photo of Chris, Melanie & Coleen (bottom to top) by Mary Gardella at the 2023 Rebel Recharge When asked to do the impossible…by Chris Coladonato, Connection CareBear for The Brilliant Rebellion A year ago, I was asked to do the impossible: write a love letter to myself. I remember it like yesterday. I was sitting on a couch with a group of beautiful women at a retreat. One where most of us had just met, yet we felt like we had known each other for years. I felt so comfortable around them. We...
28 days ago • 3 min read
At our Farm-To-Table Dinner at Treehouse Vero This past weekend, I made a new local friend. We met at the gym and the very next day, we saw each other on the jetbridge of a flight heading to Westchester, NY. It felt like kismet. For weeks, I checked in on him. I invited him to different events or to hang out, but things just didn’t line up. Finally, about two weeks ago, I got an invitation to a farm-to-table dinner at a favorite local spot. I sent him the invite—and he said yes. The day-of,...
about 1 month ago • 2 min read
A thought-provoking question from my husband, Dan Russell Am I a narcissist? Last year, I lost a close friendship. Over the course of a few weeks, certain things came to light about this person I loved that were out of alignment with the values I thought they held. Moments that cast a shadow on a personality I had come to trust. Behavior and lies that showed a much more fear-based mentality than that which I thought they had. Comments that sought to make me an enemy rather than have a...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
To be seen is to be loved.To love is to see. Have you ever had someone look at you and it felt as if they were seeing your soul? It can feel terribly uncomfortable to sit across from someone who is so present that you know they’re not thinking about where they’re going next or where they just were. They’re just sitting with you. Truly listening. Truly interested in what you’re saying. Think about the last time you went on a “date” (with a stranger, your significant other, your child, or even...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
Life gives you plenty of time to do whatever you want to do if you stay in the present moment. - Deepak Chopra WHAT IF there is no tomorrow? WHAT IF there is no yesterday? WHAT IF all we have is right NOW? Most of our lives are spent looking forward to what's next while running away from what's happened or wishing we could change the past. Yet the only moment we truly have is the Infinite Now. Watch this clip from The Brilliant Rebellion's first Soul Mixer where Dan shares about what it means...
about 2 months ago • 2 min read
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit."- Will Durant Most of us spent some time as 2025 was beginning setting intentions, choosing a word, and writing goals—to manifest what we want. As we looked back at our year in review, we may have seen the learning, the growth, the heartache, and heart opening. I know I did. As we look at this year ahead, we see hope and ideas—wanting to make it the best yet. All of this is well and good, yet there is more here than...
about 2 months ago • 3 min read
"There is no right or wrong. It’s then versus now." - Rob Bell I've lived most of my life in fear of being bad or wrong. Sure, I've always been a confident go-getter who doesn't take shit, yet behind the scenes, my mind had a program running that no matter what I did, someone would be upset or I'd get in trouble. This fear caused me to make a lot of choices that hurt me or others. It flavored everything I did with an energy of "I hope no one gets upset," even when I KNEW in my conscious mind...
2 months ago • 3 min read
“We cannot become what we want by remaining what we are.”— Max De Pree A QUESTION FOR THE NEW YEAR... We’ve been told our entire lives that “playing by the rules” is the only way to stay safe, succeed, and fit in. But what if those very rules are quietly confining you—limiting your real potential and keeping you from living the life you crave? That’s why we created The Brilliant Rebellion: to help you identify and break free from the constructs you never even questioned. You’ll join a...
2 months ago • 2 min read
Hey there, Ever wish you could peek inside the minds of people who’ve taken the leap and decided to challenge the status quo—just like you want to? Now’s your chance. We get it. If you’ve been on the internet for just the last few months, you’ve seen plenty of bold promises and hype only to find out that it’s really just good marketing and no delivery. Our community of magical humans, The Brilliant Rebellion, is different than anything you’ve ever experienced. And we’re not just saying that....
2 months ago • 1 min read