How Mary Lou Quinlan Reinvented Her Life—And How You Can, Too

You don’t need another vision board. You need a moment of gutsy, unapologetic clarity.

And Mary Lou Quinlan? She’s the proof.

At the height of her career, CEO of a major ad agency and award-winning marketer, Mary Lou stepped away from “success” as the world defined it. She wanted more. More meaning. More creativity. More truth. So she said it out loud:

“I want to write. I want to be on stage. I want to tell women’s stories.”

And that simple, scary sentence changed everything.

In this episode of Possibilities with Monique de Maio, Mary Lou dishes on how she transitioned from boardrooms to Off-Broadway, how she built The God Box into a critically acclaimed one-woman show, and how she found her true voice beyond the executive title.

And because you know me—I don’t do surface-level inspiration. We’re getting into the real takeaways here:

1. You don’t have to burn it all down—but you do have to be honest.
Mary Lou didn’t hate her life. She just knew it wasn’t the whole picture. If you’re feeling the itch, it’s not betrayal. It’s your next chapter trying to get your attention.

2. Reinvention isn’t a straight line.
It’s messy. It’s scary. It’s unglamorous. Mary Lou faced rejection, self-doubt, and imposter syndrome. But she kept saying yes—even when she didn’t know exactly where it would lead.

3. Grit + Grace = Longevity.
She didn’t wait for permission. She didn’t wait for conditions to be perfect. She leaned into the mess with humor, humility, and hustle.

4. Your story matters more than your resume.
What people remember isn’t your titles. It’s your heart. Your voice. Your willingness to put yourself out there. Your willingness to say it out loud.

5. You’re allowed to have more than one dream.
Mary Lou didn’t “pivot.” She expanded. She added more dimensions to her life, not less.

Final Mic Drop

Saying yes to yourself isn’t selfish. It’s the bravest leadership move you’ll ever make.

🎧 Want the full playbook? Listen or watch the episode here: Say It Out Loud: Voice, Vision & the Power of Yes | Featuring Mary Lou Quinlan

🎭 In the NYC area? Come see Mary Lou LIVE in her moving one-woman play, The God Box, A Daughter’s Story—just in time for Mother’s Day. One night only:
📅 May 6, 2025, at 7pm
📍 The Sheen Center, NYC
🎟 Tickets: sheencenter.org

Bring your mom, your daughter, your best friend, your tribe. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and most of all—you’ll leave reminded of the power we all have when we speak our truth.

Here’s your permission slip: dream bigger, say it bolder, and move before you’re ready.

With fire and possibility,
—Monique