Meet Yana Reynolds

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Yana Reynolds a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Yana, we are so appreciative of you taking the time to open up about the extremely important, albeit personal, topic of mental health. Can you talk to us about your journey and how you were able to overcome the challenges related to mental issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

I stopped pretending I was okay.

For a long time, my strength was my mask. I was the dependable one. The go-to. The fixer. And I wore that identity like armor, even when I was falling apart underneath it. What most people didn’t see was that behind the high-functioning version of me was someone quietly battling anxiety, waves of depression, and the weight of grief that kept piling on—starting with the loss of my childhood best friend.

I tried to outwork it. Tried to outrun it. I kept everything tucked away in neat little boxes. But pain doesn’t stay put. It leaks. And eventually, it started spilling into my body, my sleep, my creativity, and my clarity.

The turning point came at 3:13 AM, April 3rd, 2024.

I woke up drenched in sweat, heart racing, head pounding, and my blood pressure dangerously high. My body was screaming in a way I could no longer ignore. It was like everything I had been pushing down finally broke through the silence I was forcing myself to live in. That night, I finally heard myself say, “I’m not okay.” And I had no choice but to listen.

I got help. Therapy. Medication. Support groups. Prayer. Breathwork. A tight sister circle that let me be messy and honest. I had to let go of the idea that needing support meant I wasn’t strong. The truth is, getting help made me stronger. It made me whole.

Mental wellness isn’t something I check off a list. It’s a way of living. Every day I choose to honor my nervous system. I choose rest over proving myself. I say no when my body says it’s too much. I’ve built a business and a life where there’s room for softness, honesty, and healing.

I still have hard days. But now I have tools. I have language. I have people. And I’ve got boundaries that protect my peace, because my life depends on it.

I didn’t overcome mental health challenges by pushing through. I overcame them by slowing down, respecting what I was carrying, and making space for the real me to breathe.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Most people build from ambition. I built from a breakdown.

I’m a strategist, COO, and reinvention architect who helps high-achieving women escape the success trap. You know the one—where you’re winning but feeling empty, productive but exhausted, carrying it all but losing yourself in the process.

Since launching the consultancy in April 2025, I’ve had the privilege of guiding 12 incredible women and 4 small business organizations through complete transformation—from corporate burnout to purpose-driven operations, without sacrificing health or values this time. These aren’t just surface-level changes. My clients go from working 60-hour weeks to reclaiming their time and energy. Women who couldn’t delegate are now building teams while actually taking vacations. Organizations are streamlining operations and seeing their leaders sleep through the night again.
Here’s what I learned after 15+ years in HR, operations, and digital transformation: brilliant people leading incredible work are quietly burning out behind the scenes. I was one of them. I knew how to build results, but I also knew how it felt to lose your voice, your health, or your joy in the process.

So I created something different.

Through my Strategic Bridge Framework™, I guide women through seven powerful shifts—from clarity and identity work to infrastructure and sustainable scale. It’s not about working harder. It’s about building smarter, with systems that match your values and a business that reflects your brilliance, not your burnout.
This work lives inside Exit to Next It Enterprises—my reinvention and AI strategy consultancy for women navigating the in-between. Whether you’re coming out of corporate exhaustion or scaling something you love but can barely keep up with, I help you slow down, get clear, and build forward with intention.

Here’s how we work together:
– The Operator’s Room – Our done-for-you backend and VA placement experience, where we help founders delegate with confidence, implement smart systems, and build operational infrastructure that reflects their zone of genius.
– Legacy Lab – Our quarterly accelerator for service-based entrepreneurs ready to grow revenue, deepen visibility, and lead from alignment with a clear execution plan.
– The Launchpad – Our monthly membership and growth lab offering tools, coaching, and community support for women actively building or refining their business models.
– The Soft Landing – A free support circle for women in transition who are still reconnecting with their next chapter.

I also serve as COO and Managing Partner of Grace Unlimited Group, a financial wellness firm where I lead operations and automation—building the kind of back-end infrastructure that helps businesses actually breathe.

What’s new and exciting: I recently released my book “You Are Your Next Best Move”—part story, part structured strategy, with a companion Digital Starter Kit to help women take action immediately. It was born from my own wake-up call, written for every woman standing in the messy middle, knowing she can’t go back but unsure how to move forward.

You can explore all of our programs at ExitToNextIt.com or connect with me directly on Instagram @ExitToNextIt.

What sets my approach apart? Ethical AI integration that expands your capacity without compromising your values. AI isn’t about replacing people—it’s about reclaiming time, honoring creativity, and showing up where you matter most. Whether I’m mapping systems, leading workshops, or mentoring women through reinvention, my work is grounded in one truth: this isn’t about chasing more. It’s about building what finally fits—and freeing women to lead from peace.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

Looking back, one of the most impactful things I developed early in my journey was strategic clarity. Not just knowing my “why,” but understanding what I was actually building, what I valued, and what I was no longer willing to carry. So many of us get caught chasing titles, templates, or someone else’s version of success. I had to slow down long enough to hear myself think, to get clear on what aligned with my purpose, my capacity, and the kind of life I wanted my business to support. That clarity became my compass—especially in the moments when everything felt loud, busy, or uncertain.

The next shift came when I embraced operational thinking. I realized I couldn’t build something sustainable by doing it all myself. I had to step out of the mindset that being busy equaled being productive. Learning to systematize, to delegate, to use automation wisely, and to protect my time, gave me the freedom actually to lead—not just hustle. It took intention to make my business reflect my brilliance and not just my burnout. And I tell every woman I work with: document your process, build your backend, and don’t wait to get help. You don’t need to earn rest.

And maybe most importantly, I had to build emotional agility. Life didn’t stop just because I had a brand to build. There were losses, disappointments, and hard pivots along the way. I had to learn to move through my emotions, not suppress them. To feel the fear and still lead. To grieve and still hold vision. Emotional agility is what kept me from quitting. I learned to make space for grief and growth. I still carry both. But now, I have tools. It’s what gave me the strength to pivot with grace instead of shame.

And if I could offer one piece of advice to anyone early on, it’s this: your emotional health is part of your business strategy. Invest in it. You don’t need to be perfectly healed to build, but you do need to be honest, self-aware, and resourced.

These three things—clarity, operations, and emotional agility—changed how I build, how I lead, and how I serve. And they’ve made all the difference.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

Yes—and not just to collaborate for the sake of collaborating. I’m looking to build with people and platforms who are doing real, meaningful work. The kind who care about legacy, not just likes. Alignment over aesthetics. Strategy and soul.

I’m especially open to partnering with women’s leadership groups, entrepreneurship incubators, mastermind communities, faith-based business networks, founder-led brands, and organizations that support high-achieving women navigating transition—personally or professionally. That might look like co-creating experiences, leading workshops or intensives, guest teaching, or collaborating on programs that blend clarity, systems, and identity work.

If your work makes women feel seen, safe, and stronger—we’re already speaking the same language.
If your work centers around operational excellence, mental wellness, automation, storytelling, or scaling service-based businesses with heart—I’d love to connect.

I don’t do surface-level partnerships. I want the kind where the values match, the energy is mutual, and the impact is real. If we work together, expect intentionality, integrity, and impact—done well, done right, and done with care.

If that’s you, reach out. You can connect with me at ExitToNextIt.com, DM me on Instagram @ExitToNextIt, or reach out on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/yana-reynolds/. Let’s see what we can build together—without the fluff.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Grief group photo – Credit: Lenora Holmes
all other photos: Yana Reynolds

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