She Lost a 34-Year Corporate Career, Got Paralyzed, and Got on Oprah — Adyna K. Pressley’s Story Will Change How You See Burnout
- LoveliEsteem
- Jul 15
- 4 min read
A Conversation That Stopped Me in My Tracks
There are episodes of Healing Through Conversations that feel informative. And then there are episodes that feel like a divine intervention. My conversation with Adyna K. Pressley was the second kind.
Adyna spent 34 years in corporate finance, rising to Vice President of Operations, walking into $25 million boardrooms as the only Black woman in the room, and building herself into a brand before she ever had a business card with her own name on it. And in 2025, it was over. A meeting. A laptop closing. And what she describes as “a ton of bricks lifting off her chest.”
She was laid off. One of over 300,000 Black women who lost their jobs that year.
“That closed door became the opening and the catalyst for where I’m at today.” — Adyna K. Pressley
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When the Body Decides It’s Done
The layoff was just the beginning. Not long after, Adyna’s body delivered its own verdict. She was diagnosed with Guillain-Barré Syndrome. a rare neurological disorder where the immune system attacks the nerves. She was hospitalized. She became temporarily paralyzed. She couldn’t walk.
They offered her a walker. She refused. She left the hospital holding onto her daughter and her mother, determined to make it home in time for her daughter’s first day of college.
Because that is the thing about Black women who have been running for three decades: we don’t know how to stop. Not even when our bodies are begging.
But Adyna will tell you that the stillness she was forced into was the greatest gift she never asked for.
What She Built in the Silence
A solo trip to Niagara Falls. A journal. A business plan. And a book, Rise Into You: Reclaiming Power, Love Life and Legacy, written not from a place of pain, but from a place of healing. A love letter to her readers, her women, her sisters.
Then came AKP Innovations, her global women’s leadership company. The Sisterhood Society, her private community built on real connection (not the performative kind she’d experienced elsewhere). Queens Royale, her luxury streetwear line honoring the borough she’s from. And Cysmas in Sedona, her first retreat, featuring sound baths, breathwork, and intentional sisterhood.
And then… Oprah.
2.6 Million People Heard Her Name
A midnight scroll. A post from Oprah asking if any women had ever been fired. A moment of “why not” that changed the trajectory of Adyna’s business forever.
She wrote in. Got called. Interviewed. Made it through vetting. And sat on a virtual stage with Oprah Winfrey, alongside a CNN anchor and editors from major magazines, telling her story to 2.6 million viewers.
Her message to every woman who almost didn’t hit send: “The worst they can do is say no. And sometimes ‘no’ just means ‘not right now."
Self-Care Is Her Oxygen, Not Her Option
When I asked Adyna about her wellness practices, she didn’t give me a list. She gave me a philosophy.
Every morning, she sits in an hour of stillness. No phone. No TV. Just her, her prayers, and the quiet. She started with three minutes. She worked up to an hour. She does monthly massages. She practices sound therapy. She says her peace is paramount, and her self-care is non-negotiable.
“I say my self-care is not an option, it’s my oxygen. I would not be able to breathe or live each day if I didn’t put myself first.”
She didn’t learn this easily. She burned for 34 years before her body forced the lesson. But she learned it. And now she teaches it.
Her Advice for the Woman Who Just Got Laid Off Today
If you are reading this and today was the day, the meeting, the email, the laptop closing, Adyna has three words for you: breathe. Reflect. Strategize.
Look at your finances. Reach out to your network. And before you panic, ask yourself: how did you actually feel in that job? Because Adyna has found that most of the women she works with who’ve been laid off feel one surprising thing above all else: relief.
The paycheck was real. The financial fear is real. But so is the freedom.
Listen to This Episode
The Cost of Being “The Strong One”: Black Women, Burnout & Reclaiming Ourselves featuring Adyna K. Pressley is available now on Spotify, YouTube, Apple Podcasts, iHeart Radio, Amazon Music , Pandora Radio, and the Alive Podcast Network App. Also streaming on Apple TV, Roku and Fire TV.
And when you’re done listening, find Adyna. She’s @AdynaKPressley everywhere. Read Rise Into You. Join the Sisterhood Society. Shop Queens Royale. And remember what she told us:
“Your body will speak to you. Make sure you’re listening before it has to scream.”
Holistic Mental Health Advocate | Author | Relationship Recovery and Confidence Rebuilding Coach | Host of the Healing Through Conversations Podcast | Founder of LoveliEsteem, LLC
Socials: @loveliesteem
"Being able to articulate your feelings, wants, needs, and desires is the best way to advocate for yourself and the people that you love. This all starts with a conversation". Loveli xoxo
Tune in to the "Healing Through Conversations Podcast" available on these platforms
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