Creating A Joyful Planet: How Melanie Young is Helping

Patrice Tanaka, Founder & Chief Joy Officer of Joyful Planet LLC, interviews people who are actively living their purpose and contributing to a more joyful planet. This interview spotlights spotlights Melanie Young, a certified holistic health coach and award winning author of two books. This former PR-agency owned-turned healthy lifestyle muse  and motivational speaker now hosts two iHeart Radio Shows, Fearless Fabulous You! on the Women 4 Women Network (W4WN) and The Connected Table LIVE! on W4CY, and writes frequently about healthy living, food and drink.PT:  Melanie, what I love and admire about you is how, after a brilliant PR career in food & wine that included helping to create the prestigious James Beard Foundation Awards and New York Restaurant Week, you’re pursuing your passion and living your purpose through other heartfelt endeavors, including the Connected Table and your “Fearless, Fabulous You” franchise. Can you share your life’s purpose with us? I define a life’s purpose as one that leverages your greatest talents, experience and passion in service of people and planet.MY:  My life’s purpose has always been the same from when I first started out in business: “Live life with purpose and with passion on your terms and inspire others.” How I do this today may be different than 30 years ago when I first entered the PR world but I was just as passionate about shaping and sharing stories as a publicist as I am now as a radio host, speaker and writer. I’m just using the skills I love most – creating things, writing, speaking and inspiring – on a different stage.Fifteen years ago my purpose was promoting great food and drink, supporting and promoting my (hospitality) industry, advocating for women in business and seeing the world. I still enjoy great food and drink, advocating for women and seeing the world, but my arena has changed and expanded to include health and wellness and reach women with new message of empowerment. I am still active in food and beverage but now with a stronger voice to share stories through radio and writing and to educate.PT:  When did you discover your life’s purpose?  Was there a triggering incident?MY:  I always wanted to have a voice through either writing or acting. That started at age 5 when I first appeared as Trixie, the No Neck Monster in Tennessee Williams’ “Cat On a Hot Tin Roof.” My father presented me two bouquets when I came out for my first curtain call and my grandmother and mother arranged for all their friends in attendance to give me standing ovation. I knew I was destined for a stage of some kind and wanted to stand out and be heard (granted, Trixie actually had no speaking role and just curtsied and stared a lot).I’ve just used that voice differently over the years. Recently, after facing a string of personal challenges in my life, most notably facing breast cancer and the devastating loss of my father from cancer in the same year, I had to step back and re-envision how I wanted to live and how to use my skills and interests with renewed purpose and passion.PT:  And once you determined your purpose did you find yourself begin to actively live it? How did you begin? What did you do?MY:  I dipped my toes into a few different things. It was like trying on different careers. There were a lot of baby steps and a few missteps and probably too much introspection for a while. I took classes, read self-help books and signed up for countless online coaching programs. I was all over the place and still having to take on PR clients to pay the bills.Writing always centers me. During my treatment for breast cancer I had started journaling again (I did it regularly as a young girl).The journal turned into my blog and then I decided to write a book to help others navigate the journey that I refer to as CancerLand. The book, “Getting Things Off My Chest: A Survivor’s Guide To Staying Fearless & Fabulous in the Face of Breast Cancer,” was well received and won two book awards for cancer health topics. Then I wrote a second book, “Fearless Fabulous You! Lessons on Living Life on Your Terms,” which outlines my five paths for redefining and reclaiming your life after a challenge or setback. That book was a finalist in the self-help/motivation category for the International Book Award.With books you have to work hard to promote, so I utilized all my PR training to launch and publicize the book and position myself as an expert. After giving numerous interviews on radio and TV I realized I could use my voice in a purposeful way through broadcast. That led to creating my two iHeart Radio shows, Fearless Fabulous You! and The Connected Table LIVE!Eventually, I studied to become certified as a Holistic Health Coach to gain more in-depth knowledge about health and wellness and to build my speaking and writing platform. Education is a powerful tool. I believe you need to earn it through studying with experts and by your own experience.PT:  Did knowing your purpose in life change what you do in your professional life in any way? And in your personal life?MY:  My personal and professional lives have always been enmeshed. I love writing, telling stories, traveling and tasting, and I enjoy making personal connections with people, especially over food and drink. Even as a young girl in college I was always the local “go to” restaurant expert, and today I am still a “go to” person but often it’s about ways to improve your life, eat healthier as well as eating and drinking great wine and food. And now I am a “go to” person for women who received a breast cancer diagnosis, which is something I never thought would be part of either my “professional or personal life.”PT:  How does it feel to be living your life’s purpose? Specifically, how would you describe it in terms of the success, fulfillment and joy you experience?MY:  I feel calmer and more content. I worry less about competing with others and also with my own ambition and am more open to enjoying the moment at hand.PT:  What is the result of knowing and actively living your life’s purpose? Is there a power that comes from knowing your life’s purpose in being able to actively live it?MY:  Yes, you no longer feel you have to measure up to anyone else’s expectations or prove yourself. This was always a problem in the PR agency arena because you are always pitching and preparing reports for clients to justify your work. I no longer feel, or ever want, to have to justify who I am or what my value is to anyone. I have learned to respect the value of my self-worth after dealing with some clients who sometimes did not appreciate it. In doing so, a lot of stress melted away.PT:  What are your greatest hopes and dreams for the life purpose you have chosen? MY:  I want to continue writing books and articles, and I want to do more speaking to small and larger groups of individuals, especially women about how to put your self-health and self-worth first, which I did not do for a long time. I also remain active in the wine and food arena and take great pleasure in educating people about healthy cooking and eating and appreciating wine which I am doing more of lately. In addition to being my business mentor for more than 20 years, my father was a wine educator for over 30 years. Today when I conduct wine tastings I feel closer to my father in spirit.PT:  What do you think you would be doing now if you hadn’t determined and then actively begun to live your purpose?MY:  Good question and tough because I find it hard to look back and say, “What If?” I struck those works from my vocabulary. I guess I would still be running my PR agency, still stressing out over either getting or losing business and eventually selling or merging. But then…who knows. At the pace and level of stress I was living between 2005 and 2009 and then having a solid year in cancer treatment, I may not have had the chance to live my life’s purpose if I had not made changes.PT:  How important is it for people to discover their life’s purpose? What advice would you give others about discovering their life’s purpose?MY:  I think everyone should live with purpose no matter who they are or what they do. Your “purpose” can be anything, large or small. It’s what makes you wake up and smile every day and gives you intent, clarity, hope and joy. I always tell people to start by thinking about what give you pleasure, what you are good at or what you want to learn and /or share. Your passion and purpose may not be mine, but it is just as special. You need to “own” your purpose not borrow it from someone else or try to be something that does not fit you. Your purpose may change over the years, and that’s okay, as long as you remain authentic to what you are doing and how you are feeling. [author] About the Author: Patrice Tanaka is a serial entrepreneur, having co-founded three award-winning, PR & marketing firms and, most recently, Joyful Planet, a Business & Life Strategy Consultancy.“Through Joyful Planet, I am doing what I love and do best, leveraging my creative, problem-solving talent to help individuals and organizations discover and live their purpose and unleash greater success, fulfillment and joy in business and life,” says Patrice. This is the subject of Patrice’s new best-selling book, Beat the Curve, co-authored with world renowned management consultant and coach, Brian Tracy, and other business leaders. Her chapter is entitled, “Live Your Life’s Purpose and Unleash Your Joy.” Connect with Patrice@JoyfulPlanet.com and via LinkedIn/Patrice Tanaka and Twitter/Patrice Tanaka.  [/author]