Where will your untethered path lead?
Hey there, I’m Melissa! And, I combine 20 years of professional teaching, consulting, and instructional design with my expertise in gender, inequality, work, and education to create a unique level of support for your journey that is always YOU.
My guiding values are always rooted in understanding how your beliefs and experiences are rooted to specific cultural, social, and institutional narratives that can enable or constrain your ability to trust and embrace all of your experience and skills (and yes, you have a lot!) unapologetically, and believe that you CAN create the business and impact through your work that you really want, without sacrificing building financial security.
"Can you remember who you were, before the world told you who you should be?" ~ Charles Bukowski
Here's my story...
When you know there must be more.
I’m Melissa: a strategist, teacher, and learning specialist for purpose-driven business owners, here to guide you in designing a business that’s built on rooted in offers that tap into your unique experience, skills, and even your quirks! I believe that having a business that’s deeply fulfilling, creates impact, and is aligned with the real you, without sacrificing your financial well-being is possible!
My path to where I am right now wasn’t straight forward, and that’s part of what drives me to help incredible people, like you, carve their unique path forward.
As a teenager, I dropped out of high school and found myself navigating living on the streets of Toronto, tiptoeing on the edge and learning some really hard life lessons early. I was always rebelling against something, I just couldn’t understand what that was. But even in those moments of uncertainty, I knew I was meant for something more.
After walking a path in corporate, I eventually went to University as mature student, earning an honours degree, a Master’s Degree, and a PhD Candidacy in Sociology with a specialization in work, labour markets, stratification, combined with a professional expertise in consulting through instructional design. And my life took off as I honed my expertise in the field and made a name for myself while building a prestigious career. I started teaching at the top University in Canada, publishing research, winning awards, traveling the world, speaking on huge stages, and consulting for international organizations and governments.
By all standard measures, I had achieved success. It should be enough, right?
But… I wasn’t happy. I wasn’t doing this for “me”. I was doing it because I felt I should. I had something to prove to the world. And, I fully subscribed to the idea that if I worked hard, succeeded the heck out of my life, and achieved above and beyond, then I would find that happiness. I would outrun those demons, fears, not good enoughs, doubts, fear of not having enough… and one day, ONE DAY, I would feel fulfilled and happy.
And, boy, was I wrong.
So I started listening to those whispers in my heart.
I had nothing left to achieve and get. I only had everything to surrender.
In 2019, I made the bold decision to leave academia and began down the path of building my own business. I was determined to weave purpose-driven work into my business and create something meaningful without compromising who I am and what I stand for. It wasn’t easy and wasn’t fast. I tripped, stumbled, made a ton of mistakes, and listened to a lot of bad advice. Before I finally stepped back, tapped into what I’m great at, and committed to helping others do this too (and, hopefully with a lot less of the struggle than I went through).
Today, I draw on 20 years of professional paid experience in teaching and consulting to support my clients. My work is deeply informed by my understanding of how all those cultural and social narratives shape our beliefs, behaviours, and life choices. So I can help you see through these layers and help you create offers that tap into the very best of what you bring to the world and how you can help others. Using this to build a business that finally fits, like mine does for me. That lets you have the happiness AND financial wellbeing.
I’ve been where you are, feeling the tension between the expectations and personal fulfillment…. and I’ve come out the other side with a profound understanding of what it takes to create meaningful change in your career and in your life. My approach isn’t about quick fixes or surface-level promises. I root into who you are and what you have to offer through the unique combination of your experience, skills, and way of moving through the world. Contrarty to a lot of popular approaches, I start with you first, not marketing tactics that ask you to bend to what is most “viable” or engage in ways that feel inauthentic and gross.
Because, you don’t have to settle for work that sucks the life out of you and where you have no control over what you do. You can create a purpose-driven business that truly reflects who you are, the experiences and skills that only you have. And I’m here to show you the way.
It's time for you to step into work that fits who you are and the life you want to live. Without sacrificing your financial wellbeing.
Being transparent is critical to the work I do. Learn more about the Values, Practices, and Guiding Principles that I am committed to for Untethered Paths HERE.
Start here!
