by Melissa Thornley | Jul 14, 2023
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...
by Melissa Thornley | Jun 7, 2023
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 (including...
by Melissa Thornley | Mar 8, 2022
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 every...
by Melissa Thornley | Feb 15, 2022
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...
by Melissa Thornley | Jan 15, 2022
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 look...
by Melissa Thornley | Dec 16, 2021
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 of...
by Melissa Thornley | Nov 28, 2021
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 that weird Sunday feeling. You know the one: that slight dull worry that...
by Melissa Thornley | Nov 12, 2021
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 not. The...
by Melissa Thornley | Oct 15, 2021
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 think...
by Melissa Thornley | Sep 12, 2021
Balance beams still cause a wave of anxiety in me. One of my worst gym class memories was somersaulting off of a balance beam. It wasn’t a high beam and I landed on a mat, but I still got a big nasty bruise down my back. Why was somersaulting on a balance beam even a...
