134: Courage, Recovery, and Leadership: Transforming Pain into Purpose with Karen Marginot

Have you ever felt like your life was heading in one direction only to be called to make a radical change? In this episode, April Roberts sits down with Karen Marginot, a leadership coach and author of The Bad Girls Club: Promises of a Spirituality-Based Recovery, to explore how she turned career challenges and personal struggles into a life of purpose, fulfillment, and service.

Karen shares her powerful story of leaving the safety of her corporate career to pursue her passion for storytelling and coaching. From navigating recovery and breaking free from limiting beliefs to writing her debut book and building a purpose-driven business, Karen opens up about the transformative lessons she’s learned along the way.

Learn more about the Vixen Founders Collective: https://go.vixengathering.com/vixen-founders-collective/

Schedule a free 20-min strategy session with April! https://calendly.com/vixengathering/20-minute_coffee_chat

Key Takeaways:

Taking the Leap of Faith: How Karen left her corporate career to follow her true calling.
Lessons from Recovery: The tools and perspectives Karen gained through her journey of sobriety and healing.
The Power of Storytelling: How Karen’s book, The Bad Girls Club, helps readers connect with their own humanity and resilience.
Building a New Life: Recreating infrastructure, support systems, and joy after leaving the corporate world.
Self-Leadership: Why learning to lead yourself is essential before guiding others.

Mic Drop Moments:

“What if I’m actually worth double or triple what I’ve been earning—and I could invest that abundance in ways that truly matter to me?”

“When you listen to the feelings—not just the circumstances—you find connection, healing, and your own truth.”

“You can’t lead others if you can’t lead yourself. Leadership begins with owning your story and creating a vision for your life.”

“Our voices and stories matter because they can inspire healing and create connection. Keeping them locked inside serves no one.”

“This is my life, and it’s precious. The question is: How do I want to spend it, and what legacy will I leave behind?”

Who is Karen Marginot?

Ms. Marginot was always that friend who listened deeply to her classmates and colleagues. Surviving and then thriving through a multitude of difficult experiences left her with a compassionate heart and an ability to listen without judgment. From her own lived experiences of recovery, divorce, single-parenting, and reinvention, she developed a belief that truly anything is possible if one is willing to be open, trusting, and growth-minded. Ms. Marginot’s business approach incorporates principles and techniques from co-active coaching, twelve step programs, somatic yoga, yin yoga, mindfulness, meditation, art expression, visualization, storytelling, breathwork, as well as others. Professionally, she has worked in advertising, publishing, non-profits, association management, and high tech, all of which gave her unique bank of knowledge and strategy. Ms. Marginot holds an ACC coaching accreditation through the International Coaching Federation (ICF), is a certified workshop facilitator, and a Senior Executive coach with Humessence. Karen lives in Alexandria, VA and is a generous host to old dogs and sassy cats.