This One Setback Nearly Ended Her Career— But It Made Her a Bestselling Author Instead (What Amy Shoenthal Learned When She Got Sidelined After Maternity Leave)

Superwomen with Rebecca Minkoff

Rebecca Minkoff

Society & Culture

4.8 • 543 Ratings

🗓️ 19 June 2025

⏱️ 31 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

This week on SUPERWOMEN, I’m joined by Amy Shoenthal, bestselling author, journalist, and the mind behind “The Setback Cycle,” a framework for turning life’s most difficult moments into launching pads for growth. A seasoned writer for outlets like Forbes and Fast Company, Amy spent years interviewing founders, creatives, and executives, only to realize the one thing they all had in common: a major setback. What started as a “journalism side hustle” to put her ambitious energy somewhere when her job was no longer serving her, became a research-backed journey into what happens when things fall apart and how those moments can lead to reinvention. In this conversation, Amy shares how subtle setbacks, like quietly being sidelined at work after maternity leave, often shape us just as powerfully as the dramatic ones. She breaks down the four phases of the setback cycle, offers actionable steps to help you identify and move through your own, and reminds us that success doesn’t always look like a straight line forward. From slingshot neuroscience to slumped ceilings in fashion studios, Amy's insights are a lifeline for anyone sitting in the discomfort of a stalled career, strained relationship, or uncertain next step, unsure if it’s an ending or a new beginning. Thank you for listening! Don’t forget to order my book, “Fearless: The New Rules for Unlocking Creativity, Courage, and Success.” Follow SUPERWOMEN (@rmsuperwomen) and Amy (@amysho) on Instagram. Support this podcast: https://bit.ly/rmsuperwomen Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, everyone. You're listening to Superwomen. Today's guest is Amy Schoenthal, a USA Today bestselling author of The Setback Cycle, How Defining Moments Can Move Us Forward. She is also an incredible journalist writer and has contributed to Entrepreneur Magazine, Forbes. She has a viral TED talk about the setback cycle itself. What is the setback cycle?
0:22.8	Well, tune in to find out. But let me just sum it up for you. Those moments that you think I'm
0:27.5	going backwards in my life or in my career are actually preparing you to be slingshot into greatness.
0:34.4	And we get into why. Take a listen. Do you ever see a successful woman on your feed
0:38.6	or in a magazine and think, wow, it must be nice to have it so easy. Well, think again. Behind that
0:45.7	glossy cover or smiling face is a ton of hard work, countless failures, and endless learning
0:50.6	experiences. I'm Rebecca Minkoff and I'm here to tell you that success isn't a walk
0:55.3	in the park. It takes grit, resilience, and a willingness to take risks. That's why I created
1:01.4	superwoman. A podcast that peels back the varnish and gets into the nitty gritty of what it takes
1:06.2	to make it as a woman in today's world. From luminaries and game changers to women you've never heard of but should, this podcast
1:13.2	is here to inspire you to take your next leap, no matter how daunting it may seem.
1:18.3	We'll explore the sacrifices these women have made, the highs and loaves they've experienced,
1:23.1	and the lessons they've learned along the way.
1:25.5	So if you're ready to be inspired and learn from some of the
1:28.0	most successful women out there, join me on superwomen. Together, we'll uncover the stories behind
1:33.8	the successes and prove that with hard work, determination, and a little bit of luck, anything is
1:39.4	possible. Amy, round two for those tuning in. Amy and I had an incredible conversation. The studio lost
1:49.2	the file. And here we are today. We're back. We're back. You could say setbacks lead to
1:56.1	something better. We had a setback. We did. So you are a best-selling author, writer, speaker.
2:03.7	I mean, your alkylase, whether it's Forbes, Harvard Business Review, Entrepreneur, Fast
2:09.3	Company, we could go on.
2:14.4	You wrote a book called The Setback Cycle, which I think all of us have huge setbacks.
	...

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