Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melissa Calles . We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Melissa , appreciate you joining us today. What’s the backstory behind how you came up with the idea for your business?
Since I can remember, I have always had an interest in entertainment. Whether that was through dance/musical performances, hosting talent shows, or participating in my school’s daily news show, being able to create art that people enjoy is something I’ve always found joy in. I always knew I wanted to create something that people would find entertaining, but also something that could be a medium for information and something people could relate to. I just was never sure what that would be.
Podcasts in particular have always peaked my interest. I love that there’s no preconceived notion based on appearances, it’s all from substance. What I mean by that is people will decide to continue to listen to you and form their opinion of you based on what you are saying rather than how you look saying it. More specifically, how you make them feel. If I am able to make someone’s drive home feel less dreadful, or make their 9-5 fly by, that is more than enough for me. When I would listen to all my favorite podcasts, I loved chiming in, or adding my own commentary here and there and I wanted to do the same for others. I particularly love making my listeners feel as if they are a part of the conversation.That is why I chose to start my own podcast. My goal was to create a medium that would be entertaining, informational and relatable.
When the pandemic happened, it was sort of a blessing in disguise for me. I was upset that I was furloughed from my job but it gave me the time I needed to focus on bringing this podcast to life. I mean, what a better time to start a podcast than during a pandemic? It was as if, everything had lined up perfectly for me to just finally go for it.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Melissa Calles and I am the founder and host of Who gave this girl a mic?. A bilingual lifestyle podcast that is entertaining, relatable and informational. I started this podcast during lockdown when everyone was confined to their homes and we were all forced to be home alone with nothing but our thoughts. To be honest, it was something I always dreamed of having it just never seemed attainable. Aside from the fact that the thought of putting myself out there was terrifying, I never really seemed to find the ‘right time’ to focus on bringing this project to life. So when the pandemic happened and I found myself furloughed, it just seemed like this was an opportunity that I needed to take advantage of. So after six full months of planning, research, a lot (and I don’t mean this lightly) of trial and error, I finally launched my first episode on October 5th 2020. I can honestly say I haven’t looked back since.
I am the youngest of four born and raised in Phoenix, AZ but both of my parents are from Sonora, Mexico. Growing up, it was important to my parents that we stay true to our Mexican roots. The culture, the food, and the language are all a huge part of who I am and I wanted my podcast to represent that. Which is why ‘Who gave this girl a mic?’ is a bilingual lifestyle podcast. You will definitely hear the occasional Spanish being spoken throughout the episodes. I also grew up really close to my siblings and we continue to be tight knit, so it was only fair that I incorporate them into my podcast as well. We record a monthly segment called ‘Street Wasanga’ which is a play on words based on our last name ‘Calles’ which translates to Streets. This segment is a fan favorite. For anyone who is new to my podcast I always suggest they check out our Street Wasanga episodes first because they’re the funniest and just the most accurate representation of who we are. We’ve covered topics such as our childhood traumas, childhood memories, growing up hispanic, the struggles we faced in school, financial struggles my parents faced, language barriers and more. I truly believe it is a fan favorite simply because so many people that are first generation Mexican American, or Latinx can relate.
With each episode, I always want my listeners to feel better than they did before tuning in. Whether that is because I made them laugh, they learned something or they can relate to a certain topic and in return, know that they are not alone. If I am able to accomplish at least one of those things through my work I feel like this podcast is doing it’s job. My mantra is ‘Share the Wealth’, so whenever I come across someone or something that I feel like deserves to be shared, I invite them on the podcast and do just that, share the wealth. We have had guests appear on the podcast to promote their business, new song, reiki practitioner services, soul traveling, career success coach, scholarship opportunities, travel hacking, food bloggers, Entrepeneurs, etc. you name it. I mean it when I say we cover a variety of topics and have so many more in the works. I believe this is what sets my podcast apart from the others is the wide variety of topics that are covered and guests that are invited. You just never know with us.
What I am most proud of with this podcast is all the wonderful feedback I have received since launching. This podcast is my passion project and as confident as one may seem in this industry, each and every episode takes hard work and vulnerability. It is my voice, my ideas, my vision, my craft, that I am putting out there for the world to see and let’s be honest, there are very cruel people out there. However, there are also (if not more) wonderful souls out there that have welcomed me and my podcast into their lives with open arms and I am forever grateful for that. When people take time out of their day to write to me and let me know how an episode resonated with them or how much they enjoyed tuning in, it makes all the late nights worth it. I am proud of the friends I have made through this podcast, and the lives I’ve touched sharing my story.
When I started this podcast, I had no job, no home, no car, and no income. I was back living at my parents after a nasty divorce and I refused to let 2020 end without having accomplished a single thing. This podcast was launched so I wouldn’t feel like I had completely failed at life, to give me something to look forward to. To remind myself that I was capable of something even though it felt like nothing was in the cards for me. I am so happy I was able to push myself to launch, to remain optimistic and to find the beauty in the madness. So what I would most want my followers to know about me, is that even when I had nothing I still wanted to be there for someone and enlighten them, make them laugh, help them, or just be there for them through this podcast. I will forever keep that energy and continue to strive to ‘share the wealth’ even if it’s just speaking through a microphone for your entertainment. That is perfectly fine with me.
Can you share a story from your journey that illustrates your resilience?
Like I mentioned earlier, I was at my lowest when I decided to launch this podcast. I had gotten divorced and moved back in with my parents October of 2019, after living in North Carolina for the past three years. The move back was very sudden and impulsive but I was certain that 2020 was going to be my year as I’d quickly find a job and be back on my feet in no time. Sure enough, I started my new job in January only to be let go five months later due to the pandemic. I knew the chances of finding another job soon, were slim to none. So many businesses were laying people off. Everything was shut down. I was getting nowhere with my job hunt. This is where the doubts started to creep in. I was starting to question whether I had made the right decision by moving back. Although I was miserable back in North Carolina, I at least had a job, a car, a house, and as much as I was surrounded by family here in Phoenix, I was starting to feel like a failure. Although I had been the one to file for divorce and move back home, for the first time ever, It seemed like no matter which decision I made, to stay or to leave, I was doomed to get the short end of the stick. There was no winning for me.
After a few days of self pity, I decided I was not going to finish this year with nothing to show for it. I was determined to prove to myself that my decision to walk away and move back was not in vain. While I was still actively job hunting I decided to take a course on how to launch a podcast. I decided in that moment to change my perspective on what I was going through. To consider all this free time I had, as an opportunity to finally bring this podcast to life once and for all. What’s the good thing about rock bottom? The only way to go is up. I guess what I am trying to say here, is that even when I had all odds against me and there was no visible road leading me to the goals I had at the time, I decided to pave my own road and give myself something else to look forward to. I took a bad situation and used it as motivation. Like the good saying goes “closed mouths don’t get fed”. If you wait for things to magically come to you, you’re going to be waiting a long time.
It was no coincidence that I launched my podcast on October 5th, 2020. Exactly 365 days since I had moved back. It was a testament to myself that I was able to at least accomplish that. Funny enough exactly a week later, on October 12th, I accepted a job offer to work for a company that I am still working for to this day. Slowly my life started to change for the better, and here I am now, the happiest I’ve ever been with a wonderful man by my side and we’ve created a beautiful family together. Proving that if you change your mindset and you start to look at the good in any bad situation, I truly believe good will follow. It’s not about what you got, it’s what you make of what you’ve got.
I truly hope my story is enough to give hope to anyone that feels like they have hit rock bottom or feels as if they are at a dead end. If there is nothing to look forward to, create something. Pave your own way, give yourself something to look forward to, there is no detail too small and no dream too big.
Can you open up about how you funded your business?
So I mentioned I was furloughed, and I had some what of a savings but nothing to pride myself in. It was just enough to maintain a a few bills current, such as my cell phone and my credit cards. After doing some research, I decided I would need to invest in equipment for my podcast. I was able to purchase my microphone, mixer and headphones for under $500. However, there’s plenty of equipment out there that is more practical and economical that will also get the job done. My biggest investment towards my podcast was an online course called the Podcast Launch Plan by Steph Taylor, an Online Business Strategist. Her course is what allowed me to really plan out and draft what I wanted this podcast to be, represent and how I wanted to go about it. It was a few hundred dollars and I can wholeheartedly say it was money well spent. (Although it didn’t feel like it at the time!) I think investing in that course when I had no source of income coming in, also served as a motivator to make it worth my time. I was not going to allow myself to let that money go to waste. Some people need that extra push and you also must remember you have to make sacrifices in order to get to where you want in life.
All in all, had I not had the savings at the time, I still think I would have been able to launch. There is plenty of free information out there that will enable anyone to start a podcast if they really want to. Laptops and cell phones are equipped with microphones and softwares nowadays that allows you to create these recordings. The hardest part is always going to be figuring out what kind of content you want to publish. Figuring out your target audience and what you want to represent. If you’re reading this and looking for a sign, this is it. Go for it, whatever it is that you’ve been pondering on, just go for it. Set a a plan in motion, and as Career Success Coach Tania Mendes once said “DO IT AFRAID!”. (Who gave this girl a mic? Episode 5)
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @whogavethisgirlamic @_meelisssaaa123
- Other: Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and Google Play