Episode 18: Melanie Smith On Love, Loss, Growth & Shrinkage

02/21/17 • 54 min

“I approach life as though I don’t know anything, and so let’s start learning something” Melanie Smith

This episode was recorded at Melanie’s NYC apartment. Please enjoy the ambient sound of the Big Apple.

Melanie Smith is one of my dearest friends and this episode begins with us sharing how we remember first meeting. It was at Kripalu during our yearlong studies in Positive Psychology with Tal Ben-Shahar Ph.D. Of course, we both have different memories, and this led perfectly into a conversation around the power of stories.

Melanie has a rich and fantastic past, and we touch on just a few of her careers. From being a Playboy Bunny to playing Jerry’s girlfriend on Seinfeld, to opening her world renowned yoga studio in New Hope, PA – Yogaphoria. Throughout the interview, Melanie shares all the different hats that she tried on before landing the work and career that was the perfect fit.

I find Melanie one of the smartest and soulful people I know. We talk about how our surroundings will influence our trajectory in life and how sometimes when we look back, it seems like just one small choice after another, shifts and shapes our life. We talk about being fearless, having tenacity, and developing courage so that we can create a life that we are proud of.

Melanie shares the crazy and surreal group of strange coincidences that took her from Scranton to Stardom and gives us the backstory of how she landed the role of Emily in As The World Turns. She also shares how she was cast in the role of Jerry’s Girlfriend on Seinfeld, and how this episode helped her opening of her Yoga studio, Yogaphoria.

Melanie believes that everyone is heartbroken and she shares how the loss of her mother to cancer and the sudden death of her sister created the gateway for her transition into a coach who specializes in grief, loss, and recovery.

Towards the end of our conversation, Melanie dives into the power of stories and shares how she decides what is true and what is a story. She encourages us all to change, re-script and re-frame our negative stories to allow the magic that is waiting for all of us to appear.

More About Melanie

Melanie Smith is a nationally renowned teacher and coach, award winning actress and spiritual entrepreneur. She has not only spent many years coaching, speaking and presenting to thousands, but she has also graduated well over 1,000 teachers from her educational programs.

She works with mission driven, inspired people on a daily basis; Helping them to transform their lives and businesses, moving them into the most realized and abundant experience of life.

Melanie is trained in many forms of coaching, entrepreneurship, health and wellness, the Chakra system and Bio-energetics, Archetypes, behavioral finance, grief and loss recovery. She was a founding fellow of Harvard University’s institute of coaching and is an ICF Professional Certified Coach and an ICA Master Coach.

Melanie was the founder and director of one of the countries most respected yoga and wellness centers and has been the face of many international wellness brands. She has written for several national magazines and has been at the center of some of Television’s most memorable and funniest moments.

She is also the proud mom of her greatest acheivement...her son Gideon Moses

“I approach life as though I don’t know anything, and so let’s start learning something” Melanie Smith

This episode was recorded at Melanie’s NYC apartment. Please enjoy the ambient sound of the Big Apple.

More About Melanie

She works with mission driven, inspired people on a daily basis; Helping them to transform their lives and businesses, moving them into the most realized and abundant experience of life.

She is also the proud mom of her greatest acheivement...her son Gideon Moses

Previous Episode

Episode 17: Friday Five With Jeremy Newman

“ With every word I speak I have a responsibility” Jeremy Newman

What a conversation I had with Jeremy Newman. I left that interview inspired, grateful and with a new determination to appreciate the good in every moment. Here are my five favorite takeaways and self-reflections from this week’s conversation with inspirational speaker, gratitude seeker and champion for possibility Jeremy Newman

1. Jeremy spoke about the responsibility that comes with what we say. One of my favorite books is the Four Agreements, and one of the agreements is to be impeccable with your word. How well do you tend to the words you use on a daily basis?

2. I loved it when Jeremy said, “Speak into existence what you want in your life.” What is something you desire? What is something that you want to do in this lifetime? Can you act and speak as if it has already happened and then embody the feeling of what it would feel like to accomplish your dreams. Act as if it has already happened and now go and do the work to make that dream a reality. Envision, Embody and Execute

3. Jeremy shared how he chooses not to consume negative media. Can you manage your media intake? Choose which resources you want to utilize to stay up to date on what is important to you. Stay educated without allowing any negativity to penetrate your inner world.

4. Jeremy spoke about what keeps him going. How by being of service to others he almost feels selfish as he gets so much back in return. What keeps you going? Who or what do you lean on in those moments of uncertainty?

5. I cannot count the number of times Jeremy mentioned his gratitude for his life, his mother, and even hitting the ground at 100 miles an hour. Jeremy does not just talk about gratitude he embodies the word, the action and the emotion. Today and everyday, I invite you to keep coming back to an attitude of gratitude. Seek out all that is working in your favor and trust that the Universe has your back

Next Episode

Episode 19: Friday 5 With Melanie Smith

“We are all born to be enormous, vibrant and illuminated” Melanie Smith

It was so lovely to sit down with my dear friend Melanie Smith. Through her work as an award-winning actress, as the creator and owner of the award- winning yoga studio Yogaphoria, and as her work a coach who specializes in grief loss and recovery, she brought so much wisdom and humor to the conversation. Here are my five favorite takeaways and self-reflections from this week’s conversation with Melanie Smith.

1. What would happen if you approached everything with a beginner's

mind, with the idea that is impossible to fail, simply because you tried? Melanie spoke about not being afraid to fail, that she approached life as though she knew nothing and so was not afraid to try and begin learning something. Is there something you have wanted to try but were afraid to, in case you failed?

2. Is there an area of your life where you could close the gap? Melanie told us that she “coaches to the gap” She is not afraid to look at the areas in her life that need to be filled in, strengthened or explored to close the gap between the life she is living and the life that she desires. Is there something you can begin doing to close the gap? Maybe it is doing some research, reading a book on the topic, or asking for help.

3. Can you begin to sit with the feelings that you often want to push away? Melanie admits that she too feels fear and anxiety at certain times in her life, but shared that she does not hook a story to the feelings. This was a big light bulb moment for me. Can you begin to make friends with both the positive and negative emotions of life, and avoid attaching a story to them? Can you learn to be a witness to your emotions, and allow them to flow in and out of your day, without ruminating on the negative feelings or diving down the rabbit hole of "would, could and should."

4. Which stories are you running in your mind over and over? The one's that are directing the way your life unfolds? Melanie kept coming back to the power of storytelling. She told us that if your life is not working, then your stories are not working. Is there a story that is serving you well? Is there a story that is holding you back? Can you focus on the stories that support your life and release the ones that derail you.

5. Can you begin to pay closer attention to what your instincts are whispering to you? Melanie spoke about our instincts and reminded us to pay attention to them as they are often winning moments in our life. I say that our instincts are never wrong we sometimes just choose not to listen to them. Can you think back to a time when you listened to your instincts, and to a time when you ignored them? Then reflect on the different outcomes.