Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Katie Melko. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Katie, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Almost every entrepreneur we know has considered donating a portion of their sales to an organization or cause – how did you make the decision of whether to donate? We’d love to hear the backstory if you’re open to sharing the details.

As an author and public health advocate, I love giving back and providing service and resources to animals, children and families across the globe that need it. That is why I created Off the Grid Missions, the mission is to provide educational resources, services and other needed items to help better ones life. All of the products that I sell on my website give back, 25% of the purchases get donated to Off the Grid Missions. Last year, I went to Dominican Republic to donate to the village there and to provide fluoride treatments to the people. It was so eye opening and rewarding experience that I will never forget.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m a dental hygienist and work in pediatrics, this is how becoming an author happened for me. I fell in love with writing during my master’s degree program and being a pediatric dental hygienist; I was constantly seeing children afraid of the dental office and getting their teeth cleaned. I decided to write a book about the experience in hopes of providing a resource families could use to help prepare kids for their appointments. Ultimately eliminating the fear of unknown, decreasing their nervousness and anxiety and hopefully making the experience a positive one. When my dog passed away, I decided to make the characters dogs and cats – with Roxy being the main character of my first book, being able to have her last forever in my pages of my stories- this is how Paw Elementary was born. Each book comes with an encouragement card to help drive home the message of the story to kids and also to give the books a theme. Roxy’s Adventure to the School Dentist is all about bravery – the encouragement card is titled Be Brave. Each purchase of my books on my website gives back to Off the Grid Missions which is a nonprofit company created to be able to give back to communities that need help whether its people or animals.

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

I’ve been a hygienist since 2009 and in 2011 I started my entrepreneur path and created a non profit called Miles for Smiles. I wanted to do more with my career and time and have always been passionate about community and helping others. I ended up having to close that business in 2015 due to lack of support, funds and knowledge. I realized this throughout the business journey that I didn’t know enough about how to run a successful business and thats when I decided to go back to school and get my bachelors and masters degree. I graduated in 2016 and started my second business 12 Paws Publishing, LLC in 2018 when I self published my first book. I had to pivot my mindset and career goals in order to accomplish this one. I had to accept failure and let it not define me and my future but help hone me and change my outlook and goals for my future. Remember fail is first attempt in learning.

What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?

To make a difference. I just want to be able to create something that will have a positive impact on families and create a resource teachers and families could use to help make a situation less scary and more of a positive experience. I also wanted to create a product that would allow me to give back to the community. I donate books, dental services, dental products, clothing and other resources communities need.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.KatieMelko.com
• Instagram: @paw_books @romance_on_repeat
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKatieMelko
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katie-melko-rdh-ms-748776120/
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC1Gi9onGUnF1Rz9siDn_Cag