This one's a little different.

I was going back through my episode archive recently and found a recording I had never published — something I recorded right before I took a hiatus from the podcast a couple of years ago. I listened back and thought, you know what, this is worth sharing.

It's just me, reflecting on a New Year and everything that was happening in my life at the time. A divorce. A new nursing career I was finding harder than I expected. A breast cancer reconstruction journey I was finally completing. A plate so full I didn't know what to put down. And a word — release — that I chose to guide me through all of it.

Some of the things I talk about in this episode:

• My three step process for navigating change: Refresh, Renew, Relate
• Why release became my word of the year and what it meant in both directions — letting go and letting out
• The case for amicable divorce and why I feel strongly about it
• How life decisions are more a process of elimination than selection
• What completing breast reconstruction taught me about being a work in progress and a work of art at the same time
• Why January feels less like a sprint and more like the start of a marathon

It's an earlier version of where I am now in a lot of ways. But I think you'll find something in it that resonates.

Website
Piece of Work, a Memoir
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok

Career pivots. Relationship pivots. The life you thought you were supposed to have — and the one that's actually waiting for you. In this episode of Piece of Work with Danielle Tantone, host Danielle Tantone sits down with author and wine industry veteran Danielle Frank for a candid conversation about resilience, reinvention, and the courage it takes to walk away from what's not working.

Danielle Frank's story is the ultimate case study in pivoting with purpose: VP of International PR at Miramax at 27, she left New York for LA, quit a toxic job without a backup plan, discovered a passion for wine and spirits, and built a career spanning two decades at Bacardi and Moët Hennessy. She also called off an engagement, rethought her path to motherhood, and found — to her own surprise — that the life she has is the life she was meant for all along.

In this episode you'll hear:
— Why she says "when something is costing you peace, that's your answer"
— How each pivot builds your confidence to take the next one
— The story of Madame Clicquot, history's original female entrepreneur
— A live reading from her book A Wine Lover's Guide to Parenting — a tongue-in-cheek adult children's book that pairs wine wisdom with raising kids who aren't a-holes

Connect with Danielle Frank and grab her book at daniellefrankauthor.com.

Website
Piece of Work, a Memoir
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok

Are modern social trends actually making us more isolated? Danielle Tantone invites party coach Evan Cudworth to discuss the intersection of community, recovery, and resilience. Moving past his background in the underground music scene, Evan shares how he developed a coaching practice aimed at helping adults refresh and reinvent their social habits.

Main Takeaways From This Episode:

* The Party Within: Evan details his 7-stage process that helps high-achieving adults stop relying on substances, vibes, or social media validation, shifting instead toward sustainable community building.

* The Paradox of Boundaries: A critical look at how hyper-individualism and individual boundaries are inadvertently lowering social trust and creating a culture of fragility.

* The 5R Method vs. The Upward Spiral: Danielle and Evan compare their respective coaching frameworks for overcoming life's major disruptions, from health diagnoses to relationship endings.

Tune in to hear a deep dive into the mechanics of human connection, featuring a live coaching session that demonstrates how to transition from isolation to active social participation.

Learn more about Evan and his work: https://partycoach.me/

Website
Piece of Work, a Memoir
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok