Owner of Brilliant Balance offers strategies that empower women to succeed personally and professionally
Cherylanne Skolnicki is an authority on well-being, work-life balance and human potential. Skolnicki grew up wanting to be a Fortune 500 CEO and started her career at Procter & Gamble where she worked for 15 years before founding the Brilliant Balance Company.
Brilliant Balance helps professionals get the most out of work and life through compelling content, comprehensive coaching programs and a tightly knit community. As the founder and CEO, Skolnicki is the creative engine for the company; she is also a popular speaker, an adviser to corporate leaders and a trusted coach to a roster of private clients. Skolnicki also hosts the Brilliant Balance Podcast, which reaches thousands of listeners each week with inspiring messages and practical advice. In addition, she is a wife and a proud mother of three.
Q: When did you start your business and why?
A: I left my corporate job at the end of 2009 to start the business that would eventually become Brilliant Balance. In short, I felt a really strong calling to do work that had more meaning! I was a working mom, and so were most of my friends and colleagues, so I could see the issues we were all up against firsthand. I decided to just start solving the biggest problems for that audience and see where it led.
Q: How do you define success?
A: For me, success is about three things: Contribution, Connection and Choices. Contribution is about using my gifts to be of service to others. Connection is about having deep, authentic, fulfilling relationships. And choices are all about managing how I invest my time and energy to get the highest return.
Q: Who is the “Rock Star” mom?
A:This is my term for someone who feels like she’s firing on all cylinders at work and at home. We all know it when we’re in that zone!
Q: What are the three keys to achieving a work-life balance?
A: At Brilliant Balance, we talk about them as Power, Productivity and Purpose. Power essentially means managing your energy well. Productivity is about leveraging your time, and then purpose is about pursuing something that makes it all worth it. It sounds simple, but when these three things are done well, we really thrive! That’s where my team comes in. We can help someone move from head-nodding along to the simplicity of these ideas to actually making the changes that finally shift her life into balance so she can chase some of her biggest dreams while still taking good care of her family and great care of herself.
Q: Why is it important to invest in yourself through programs like Brilliant Balance?
A: Let me use a story to answer this. Earlier this year, my family got a puppy. Our first dog ever. And of course, we thought we could figure everything out ourselves. The feeding and training and sleeping and commands—all the things. And let me tell you, it was a disaster and I have the chewed-up shoes to prove it. As soon as we hired a trainer, things fell into place almost like magic. This is the power of having an expert guide. They’ve seen these challenges a hundred times before and they know how to resolve them. That’s exactly the role we play for our clients. We’re expert guides for working moms, so for anyone who wants a proven process and predictable results, the investment is worth its weight in gold.
Q: If people want to connect with you to learn more, what should they do?
The best thing is to go to our website at brilliant-balance.com and watch the video that is near the bottom of the home page. This is a great short introduction to the whole Brilliant Balance philosophy!
