Blaze Your Own Trail - From Lawyer to Master Certified Professional Coach for Moms with Melissa Wiggins

Episode Date: March 7, 2023

Melissa Wiggins, aka Coach Mummabear, is a fiery Scottish lassie and lawyer turned Master Certified Professional Coach. She has a thriving podcast, has spoken on stages across the globe and has already penned her first book. At 38, she claims the warm up is over and she is pouring into as many lassies as she can.   When her firstborn was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer as she was about to give birth to her twin boys, her full-time calling became saving her son’s life. Shortly after, Melissa along with her husband created a foundation for pediatric cancer research.  Their foundation has since raised millions of dollars. Melissa ended up burning out during her reign as CEO and has taken those teachings and turned them into learnings for you. She has created her own tools and now shares them ALL within EMPOWERED.Life, her 6 month coaching program.  Melissa made over 6 figures in her first year as a coach and deeply believes that money is freedom. As a Mum of 5 - via step, biological and adoption - Coach Mummabear claims you can be a fun mum and have a thriving career without burning out: her mission in life is to empower women to do the same. Thanks for listening to the show! Connect with Melissa: http://melissawiggins.life/ Installing strategic sales systems & processes will stop the constant revenue rollercoaster you might be facing which is attainable through our 6 Week Blazing Business Revenue Coaching ProgramBook a discovery call with Jordan now to learn more! Are you an entrepreneur?Join my FREE Group Coaching Community where we have live calls, Q&A and more! Our Trailblazer Ecosystem also enables you to network with other entrepreneurs and creator hub eliminates multiple subscriptions and logins creating a one stop shop to take action!Use code: FOUNDING100 for 12 months access FREE and Founding pricing for life! (While Supplies Last)Join now! Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

I had a total 11 jobs between the age of 11 and 17, just trying to help and support my mom. When I gave away my ATS resume template, I used to church $3,000 for it. If I were someone that wanted to work with you, I think the thing that would resonate with me the most is the fact that you have been as far as they will fall. I gave her all my videos, and today she's sent me a message saying I got my first client, and it could not be happier for her. On my show, one thing I love to do is really get context into people's journey. I saw eggs and I sold vegetables door to door. I saw newspapers. I do it because they truly care to help.

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Blaze Your Own Trail Podcast. I'm your host, Jordan Mendoza. Hello, everyone, and welcome to the Blaze Your Own Trail podcast. My name is Jordan Mendoza. I'm your host, and I've got a very special guest today. Her name is Melissa Wiggins, and I'm going to let her tell you a little bit more about who she is and what she actually does today. Well, first of all, thank you, Jordan, so much for having me.

I'm so excited to be here. I am Scottish born and raised that I am the eldest of five children. I now live in Orlando, Florida, and I have five children myself. And I'm also a master certified life coach. So I spend most of my time either recording podcasts or creating online courses and serving women empowerment, specifically entrepreneur mama bears. They have like my whole heart. Those are my people. And I'm just so excited to be here and share some space with you. Thank you so much for having me. My pleasure. My pleasure. Well, my favorite part of the show. And thank you so much for sharing a little bit about your background.

The audience is definitely going to get more context as we move along through the episode. So you're part of the five kid club, just like me, which it's interesting because more and more lately, I feel like I'm running into more people that have five kids. I don't know if that's something that you've come to find out. But I think in the last probably a year and a half, two years, I've ran into more people that have five kids than ever in my life. I don't know if that's just the season that I'm in or if it's the people I'm surrounding myself with.

But is that something that you're rubbing off on them, Jordan? I don't know. Well, I'm not saying that they, you know, they met me. And all of a sudden they just had five kids. It's like that's not what I'm saying. I'm running into people that already have grown kids and, you know, different situations. But it's interesting, though, when you get, you know, if you get four people that have five kids sitting at a table, I mean, you get them all to have a family dinner. That's a lot of people.

That's a lot of people. That's why we have to go to our house and just have little poll parties with pizza preferrably than going anyway. Yes, exactly. Because, you know, you're bringing a storm of chaos everywhere. you go. You know, it's just, it's wild. Are you the eldest? I am not. No, so my mom had five boys, and I'm the second oldest of five boys. So, so let's rewind a little bit. You know, my favorite part of the show is, as the audience knows, is really taking that rewind in and let's dive into little Melissa and find out, you know, what was it like, you know, where you were born and raised

in Scotland. If you can kind of give context on the earlier years, so, you know, elementary, middle, to high school, you know, I'd love for you to kind of share some context. Oh my gosh. Yes. I would love to. Okay. So born and raised in Scotland, like my entire family still lives there. I've got two brothers there. One of my brothers passed away. And then my sister who actually just moved to Sydney. But everybody else is there, aunts, uncles, all the people. And I grew up really in a family that was very into education and pushing for education, mostly because they didn't have any. So my mom and dad, you know, left school when they were 16. My mom went to work in a factory. And my dad was a window cleaner. So both of them,

you know, we grew up in what Americans call government housing, which is council housing in Scotland. And they used to put me on a bus, Jordan, to go like three towns over to a school in a different town, because they wanted me to get the best opportunity and be around different types of families and different types of education and they really pushed. And I think, you know, as the eldest child, there's a lot of pressure there. You know, I was quite a bit older than my other siblings because my mom lost my brother who came after me to sits. And because of that, I think I really became, you know, what we call quote,

on quote the good girl and really pushed into that, really stuck in at school. I really love sport. I was a runner. So I was either studying or doing sport. And I used to work with my dad from a very young age. That was very important to me, really trying to make my own money from a, I always say, and I think you and I talked about this the first time that we met, which is like, I've been like an entrepreneur since I was like eight or nine years old when I would like have my parents buy candy, candy bars at like the equivalent of Costco and then I would upsell them in the back of my garden to like the neighborhood kits. It's just like enemy. And so that was just like a big part of my life was just like I'm going to sort of shift and change where my family is generationally. And, you know,

I did. And so then my brother after me went to law school, then my sister went to law school. And then my other brother just graduated with psychology. So all of us kids ended up going to college and really changing the sort of whole trajectory of our family dynamic. So it was a very interesting childhood. It was very driven from a young age. That's great. Thank you so much for sharing that context. Yeah, we definitely have, you know, our similar spirits from the entrepreneurship stuff, right?

Whether that's selling can. or, you know, I was selling sneakers in high school. I've really sold everything and also would just go door to door with, with a rake, you know, and some bags and be like, hey, can I rake your leaves for 10 bucks? And they're like, sure, kid, why not, right? But you never get what you don't ask for, right? So if you don't put yourself out there. Yeah.

Rub off on your kids because. Oh, man. So not, I would say not all of them. So there's really, there's really one of them that it's rubbed off on. And this, this is basically, she's basically the girl version of me, except a little more aggressive. So what I mean is like she will just, she will wear you down until you say yes. She went around to our neighbors. You know, my dad, you know, said to her, his hearing isn't as good as it has been.

He's 66, about to turn 67. And she said, what would help with that? And he said, well, a hearing aid would definitely help at some point. He's like, I don't need it now. I'm not that. I'm not deaf, you know. But and so she says to her friends, she's like, oh, I want to raise some money for Lolo's ears. Like Lolo means grandpa and Filipino.

So her and her friends, they get these little containers and they go get a bunch of rocks like from outside my backyard and put a couple flowers in. And they go door to door. And she makes $58 in an hour selling rocks to our neighbors because, you know, she has a story, right? She had a story. She had a product. built a product and she went out and did that on her own and I'm like holy cow like she's got it you know she has that kind of it factor that you need to be successful you know i love it but so my son canon who we'll probably talk about later my son canon he's my oldest he's 11 so he's started

with an ebay account now and he's selling things in the house that we don't use or or things that they had when they were little that they don't want anymore. And he's killing it. He's like literally killing it. And they have bank cards, you know, so they have savings and their bank cards and they have spending money and their bank cards. And it's just really cool to see like the making money, deciding how much they want to save, how much they want to spend when they're just so young. Like I love it so much. Yeah. It's a great era for kids to be able to earn, right? Because there's so many ways that they can monetize their skill sets digitally, you know, whether that's helping with an e-belt base store or whether it's selling sports cards at a trading show, like doing that type of stuff

live in person or having a lemonade stand that offers more than just lemonade. You know, they have the talkies and all these different, you know, snacks and stuff like that. You know, they're, they're definitely getting a lot more creative. I was just going to say like for me, I think it's really important, you know, as a parent to be able to show them different ways to make money than I did too, right? So I sort of went the very safe traditional route, which was like I wanted to be able to really have a different type of life than I had growing up. I never got to go on any of the activities at school and I got opportunities to like go to Europe with the school and different things. But it was like a real struggle for my family to be able to afford to do

things that other families did. And so I took the very traditional route and I went to law school and I did, you know, like the start of one of those core five jobs. And I'm raising children, specifically Cannon, who has, you know, hearing aids and a lot of learning disabilities from his pediatric cancer treatment. And because of that, I feel like it's so important as a parent to show him, listen, kiddo, you do not have to go to law school like your mom or your dad. You do not have to be a doctor or a dentist or any of the things. that people tell you is the only way to make money, you could literally sell things on eBay and make millions of dollars if you wanted to. Yep. Yeah. If you're passionate about it and you have, you know, put in enough time and energy and effort, you can really monetize anything in 2020.

And I think it's just becoming easier and easier as time goes. And there's, there's really no excuse for people anymore. I mean, there really isn't, you know, besides there being so many jobs open, because people no longer want to work. You know, there's so much work digitally that people can get into for sure. So I want to rewind a little bit and go back to sports. You know, you mentioned that running was something that you were passionate about. I in elementary school did cross country. I didn't do it for very, I think I did it for probably two years.

And I was like, man, running is like, I don't know. It was kind of boring. You know, I was just running and just running. And, you know, so I didn't really enjoy it. But I definitely know what. it means to compete and to have to train to be able to keep up and running. So I'd love to find out, like, what are your top three lessons from running that you think would easily translate into what you're doing today, some lessons that you learned?

I started running when I was about 10, and my dad actually became my coach. And so I actually was, like, one of the top cross-country runners in Scotland. I, like, was obsessed with cross-country because I love the up and down. of the hills. I loved like the treacherous weather in Scotland. Like I like really got into it. Like finishing the race and then full head to toe mud was like joy for me. Like and I still love outdoors. I love being muddy. I love hiking. We have a little cabin in South Carolina and I go hiking up the waterfalls all the time. So I still love, you know, movement. And I think that's probably one of the number one things that doing exercise, east.

sport when I was younger is that it's carried me through. I still love moving my body every day. I go to the gym. I do Pilates and yoga. It just became like a thing that is just a part of like my life. And actually last year I did my first marathon. And that will probably be my last marathon, Jordan. It was so hard. I'm like one of those people like if I say I'm going to do it. I do it and I go all in. and I raise money for cannibal kids cancer, which is my nonprofit. I did like a thousand dollars per male, and there was like a group of us, and we all raised money together. So I felt like every single male I did, I ran for a kid with cancer, and it was just like

that really got me through doing it, but running has kept me moving my body forever, so that would be the number one lesson. And then probably the other lessons are, you know, it just sort of allows you to have some community too. Like running really like it grew my friendships and it's still like that now. Like I have pictures from the marathon and there's just, you know, there's 40 of us running. And then my kids are at the end waiting with signs. And it's just connected type of sport where you're not just on your own.

There's a lot of commodity in it. And it's just a beautiful thing. If you can do something when you're younger and it sort of carries with you. it's interesting that you ask what the benefits are because I coach a lot of women clients who are now incredible successful entrepreneurs

and a lot of them did dancing or sport when they were younger and it's interesting a lot of positives about doing sport and things when you're younger but there's also like a lot of negatives right like there's a lot

of things that come from doing intensive sport when you're younger that lead to a lot of women having perfectionism issues, body issues. Like there are some things that I think as mama bears and as daddy bears like you are, that we have to make sure when we're being advocates for sport, that we're not being advocates for perfectionism or a certain body type and that it really is about the fun side of moving your body. And so I've taken some of the lessons that I didn't like when I was younger and sort of used them now to be something that I'm very aware of as I have children who are now really getting into all of the sports and making sure that they enjoy it.

And it's not just becoming something that will create issues for them later in life. Because I feel like that's something Jordan, we don't really talk about so much. We also talk about all the positives, and that's great. But also, like, let's just, like, have some precursors in place so that we don't create these perfectionist adults who think if they're not perfect or not picked for the team that they're not worthy. And I see a lot of that and some of my adult clients. Awesome. Thank you for sharing that. Those are some great lessons.

And I think you're right. I think some of the stuff can be looked at through a negative light for some people. people. And so for those people, I love that the fact that you're being able to add value to them and kind of show them a different way, which they can in turn show that to their kids and so on and so forth. And so it really kind of helped. So let's talk a little bit about school. You know, what were your goals after that? Because obviously, you know, today in 2022, you're not practicing law, right? You're not doing that. But, you know, what was kind of the general idea and path, how much law did you end up practicing? And then when did the shift into entrepreneurship

come for you? And what was it? Was there like a pivotal moment that took place that really helped push you into this direction? Sure. So I feel like entrepreneurship is very encouraged in the states. It's like it truly is like you can have the American dream. But in Scotland, it's really, and I know in other parts of Europe too, it's sort of like you have your little box and that's kind of where you stay. And so when I first became a lawyer and I practiced for three years, I did commercial litigation in Edinburgh, which is the capital of my country and still like my favorite place in the whole world.

And I loved it. My goal at that time was I will be a partner in this law firm. And that was the trajectory I was on. And then I made a boy. who became my husband and he didn't live in Scotland. He left in America. And so if we were going to get married and have children, I was moving to the States. So I moved to America. And then, you know, as you go through the process of becoming an American citizen and getting married and all those things, I just realized like, oh, you know, I couldn't use my law school education, even though I had

practice for all those years in the states. And specifically Florida, because it's a retirement state, they wanted me to go back to law school. And I was like, I did eight years of education. Like, I am not going back to school. Like, I was used to at that point, making good money and erning. And just the thought of going back to school for a GD was like, no, this isn't going to work for me. But I love the law. I love research mostly. Research is like a big passion of mine. And for anybody that listens to my podcast, you know, everything I ever say,

I always am backing up with the research. Like, why would I say that? Like, what's the point? And I know that comes from my law school education. And so I got to the States and I started working with an attorney helping drafting up business plans and helping people who were coming from the UK and wanted to invest in the United States. So I started working with investors for what is called an EB-5, which is where the five businesses in the U.S.

And really like helping them figure out because my first degree was business law before I did my law degree. So it just worked and it flowed. And then I had my first son and it was perfect because I could work from home. I could go into the office a couple days. Like it was very flexible. And I feel like, and I don't know if you relate to this, Georgia, but once you get a taste of the flexibility of the entrepreneur life,

like the thought of going back to being a lawyer or working at an office like I did where I work from 7 in the morning until 7 o'clock at night, sitting at a computer or in a conference room with clients, it just was like, no, I'm not. Like, I can't go back. Like, there's just no way, right? Like you just, it's just tough. So then I had my son and then my son was diagnosed with stage four pediatric cancer.

He was 20 months old. And I was 38 weeks pregnant with twin boys. And yeah. And so at that time, my company was doing wonderful and it was very successful. And I again loved it. I've always loved working. I think I'll work until the day I die. Like I thoroughly enjoy being productive.

And so the doctor told us, you know, he has 50, 50 chance of surviving. And you are going to be in treatment for at least three and a half years. And so my husband who has, you know, 50 employees and a large company, the health insurance was through him. and he was the primary earner. And so he kept his work in his company and the health insurance. And I actually ended up Jordan closing that company down and became Cannon's full-time carer during his journey. Wow.

That definitely couldn't have been easy decision, you know, easy decision to be able to do that. But, you know, for our kids, I mean, we'll do anything, right? We'll go to any length that you can possibly have to do. You'll do it. I definitely resonate with what you said. You know, when the pandemic hit, I think I took my, with my last company that first, or that last official trip was in February of 20. And then just a handful of weeks later, you know, the entire world just essentially shut down.

Right. And so for that, really that year, I definitely get where you talk about the time freedom. You talk about the flexibility of being able to work and get stuff done. And you also realize that, you know, you don't really need eight hours, you know, realistically. Like, you know, if you look at your workload, because when you're in an office setting, how much of it are you sitting on calls that you shouldn't be on? How much of you're in meetings of people that shouldn't even be there? How much of it are you at the coffee machine getting your curing and sitting in the break room? I mean, think about it.

Like, think about how much time. truly gets wasted in corporate. Like there's so much time that gets wasted, you know. I'm going to do a mic drop for you. Because like not enough people say it. I'm telling you, I like 100%, like I can do. And I always think also, and I don't know if you relate to this, when you are a period of many children, listen, I can get done four hours of work and

an hour and a half. Watch me. Like I am a beast. Once you get me at my desk and I'm in focus. mode, like there's no stopping me. And it's because in the entrepreneur world, that's just how it works, right? Like I want to be available when the kids get home from school. That means I don't have 10 hours in my office anymore. I might have to do some again later on at night when they go to bed and that's fine. But I love what you said there because I do think you're so right. There's so much,

you know, listen, I got to be here till at least five. So let me just, you know, make another. a cup of coffee or I'm not saying that everybody's like that, but there's a lot of that in the corporate world, a lot of flow. There's a high percentage, a very, very high percentage, you know. So let's talk a little bit about this situation. You know, there might be people that listen that have had a family member that's, that's an easy thing in the moment to accept. So, you know, what was that like for you and your husband to really process?

what do you think, you know, has kind of helped you along the journey because, you know, dealing with an illness like that, it's definitely a journey. Like they said, like you're going to have three and a half years. Like they already kind of knew what the future looked like. So what was it for you guys that kind of helped? It sounds like you guys came closer together instead of further apart. So what worked, right? Because there might be people that have gone through something and it didn't.

You know, there was a lot of things that went the opposite direction. So I'd love for you just. to share some context on the experience for you guys. And I know it's an ongoing thing that a lot of people are going to have to deal with. Yeah. And I always say this whenever I speak about it, you know, I always say to people who are listening, like, listen to the similarities in the story and don't like stop listening at the like, oh my gosh, her kid had stage four cancer. Like it could be your kid has ADHD. It could be your kid has dyslapia or dysgraphia. It could be that someone in your family has something going on or a parent. I mean, there's a lot of people now are age

who are having aging parents and looking after them and you really can't apply the same rules to all of these things, right? Like it's, I would say one of the things that really, really help was, and you know this, Jordan, I am sober for over 13 years. I'm very active in alcoholic recovery rooms. I sponsor. I have a sponsor. And so a big thing for me when Cannon was diagnosed was I didn't want to use the situation as an excuse for any type of behavior that wasn't helpful to him or my family. And I think what I have seen sometimes in situations that get tough for people is we turn to alcohol, we turn to the bad foods, we turn to all of these things, Jordan, to like not feel the emotions, right? Like we, we, we, we, we, we, we, we,

We just can't handle it. And so we stop. And I guess one of the things I would say to anybody listening is the ultimate reality is you either deal with it now or you deal with it later. And in my experience, really dealing with it in the moment for the reality of what it is gives you more clarity to make good decisions. You know, there is an element of survival mode, but also taking care of your. yourself will allow you to be a better caretaker. So, you know, I went to recovery meetings every day or they brought them to the hospital every day because I just wanted to be my best for him.

I wanted this to be, this is about canon. This is not about Melissa or Michael or anyone else. This is truly about him. And I think when you are pouring in before you pour out, the quality of you. of what you're able to give the important people in your life is just so much higher. So I think it's just really important to make sure that you're taking care of yourself during hard times. And I think it's just something that people really struggle with. They struggle because it's like there's some sort of guilt or shame and taking care of yourself or being from away from

the situation. And I actually coach a lot of women on this because women have a tendency to just do do, do, do, do. And then they burn out because they just haven't taken any time to pour in. And so I have a sign downstairs, Jordan, in my kitchen that says, pour in before you pour out. And what I mean by that is if I take care of myself and make sure I'm eating good, I'm moving my body, you know, I'm up early in the morning before the kids and doing my prayer and meditation and taking just a little bit of time to take care of my insights. What I pour out, Jordan, is so much higher quality. I am patient.

I am present this morning when the kids were crying about going back to school for the first day, I have the ability to be there, see them, feel it, recognize the feeling, and then, you know, graciously get them all. And it's the same in any kind of situation, like with canon being sick. I needed to research all the clinical trials, find out what hospital he had to go to, what doctor was the best. I mean, we traveled Jordan all over the United States with this kid. We went to, and we went to the best surgeon and the best proton radiation and the best stem cell transplant and the doctor for clinical trials for stage four neuroblastoma. And we did that because we were able to research and spend time pouring in quality,

because at the same time, we really were trying to take care of ourselves. And we would often do Michael and I, who is Cannon's dad, like we would often do 24-hour chefs. So he would stay at the hospital for 24 hours and handle all of the things. And I would handle our newborn twins and the other part of our life and take care of myself. And then we would switch. And I just think it seems foreign. it doesn't sound like it makes sense to take care of yourself if you have a sick parent or a sick

child or going through something hard. But I promise you, if you do, you will come out the other aim stronger and know it bark to it, Chris. Yeah. No, I think that's really, really great advice. I love that you've been able to adopt that mindset. And, you know, I'm definitely a big believer that the inner game controls the outer game, right? Like it all comes from from like you said on the inside. And if we're not our best, if we're not showing up. And also if we're not self-aware enough to know when we're not our best, right? Because that's a whole other, that's a whole other podcast, right, with kind of understanding when you're there so that you can actually enable yourself to climb out or have a support system or a community around you to help you out. And that's

actually the next question that I had for you guys is, you know, during this process, for one, share with the audience, you know, what was this process, something that's still going on since they gave you that kind of timeline that they thought? And then also, you know, what are some things that helped you guys out besides the 24-hour shift? Did you guys have family or community or people that were there to kind of help, you know, add value to your lives and make it a little bit easier of a process to go through. Yeah, so I think again in the states, it's not uncommon to not live close to your family, right? Like a lot of people have where, like, they might live in Georgia, but their family lives in South Carolina or like, that's not uncommon. And so Michael and I actually

don't have any family in the United States. He has a sister that lives in Pennsylvania, but not close by. And so we really got so lucky with. the Orlando community is a very special community. And I always say to everybody, wherever you live, feel like you live in a special community, right? Like to me, where I live is a special community. I hope that where you live, Jordan, you feel like it's a special community, right?

And I feel like that way because they rallied around us, you know, there was a shortage of blood when Canada needed a lot of blood. And the local blood bank, one blood did a mass. massive blood drive and they got more blood than it had ever been donated before. And it was because everyone in the community was like, wait, there's this mom who delivered twins across the street from where her son was in the ICU having his first chemotherapy. And like, we need to help them. Like they don't have anything.

And one of my base friends, Ashley Vandermark, she started rallyed everybody together. And what's funny, Jordan, is when she told her. me, you know, I was very proud. I didn't have social media. I was like, if you go back to my running days, you know, running like a lot of it, you're, it's based on what you do yourself, right? Like, I'm the one out there doing it. Like, I was, so I've always been like fiercely independent. And I was like, oh, we don't need help. Like, we're good. We're kind of like, and she like literally, and I think everybody needs an actually in their life. She like held me by the shoulder.

looked into my eyes and she's like, oh, this wasn't a question. Like, you're getting help. Like, I'm not asking you if you need it. Like, I'm telling you, like, we're going to help you. And the whole community rallied around us. And I think that's just,

I really think one of the things that America as a country does so well. When people are in need and they need help and you live in one of those special types of communities, you're just so blessed, Jordan. I could never do enough work every day to give back what was given to my family, period. I will try, but there's no way I'll get there. I completely agree. You know, when you have a community that is special, like the one that you explain where people are going to bat for you, where people are, I'm going to assume people probably

brought food to you, delivered meals, and, you know, we're there to grab, grab, groceries or drive your kids on errands if they if they needed to or do just do those things that a lot of times in society we we really we don't feel like we need like you said you had some pride you were you know hey we're going to just figure this out I figured it out my whole life and there comes a point where I think you I would agree with you we need somebody in our lives that just kind of takes the reins and is like I'm not taking no for an answer like this is not this is not even a choice for you we're going to help And we lived in Atlanta in 2011 and then we moved to D.C. I got a promotion and we were there five years. And then we had the opportunity to move back down. Well, we had built one of those communities that you're speaking about in just a short time in about a year of being in Atlanta. So when we moved back, guess where our target was? And as we were there, eight, 10 people showed up and helped us unload this truck and move everything in and put our beds together.

And before we knew it, an hour and a half later, we were just, you know, we ordered a bunch of pizzas and we're like, man, thank you for this. You know, like, again, you have experiences like that when you see people's heart and you see people that care about other humans and they're thinking about something that's bigger than themselves. And you're a thousand percent right. That's the community you need to be a part of. Like, that is something that I wish that everyone has. And they're out there. You know, if you want to find them, you'll find them. Everyone. Yeah, you have to be open to it though, right, Jordan? Like, you were open to that. You were open to say, hey, we're moving back. Like, hey, we could use some help. Like, I think you have to let go of the eagle and the pride to become a part of that sort of community. And I believe they're everywhere. I truly do. Like, I think they're everywhere.

Yeah, I think, you know, we get in our own way a lot. We are we're the common denominator in, you know, and everything that happens. whether it be good or whether it be bad, you know. And I think once you realize that and once you can kind of be a little bit vulnerable, get around a group of people that kind of know more than just surface level stuff about you, right? They have deeper context into who you are, what you've been through, you know, what you're struggling with. Like that's those are true relationships and those are people that are going to really help you build that community that you need. Because you're going to come to a point, folks. And this is for every listener.

anyone that's going to watch us, you're going to come to a point where you need someone else other than you. And you're not going to like it when that day comes because it's going to not feel right. But let me tell you, just like Melissa did, like let go. Just let someone help. You know, that's probably going to be the best decision you ever made. And you're going to feel like Melissa did where she, she feels like in a few lifetime she probably can't repay, you know, what has been given to her, you know, just out of the grace of humanity. You know, just out of people's kind hearts, you know? And then you and I talk about this a lot, right?

Which is like where these lessons become things that our children watch and see, right? So like this became one of my kids called me while they were in the local public. And they said, mom, and they have their own bank cards, you know, like they have and they're very responsible young man. And he's nine. And he said, mom, he called me on his little watch. And he said, can I buy our homeless brand, who is this local man that sort of we see everywhere in our neighborhood. And he's our buddy now. And we buy him coffee and different things.

But he said, you know, he told me his favorite fruit is kiwi. Could I buy him some kiwis? He's at Starbucks. And I just was like, you know, my heart was just exploding because I don't tell them to do things like that, Jordan. But they just see they watch everything we do, Jordan, like everything. Yep, 100%. When we talk to people, how do we treat them? You know, when I go into Starbucks and our friend is there, you know, drinking his coffee,

I know he slept under a bridge last night and I sat down and talked to him every single time. And my kids said to me, you know, is he homeless? And they're like to me, Mom, you need to buy him an apartment. Like, well, I can't afford to buy him an apartment. But like, you know, it's just so sweet for them to take on these license that were super tough for me as Jordan, I was 29 years old and my friend actually was like, Melissa, you are going to accept the help. And, you know, I think when you get help from a young age, it will be easier as an adult to receive it. Yeah, no, I 100% agree. And I love the fact that

you are now, you know, able to kind of take lessons that you've learned along your journey. And as a life coach, you're able to help, you know, you help people all over the world. And So I'd love for you to share a little bit about that. You know, the one thing that people will definitely get to see in our conversation so far is that you're a trailblazer. Like you put your eye on a target and then you keep moving forward. And it sounds like that's probably the same way that you're helping your client. So I'd love for you to give a little context on, you know, who it is that you serve

and then how you're helping them. And if there's anything that you could even offer our audience that might be able to add value to a situation that they're dealing with. 100%. Yeah, I love that question so much. Thank you. So when Cannon was like a year into his journey, I started a non-profit called Cannibal Kids Cancer with my husband. So we're like six years in now and we've given away like three and a half million dollars to researchers all over the world. So my role while Cannon was in there was finding out what his research was going to be. And then you. using that research and meeting with hospitals all over the country. We have funded projects in Switzerland, Scotland, Canada, 25 states in America, like all over, innovative, first of its kind research, never done before, over 600 kids able to get on clinical trials. And it was very, very hard for me to be at the point, Jordan, to, and hopefully, you know, there's some things that

your listeners get from this piece where I was in something that I really loved. It was extremely passionate about, but I knew Jordan that that wasn't like the last like stop on the train station for me. Like I don't know how to describe it. I just knew like I wanted to get cannibal kids cancer to the point of where I could hire a team and have people run it because I've been to more kids' funerals than I have adults, Jordan, and it just wore me down. So while I wanted to get it started, I knew I couldn't stay in it forever. I knew I needed to transition to something else. And I spent a lot of time during those years, you know, really being a life coach to other mama bear in very hard situations without being a paid life coach. And so I was in a session with my

coach and she said, you know, why don't you be a life coach? Why don't you get certified? And I was like, I don't know if that's for me. And she was like, you know, you should just try it. And I will, I love education. So I will do any credential, any education piece like I'm all in. Like learning is like my favorite thing. And so I did my master certification and I just totally fell in love with life coaching. And I'd already had this love for mama bears. And I knew I wanted it to be something in that lane. And so it just felt like a very easy transition to be, okay, I'm a life coach. I always want to be a life coach, but I want to help mama bears moms who either have a business or or want a business or want something that is sort of theirs, you know?

Like, I, you know me, Jordan. I love my children. I will do anything for them. They are my favorite people on the planet. But I also enjoy being a working mom and doing something exciting and having a podcast and being on podcasts and helping moms. And my kids are so proud of that side of me. And I think as mama bears, we get so much guilt about working outside of the home.

But I hear my kids tell their friends all the time, hey, did you know my mom's a top 10 life coach in America? Like, it's so cute. And it's just they get to see that other side of you. And I think that I just want moms to not feel guilt and shame about doing something outside of the home. because the lessons they get and what they give their children from doing that, I haven't seen it any other way to do it other than working outside of the home. That's awesome.

Yeah. And I think that's going to resonate with a lot of people, right? Because, you know, at the end of the day, if you are a mom that's at home, if you do your schedule, right? And I'm sure this is something that you help, you know, your clients with. If you work your schedule, right, you do have time to put an energy and effort. and to build something, right? You don't have to build it all in one day. This is something where there's systems and processes and steps that you take in order to really

build and scale. And so I'd love what are some of those things that you help people with, right? Like, let's say I'm one of your, you know, your mamas that you're coaching, right? And I'm coming into the program. So what does the onboarding experience look like? And where do you really start with your clients? Because I think that'll be helpful for our listeners to know, like, this is what? what the life would look like if you actually were brought on as their coach.

I love everything that you just say, yes, 100%. If you're a mama bear and you have a bunch of kids at home or you have one kid at home and you're wondering, can I from home make sex figures? I'm here to tell you 100% yes, you can. Like I generally work in all hours that are like the kids are at school and I made six figures in my first year from home from this day. like 100% possible. No question. And also now employ other women, right? So now I did it and now I have other women I get to do that for, right? Which is just so beautiful. I call it the ripple effect,

which is where we do something and we create something for other people. And so my onboarding is, this is how I described myself as a coach Jordan. And because I do think I am a good coach for a particular type of person. And I say, I'm like the person who'll like kick you in the arse, but then I'll hug you. So like I may tell you some like truth that might be a little tough, but then I'll hug you and I'll be like, now I'm going to help you figure out how to not do that. So my six month course is called Empowered Life. And during that time, we really talk a lot about our mindset. We talk a lot about what am I responsible for, right? Like what am I I responsible for? And what am I not responsible for, Jordan? Because a lot of the time it's like,

well, I don't know if, you know, my husband would like if I would work or I'm not really sure how my kids would feel or, you know, it's a lot of not really playing the tape all the way to the end and more just these thoughts that have became these stories like, I don't want to not be available for my kids. And if I work, I feel like I will be. And the reality is, nowadays, that's, just not true. It's just false. And you can 100% be available for your children and your family and have a great career that will give you confidence and will give you this zest for life that well, your children will win from that. An entire module on helping them figure out what their values are so that we can live value-driven, intentional lives. Like I literally, we're going to

stop winging it and we're going to get superintentional about our time. And so sometimes that means we have to do a lot of boundary work. We have to do friendship audits. We have to look at who we're around, where are we spending our time and energy. How do we want to spend our time and energy? And I have them like imagine, you know, that they have this mason jar sight of their bait in the morning and it's filled to the tot with energy. And every takes message and every call and every interaction, it's like pouring the water out. Like you have to choose at the beginning of the day, Jordan, like, am I going to use three hours to build a business from home or do something that could maybe enhance my life and my family's life? Or am I going to talk to my great aunt Debbie about

Uncle Jordan's ulcer? Right. Like, I mean, truly, like it can be really getting that granular sometimes. And by the end of the six months, you know, these women are feeling more empowered. They are either starting businesses or their businesses are literally doubling in revenue. And then 50% of them do it again. So they do another empowered life. So it's beautiful. A six-month container. And it's just, I do it in and Tain in a group. So there's never more than Tain in your group. So everybody, every week, it's an opportunity to be. be coached and it's it's wonderful it's it's a great experience I love it so much it's like my favorite awesome awesome I appreciate you sharing that context I know people will definitely be reaching out so I'd

love for you to just let everyone know where's the best place where they can either learn more about that problem or that program or you know reach out to you directly and and again it is a problem right if you don't know what you're doing and you want to know that's a problem you have and you know Melissa can actually help you solve that. And I love the way that you broke everything down because everything is based on foundations, right? If you don't start with the foundational stuff like your mindset, you don't look at a smooth surface to actually work off of while you're actually getting to a point of either

scaling or launching. So I'd love for you to share where is that best place where they can find out more info on your six-month program. Yeah. And I always say I love that you say that because I always say star, start before you're ready. I think sometimes as women, we think that there's this magic, like, all of a sudden, you're going to feel ready to do all the things. No, 100%. You totally start all the things before you're ready. And so most of the people who sign up, like, they're

scared in the beginning. So if you're listening and you're like, oh my gosh, that sounds terrifying to like have someone like get into my life that much, just new, totally normal. Anyway, it's Melissa Wiggins.Wigens.com is my website. And you can find lots of information on there about empowered life. We actually will be starting a new round in January of 2023. So the sign up will be December of 2022 if you're listening to this in real time. And then on Instagram, I am coach Mama Bear and I have lots of reels on there and lots of like fun information. And also I have a podcast coaching and a cup of tea with Mama Bear. So you could always listen to a couple of those episodes and see if you could handle my accent for six months

and decide if you wanted to sign up. Awesome, awesome. Well, I think you hear one of my little people there. They're all over the place. Well, when you have five, there's a one in five shot that one of them is going to be heard. And it's real life. You're still recording a podcast. You're still getting the work done.

So, yeah, 100%. Don't edit that. I don't people need to hear it because we get so scared like everything has to be perfect. No, we have kids. We have a life. Like this is normal. I have men doing construction outside of my heads. It's fine.

Absolutely. Well, I know people are going to get value out of your story and your journey. And they're probably going to even want to learn more about you. So I appreciate you sharing all the info. We're going to make sure all those links are down in the show notes. So is there any parting words you have? for our audience you know our audience is parting words for other trailblazers i would just say a hundred percent start before you are ready all the things you will get ready as you go there is no

feeling ready before you start so i tell everybody that start before you're ready start the podcast start the business start all of the things like that's my parting words