We recently connected with Melanie Whitney and have shared our conversation below.

Melanie , thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear the backstory behind a risk you’ve taken – whether big or small, walk us through what it was like and how it ultimately turned out.

Starting a business felt like the scariest thing in the world to me at the time. Just flirting with the idea gave all the limiting voices inside my head the stage. Who did I think I was? Who would want to pay me for these services? Thankfully, I was supported by other business owners who were familiar with these voices. They encouraged me to just try it, give myself the chance to try. Did I really want my whole life to go by and always wonder ‘what if?’ My perfectionism was paralyzing, I fussed over branding, strategy, website hosting, all these things that didn’t actually matter. I wanted everything to be PERFECT before I shared anything with the world. This made for a painfully slow start that was accompanied by a ton of anxiety.

Eventually, I took the leap…I filed the paperwork, built the website, and booked a venue for my first event. All in one day! When I was done, I cried in my office. I didn’t know why I was crying, I just got so much done! But it was all the anxiety I had been keeping contained…I was both anxious and excited all at once. Was my first event perfect? No, but people showed up anyway. I learned so much by doing, by taking action. I got answers to the questions I was looking for by taking the risk. It’s counterintuitive, we think we need to have all the answers before taking the leap. When in reality the answers come along the journey, you just have to begin.

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

I began teaching Communication Studies at University back in 2009, helping young adults cultivate healthy interpersonal relationships. However, I slowly began to realize there wasn’t enough in the literature about self-awareness and how that plays such a vital role in healthy relationships. In 2016, I did a TEDx and started to build my business teaching people mindfulness. I have held workshops for national corporations, facilitated trainings for the United States military all over the globe, and provide private coaching to high performers who are looking to live more mindfully.

There are a million different coaches in the world, but I think people are drawn to my practical approach to mindfulness. Instead of telling you to get on the floor and meditate, I figure out creative ways to integrate mindfulness practices into your current life. In addition, being a brown, queer, woman gives me a different way of looking at the world. I have had to overcome prejudice, discrimination, and many limiting beliefs. These painful chapters in my life have given me lessons I am able to use in my teachings. We all have had different hardships, but being able to find purpose in them is where the magic happens. We wont always understand why things happen, but we can take something from those experiences to help us move forward.

When people come to me for coaching they usually struggling with finding balance in their life: managing work, relationships, mental health, physical health, personal goals, etc. I help them find an alignment that helps them show up as their best self. We go through a series of questions, activities, meditations, etc to uncover what may be holding them back from the life they want to live.

Working with corporate clients has been interesting post-pandemic because there is now a greater focus on wellness. Together we are able to create training programs or workshops to give their managers tools on mindful leadership. Many people get put into leadership positions without ever receiving any formal communication training, yet communication is continuously stated to be one of the most desired skillsets from employers. With my background as a Communication Studies Professor, I understand the nuances of human communication. Whether they are looking to prepare their team for a big pitch or set up their managers to lead more mindfully, it all begins with their ability to communicate.

Learning and unlearning are both critical parts of growth – can you share a story of a time when you had to unlearn a lesson?

One of the biggest lessons I had to unlearn was about perfection. As a former athlete and academic, you are taught to strive for perfection. You are made to believe that perfection exists. The years after college were some of the toughest for me because I saw myself as a failure. Hopping from job to job, career change after career change…I hit rock bottom, I got tired of chasing a fishline that always seem to move the closer I got. But this rock bottom helped me stop and just accept where I was in life. It allowed me time to go inward instead of outward. This is when I realized how much of my “achieving” was really just about wanting to be validated, wanting to feel “good enough.” I had to learn to praise progress, not perfection. Still something I remind myself to do today.

How do you keep your team’s morale high?

Management is not for everyone, it requires a lot of self-awareness to be a good manager. The best advice I can give for managing a team is to get to know what motivates them. What are their fears? What are their hopes? What obstacles are they facing? What kind of support would they like from you? What do they need to be at their best? The best managers are curious about their team, checking in as they all continue to evolve as human beings. When people feel cared for they feel motivated. It sounds simple, but it requires a lot of energy to be a mindful leader. Not only do you have to hold space for your team, but you have to make sure YOUR cup is full. If you are not taking care of yourself, you will not be able to lead others.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.melaniewhitney.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/melaniewhitney_
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melaniewhitneycc
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanie-whitney/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/melaniewhitney_
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@melaniewhitney
• Other: Podcast: https://mindlesstomindful.buzzsprout.com/