The Stubborn Mindset Changes Everything What if the very thing people criticize you for—being “stubborn”—is actually the thing that saves you? In this unforgettable episode of Words of Wisdom from Kick-Ass Women, Liz Brohan sits down with best-selling author and business strategist Adriana Cowden for a candid conversation about resilience, reinvention, self-advocacy and refusing to give up on yourself. Adriana has faced extraordinary challenges, from leading billion-dollar brands to navigating more than 30 chronic illnesses and 25+ surgeries. Her journey has taught her that reinvention isn't about starting over—it’s about transforming into the person you’re meant to become. She and Liz talk about trusting your own voice, setting boundaries, letting go of relationships and situations that no longer serve you, and why women need to stop apologizing for taking up space. They also explore what happens when women aren't believed or heard—and why having an advocate in your corner can make all the difference. This i
The Stubborn Mindset Changes Everything
What if being called “stubborn” isn’t an insult—but one of the greatest survival skills a woman can have?
What happens when your career disappears, your health changes everything, people dismiss your voice, and the life you planned no longer fits?
You reinvent.
On this powerful episode of Words of Wisdom from Kick-Ass Women, Liz Brohan talks with best-selling author, business strategist and coach Adriana Cowden, whose extraordinary story proves that resilience isn't about bouncing back. Sometimes, it's about becoming someone entirely new.
More than a decade ago, Adriana went from running billion-dollar brands in the C-suite to fighting for her life in hospital rooms. She has navigated more than 30 chronic illnesses and more than 25 surgeries—and faced the kind of physical, professional and emotional challenges that would stop many people in their tracks. Instead, she became stubborn as fuck.
Her book, Stubborn as Fuck: 13 Truths to Rise, Reclaim and Reinvent Your Life, challenges women to rethink what resilience really means. Adriana doesn't see reinvention as starting over. It's transformation. It's giving yourself permission to go inward, reassess what you want, and emerge with a life that actually belongs to you.
Stop Apologizing. Start Advocating.
This conversation gets real about something many women know all too well: being dismissed.
Adriana shares her experiences of being dismissed in the medical system—even when she arrived prepared, organized and armed with questions. Her message? Being strong doesn't mean doing everything alone. Even the most capable woman may need a medical advocate and someone firmly in her corner.
The conversation also tackles:
Adriana is also developing Audrey Ava, an AI-powered medical tool inspired by her own experience of using technology to analyze medical information and develop better questions for her doctors.
Your Life Doesn't Have to Look Like the Plan
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from this conversation is that reinvention isn't failure.
Sometimes the career ends. Sometimes your health changes. Sometimes a relationship or identity no longer fits. Sometimes you simply realize you've been living according to someone else's expectations.
That's not the end.
That's your invitation to transform.
And Adriana's advice is refreshingly direct: stop apologizing for taking up space. Stop waiting for permission. Love yourself first. Find people who will fight for you. And when life tells you that you can't—you might just need to get a little more stubborn as fuck.
Because your resilience isn't just about surviving what happened to you.
It's about deciding what happens next.
Resources & References Mentioned