442: Melyssa Ford on Health, Hustle, and Healing

12/11/24 • 69 min

1 Listener

This week in the guest chair we have Melyssa Ford, media personality, actress, and advocate known for her dynamic presence in entertainment. With a career spanning television, film, and radio, she has captivated audiences as a host on the Joe Budden podcast and various TV appearances.

As a seasoned veteran in media and entertainment, Melyssa mastered the art of pivoting and identifying viable opportunities to launch into new and exciting spaces.

In this episode she shares:

Her new podcast Hot and Bothered that fosters meaningful conversations about women’s wellness, intimacy, and health
Overcoming depression, negative self-talk, and finding grace through personal healing
The many benefits to pivoting several times in her career

Highlights include:

00:00 Intro

02:00 Building a film/TV personality

06:00 Being an undocumented immigrant

14:00 Creating her own path

19:00 Battling mental health issues

27:00 Navigating perimenopause

40:00 The podcasting landscape

47:00 Living with a brain injury

1:00:00 Tips for entrepreneurs

Check out episode 442 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

Links mentioned in this episode

Melyssa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melyssaford/
Melyssa’s Twitter: https://x.com/MissMelyssaFord/
Hot and Bothered Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotnbotheredpodcast/
Melyssa’s Website: https://www.melyssaford.com/
ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss

Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook

Guest Social Media Info

Melyssa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melyssaford/
Melyssa’s Twitter: https://x.com/MissMelyssaFord/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As a seasoned veteran in media and entertainment, Melyssa mastered the art of pivoting and identifying viable opportunities to launch into new and exciting spaces.

In this episode she shares:

Her new podcast Hot and Bothered that fosters meaningful conversations about women’s wellness, intimacy, and health
Overcoming depression, negative self-talk, and finding grace through personal healing
The many benefits to pivoting several times in her career

Highlights include:

00:00 Intro

02:00 Building a film/TV personality

06:00 Being an undocumented immigrant

14:00 Creating her own path

19:00 Battling mental health issues

27:00 Navigating perimenopause

40:00 The podcasting landscape

47:00 Living with a brain injury

1:00:00 Tips for entrepreneurs

Check out episode 442 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

Links mentioned in this episode

Melyssa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melyssaford/
Melyssa’s Twitter: https://x.com/MissMelyssaFord/
Hot and Bothered Podcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/hotnbotheredpodcast/
Melyssa’s Website: https://www.melyssaford.com/
ChatGPT: https://chatgpt.com/

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss

Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook

Guest Social Media Info

Melyssa’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melyssaford/
Melyssa’s Twitter: https://x.com/MissMelyssaFord/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Previous Episode

441: How Alexis Barber Balances Being A Wharton MBA, Influencer, and Founder

This week in the guest chair we have Alexis Barber, a lifestyle influencer and founder of Too Collective, a modern wellness and loungewear brand. At just 25 years old, Alexis is the host of the top-rated Too Smart For This Podcast and has worked with brands like Lululemon, Rare Beauty, Microsoft, and Miss Dior as a content creator.

In this episode she shares:

How growing up low-income provided the foundation for having confidence and an ambitious mindset to overcome the limitations of her past
Her transformative experience as an MBA candidate at The Wharton School at UPenn
How she makes a living off of content creation and the opportunities being an influencer has provided

Highlights Include:

00:00 Intro

03:00 Confidence and putting yourself out there

09:55 Becoming a lifestyle influencer

12:04 Navigating side hustling and a corporate role

19:27 Collaboration with Rare Beauty

20:48 Launching a robe company

29:09 MBA program at Wharton

39:20 Transparency in content creation

44:07 The importance of building a team

Check out episode 441 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

Links mentioned in this episode

Too Collective Website: https://toocollective.com/
Too Collective Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/toocollective/
Alexis’ Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@alexisbarber_
Alexis’ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexisbarber/
Alexis’ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@alexis_barber
MLT Program: https://mlt.org/
Harvard Summer Program: https://www.hbs.edu/svmp/Pages/default.aspx
Pietra: https://www.pietrastudio.com/

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss

Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Next Episode

443: She Side Hustled Her Way To a Multi-Million Dollar Wine Business (Feat. Whitney Gates)

This week in the guest chair we have Whitney Gates, an experienced marketing leader turned entrepreneur as co-founder and CEO of Wondry Wine. Her diversified skill set is driven by over 13 years of experience in brand management, shopper marketing and sales across Fortune 200 companies.

Rejecting exclusivity, Wondry presents customers with a more approachable, stronger, semi-sweet wine. Drawing inspiration from her disabled uncle’s wine-making journey, Whitney’s hustled her way into becoming a multi-million dollar company in just a few years.

In this episode she shares:

How she went from making wine herself and doing door to door selling to launching Wondry online and expanding onto Target shelves
What it takes to stand out in a crowded market (and even get a deal with Mark Cuban on Shark Tank)
The importance of understanding your customer and adjusting your pitch accordingly

Highlights include:

0:00 – Introduction to Whitney Gates

8:17 – Launching Wondry

11:20 – Defining Wondry’s category: wine vs. cocktail hybrid

15:00 – Investing in the business

18:40 – Door-to-door sales and proof of concept

31:00 – Whitney’s Shark Tank experience and partnering with Mark Cuban

34:00 – Becoming profitable and managing costs as you scale

41:00 – Tips for entrepreneurs

Check out episode 443 of Side Hustle Pro podcast out now on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube

Links mentioned in this episode

Wondry Wine Website: https://www.drinkwondry.com
Follow Wondry’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wondrywine
Side Hustle Pro Website: https://www.sidehustlepro.co

Click here to subscribe via RSS feed (non-iTunes feed): http://sidehustlepro.libsyn.com/rss

Announcements

Join our Facebook Community

If you’re looking for a community of supportive side hustlers who are all working to take our businesses to the next level, join us here: http://sidehustlepro.co/facebook