About this podcast
You deserve a big, full life and the freedom to enjoy it. The Brilliant Balance Podcast helps women in leadership design their next chapter for sustainable success—without burnout.
Every week, host Cherylanne Skolnicki, a leading expert in work-life balance, leadership growth, and mindset coaching, shares ideas, inspiration, and insights to help high-achieving women align their ambition with personal fulfillment. Through conversations on leadership mindset, time management, and personal growth, you'll gain the tools to thrive in both your career and personal life.
Whether you're considering a career pivot or craving more time for your personal life, you might find yourself asking:
How do I advance my career—without working 24/7?
Can I achieve my goals while still having time for my family?
How do I stop feeling overwhelmed and start feeling in control?
What's next for me—and how do I design it intentionally?
If you've ever wondered how to fulfill your potential without breaking your life, this podcast is for you. In addition to sharing her own insights, Cherylanne sits down with experts, thought leaders, and ambitious women who reveal their strategies for burnout recovery, productivity for women, and redefining success on their terms.
You'll love the Brilliant Balance Podcast if you like podcasts like: Unlocking Us or Dare to Lead with Brene Brown, Women at Work by Harvard Business Review, The Midlife with Reshma Saujani, We Can Do Hard Things with Glennon Doyle, The Mel Robbins Podcast, HerMoney with Jean Chatzky, So Money with Farnoosh Torabi
Episodes
The newest 50 of 474 episodes
- Break out of your gilded cage with Keren Eldad · 40 minWhat happens when you've done everything you were supposed to do, built the career, the family, the home, and the life that looks successful from the outside, but something still…
- Where Will You Be in 9 Years? · 37 minWhat happens when you stop and look back at the life you imagined 9 years ago? As we celebrate nine years of the Brilliant Balance podcast, I'm reflecting on the question that…
- The 20-hour-a-week job you're not getting paid for with Kelly Hubbell of Sage Haus · 50 minEver look around at the end of a full day and wonder how there's still so much left to do? In this episode, I'm talking with Kelly Hubbell, founder and CEO of Sage Haus, about…
- You can't change your life with a maybe · 23 minHow often do you find yourself saying, "Maybe I'll do it"? In this encore episode, I'm revisiting the idea that we can't change our lives while staying stuck in a state of maybe…
- You're not doing too much. You're just doing it alone. · 37 minWhat if creating the life you want isn't about doing more, but about creating the capacity to make space for what comes next? In this episode, I'm sharing stories from my recent…
- Taking a Power Pause - with Neha Ruch · 49 minWhat happens when you step away from your career to make room for family life? In this episode, I'm joined by Neha Ruch, author of The Power Pause, to explore how a career pause…
- Boundaries Aren't Mean; They're Math. · 27 minBoundaries don't make you selfish or unkind. They help you make intentional choices about where you give your time, energy, and attention. In this episode, I'm talking about why…
- Entrepreneur Like a Mother with Beth Mazza · 37 minBuilding a business and raising a family can feel like two competing priorities. But what if the business you build could actually support the life you want? In this episode, I'm…
- What if I worked for YOU for a day? · 36 minWhen life gets busy, thinking time is often the first thing to disappear. But without space to step back, we can easily end up moving through life without checking whether we're…
- "Breadwinner, Redefined" with Alexis Contos · 46 minNearly 40% of American mothers are now primary earners, but the culture hasn't fully caught up with what that actually requires. In this episode, I'm joined by Alexis Contos…
- The Week That Works for Everyone — Except You · 25 minHave you ever looked at your calendar and realized you've created a week that works for everyone else, but leaves very little space for you? In this episode, I'm exploring how we…
- What Gets Scheduled Gets Done · 29 minWe all have good intentions. The challenge is turning those intentions into action. In this episode, I'm revisiting one of the very first episodes of the Brilliant Balance…
- How Change Really Happens with Kristy Ellmer · 33 minChange is hard. But it isn't because people resist it. In this episode, I'm joined by Kristy Ellmer, Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group and co-author of How…
- Life as you Climb with Betsy Hamm · 42 minWhat does it take to build an ambitious career without losing sight of what matters most? In this episode, I'm joined by Betsy Hamm, former CEO of Duck Donuts and founder of Loud…
- Performing for People Who Aren't Even Watching · 27 minHow many decisions do you make based on what you think other people will think? In this episode, I'm unpacking the quiet fear of judgment that shapes so many of our choices…
- What avoidance really shows us · 31 minHave you ever finally done something you've been putting off and immediately wondered, Why did I wait so long? In this episode, I'm exploring what avoidance really is and why so…
- How to Hold the Room - Lessons Learned On Stage · 31 minWhat makes someone command a room? It isn't having the perfect script. In this episode, I'm sharing what I've learned from hundreds of speaking engagements, including the biggest…
- Being a Likeable Badass - with Alison Fragale · 47 minCan you be both warm and ambitious? Kind and confident? Supportive and successful? In this episode, I'm joined by organizational psychologist and bestselling author Dr. Alison…
- Am I being selfish? Listener Questions Answered · 29 minHave you ever tried to do something good for yourself, only to feel guilty the second someone else had a reaction to it? In this episode, I'm answering listener questions about…
- They're Watching How You Treat Yourself · 28 minEvery Mother's Day, I see the same message on cards: Thank you for giving up everything for us. But the cards my own kids write tell a different story. In this episode, I'm…
- How to grow your career and family without losing yourself · 32 minHow do you grow your career and your family at the same time without losing yourself in the process? In this episode, I'm exploring why that question feels so familiar to…
- The Good Mother Rulebook Nobody Published but Everyone Follows · 27 minDo you ever feel like you're measuring yourself against an invisible standard of what a "good mother" should be? In this episode, I'm unpacking the unwritten rulebook so many…
- They're Not Oblivious. The System Just Lives in Your Head. · 29 minIt turns out I'm carrying an invisible operating system that runs beneath the surface of my entire life, and chances are, you are too. This one is for the women who are tired…
- The All-Or-Nothing Trap · 23 minHave you ever abandoned a goal entirely because you couldn't pursue it perfectly? In this honest and deeply personal episode, Cherylanne pulls back the curtain on her own…
- What Happens When You Stop Doing Everything Yourself · 32 minEver feel like you're carrying the weight of the world on your own shoulders—handling every email, project, and task yourself? I've been there, telling myself it was the smart…
- What If You Let Them Take the Wheel? · 22 minDo you always end up taking charge of others' problems because you know you can solve them faster or better? I know I do, and if you're a high-achiever, this episode will hit…
- What Conversation Do You Need to Have? · 24 minAre you avoiding that one conversation you know you need to have? I get it, most of us have a tricky topic we're sidestepping at work, at home, or even with a friend. In this…
- The Hidden Costs of Drive · 24 minEver feel like the very drive that's building your dreams is running your life instead of serving it? If you're the woman everyone admires for getting it all done, but you…
- Why Highly Competent Women Still Feel Overwhelmed (And What I Built to Help) · 32 minHave you ever wondered why, despite being wildly competent and organized, you sometimes still feel like everything is just too much? I know that feeling well, and I'm sharing my…
- Functional Freeze: The Hidden Nervous System Pattern Holding Women Back with Beatriz Albina · 35 min · Episode 443This week, I'm joined by Beatriz Albina, a nurse practitioner, somatic coach, and the bestselling author of End Emotional Outsourcing, to discuss a hidden nervous system epidemic…
- Setting Boundaries That Actually Hold: Listener Questions Answered · 29 minToday, I'm mixing things up a bit by answering YOUR questions all about setting boundaries that actually hold, especially at work. If you've ever found it tough to say no…
- Life is not linear: If I had known then what I know now about the momentum cycle · 33 min · Episode 441Today, I'm sharing a simple truth that often goes unspoken: life is not linear. We're conditioned to believe that progress should be a steady, upward journey, but what if our…
- Getting Good with Money: A Conversation with Kate Northrup · 45 min · Episode 440Today, I'm sitting down for an eye-opening conversation about wealth with bestselling author, entrepreneur, and creator of the Relaxed Money Method, Kate Northrup, who brings a…
- When Being Liked Becomes a Limiter · 27 minAre you ready to reevaluate how much being liked really matters? In this episode, I'm talking about the surprising, powerful, and sometimes uncomfortable truth that seeking…
- Carrying the Family: The Burden & Blessing of Daughtering with Dr. Allison Alford · 33 minToday, I'm joined by communication scholar and Baylor professor Dr. Allison Alford to shine a light on a topic that speaks directly to the heart of so many women—the often unseen…
- Decide Like the Woman You're Becoming · 23 minIf you're like me, you know you aren't the same woman you were a year or even a month ago. In this episode, I'm inviting you to make a powerful shift—to make decisions like the…
- Success Looks Different in Every Season—Cherylanne Is Interviewed by Molly Asplin · 48 minToday, I'm handing over the host chair and letting you in on a different conversation, where I'm the one answering the questions! In this episode, which I'm re-airing after we…
- You vs. You: Why Inner Conflict Makes Everything Harder with Dana Bernstein · 26 minEver find yourself stuck in an endless loop of overthinking, self-doubt, or battling between what you want and what you "should" do? To get to the heart of this inner tug-of-war…
- Don't Miss the Life You're Actually Living · 19 minEver feel like you're always racing toward the next big milestone and forgetting to savor the moments of the life you're actually living? In this episode, I'm discussing how we…
- When Health Optimization Becomes Another Job · 18 minToday, I'm taking a closer look at the growing pressure so many of us feel around health optimization, especially during midlife, when simply keeping up with the latest wellness…
- The ROI of Invisible Labor: A New Lens on Women's Leadership with Aimee Rickabus · 28 minThis week, I'm sitting down with Aimee Rickabus, powerhouse entrepreneur, author, mother of six, and CEO of Tomahawk Information Solutions, to shine a light on the invisible…
- Building habits for your hard days · 19 minIf you're tired of seeing your good habits crumble when life gets messy, today's episode is a must-listen. I'm revealing why our routines often fail, and it's not because we…
- Accountability is a forcing function · 23 minToday, I'm looking at the idea of using accountability as a "forcing function" that can transform our cherished goals from wishful intentions into accomplished realities. If you…
- Breaking the Maybe Mindset · 22 minEver find yourself circling around a decision, stuck between yes and no, with a big "maybe" holding you back? This week, I'm pulling back the curtain on the "maybe…
- The myth of the "perfect choice" · 17 minHappy New Year! As we kick off the new year with a fresh season of possibilities and clean, blank calendar pages, the pressure to make "just right" choices can trip us up in our…
- Instead of Resolutions, Try This · 16 minReady to make this your most extraordinary year yet—without the pressure of unrealistic resolutions? In this episode, I'm challenging the usual approach to New Year's resolutions…
- Permission to pause · 10 minToday, I want to talk with you about giving yourself permission to pause. As we move through a season that's usually packed with busyness and long to-do lists, I'm inviting you…
- The high cost of playing it safe · 18 minToday, I'm discussing the hidden cost of playing it safe, a topic that's secretly all too familiar for women with strong track records of achievement. If you feel restless for…
- When life looks great.... but doesn't feel great. · 24 minDo you feel like your life ticks all the right boxes, yet something's missing under the surface? This week, I'm discussing a surprising paradox many high-achieving women…
- Give this year the ending it deserves · 20 minAs this year winds down, I'm inviting you to give it the fully present ending it deserves before you jump ahead to all that next year holds. In this episode, I'm sharing my…
