Judy Barsamian-Armstrong : “Reinventing Yourself When Life Changes Everything.”
About me: At 36, I was living my dream as a Director of Nursing while raising two young children when I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus. The relentless fatigue and chronic pain forced me to leave the career I loved. For the next ten years, I was unable to work and even attending family or social events became difficult.
Rather than allowing my diagnosis to define me, I chose to see it as an blessing to be fully present during my children’s formative years. I kept my nursing license active, invested in personal development through mentors like Jim Rohn and Brian Tracy, and stayed engaged with the professional community through a local women’s networking organization. I never stopped believing that God still had a purpose for my life.
After a decade away from healthcare—and following a simple prayer spoken over me by a barber while I was taking my son for a haircut—I eventually got off all medications. Soon afterward at 46, I received an unexpected call asking if I was ready to return to work. After interviewing against four other candidates, I was offered the CEO position at the same ambulatory surgery center where I had once served as Director of Nursing.
This article explores how faith, resilience, intentional preparation, and refusing to let adversity define us can open doors we never imagined possible. I believe it will resonate with readers navigating career setbacks, chronic illness, unexpected life transitions, or anyone wondering if it’s too late to begin again.
Similarities between their stories include:
Overcoming Adversity: Both women endured highly distressing, life-altering situations—Willoughby survived a highly publicized kidnapping and murder plot, while Barsamian-Armstrong navigated a divorce and a serious life-threatening health diagnosis.
Resilience and Faith: Following their crises, both women rebuilt their lives through faith and by focusing on empowering others. Barsamian-Armstrong became an inspirational Christian speaker and author of Faith Through Storms, sharing a message of hope, whereas Willoughby similarly returned to television and focused on her family and personal well-being.
Four segments I think work for your story pitch:
1. Resilience through faith & overcoming adversity.
2. Trauma, survival, grief, healing, and hope.
3. Innovation, creativity, and purpose-driven leadership.
4. Family & personal well-being.
Recent New York Post Exclusive Article By Marissa Matozzo – (Sex & Relationships – ‘Grey divorce’ is the new retirement dream for a record number of Americans— meet the women who have moved on with zero regrets.)
https://nypost.com/2026/07/09/lifestyle/grey-divorce-is-booming-as-record-number-of-older-americans-split-up/
The Good Magazine Story: (Living Through the Storm: Judy Barsamian-Armstrong’s Journey of Resilience, Hope, and Purpose.)
https://thegoodmag.com/article/living-through-the-storm-judy-barsamian-armstrong-s-journey-of-resilience-hope-and-purpose
Prior podcast appearance (#12minconvos With Jesus Believers: Hosted By: Engel Jones (2026), 12 min): [https://www.12minconvos.com/blog/podcast-19/judy-armstrong-107]. He talks well, sticks to time, and is comfortable disagreeing on tape.
LISTEN: ‘Many are Called but Few are Chosen’ Audio Story: [https://judyb-armstrong.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Judy-Barsamian-Armstrong-Chosen-Are-Few-Inspirational-Audio-Clip.mp4]
Buy My Book On Amazon: ‘Faith Throught Storms’
Judy Barsamian-Armstrong
Speaker | Author of Faith Through Storms | Registered Nurse
Mobile: 805-709-2972
judy@judyb-armstrong.com
https://judyb-armstrong.com