What happens when you go quiet — with your work, your relationships, even yourself?

In this episode, I open up about why I stepped back from the podcast and my life over the last couple of months. From navigating exhaustion and healing to realizing the cost of imbalance, I share the lessons I’ve learned in silence — about resilience, clarity, boundaries, and the importance of choosing your own path.

If you’ve ever felt the pull to disconnect or the guilt of slowing down, this episode is for you. Quiet isn’t failure — it’s preparation.

✨ Takeaway: Sometimes going quiet is the boldest step toward your comeback.

Money isn’t just numbers on a spreadsheet — it’s the story you tell yourself.

In this episode of Not Your Average Blonde, Melissa dives deep into the hidden beliefs and narratives that shape how you earn, spend, and think about money.

From growing up in a scarcity mindset, to navigating cultural and religious expectations, to learning the hard way through divorce and financial independence, Melissa shares her personal journey of rewriting her financial story.

You’ll learn:

• The 3 most common money beliefs holding people back

• How to recognize and reframe limiting financial narratives

• A practical tool, The Money Mirror, to shift your mindset each week

• Journal prompts to start building a healthy relationship with money today

This isn’t about budgets and charts — it’s about reclaiming your financial power. When you rewrite your story, you unlock freedom, options, and resilience.

🔗 Connect with Melissa on Instagram: @NotYourAverageBlonde
✨ Next Episode: The Not Your Average Guide to Building Wealth & Freedom

Are you restless in a life that once felt like your dream?

You’re not failing — you’re evolving.

In this episode of Not Your Average Blonde, Melissa breaks down 6 clear, powerful signs you’ve outgrown your old identity, including:

✨ Why your old goals now feel hollow
✨ Why small talk drains you while you crave depth
✨ Why discomfort and restlessness are signals, not failures
✨ Why you’re allowed to grieve old dreams to make space for new ones
✨ How to stop wearing the mask you’ve outgrown and step into alignment

This isn’t about becoming someone else. It’s about remembering who you really are.

If you’ve felt disconnected, numb, or tired of pretending, this episode will remind you that it’s okay to outgrow a version of yourself that was built for survival.

You deserve a life that feels like yours.

🎧 Listen to learn:✅ Why feeling stuck means you’re ready for your next chapter✅ How to identify and release what no longer fits✅ Practical steps to start living aligned

✨ Take the 48-Hour Challenge:
Pick one sign that hit you hardest.Write down three small actions you can take in the next 48 hours to honor your evolution.
Tag @notyouraverageblonde so Melissa can cheer you on.

💛 If this episode resonated:✔️ Share it with a friend who’s in a season of transition✔️ Leave a review on Spotify or Apple Podcasts to help others find NYAB✔️ Subscribe for weekly episodes on mindset, wellness, and reinvention

Are you tired of feeling stuck, disconnected, or like you're living someone else’s dream? This episode of Not Your Average Blonde is your permission slip to stop waiting and start living — on your terms.

Melissa introduces her signature tool, The Not Your Average Life Map™ — a guided vision map for bold, authentic reinvention.
You’ll learn:
• Why “feeling stuck” is a signal, not a flaw
• How depression and anxiety are often tied to misalignment
• The 3 saboteurs of possibility (and how to beat them)
• How to build a dream life that actually feels like you

You’ll also be guided through the NYAB Possibility Loop™ and challenged to take action with the 48-Hour Dream Challenge.

🔥 Ready to reignite your life? Start here.
📩 DM @melissa_ventures your Life Map™ or tag @nyab_podcast to be featured.

Wellness is not a trend. It’s not a green smoothie, a 5AM gym routine, or a curated Instagram feed. It’s a return to self—an act of radical alignment in your mind, body, and soul.

In this powerful episode of Not Your Average Blonde, we’re redefining what it really means to be well. We’re diving deep into the 8 dimensions of wellness, busting some seriously outdated myths, and unpacking how to build a personalized, holistic wellness practice that actually works for you.

💭 We’ll explore:

• Why the wellness you’ve been sold isn’t working

• The emotional and energetic cost of burnout and misalignment

• How to reclaim your energy through small, intentional changes

• A raw look at my personal healing journey post-stroke

• Practical tips for spiritual, mental, emotional, and physical wellness

• Why real wellness means coming home to yourself—again and again

🌀 Whether you’re navigating burnout, craving balance, or just tired of surface-level “self-care,” this episode is your wellness wake-up call.

🌱 Journal prompt inside, plus mindset shifts you can start today.

✨ If this episode resonates, please rate, review, and share with someone ready to feel better—without the pressure to be perfect.

—

🔗 Come say hi on Instagram:@melissa_ventures | @nyab_podcast

🎧 Not Your Average Blonde is a mindset + wellness podcast for bold reinvention, soul-aligned growth, and living a life that actually feels good.

New episodes weekly.

Welcome to the new era of Not Your Average Blonde. In this bold re-introduction episode, I’m sharing the raw truth behind my journey—how getting divorced in my early 20s, leaving a high-control religion, navigating life in the military, and life abroad has shaped my mission to help you live more authentically.

This episode is your reminder that it’s never too late to pivot, grow, or rewrite your story.

We explore:

• How to own your truth, even when it’s uncomfortable

• Why change isn’t failure—it’s evolution

• How travel, global living, and spiritual shifts can radically expand your identity

• The mindset energy you need to break cycles and take back your power

• Why your wellness, emotional intelligence, and reinvention go hand in hand

This podcast isn’t self-help fluff. It’s mentorship, fire, and freedom. You’re not average. You were never meant to be.

🎧 Stream now on Spotify, Apple, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts.

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't your circumstances—but your focus? In Episode 33 of Not Your Average Blonde, we explore how what you focus on expands — and how shifting your energy can change everything.

We dive into how fear, overthinking, and self-doubt quietly sabotage your dreams — and how taking bold, aligned action rewires your life. You'll learn about:

• How your brain's Reticular Activating System shapes your reality

• The hidden trap of analysis paralysis (and how to beat it)

• Why action is the antidote to fear

• How inaction is still a choice (and how to reclaim your power)

• How to rewrite the story you're telling yourself

Plus, real-life stories, science-backed strategies, and audience reflection points to help you step out of fear and into your power.

If you’re ready to break cycles, stop second-guessing, and start building the life you want — this episode is for you.

🎧 Streaming now on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, and everywhere you listen to podcasts.

🎧 Episode 32: The Energy Behind What You Do
What if it’s not what you’re doing that’s keeping you stuck—but how you’re doing it?

In this episode of Not Your Average Blonde, we explore the invisible force shaping every result in your life: your energy. Whether it’s your career, relationships, wellness routines, or personal goals—your energy is speaking before you ever say a word.

You’ll learn:

• Why your energy matters more than your strategy

• How to recognize when you’re operating from fear, scarcity, or pressure

• Tools to shift into aligned energy (breathwork, grounding, affirmations + more)

• What science says about energetic resonance and the nervous system

• How to check your intention before you act

• Why your energy is your brand—and how to lead with it

If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the “right” things but still not seeing results… this one’s for you.

✨ Now streaming on Spotify, Apple, YouTube & everywhere you get your podcasts.