her In 27:52 Addressing the Housing Crisis 28:08 What Apis Cor Actually Does 31:41 The Challenges of Building Deep Tech 37:09 Meet Frank, Gary, and Mary 43:00 The NASA Competition to Print on Mars 50:24 Origin Homes & ADUs in California and Florida 52:38 The Guinness World Record House 1:02:41 The Skilled Labor Shortage Math 1:08:16 Why "Apis Cor" — The Bees Were First 1:09:26 If Someone Gave You $500,000 1:10:18 LinkedIn vs. Reality: Founder Mental Health 1:12:55 The First $10,000 Check That Changed Everything 1:14:06 No Fears, No Plan B 1:16:24 Take an Hour for a Silly TV Show 1:17:04 Tribe Over Networking Events 1:17:37 Walk With the Dog 1:18:35 Side Projects: Charity in Africa & Ukraine 1:19:01 Rapid Five Q&A 1:22:00 Closing

How Making Jewelry Helped Debbie Slavkin Heal After a Brain Injury | Made by Mimi Designs

After a 2013 car accident left her with a traumatic brain injury that ended her decades-long career, Debbie Slavkin found her way back through beads, color, and creativity. In this episode of F5 Collective Presents: Women in Business, Debbie shares how jewelry making became her medicine — and how she built Made by Mimi Designs on her own terms. In this episode, Debbie shares: ✨ The spark: the beads she couldn't put down — and 1,000 pieces later ✨ Building a craft around a brain injury — finding a way that worked for her ✨ Why it's "Made by Mimi" — the grandson who couldn't say "Grand Debbie" ✨ Creativity as healing after traumatic brain injury ✨ Self-advocacy and being believed when "you look fine" ✨ Bootstrapping as a solo founder — investor, funder, and maker all in one ✨ The honest reality of selling handmade in a tough economy ✨ Giving back through The Miracle Project and music education nonprofits ✨ Protecting the passion so the business never becomes "just a job" ✨ Refusing to settle for "stable" on her mental health journey ✨ Her Rapid Five: trust your gut, grandkids, and the travel bug Whether you're a maker, a solo founder, or someone rebuilding after a hard season, Debbie's story is proof that the thing that heals you can also be the thing you build. About Debbie Slavkin: Debbie Slavkin is the founder and designer behind Made by Mimi Designs, a handmade jewelry brand born out of healing. Known as "Mimi" to her five grandchildren, she designs one-of-a-kind necklaces, bracelets, earrings, glasses chains, and cell phone straps from her closet workshop in Playa Vista, California — and gives back to nonprofits that support kids through the arts. 🔗 Shop Made by Mimi Designs: https://madebymimidesigns.com/ [https://madebymimidesigns.com/] The growth engine for women who mean business. http://www.f5collective.com [http://www.f5collective.com] 0:00 The Beads That Hooked Her 0:38 Welcome to F5 Collective Presents 1:29 Growing Up & Heading to USC 1:59 A Career in TV & Journalism 2:34 Selling Television Around the World 3:01 Producing the College Emmys 3:16 The Accident That Changed Everything 4:58 Discovering Jewelry Making 6:51 1,000 Pieces & Counting 7:10 What She Makes 9:14 Cathartic by Design: Mimi's Workshop 10:15 Turning a Passion Into a Business 10:40 Building the Website With Family 11:44 When the Numbers Stop Making Sense 14:21 Music Education & Global Classrooms 18:20 Why Small Donations Matter 18:48 Scaling a Creative Business 19:15 Word of Mouth & Custom Work 20:11 The Grandkids' Holiday Boutique 21:14 A $25 Necklace Isn't Discretionary 22:28 Revamping the Website & SEO 23:41 Bootstrapping: Investor, Funder, Maker 24:25 The Story Behind "Mimi" 25:50 Collections & Custom Designs 28:03 Learning to Sell Herself 28:29 Creativity & Emotional Well-Being 29:54 "I Was a Lousy Student" 32:16 Why Arts Education Matters 32:55 What's Next for Made by Mimi 34:43 Inside the Handmade Maker World 37:48 Passion vs. Job 38:49 Mental Health Support 39:46 Self-Advocacy: "Because I Look Fine" 41:05 "Stable Isn't Enough" 41:33 Healing Isn't One-and-Done 42:07 Helping Others to Heal Herself 42:53 Final Thoughts 43:33 Create for the Passion, Not the Business 44:19 Business Minute 45:06 Rapid Five: Dreams, Grandkids & Joy 46:21 Trust Your Gut 47:03 Travel & Final Favorites 49:15 Where to Find Made by Mimi Designs