Guest Mellini Monique has done it all. Starting from age 12, she worked as a camp counselor and in car washes and pizza shops, and then went to marketing research, drama therapist at an inpatient psychiatric facility, medical missionary, and founder of multiple companies. We don’t cover this in the episode, but she’s even worked as a clown!
Currently, Mellini is a pitch coach for South by Southwest (SXSW), runs her own vocal coaching consultancy, organizes luxury wellness retreats, and has her own popcorn company called Herby PoP. She's also a mother of 6 children that all have their own businesses!
In the episode, Mellini talks about what she did in her different careers, how she navigates the messy middle, how she learned about business from her grandmother, networking, work-life balance, turning passion into a business, what it’s like being a founder, and much more. She also gives valuable advice about aligning your vocal image with your visual image, how to gain the confidence to change what you're worth, and shares a helpful rebranding exercise.
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Highlights from the episode include:
0:00 - Intro
2:29 - Mellini’s career journey
5:08 - Braces
5:47 - What it was like working as a medical missionary
8:50 - Family life
9:48 - Drama therapy
11:48 - Turning passion for voice into a business
16:36 - Watching pitch competitions and pitching to SXSW
20:08 - Communicating value
21:05 - Navigating career changes and identity
28:04 - Learning how to start a business
31:18 - Work life balance with a large family
34:44 - What it’s like being a founder
37:09 - Challenges of going through a rebrand
39:38 - How to advocate for and charge what you’re worth
48:00 - Networking approach and advice
54:27 - Navigating the messy middle
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🎙️My Career Journey is a podcast that highlights different career journeys, tackles tough topics, and shares actionable tips and insights. Hosted by Emily Banzhaf and Allegra Montanari.
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