134: Whose Definition of Success Are You Living? ft. Barb Stone

In this episode, host Alex sits down with Barbara Stone — entrepreneur, author, TEDx speaker, leadership development coach, and founder of Build Your Path LLC — for a conversation about what it really costs to spend 25 years chasing someone else's version of success. And what it takes to finally walk away from it. Barb did everything right. She earned her MBA, climbed the ladder in manufacturing — one of the most male-dominated industries out there — and reached the top. Executive Vice President. CFO. Impressive by every measure. And then one day, she stopped and asked herself a question that changed everything: Whose definition of success am I actually living? What followed wasn't a clean, Instagram-worthy pivot. It was a reckoning. With identity. With worthiness. With the version of herself she had been performing for decades. Through the loss of her first husband, a kidney cancer scare, and living with alopecia — a condition that took her nearly eight years to stop hiding — Barb kept doing the inner work. Studying resiliency. Getting certified as a coach. And eventually, building a life that actually looks like her. In April 2025, she released her first book — So Much to Drool About: Lessons for Living Large — inspired by the Great Danes who taught her more about presence, courage, and showing up fully than any boardroom ever did. 💬 Topics we cover: What it was like being a woman in manufacturing and learning to lead without losing herself The moment she realized looking good and getting it right was killing her soul What resilience actually means — and why it's about building forward, not bouncing back How her Great Danes became the unexpected teachers behind her first book The daily practices that keep her grounded, intentional, and moving forward What she wants every quietly unfulfilled high-achiever to hear right now Why the antidote to being stuck is simpler than you think If you've ever built a life that looks great on paper but doesn't feel like yours — this is the episode you needed to hear. New episodes drop every Monday. Ready to Cultivate? Hit Subscribe. Learn more about Barb Stone and her work: https://barbstone.me/ Follow Cultivate with Alex Canavan on Instagram:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠   / alexcanavanpodcast   Apply to be a guest on Cultivate:⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FA... Connect with Alex Canavan, the host of Cultivate: Website: https://www.alexcanavan.com/ LinkedIn:   / alexcanavan   Instagram:   / alexcanavan.co   ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ This episode is brought to you by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Diam Media Group⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠: https://www.diammedia.com/