Where in the World is that Entrepreneur?
Have you ever been told you can’t have it all?
Yeah, me too!
You know what always seems to happen when I’m told I can’t have something I really want? I instantly want it more, which makes me go into “find a way” mode.
Having it all isn’t actually about having it all, it’s about knowing exactly what you want out of life and making it happen.
I love traveling, exploring, and experiencing life. I also love being active and competing. I love being my own boss, getting to choose who’s on my team, who I work with, who I partner with, and how we’re going to serve and make our impact on the world. And I love that these things can all seamlessly go together to create “my perfect life”.
Read on to learn more…
Cheers,Melanie
Designing My Perfect Life
as a Digital Nomad, Competitive Athlete, & Business Owner
I Value Changing my Perspective to Change my Circumstance
“You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience in which you really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, 'I have lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along.' You must do the thing you think you cannot do.” ~Eleanor Roosevelt
So far there have been 3 pivotal moments that have changed the trajectory of my life. Each of them – one small moment of triumph after years struggle. The “what” doesn’t really matter, what matters is that they all have the same story – I trudged through the mud, not facing a fear, until something happened that made me change my perspective, and in doing so I could see a new path – a better road.
It’s such a simple statement, one that people believe to be easier said than done, but I believe it is that simple. No matter what the fear, obstacle, or struggle, there is a clear path forward, you just need to find the perspective that will allow you to see it.
Melanie Is An Innovator, Engineer, & Business Owner
Melanie graduated top of her class in both engineering school and in her Master of Engineering Management program and holds a number of certifications, including a Lean 6-Sigma Black Belt. Melanie has a proven track record of quickly finding & mastering new technologies, predicting what’s coming down the pipeline, and using new, creative, and innovative methods to produce simple solutions to complex problems. In fact, Melanie’s clients and business partners affectionately call her “The Fixer”! When the 2019-2020 pandemic hit, Melanie was able to quickly help her brick and mortar clients pivot to online businesses, while helping others pivot to new industries, and others save time & money by optimizing their processes & workflows.
I Value Choosing Courage over Fear
I originally started playing sports as an escape from the bullying I felt from my schoolmates. I went on to become a competitive athlete on the advice of a doctor after breaking my back in a car accident in high school. It was the decades of being a competitive athlete that taught me that if you can take one step, you can keep going.
I am not successful because I haven’t failed, haven’t faced obstacles, or haven’t experienced hardship; I am successful because I’ve experienced those things and kept going.
A Leader & Mentor
Melanie is an accomplished leader and technical advisor with an aptitude for optimizing profits and drawing out the hidden talents of others. She’s mentored at all levels of business from being a Freshman Advisor at Harvard University, to leading small teams to major departments in various industries. She is a respected and trusted professional passionate about driving excellence, transform teams, and revamp processes.
I Value Growing my circle to Expand my Mind
I have always loved to travel, but it took on a new meaning when I started my business. Now when I travel it is to grow my bubble.
I grew up in a middle class family, in a privileged town, in a privileged city, in a privileged country. I also grew up in the 80s and 90s before the information age, before we could live the experiences of others, in real time, all around the world. So it wasn’t until I traveled to another country that I started to REALLY see the difference from circumstance. That experience changed me, humbled me. Years later I had a similar mindset shift when I experienced that same contrast in circumstance, right here in the United States.
Fast forward a number of years to the point when I’m getting ready to start my business. I had dreams of my invention going global when someone asked me how I knew the needs of people from all over the world. He had a point and while I can’t meet every person in the world, becoming a digital nomad has afforded me the opportunity to experience more cultures, meet a broader range of people, and broaden my perspective.
Traveling is not just fun, it’s expanded my mind and expanded my business. In all of my travels, the greatest lesson I’ve learned is that beliefs and values should be regularly evaluated and thrown out if they are no longer serving you.
A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions.
-Oliver Wendell Holmes
Upcoming Travel
A Speaker, Educator, & Coach
Melanie travels around the world sharing her knowledge and proven strategies to help businesses maximize their profits. She has had the privilege to share stages with renowned speakers, such as Bill Walsh, John Shin, Sharon Lechter, Les Brown, Kevin Harrington, & Mark Victor Hansen. Melanie has also helped design courses for top institutions like the Harvard University IT Academy and has several digital courses, designed to help entrepreneurs & small business owners optimize their business.
An Author
Melanie has contributed to and authored several business, technology, and leadership articles, has been interviewed for magazines, and is actively working on a number of books to be released in 2021, including a children’s book for adults explaining how to buy the right technology and software for your business. Melanie also authors several blogs filled with how-to articles, tips, interviews, and heartfelt stories that prove it’s possible to design your own life and have it all.
I Value Showing Up As the Best Version of Myself
Someone once told me I would never be a good leader because I lacked empathy. I didn’t actually, it’s just a label they gave me because I was ambitious. Honestly, it’s the best thing someone’s ever said to me. I didn’t respond to that person, instead I signed up for a leadership certificate program at Cornell University. It wasn’t that I thought I’d learn it; I knew I already had empathy, it was that I wanted to become the best leader. At that time I was motivated by my desire to prove someone wrong, but what it would turn into would be a lifelong quest to be the best version of myself.
I don’t always get it right, but that’s the beauty of being willing to learn & grow. If you’re willing to show up and listen – with all of your senses – the universe will send you lessons so you can continue to grow and become a better version of yourself. With this in mind, here are my 3 favorite tools I use nearly every day to be a better business owner, leader, human:
- When feeling defensive, respond instead of react - When we respond we do so with thought and intelligence, when we react we do so impulsively on emotion.
- Use everything for your upliftment and growth - If you can find the benefit in an otherwise terrible situation, you can grow from the experience.
- When procrastinating ask yourself, what am I making more important - If you can get at the core of why you don’t want to do something, you can make changes to journey to achieving the goal.
A Philanthropist
Melanie is a huge advocate for helping those making a difference helping others. She’s helped small non-profits build a national rollout strategy, serves a number of non-profits as their technical advisor, and currently sits on three boards. Melanie is also passionate about making opportunities available to underserved communities and being a role model for young children to know they can grow into whatever they want, without limits.
Spotlights
Media, PR, & Book Publishing
You’ve probably heard me say it a million times, find partners that solve for the problems you create for your
Where I Lodge…
I’m not going to lie I’m not faithful to one app, hotel, etc… I have a list of my requirements
