Joy is stalking me. It started when Minneapolis-based Creative Director Peter Anderson asked me to be part of his Leading with Joy project. It got me thinking more critically about how I see joy and more importantly, how I leverage it as both a choice to be made...
When Barbara Roche asked me to be a part of Reel Chicago's Reel Women series, I was over the moon. Although it feels like a lifetime ago, the majority of my career took place in film and advertising. It's where I learned and practiced leadership skills day-to-day....
With the passing of Raquel Welch earlier this year, I reflected on one magical night I had with her. This typically isn’t the type of thing I’d release to the public, but we can all use a good story. This story is about empathy, kindness, and meeting people...
Melissa was thrilled to record a podcast episode for the Fitting Out podcast, created and hosted by Jonah McGuire. With this podcast, Jonah aims to shine a light on the greatness of humanity which exists everywhere by delving into people’s personal journeys as...
Like clockwork, when it’s time for me to write a blog on a specific topic, I find myself struggling with that topic. It’s particularly true with this month’s topic of self-love. For the past few weeks, I’ve grappled with feeling not enough, (never enough), and a...
We’re midway through January. What a relief. All of those resolution peddlers have quieted down. None of us need any more noise in our airwaves, especially now. In Decmeber, we talked about acknowledging what is. When we take ourselves out of autopilot mode and...
Our theme for December is Acknowledgment. Acknowledgment is simply: acceptance of the truth or existence of something. No judgment necessary. Some things may not be cause for celebration, but by acknowledging them, we can honor their existence and move on. With all...
Here we are. The last Sunday in November. Some of us had some time off. Some of us worked extra. Some of us traveled. Some of us stayed home. Regardless, many of us may be experiencing...
There’s a lot out there about stress management. And with good reason. Many of the organizations I work with have noticed that their leaders are suffering from burnout or are languishing (sense of emptiness, stagnation, ennui). Maybe this is you; maybe it’s...
Want to know the secret to just about everything? Pay attention. Slow down. Play nice. You can apply the above rules anywhere, but they are particularly critical to teamwork, whether you’re the official manager of the team or are leading as a team player. Let’s...
