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

Melinda, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Risk taking is something we’re really interested in and we’d love to hear the story of a risk you’ve taken.

Risk can be a relative word. What risk is to one person, is a walk in the park to another. For example, skydiving for me would be a huge risk, while to an adrenaline junkie, it’s just another fun activity to do.
What I have seen as relatively a no-brainer in my life, others have called me a huge risk-taker. For example, at 19 I moved to Australia to serve a charity and ended up getting my BA there. So many people commented how brave I was to move overseas by myself, be so far from home etc.. For me, I couldn’t imagine staying home and not adventuring out to the wider world!
Years later, I moved to the United Kingdom to serve a charity there as well. I made very little money but I had the experience of a lifetime that I would never trade for any amount of money!
These years of living overseas shaped my life forever and changed the way I see the world, people, cultures and gave me a deep appreciation for life outside the US.

Melinda, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

For as long as I can remember, I always loving being outdoors. Growing up near the California coast and the breathtaking Redwoods definitely contributed to my love for nature and all things beautiful! But besides loving the outdoors, traveling to other nations and adventuring into the unexplored, I have always had a heart to help and serve people.
Having experienced trauma in childhood (as most every human on the planet has) I also have experienced deep healing – emotional, mental and spiritual. Walking in freedom, and in my true self, is the greatest gift and my heart is to see others walk in similar healing and freedom.
I have spent years investing in my own healing as well as being educated in how to help others, using proven brain science tools.
One of my greatest passions is to train, equip and deploy others in their own healing and I am grateful for various opportunities in which to do this – via live, in person trainings, zoom groups, weekend retreats for women, and one-on-one healing sessions. I do this through the non-profit of which I am co-director, called Face to Face Ministries.

In my journey as a healer, I have also discovered that I am an entrepreneur. I recently launched my own brand on Amazon – a huge risk for me because as a single woman, I don’t have a husband’s financial support. But I knew in order to grow, I had to risk!
Honestly, I did not think I could do it – I have wrestled many days with self-doubt, anxiety, feelings of incompetence, fear of failure and so on. Pushing through the resistance has not been easy but the more I do it, the more resilient I become.
Because of my passion for the outdoors, and koalas (yes, I’ve been obsessed with them since childhood), I created “Koality Outdoors” – and my first product is a water bottle sling — I know the importance of being hydrated while out on adventures in nature!

Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?

My brand, Koality Outdoors, is Brand Registered on Amazon. My product just went live a few weeks ago (as of June 22, 2023). It has been a journey of almost 1.5 year to get here. I chose to sell on Amazon because I knew of a Mastermind group that would offer support all along the way. They have an entire online course plus a Facebook group, where we learn the tools of the trade.
Learning how to sell on Amazon has been much more challenging and complex than I could have imagined! I have often felt I am taking a couple graduate courses (and I know what those are like!) It is not for the faint of heart and it has caused me to look at beliefs about myself that have needed addressing and pivoting from those into truth.
The pros about Amazon is that they are already established – you don’t have to explain to anyone what Amazon is. It’s the biggest storefront in the world, and I am literally renting space in their storefront. The possibilities and potential is endless and any idea you have for a product, you can sell, if you do it right.
The cons – there is a lot of competition. You have to become highly educated and skilled in how to get your product in front of customers. It is a steep learning curve to feel comfortable with all the backend work that is required to be successful. It also takes quite a bit of upfront financial investment and is not a get rich quick method of business.

Update as of July 10 – Amazon lost all my inventory so for right now, I am unable to move forward selling unitl I restock, which takes months.. What do you do when a big corporation forces you to shut down because it was their fault? Do a lot of deep breathing. Pray. Don’t allow self-pity to raise its voice. Begin to ask for wisdom on how to pivot.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

There have been many times throughout the last 1.5 year of starting this Amazon business that I have wanted to throw in the towel. I feel I am growing in resilience every time I open up the Amazon Seller app – if I don’t see sales that day, I say to myself “tomorrow we start over!” I feel that mindset is the key element to sustainability in this business and frankly, in any tough situation you find yourself in. The Amazon journey has been one of the most intriguing, growth-inspiring, show you where you still need to do some heart work, nail biting experience I’ve had – perhaps what has happened is divine intervention – perhaps just plain old human error. The only thing I have control over is how I respond. Will I continue my journey with Amazon? That is unclear right now. But what I do know is that I am held, I am loved, I am cared for by a Force much more powerful than me. And the good news is that it’s within me! And in you – it’s a matter of coming awake to what is already inside us.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.koalityoutdoors.com
• Instagram: melindahwilson
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melindahwilson
• Other: www.facetofaceministries.org https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BY1N77NM?maas=maas_adg_CD91154746DC530AE359484C3EFCAFB0_afap_abs&ref_=aa_maas&tag=maas