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

Melyssa, appreciate you joining us today. We’d love to hear about the best boss, mentor, or leader you’ve ever worked with.

When I was in graduate school for my Clinical Psychology Masters degree, one of the faculty members – Dr. Monique Levermore – made an effort to educate us on the business side of our post-graduate lives. She consistently offered a unique perspective of what kind of options existed for us and how we can set ourselves up for success after graduation. After meeting with her about my passion for teaching group fitness classes, she encouraged me to set up my own business, provided me with the resources required to get my business created, and made herself available for questions I had along the way. When I officially filed my LLC, she was SO excited for me and I am so grateful she helped me overcome my own limiting beliefs about owning a business while still in graduate school. In fact, her encouragement for me to start my business before I felt ready came in hand during the pandemic. Since I already had my business created, when everything began shutting down I was able to pivot my passion from in person group fitness classes to virtual classes! I will be forever grateful for Dr. Levermore providing us real-world knowledge of life after graduation and giving us new perspectives on non-traditional opportunities that can support us alongside our careers. Thank you Dr. Levermore!

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

My name is Melyssa with a WHY, and I consider myself a Positive Lifestyle Coach – my passion is guiding people to overcome unhelpful thoughts and behaviors and create positive health habits that last! I am a group fitness instructor, certified health and well-being coach, and board-certified lifestyle medicine professional. While my career has been dedicated to helping others achieve successful behavior changes, I found myself having a difficult time applying the extensive knowledge I had to my own lifestyle.

I found myself struggling to “undo” habits that worked against my health and well-being, and anytime I tried to follow a structured plan – I failed! Either I would get bored and try something new or I would mess up and think I had to start the program over or just quit altogether! I was constantly finding myself getting in my own way and just wanted to create a healthier lifestyle for myself…but I didn’t want to give up every food group I enjoyed or make myself miserable following an exercise program I wasn’t excited about!

That’s when I decided to do things my own way! I’ve always marched to the beat of my own drum in other aspects of life, so I wanted to bring that same approach to building healthier habits. I focused on taking advantage of my strengths, extending kindness and support for myself instead of taking a rigid and strict approach to change, and making small changes that worked together to create an upward spiral of positive momentum.

Because I was tired of seeing so many fad diets and exercise plans that emphasize sacrifice, discipline, and willpower, I wrote a book called Healthy Living Doesn’t Have to SUCK to teach you a different approach of finding what works best for YOU. My book teaches about behaviors that support optimal health and well-being, while walking you through self-guided coaching exercises and activities. This book is something I am extremely proud of, because even though I am on my own journey to reclaim my health and well-being, I know I can help support others on their own journeys too! I wrote this book because it is something I wish I had available as a resource for overcoming my barriers to behavior change and creating an action plan for success that works best for me – so I am thrilled to be able to share that with my readers too!

My other services through my business, Melyssa with a WHY, include speaking engagements, well-being workshops, and fitness events. Using my strengths of Positivity, Humor, and Zest, I like to say I create “edutainment” experiences for my clients – educational programs that are also entertaining!

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I was in my final year of my graduate program when the COVID-19 pandemic hit – I had two more semesters to finish my masters degree in Clinical Psychology, I had just received a promotion to Downtown Lead for The UCF Recreation and Wellness Center (RWC@Downtown) location, and I was finishing my clinical hours for internship. Just like the rest of the world, I had to pivot into the virtual world! At first, I believed this would be a temporary shift for me…but the more that I was able to connect with people around the world, I decided to keep virtual programs as part of my business model. From teaching virtual fitness classes to providing online well-being coaching.

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

It took me a while, but I had to unlearn that having a job with a company was your only option for employment! I had never really considered owning my own business, until I began reading personal development books and listening to podcasts from entrepreneurs – I felt validated that I could have a more creative, non-traditional career path when Dr. Levermore encouraged me to begin my own business while I was still in graduate school! I’ve had to overcome many of my own self-doubt and many other fears imposed on me from other people in my life. I am grateful that I believed in myself and took the risk to be my own boss, and while it is often a bumpy ride, I am loving every minute of this entrepreneurial journey!

Contact Info:

• Website: www.melyssawithawhy.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melyssa_with_a_why/
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/feed/
• Other: Book website: healthylivingdoesnthavetosuck.com Book IG: @healthylivingdoesnthavetosuck

Image Credits
Yoga Pose (pink leggings) & Happy thoughts photos: Ashley Jade Headshot with Buddy: Timothy Brown Yoga pose with Bodie the Golden: Self Track Stretch: Alicia Ifill Phone Call: Jessica Bosshardt