A Journey of Resilience, Purpose, and Power with Faye Saad

What happens when your body starts shutting down, but your spirit refuses to? In this powerful episode of Shine On Success with host Dionne Malush, guest Faye Saad opens up about her remarkable journey through thyroid cancer, late-stage Lyme disease, and years of misdiagnosis, and how those experiences became the foundation for her life’s mission.

From surviving to leading, Faye shares how she turned unimaginable pain into purpose by creating Athena Business Group and the E-Three Strategy, a framework built on Energy, Empathy, and Execution. Her story is a raw reminder that healing isn’t just physical; it’s emotional, mental, and deeply spiritual.

If you’ve ever felt like life knocked you down too hard to rise again, this conversation will reignite your belief in what’s possible. Because, as Faye proves, the power was yours all along.

Connect with Faye here:

Website: https://athenabusinessgroup.com/

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/athena-business-group/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/faye_salesstrategist/

Connect with Dionne Malush

• Instagram: @dionnerealtyonepgh
• LinkedIN: /in/dionnemalush
• Website: www.dionnemalush.com
• Facebook: /dmalush
• LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/dionnemalush

Transcript

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A Body Failing, A Career Soaring

SPEAKER_00 0:02

What happens when your entire body starts shutting down and nobody can explain why? Today's guest, Fay Saud, spent years searching for answers while still showing up in a high-pressure sales career, mentoring top performers and pretending she was fine. But behind the scenes, she was in survival mode. It took a thyroid cancer diagnosis, two head surgeries, dozens of procedures, and finally a late-stage Lyme disease diagnosis to reveal the truth. And from that moment forward, everything changed. She didn't just recover, she rebuilt from the ground up. Now she's the founder of Athena Business Group and the creator of the E3 strategy: Energy, Empathy, Execution, a leadership and life framework rooted in her hardest-earned lessons. For platform Athena Strong, Faye is on a mission to help women lead without losing themselves, build without burning out, and rise by design, not default. This episode is going to be raw, powerful, and real. So let's dive in. Hi, Faye. How are you doing today? I am well. How are you? Thank you so much for having me today. Well, you're very welcome. I'm very excited to talk to you. And I always like to start with this question: what's one thing you want people to know about you that they may not see by reading your bio?

SPEAKER_01 1:13

So I have this like tenacious characteristic of me to 100% show up for others, even when it might feel like I'm not showing up for myself, because what's most important to me is to be there for other people. So I don't know. It's just something I was kind of born with. And I'm just really glad that I've been able to manifest that in my life and help other people. So you've been like that your whole life? My whole life. I'd say like five or six years ago, it really started becoming much more prevalent since my cancer diagnosis diagnosis because it just it gave me this reality check of like, what even is life? What are you doing? How are you helping enough people? And it just sort of kind of compounded from there.

SPEAKER_00 2:03

What you just said just hit me upside the head, just so you know, just like that. Because I've been thinking that same thing. Like I look around sometimes, I look at people and we're just running around like crazy. I'm thinking, is this what your life is? This is it. Right, right. Totally. Yeah. So when you go through traumatic things, like which you know, I have been through with my husband and my dad passed away. It's been almost two years now, and it's been a rough couple of years, but it has me rethinking a lot of things, and I appreciate you saying that. So let's start with that. Like, what was life like before the diagnosis when you were climbing in sales, pushing through all the mystery symptoms? Like, what was it like?

SPEAKER_01 2:39

Yeah.

The Hidden Pain Behind Top Performance

SPEAKER_01 2:40

So 2012, 2013, I started gaining weight, and it was kind of unexplained. I had an injury as a teen, but I regained it. I mean, I fractured my tailbone, dislocated a disc, and you know, I kind of got through that. I was young, I was resilient, my body got better. Then 2012, 2013, I started gaining weight, and I kept going to a doctor and I was like, hey, something is off. I'm sluggish, I don't feel good, nothing I do is helping me with my weight loss, and I just don't feel great. And they would run tests and they would look at the the labs and say, everything looks normal, just exercise or just eat better. Or, and I'm like, I am, I'm doing all of those things. And so it was, you know, it was hard because I would say I 2017, 2018, I started reaching a level of like eight or nine out of the 10, one to 10 pain scale every single day. I mean, there were days that I couldn't even stand up. I couldn't even like I couldn't get on off of the ground. I'd lay there just to try to relax my back. And getting up was was a challenge. I would sleep on the floor overnight. And so by that time, you know, I was already starting to really get, I've always been good at sales and I was kind of bored into business, but I just put myself in survival mode and I was like, this is not going to define me the way I feel. And I didn't have any answers, and I just kind of told myself, this is just what life is. I mean, I got diagnosed with like, they did like scans, and I'm like, my body hurts, and they're like, I don't know, everything looks fine. You have fibromyalgia, and it I just ended up telling myself that is not an excuse. And so I was in corporate and I just kept pushing and pushing and pushing and pushing. And then I started to develop some weird symptoms where like I was hearing like a whooshing in my ear, my heartbeat, and working and being a top performer, naturally, I wanted to work more because I get motivated by being a top performer and helping people. And because and then I got into leadership, and so I had to, I scheduled finally an appointment with my ENT and I was like, hey, I need to, you know, come in. I told them what was going on. And because I worked retail hours, I had to keep canceling the appointment. But I remember specifically 2018, going into 2019, it was New Year's Eve. I was getting ready to go out, and I heard like that whoosh, and it was like, I thought there was like a bug in my ear. And I don't like bugs, so I freaked out. I was like, what is that? And then something told me, go to the doctor. Like, you cannot keep waiting

The Accidental Cancer Discovery

SPEAKER_01 5:15

on this. And so I got up the next day, called, made an appointment, or the next business day called, made an appointment. It was for January 7th, and all the while, still coming into work, still coaching my team, still showing up. And I'm like, hey, this is what's going on. My ear, this, this, that. And they found a lump in my throat. So the cancer was on accident.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

Oh my goodness. So if you hadn't went, he would have not known.

SPEAKER_01 5:40

Yeah, and it was crazy because they were like, by the time everything went, and the ear thing was completely separate. And so that was the like pseudotumor cerebral. That's I had the two two head surgeries, but it just it was a wild ride. Two or three days later, I was like, you know, my gut, my gut was telling me something serious was going on. And then I ended up like a week and a half later going in for an ultrasound. Another two days later, went in for a biopsy. They told me it would take 10, 10 days, seven to ten days to get my results. And I got them overnight, and I just knew it. And by the 23rd, I was in for my consultation of what to do next. February 5th, I was under the knife. And I did, I did a full.

SPEAKER_00 6:23

How old were you when that happened?

SPEAKER_01 6:24

30.

SPEAKER_00 6:25

Wow. It's like it's hard to believe. And you've had so many different kinds of symptoms that no one would ever relate to having cancer, right? Right, right. So that moment you had the clarity, you knew what it was now, right? So, how did that change your mindset? Not just your treatment. Like, was there something that happened in you that said, I'm gonna keep fighting, I'm gonna keep pushing, or would you fall back in depression?

SPEAKER_01 6:49

So, for the first couple days, the depression was definitely there. And I had to talk to myself, and I did a lot of self-talk about you've been doing this all this time. The doctor said I probably had it for five or six years.

SPEAKER_00 7:01

Wow, are you kidding me?

SPEAKER_01 7:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 7:05

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 7:05

Yeah. And thankfully, you know, it's one of the slower growing cancers. And I just was like, Faye, you've been doing this and you've been functioning and you've been going through all of this pain. You've got to show up, you've got to make this work. And so I just put this face on and just kept single-minded. And I was gonna show up and I was gonna do what I did. And, you know, before you know, everybody thought I was crazy because I ended up so that all happened in January, February. I had surgery, first dose of radiation in April, and then I quit my corporate job in June and then moved to Chicago and started knocking doors for solar because I was like, what am I doing with my life? Like, I loved the company I was working with, it was great for networking. I credit a lot of my skill set, my ability to meet people and engage to to Verizon Wireless. It was incredible. However, I thought to myself, I couldn't touch more people. And I just, it was that slap in the face, that reality of what am I doing? And it just and then I got shingles. I got shingles because my immune system was compromised and I'm walking in a hundred degree weather. And so I was like, you know what though? Like it was the moment when I quit, the moment was I was scared as hell. I was losing insurance and I was like, I'll figure it out. I felt like I took my life back and I I gained the opportunity to expand beyond the community I was within in terms of sales, business, and networking. And so that's kind of how it all happened. And then once all that was taken care of, I just kept pushing and pushing on the days I didn't want to get out of out of bed. I focused on my energy, my empathy, and my execution.

SPEAKER_00 8:49

Yeah, that was just what I was gonna say. How did you mentally navigate all of this? Diagnosis, surgery, setbacks, like how to do it. So this is where you're gonna explain it.

SPEAKER_01 8:58

Yeah, and you know, it was funny because I didn't know that that's what I was doing. I just would get up and say, all right, what do I need to give my body? What do I need to give my mind to feel better today, to be able to get through the day? And then, you know, that's energy, right? I focused on my energy. And then I would have the self-talk of like, if you don't show up, Faye, how does that impact the people you love? How does that impact the people you work with? How does that impact the people you lead? How does that impact your coaches? Right. And so I just would sit there and remind myself that it was beyond me and that I had I had to have a farther reach of how to help people. And I would remind myself of my goals, right? Like my goal is to help my family, my goal is to, I mean, I have the dreamy goals too, right? The nice things.

Mindset After Diagnosis

SPEAKER_01 9:45

But when I would focus on my energy, my empathy, then I would have that little bit of hope and that motivation to execute, to start carving out actionable items and just get up and execute. And you know what the thing is, is I feel like a lot of people kind of sleep on the idea of autopilot. And for so long, it's what got me through. Makes sense. Just get up and do it. Put one foot in front of the other through the pain, through the frustration, through the depression, through the anxiety. At least when you get out on the other end, you've made progress. And that's just kind of how it all happened. And it wasn't until like probably when I got diagnosed with Lyme disease that I started trying to put my story together so that I could share people. And that's where Athena Strong comes from. That I was like, well, how do I conceptualize this? How do I make it something that I can deliver to people? And so I would start talking with, you know, my family, my friends, and and just kind of say, okay, this is how I did it every day. And that's where the E3 strategy came in energy, empathy, and execution by discussing it with people that saw me and gave me feedback, and then I'd be able to talk about it. And that's that's how we got here.

SPEAKER_00 10:58

So, how do you implement that in your business with Kina?

SPEAKER_01 11:01

So a couple of different ways, right? If you're a coach, you have to teach them how to focus on their energy, empathy, and execution. Okay. Right. And so I was never a huge fan of helping people in not being able to do those things myself. And so it helped me lead with congruency, right? And I think that's huge. And I think that's why people buy in, right? To walk the walk in, talk the talk. And not only that, when it comes to like sales and business, if you are not focusing on their energy, their empathy and execution, not only in you know, this world of business are your conversions going to be low, but you are not serving them, right? If you're not taking the time to understand why they are doing what they're doing, how their energy impacts the state of mind that they're in, and then how that state of mind and what they're doing every day impacts their loved ones and impacts their life and those they work with, those they communicate with, you're not serving them. And then you got to sit there and sit back and say, okay, if I can accomplish these things, how do I lead this person? And the way that you do that is by giving them actionable steps and guiding them through that. And so when it comes to sales and you know, that element of business, you've got to show up and you've got to have that conversation with the people that you're talking to on the other side of the screen, on the other side of the desk. That way they they know that you actually care about them, right? And then do the right thing. Do not provide a solution if it does not feed their energy, empathy, and execution. And so when I talk to people and I coach people and I mentor people, the first thing I ask when they're down is how is your energy, your empathy, and execution? And then that gave gives them the ability to remove themselves and the way they feel right now and just kind of take a look at it of how did I get here and how do I get myself out?

SPEAKER_00 12:50

So you left corporate, you had insurance, you know, you had probably had sick days and, you know, vacation days, all that good stuff. What was one of the biggest challenges you had when you started building your own business and managing your health at the same time? So most people just get to do one or the other, right? You're actually building a business at the same time when all of this stuff is going wrong with you personally. What was the biggest challenge?

SPEAKER_01 13:14

This is when I get really real, really, really like honest with myself. And I had to have this like brutally honest conversation with myself. When you start relying on only yourself and your skill set to make money to provide for your livelihood,

Quitting Corporate and Reclaiming Life

SPEAKER_01 13:30

your health, your food, your lights, all of that. It becomes like crazy pressure so much. And I ended up, I don't know, like I was scared, but I did it anyway. I showed up scared, and I was actually working for a company at first. And I, you know, a woman in business, I had some issues, and I was like, you know what? I could do this by myself. And look, I failed. I didn't, you know, it took every successful entrepreneur, I don't know a single one that hasn't failed, right? And I failed, but I got really good at the sales. I got really good at that. It was just, you know, a conversation for a different day on the failures, right? Coaching is important, which is why I'm a coach now. But I think I don't know, I was having a hard time getting sales for the first couple of weeks. And I'm like, Faye, this isn't you. What is going on? And I found that, you know, through that self-discovery, that self-talk, I was just scared. I was scared. And I was giving myself an out. There was a plan B and a plan C and all the way to Z. If I don't do this, I can go back here. If I don't do this, I can go back here. And I remember getting in a car and I was like, you need to start feeding yourself, like feed your mind what you need in order to be successful at this. So, you know, I downloaded a few ebooks and I listened to uh a Grant Grant Cardone 10X. And, you know, he's he's a bit extreme. I I come with a little bit of a softer, you know, edge, but he said something that really resonated with me, he was like, it's all your fault. Yeah, it's all your fault. And so, you know, that was the first step of thinking to myself, why am I not progressing? And I mean, I'm impatient, right? Progressing for me might be a little faster than others, right? But why are you not progressing as fast as you'd like to? And so I kept looking, kept looking, and I don't remember the book, but I remember like taught listening to one, and it said, if you have an out, of course you're gonna rely on that out. Just commit, yeah, commit to making it work. And it was crazy because that week I had the record week I've ever had in sales. I had 10 solar deals from door knocking. And I got to a point just in one week, which two to four is like four or five is good. Yeah, and so you know, it was just that click, that mindset shift that I was like, of course you're gonna wait for a way out. Of course, you're gonna have one foot out of the door if you already know that there's a plan B and C.

SPEAKER_00 15:45

But yeah, Ken has to burn the boats, right? Yeah, then you have no choice. I always think like that too. Like, if something ever happened and I didn't have my company, I would just do something else. I'd do it again. I mean, I can do it. And you he said a grand card and something he used to say, something he was like, Who has my money? Where is my money? My money, like there's lots of money, we have tons of opportunity in this world. And so that was just a takeaway I got. He he was definitely extreme, but I did love his idea of he had this planner, the 10x planner, where in the morning you would write down your you're like kind of like your definite cheap baby, and then write it at night. So his point was if you did that 365 days a year, it times that by two, your your mind is gonna be so focused on that. So our I thought he was he definitely was cool, but very, very strong in some of his you know, beliefs and words. But if you just take what something away from everybody, boy, you could just have so much good information. But it feels like Athena Strong isn't just a brand, it's more of a movement. What kind of impact do you want to make with it?

SPEAKER_01 16:46

I want to provide all of the things I wish I had. I I had a really and look, I I did build some bad habits. I formed some bad habits where I was limiting myself, like I was expecting the bad things to happen. But I just I remember thinking to myself, I wish I had a mentor. I wish I had a coach. And it wasn't until I got into business where I thought, like, okay, it's time to actually invest. Well, actually, I failed a business and I was like, okay, it's time to invest into some coaching. Don't be too proud. You need help. And so I remember, you know, just kind of thinking to myself, like, you've got to just, you know, get up and do and put yourself in a position that you can show up for others. And so when I actually, it's really crazy. I ended up joining Apex, right? The mastermind we're

Building E3: Energy, Empathy, Execution

SPEAKER_01 17:40

in, to help a company I was working with. And I came back and the next day they demoted me. They were like, hey, we found somebody. And mind you, that it was, they just weren't taking my feedback. I'm like, I'm telling you what's wrong here. And so I got back and they were like, hey, we're really excited. We brought somebody on who grew a company to nine figures. And I thought to myself, man, I really wish I had like joined some type of mastermind sooner so I understood how to navigate the situation. And so that was the week Athena Strong was born. Like the actual I I literally like filed for the like LLC for Athena Business Group. I bought the domain for Athena Strong, and that was it. I was like, you know what? This is it. I'm done. Like, I am going to show up. And Athena Strong is here to help all of the women that are in sales that have dealt with like the things that I've dealt with, unfair treatment. And you know, that like element. Because I remember like all of my counterparts, my male counterparts, would get the special treatment. And I and look, as somebody who's been through what I've been through, I don't, I don't lean on excuses. I just don't. But I remember thinking to myself, man, I'm showing up, I'm doing all the things. Mind you, the guy that replaced me was like the sales team went under. They just fired everyone last week. And so, like, if I had somebody that, and I think to myself, if I had somebody that coached or mentored me, could I have made a better impact on that business? Could I have sat at the table and gotten them to understand the perspective, my perspective? Was I speaking to them in the wrong way? Right. Because everything is their fault. Yeah. Right. Everything is. And so anyway, so it was that's how Athena Strong was born. And the goal, the mission for me is through, you know, growing the business, through the clients, like Athena Business Group, the goal is for that to fund Athena Strong and just provide free value. That's it. Just weekly, monthly coaching calls in a Facebook group. I'm still working on growing it and just provide all of the things. Bring on people like you, bring on people like Chrissy Wolf, bring on people that are in our groups, in our masterminds that can come in and just give, even if just a little nugget that lights a fire, right? That gives them hope, that gives them a path, that gives them a little tip to better speak with people they work with, not just men, anyone, right? And so, yeah, that's that's kind of how it was born. And I just want to be there to ignite that fire, not just because people need the coaching and how to deal with you know sales and business, but also there are so many people that went through what I went through. There are so many people that go through that go to a doctor and somebody tells them you're fine, everything looks fine. And and I don't blame anyone, right? Some of these things are just hard to to kind of pinpoint, but there were some really dark moments that I questioned whether or not I should even be alive, you know. Uh you know, 10 out of 10 pain, I would go to the hospital and and I would tell them, I'm in the ER, I'm dying. I feel like I'm dying. And they would look at me and say, we can visibly tell you're not feeling good, but your labs look fine.

SPEAKER_00 20:50

Wow. Hopefully, someone listening to this is you may be going through the same thing and they can this can help them because you know, I feel like the medical field is amazing, right? I would it's uh what they do is extraordinary. Sure, but they also they're only one person with one brain sometimes. So if they're not masterminding per se, right, with their other doctors and writing from each other or reading a lot, how do they know everything? They don't, they just don't know everything. There's just no way. So I'm gonna ask you about support through all of this because you've been through a lot and you're still young. Yeah, and who was your biggest support through it all and how did they show up for you?

SPEAKER_01 21:27

My partner, a hundred percent. My partner is the most amazing person I have ever met. There were days where I don't know, I wouldn't have dealt with myself, and she stuck through every single day in and out without wavering. And I mean, I and I have to practice, you know, giving myself grace because there's a lot of guilt of like how my, you know, some of those really dark moments, how those maybe impacted her. But I her belief and my ability to get through it was unwavering,

Applying E3 to Sales and Leadership

SPEAKER_01 22:00

unwavering. Even when I was scared, even when I doubted myself, even when I didn't want to get out of bed, even when I didn't want to be alive, she was there. She made sure I ate, she made sure I took my medicine, she made sure I went to the doctor when I needed to. She kept track of all of my appointments. She would try different diets with me to help me with the losing the weight and making sure that I'm making healthier choices. And, you know, 100% her. And don't get me wrong, I have a great family. Like my sisters and my mom, we speak just about every single day. It's some would say it's too much, but but you know, and and you know, her family as well. But I don't know, it's you know, they were there and it was great to have that support system, but just nobody that's really there for you on the in and out than your partner, right? And I'm just so grateful that she dealt with me and she stuck around and you know, hopefully that I can, you know, repay that and I'll spend the rest of my life showing her right that it was worth it.

SPEAKER_00 23:02

I love that. And being the caregiver on my side, you know, it's definitely hard. It's hard to see your partner, your husband, your wife go through something that's so painful. And, you know, every day you just don't know what's gonna happen. And you just keep pushing through, like it's really wild how being on the other side. I read a statistic that 50% of people that have a liver transplant, the couples get divorced. And I was like, wow, that's so sad. You know, I can't even imagine that, you know. But I know we've had some hard days. Let me tell you, it's been difficult. And sure. And he's in. Like, I can only imagine, I cannot feel. Yeah, so I'm happy for you that you have that support. That really means a lot. And I think she must have been a really wonderful woman. Yes, but you know, on the other side, it is hard. And for those of you that are either, you know, receiving the care or giving the care, both sides are difficult. You could see watch somebody go through something that you would take away from them in a minute. Right, they take it for them. So yeah, so thank you for sharing that. And I think there's so many great nuggets that we're gonna pull from this. So tell me about this. What does healing look like for you now, not just physically, but spiritually and emotionally?

SPEAKER_01 24:07

I hate to be a broken record, but energy, empathy, and execution. So when I finally got diagnosed with Lyme disease, so through all that, through the intracranial hypertension, pseudotumorous rebry, through the dozens of surgeries and and you know, MRIs and all of the things you can think of, I almost gave up because I was like, I felt like a hypochondriac. I'm I'm saying something's wrong. My labs are coming up fine. I had the the head surgeries, those are like, oh, you're cured. And I'm like, but I don't feel cured, you know? And so I finally, you know, and I think everything happens for a reason. I, the company that I was just saying with, the CMO says to me, Faye, your symptoms sound like mine. I have Lyme disease. You should see my doctor. And I was like, and I put it off for a little bit, and he followed up with me on it. He's like, Did you schedule that appointment? And I'm like, no, he's like, do it because I had given up. And I was like, What's another doctor? At one point I had 15 specialists, and so it was actually crazy. I found out I had cancer on uh January 23rd, 2019, and then I found out I had Lyme disease exactly five years later, January 23rd, 2020, last year. And it was like, and even though it's late stage, and even though there's a chance I'll never heal completely, even though I don't tell myself that, right? Like just the reality of it is I'm going to get through it. I'm going to heal. I had so much hope. I had an answer. I knew that there was something wrong. I knew that there was something that was being missed. And it gave me such a breath of fresh air and faith, even though it was going to be and still is a long road to recovery. I just regained all of my faith in life, all of my faith in showing up and the reason. You know, I never forgot the reason. You know, I had those dark moments. I didn't know that I could do it. And so once I got that, I decided that I was no longer going to, you know, be sad about it. And I started with 10 minutes of yoga per week. That's it. And I decided to start practicing grace, right? And practicing empathy with myself. And if I missed it, I would restart. I had to trick my mind. I would restart the the day, the day of, right? So that I could still make that 10 minutes within the week. And that was a challenge. I'm sure. And it turned into a day and then two days and then three days a week. And then I got like used to

Fear, Failure, And Burning The Boats

SPEAKER_01 26:40

it and I was consistent with it. And then I started walking. We live right next to a pre a nature preserve. I used to not even be able to, because of my pain, get up the stairs into the into the trail. And then I started making it up that stair, those stairs a little easier. And I just started sitting in nature. I would spend a little bit more time and I would just just ground myself and center myself and celebrate these small wins that for some people are like 10 minutes of yoga a week. And I'm like, I'm going from being able to get right here from my room, and that's it. That's it. Yeah. You know. And so, you know, through the last year and a half, I've just every win is something I celebrate on my door here. This is how supportive my partner is. We have balloons. So every time I go to a doctor, every time I get some good news, every time I have a win with my health, any of these milestones, we write it down and we put it on a, you know, we put the date on it. And I have a bunch of balloons that when I close my door, I see all of my wins right there. That's awesome. Yeah, great support for sure. Yeah, yeah. And so it was just really focusing on that and accepting what has happened and accepting that. And that was also, you know, 10, 15 years maybe of being on, you know, misdiagnosed, but accepting that that happened and just recentering myself, having faith, and just putting out the positivity out there and saying, uh, this is not, this doesn't define me. It's no longer, and I have a coach now. Her name is Jess Samson. You know, she also survived. She has a crazy story just similar to mine. And what she said really resonated with me just a few weeks ago. It's no longer part of who I am, it is now part of my straw story. And that's what I've been focusing on. And it's, you know, it's a challenge every day. Some days I wake up a little bit more and you know, fatigued and in a little bit more pain. And I just remind myself and ground myself. And, you know, I've never been more excited. It's it's incredible. Just so what's some answers and having a support system and you know, joining Apex and being around people like you that I see winning and being vulnerable as well that helped me feel in a space that it's surmountable and that I could I could do it. And I just I really hope to just provide that hope to people. And anyone can always reach out to me, and it it's not the end. It's just, it's not. You just have to believe.

SPEAKER_00 28:57

I agree with you. And so, our my last question, and I I probably went over a little bit, but I your story is so good. What do you want every woman listening to finally believe about her own power?

SPEAKER_01 29:07

You have the power, it is yours. The power of your brain, the power of your mind, the power of reframes saved my life. I mean, yes, I will give support where support uh, you know, credit where it's due with my support system, but you have to have this undying desire. Actually, think and grow rich. It's a big, you know, thing that we you know you talk about, right? This undying desire to get better. Like I still dream. I still dream. I still think to myself, this is what my life is gonna look like when I grow up, even though I'm grown up.

SPEAKER_00 29:42

Right? I feel the same as you. I feel the same. I'm 57, so that's about like I keep thinking, what am I gonna be when I grow up? Well, I'm 57. I'm like, my laptop, right?

SPEAKER_01 29:51

Yeah, no, right. Well, you look great, girl. Like, good for you. But it's not the end. There is a Path, whether you're sick, whether you're in a work environment that's unhealthy, whether you're in a relationship that's unhealthy, you are strong and you can do it, and you have support everywhere. I mean, at one point I was seeing free therapy because I couldn't afford therapy, right? You can do that. There's all the tools at your disposal. Find me on Facebook. I am happy to give you my time. I am happy to get on and just give you just a little bit of hope and a little bit of guidance because it only feels like a little bit when you're feeling that dark. You can do it. Just focus on your mindset and your energy, empathy, and execution. And autopilot should not be frowned upon. If you have to just be an autopilot, keep making progress, put one foot in front of the other.

SPEAKER_00 30:44

Just keep doing something. And my big takeaway today is you don't have to live in it. Because it happened to you, doesn't mean you have to live in that space all the rest of your life. So thank you for being with us. And I know for all of our guests, if this episode stirred anything inside of you, don't just scroll. Please share this episode with someone who needs to hear that healing is real. You can get healed. Leadership, they can be human too, right? We can be human. We have all of the, you know, things happen to us too, just because we're in different levels of life. And burnout is not the blueprint for sure. So thank you for sharing that. And how can they get a hold of you, Faye?

Athena Strong: From Wound To Mission

SPEAKER_01 31:20

So Faye at AthenaStrong.com. My socials are everywhere. I have Athena Business Group. You can find Athena Business Group on Instagram. You can find it on Facebook. But my face odd, you have my links. Feel free to share it with the bio. DM me and I'm happy to give some time. If you are in a dark place, just reach out. There is somebody that will help you.

SPEAKER_00 31:43

Thank you for that. And for everyone, like, subscribe, and share this episode so we can affect more people because that is our goal is to affect as many people as we possibly can while we're on this earth. Thank you, Faye. My pleasure. Thank you.