“What a spectacular view. Have you ever seen anything like it?”

I’m sitting on a beach looking out at a bay with water and red rocks enjoying the most beautiful view I’ve ever seen. The water is still, there’s no one else around, and we have nowhere to be. We’re deep in Lake Powell far away from other humans on a little island in a cove that is just ours.

Camp has been set up, a fire is cooking dinner, and I am crying silently. I’m crying because I’m exhausted. I’m crying because I have no idea what’s next. I’m crying because I hate not knowing the plan. I’m crying because I’m uncomfortable and have been for months. I’m crying because I want to go home. I’m crying because I don’t even know where home is anymore. I’m crying because I’m not a good swimmer. I’m crying because water terrifies me. I’m crying about more than I even know.

My husband looks at me, puts his arm around me, and tells me that it’s going to be ok. I don’t feel like it will. I feel like the world is sitting heavy on my shoulders – and that the load I’m carrying will never be light. I feel like I’m carrying other people’s judgment. I feel like I have so much to do, yet so little time to accomplish it. He sees my anguish. He’s been watching it for months. And he’s still sitting next to me hoping his love will ease my pain.

You see, I lost 100% of my business three months ago. 2020 was going to be an amazing year – we had more speaking gigs booked this year than ever before and what felt like overnight, everything moved to next year or the year after. Everything.

I had a friend who didn’t know this reach out and say he lost 20% of his business and I wanted to strangle him through the phone. I wanted to flip him the bird and say that he shouldn’t say those kinds of things out loud. Every time someone said they were struggling, I wanted to show them what struggling looked like. Except that isn’t who I am.

So, I started telling stories. I started sharing the stories of my favorite humans. Sharing stories of what I was feeling. Sharing stories through blog posts, videos, social media posts, texts, DMs, and calls. I started sharing the vulnerable bits – and when I did, I started hearing stories of others and their vulnerable bits.

For months, we’ve been working on the next step. We’ve been trying to figure out how to learn from this situation and grow through it.

The pandemic gave us a totally new perspective on how we can do our work. As much as I lost all my speaking, I got hired to write a talk for an oncology doctor and train him virtually. He got tears in his eyes reading through it – and calls it “OUR talk.” I was asked to do some branding work for some clients who are launching podcasts and virtual summits. I started going back to my roots and got deeper into my “why.”

Taking some time off to get a new perspective, I returned from being offline on Lake Powell to find protests and riots next to my home. The world was in upheaval again – and as much as it looked like it was on fire, humans were begging for change. Their voices were getting louder, and they weren’t willing to stop sharing.

As I looked at the launch we were planning, I went back to our original plan for 2020 and the mission we decided on at our December planning meeting. That’s where it all began.

“I am hell-bent on amplifying YOUR voice.”

I am a brand storyteller. It’s my job to help others tell their stories through words, images, and feelings. It’s my job to help humans tell their stories THEIR way. It’s my job to amplify their voices. And what a time to do so.

Although I’m not on stages right now, I’m still sharing my stories – and making sure to share yours. Which brings me to why I’m even writing this today.

Today, the brand new MelanieSpring.com website has launched. You’re on it right now. You can take a little tour of it by heading over to the homepage and checking out some things you can do for yourself. Then wandering through the Experiences page to get a bunch of free resources and paid online courses. And if you want to know where I’ll be hanging out telling stories, head to the Events page. There’s a big list.

But that’s not my favorite part of what we’re doing.

As of today, we’ve launched our SPEAK With Confidence 90-Day Challenge. This is my $1000 course for only $97 and the challenge gives you a plan to fill out and follow, 7 live calls with me & experts, and all the accountability you could possibly need to get your talk crafted and delivered.

Along with it, we’re launching a Tell Me Your Story contest – where you can share a 5-minute story about your hero and win a spot in the challenge AND one-on-one training with me.

That’s not all! Over the next few weeks, I’ll be going Live with all sorts of Kickass Humans who will be sharing their stories with you. So, make sure you’re on the list to get in on all that goodness. CHECK THEM OUT & GET ON THE LIST

At the end of the day, I want YOU to be able to share YOUR story with confidence – knowing that you’re going to make a difference to someone. So, all I ask is that you do the work.

I’m standing with you. I’m here for you. I’m ready to amplify YOUR voice.
Thanks for standing with me.
xoxo