Hope Speaking

I believe

Mélanie — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 16:44:42 +0000

A beautiful lady wrote a fabulous post and inspired many of us to do our own homework assignment. Thank you, Lynn of Power Chicks for your idea !

Sometimes we get so mired in day-to-day that we forget why we do what we do – or even what we are doing. A sense of futility may set in. Or, worse, we may get so involved be everything to everyone that we completely lose ourselves. Suddenly we are wholly unfulfilled, and we don’t understand why. As I’ve said in Get Over It & Get Started, you do not impress anyone with how much you can juggle – especially if you are so busy doing everyone else’s everything else that you end up dropping half the balls.

Pick up your own balls first (I think of Abby and her tennis balls, what did you think??) and take time for yourself. Recall what your fundamental beliefs are. Revisit them daily. Here are mine:

I believe…

that the majority of human beings are fundamentally good.
that music worth it – always.
in abundance abundantly for all, all the time with repetitive redundancy.
that sometimes to hang on, you’ve got to let go.
that the Universe wants us all to succeed.

What do you believe? Post them here or via link to your own blog. Revisit yours, recharge yourself, learn to say no now and then. Oh – and have a fabulous day!

Mélanie Hope

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I believe originally appeared on Hope Speaking on January 27, 2012.

2011 Rags to Runway

Mélanie — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 00:42:27 +0000

—
I had the great privilege to MC the 2011 RAGS to Runway: A Storybook Fashion Show Told By TSPA Students. The event benefited the YWCA and was held at The Salon Professional Academy in Tacoma.

The fashion show gave the cosmetology and esthetic students at The Salon Professional Academy an opportunity to collaborate with local fiber, jewelry, and clothing designers in creating high-fashion hair and makeup looks for a final project – the fashion show – as well as a chance for many of the students to try their best runway walks. I got to tell the story of Anywho and Anyone to open and close the show.

During the show, I co-hosted with fellow Toastmaster, Roselie Gus, announcing the models, their outfit designers’ names and details, as well as who did their hair and make-up. Each girl was a work of art, and we had a lot of fun getting our hair and make-up done before the show, too!

The clothing and jewelry were for sale, with proceeds going to benefit the Pierce County YWCA. The show was a practice run for the upcoming RAGS wearable art sale & gallery in March 2012 – click the link for details and to buy tickets. A portion of all sales helps the YWCA keep abused women and children safe, healthy, and self-sufficient.

Info on TSPA:

The Salon Professional Academy is an innovative training center and the only beauty school endorsed by Redken 5th Avenue NYC for Excellence in Education. Students receive a superior education and are empowered to explore their creativity while learning the latest techniques in a leading-edge facility. The Salon Professional Academy also enables success by teaching critical business building skills which prepare students to become future industry leaders.

As a survivor myself, I love to volunteer for things like this. These women were not just beautiful, not just talented – they were empowered! This is the outcome of great programs like the Y – folks with a future!

YWCA story behind the program

Mélanie Hope

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2011 Rags to Runway originally appeared on Hope Speaking on December 19, 2011.

Interview on Business Info Guide

Mélanie — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 19:15:44 +0000

I’m excited and humbled to be among the very talented business book writers interviewed on BusinessInfoGuide.com!

Nose-to-Nose Networking is a great source for businesses that include any type of sales or personal contact. (Wouldn’t that be ANY business, really?) It is also a great book for the jobseeker who needs that extra edge in finding those non-advertised jobs and opportunities.

Nose-to-Nose Networking is a fun, approachable way to learn how to really meet people and make those connections that make the difference in your career and business. It’s great for people at all levels – from those with social anxiety to those with advanced sales experience.

There are some fabulous books on the site that would complement mine. I recommend:
Networking for the Novice, Nervous or Naive Job Seeker by Tom Dezell
The Image of Success: Make a Great Impression And Land The Job You Want by Lizandra Vega
HIRED! How to Use Sales Techniques to Sell Yourself On Interviews by Elinor Stutz

Of course, make sure you order your copy of Nose-to-Nose Networking first!

Order your autographed copy here:

Mélanie Hope

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Interview on Business Info Guide originally appeared on Hope Speaking on December 9, 2011.

Max and Maggie update

Mélanie — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 20:17:11 +0000

Foster Kitty Update

Followup of my birthday post on pet fostering

Maggie and Max (also affectionately known as Winky and Thumbs) have grown into beautiful, active kittens with very distinct personalities. What a difference a month makes!!

When we first got them, they both weighed less than half an ounce and were fur and bones. Their eyes were terribly infected – all oozy and yechy. They had the sneezes and were not quite weened. Max was the smallest and weakest, but he had an appetite – which is always a good start. Still, with as little and weak as he was, we were warned that he might not make it. Maggie I had to force-feed one drop at a time, and she had the worst eyes. Both kitties were on several medications and eye gel. We kept them in a large carrier with blankets, a warming disk, and a litter box. We had to separate them from the rest of the house so that they wouldn’t infect our permanent pets, though Abby was allowed to help out now and then.

They took right to the dog – of course, she IS the same color! Maggie, especially, seems to have a special relationship with Abby. She will sleep on Abby’s tail for as long as Abby lies still. Abby licks her and roughs up her fur.

Max sprang right to life. He gained weight, fluffed out, and his eyes were better by the end of the first week. He was soon playing with toys and loved to tug on Abby’s ear and tail. He and Maggie both had great attitudes towards all the medicines, drops, and gels. Soon they were eating on their own and both were very good about using the box.

Maggie took a long time to recover, and was surpassed by her brother in size. She’s petite, where he’s quite liony in appearance. It was funny watching them grow OUT first – their little tummies becoming round like balloons, and then it seemed the rest caught up and they both got longer and more proportionate.

Maggie still has a bad eye, and the vet says that it looks like it is permanently deformed – but it sure doesn’t stop her. The eye is a little smaller than her other one, yet she seems to be able to see out of it, and it is getting better every day. Otherwise, she’s quite healthy. She is smaller than her brother, but not by much. This week, she’s discovered toys and has started getting into everything, just like a real kitten. She and Max play together, now, and are quite vocal.

Max is just over 2 lbs and Maggie is just under. Both will be getting fixed next week, and then will be ready for adoption as soon as Maggie’s eye is clear.

That is, if we can let them go…I, for one, and madly in love and want to keep them. Jim is on the fence, but the most recent pix of Max with his pink nose and blue eyes seems to have leaned him towards my camp. Stay tuned…

Mélanie Hope

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Max and Maggie update originally appeared on Hope Speaking on December 2, 2011.

Lee Kaplanian

Mélanie — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 06:14:01 +0000

In my vast network, I have made many dear friends with whom I love to connect as often as possible. At the top of the list of those I cherish is Lee Kaplanian. Lee’s business is to promote your business by – as she says – “keeping you on your client’s mind using all five senses.” Besides all the great products she can hook you up with, including imprinted pens and – oh yes! – chocolate, Lee is an idea generator. You spend an hour having coffee or lunch with Lee and you leave with a million ideas on how to promote your business or event. You get a whole lot for your time with Lee.

Lee Kaplanian

But enough about what she does. Let’s talk about who she is. Lee is a mixture of honest business woman, naive child, and fearless warrior. She has a sweet passion that burns intensely enough to be seen shooting from her fingertips and hair follicles. She is a master network builder and a genuine friend. She is truly one-of-a-kind, and my life is blessed by having her in it.

We spent this afternoon sharing a lunch and cuddling kittens while we each confessed our current fears and frustrations. There just aren’t many people you can feel comfortable doing that with, but with Lee, it felt safe. She’s going through some rough times right now. While my first impulse is to swoop in and help in any way I can, I didn’t have much to offer her outside of a listening ear and two adorable foster kitties. The kittens were happy to oblige, and as she held them to her chest and felt their vibrating purrs, Lee’s face contained the glee of a kid on Christmas. Yet, I still felt that I was the one blessed by having her in my home.

Lee writes a blog she calls “The Gift Of RA” – if you want to know how on earth she can call her rheumatoid arthritis a gift, read her blog. She has a lot to say about how to live your life without giving in. She has a great sense of humor and a fine sense of self. Tough, but lovable combination.

Lee is also very gracious in promoting of those in her network. I am honored to be the featured business in her December newsletter! Really, there is nothing I could make up about myself that is as nice as the things she says about me. Here’s her article:

She’ll Rock Your World!

Melanie is so multi-talented, there is no pigeonhole for her. She is a writer, keynote speaker, singer, artist – both fine and graphic – a social media maven, personal coach to help you with your presentation – the list goes on and on. What you won’t find on her resume is her wonderful sense of humor, a great spirit picker upper when you are down or just had a day that sucks, cheer leader to others, creative with amazing ideas, supportive and encouraging, enthusiastic, and lavish with her sincere praise. I love reading her blog “Hope Explodes” on her website, she writes the way I wish I did. Her newest book, “Get Over It & Get Started” – self-help with a spine – is now available via her web site or on Amazon.

We hit it off at our first meeting and as I have become better acquainted, I find we have so many things in common. Her creativity will bounce off mine and we spark ideas for ourselves and each other while having fun. She is such an upbeat person even when Life throws hardballs at her. She is an inspiration and encouragement to so many women who have survived very difficult life situations, her life experiences give her a special insight into their outlook and needs. We both have an oddball sense of humor; it’s so cool not to have to explain myself because she knows exactly what I mean.

As a social media maven she is Facebook and Twitter savvy – she helped me with my WordPress blog and I had trouble keeping up because she knew exactly what it needed and how to do it. She is always 16 steps ahead of me yet explains things in simple terms I can understand. This lady is so multi-faceted that I keep discovering new talents and qualities the longer I know her.

Thanks, Lee! Make sure you pencil me in for lunch and kitten cuddling next Friday.

Click here to read the rest of Lee's newsletter

Mélanie Hope

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Lee Kaplanian originally appeared on Hope Speaking on November 28, 2011.

Pet fostering

Mélanie — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 20:34:00 +0000

The local animal shelter in Kent – part of the Regional Animal Services of King County – has one of the most successful pet fostering programs in existence. Because of this program, the sick, injured, and/or too young animals that are abandoned or rescued can convalesce in a warm, quiet, loving environment, rather than languish in a cold shelter with other sick and scared animals. Once nursed back to health and socialized a bit – as well as getting spayed/neutered and up on all their shots, these animals go on to wonderful forever homes – and make better pets because of the loving care they received when they needed it most.

I am honored to be one of these pet fosters, and had the privilege of fostering Emily and Essie (left) until we placed them in their forever homes a few weeks ago. They went with a lovely couple that also happen to be our dear friends. I knew we had made the right decision when they each had pictures of the kittens as their profile photo on Facebook the next day!

Sometimes, it’s not so easy being a foster. You want to care for every single baby that comes in – but you just can’t. It does sometimes happen that, no matter how hard you work to “fix” a critter, they just don’t make it. It breaks your heart. I’ve bottle fed kittens to weaning age, only to lose them to an illness the next week. Most recently, we lost little Bartholomew – a darling little boy cat who was so determined to make it and so smitten with Abigail (my Golden Retriever) that we had toyed with the idea of keeping him ourselves. He was only five weeks old and barely off the bottle when we found his lifeless little body after being gone for only two hours. I cried for days. Just the day before, he had helped us hand out Halloween candy and looked as healthy as ever. The “what-if’s” and the pure grief were almost overwhelming. Yes, he was just a tiny kitten, but he had so much SPUNK and personality wrapped up in that little body. I envisioned him growing into a big, fluffy cat with all the quirks and foibles that make cats so endearing and entertaining. He will forever be our little Halloween kitty.

In these times, it is so easy to blame yourself, hate yourself, get angry, and fall into a rut. I thought I’d never be able to foster another animal again, but then the call came the very next day – a 4-week old brother and sister pair with kitty colds so bad that their infected eyes were swollen shut. The idea of helping these kitties began healing my heart. When I texted Jim that I had decided to go get them, he replied with the most perfect thing he could have said, “I’m glad we’re doing this. Barty would have wanted it that way.” Even the vet techs at the shelter, who have seen so many terrible things, found themselves moved by those words.

It’s took me two days of force feeding them with a syringe to get these two eating on their own, but they’ve already gained quite a bit of weight and are on the way to recovery. The little boy kitty (Max) is beginning to play with toys and his eyes are almost clear. The little girl (Maggie) is a snuggler with a purr that you can hear all over the house. I’m madly in love – but I do tend to fall in love with fur babies quite quickly. Watching them get stronger and more playful every day is the best!

Today, November 7, is my birthday. If I only get one wish, it is that people are more responsible with their pets and stop treating animals as property or garbage but with the love and care they deserve. If you are looking for a new pet, visit the shelter. If you have a lot of love to give (and some extra time), consider being a foster. Call your local shelter to find out if they have a program. If they don’t have a program – start one! It is a great way to give back, yet get so much in return. Plus, you, personally, have a hand at saving these precious little lives.

While feeding Max and Maggie this morning, I came up with this list – I hope my fellow fosters will get a laugh!

You know you’re a pet foster when:

You’ve become adept at opening cans and filling syringes with one hand
You are on constant “he’s by your foot” alert
Your dog regularly babysits random critters
You swear you hear mewing or whimpering whenever it’s quiet – even when not at home
When it actually IS quiet, you panic and go looking to see who’s into something
You never potty alone
You unapologetically smell like sour milk and Alpo
Your permanent pets have actually learned the English phrase, “Not again!”
You set your alarm for 3 am feedings
You have three different kinds of leftover food in the fridge – none of it for humans
Your spouse no longer looks up or asks what it is when you say, “Hold this”
You excitedly announce things such as, “We have a turd!” and the other house members rejoice with you
You have two sets of towels – yours and the pets’
You name critters you have no intention of keeping and have an endless supply of names that do NOT include Smoky, Snowball, Shadow, or Mittens
You cry bitter-sweet tears over critters when they go to their forever homes
No matter how much it hurts, you’d do it again in a heartbeat

Mélanie Hope

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Pet fostering originally appeared on Hope Speaking on November 7, 2011.

Narayan & Janet: Music and Truth

Mélanie — Sat, 15 Oct 2011 17:27:10 +0000

Finally! I’ve found someone who is as enthusiastic and energetic as me about…

…well, LIFE!

Narayan & Janet performed last month at Unity Church of Kent, and I was blow away – they are so much fun and amazingly versatile! Janet invited me onstage with her for the last songs, and we were instant best friends. Afterwards, we had some lunch and bounced around the room together. I traded her a copy of Nose-to-Nose Networking for her latest CD, All Bliss. I told her I couldn’t wait to see her again, and she invited me to bring my books to their next event at – drumroll please – a BOOKSTORE! Does life get any more perfect than great music among books? (Oh, and COFFEE!!)

Join us – you will be amazed, entertained, and have your soul fed at their event.

8:00 pm Soulfood Books
15748 Redmond Way
Redmond, Washington 98052
Narayan & Janet: Music and Truth
WhenSat, October 22, 8pm – 10pm
Price: $15 each/ $25 per family

Tickets available at BrownPaperTickets or the door.

Find Narayan and Janet on their website: narayanjanet.com

You can read lots more about them and other events at the SoulFood website (events)

Mélanie Hope

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Narayan & Janet: Music and Truth originally appeared on Hope Speaking on October 15, 2011.

I’m a calendar girl!

Mélanie — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 18:32:30 +0000

One of my quotes is featured in the 2012 Woman’s Advantage Shared Wisdom Calendar! It’s a 365-page calendar with a word of wisdom from a different business owner each day. What an honor and a privilege to be among these great ladies.

Download the full press release here.

Mélanie Hope

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I’m a calendar girl! originally appeared on Hope Speaking on October 6, 2011.

Link your Facebook page to Twitter

Mélanie — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 14:43:06 +0000

In my last social media related post, I defined the difference between a Facebook PROFILE and a PAGE.

Now that you are well-versed in that, here is another little goodie: you can attach your PAGE to your Twitter account (as we know, all businesses large and small are using Twitter – it is just too powerful not to!).

It’s so easy – make sure you are logged into your Twitter account, then go here: http://www.facebook.com/twitter

Pick your page, and viola! Your Facebook updates are automatically Tweeted.

Mélanie Hope

Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | Google+ | YouTube

Link your Facebook page to Twitter originally appeared on Hope Speaking on September 29, 2011.

Team Hope Walking at the 2011 Seattle Brain Cancer Walk

Mélanie — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 03:04:52 +0000

The Seattle Brain Cancer Walk will still incur matching on donations through December 2011. Please go here to contribute: https://community.swedish.org/hopespeaking

100% of proceeds will go towards patient care.

For my mom’s story, see my article in the Kent Reporter here: September 2011 – Melanie Hope from Kent leads ‘Team Hope’ in memory of her mother | Seattle Brain Cancer Walk

The 2011 Seattle Brain Cancer Walk kicked off with a countdown and a cheer. We headed through a colorful balloon arch, and in a group much larger than last year!

This year’s walk was bittersweet. Last year, mom walked with us. We were supposed to do two loops around and she only managed one, but she did it. She believed with all her heart that she would feel better for the walk this year.

The team in front of the fountain

This year, we doubled our team, but it still seemed lonely without mom. We had some returning members – Jim (who has changed from boyfriend to fiancé this past year) Abigail and of course me. My sister and Jezzy were not able to make it this year, but we were joined by my dad and a whole bunch of his work and church buddies. Together, we have raised nearly $1,000 (and counting!) – which will be matched by Boeing and then again by the anonymous donor mentioned in the above article and on the SBCW website.

We were all high energy and in good spirits. At the very end, I had the great privilege to see Bob (of Team Bob) get out of his wheelchair and crossed the finish line on his own power. As I watched this brave, determined man take one painful step after the other, one of his teammates came beside me and saw that I was severely affected by his attempt. She told me that, just last year, he had run the Boston Marathon. I thought of my mom’s writing, how she lost her ability to read, and how this man can understand my mom’s pain like no other. I burst into tears, then we all burst into cheers as Bob made the last step over the finish line. Only one mini meltdown for me. (well, the only one in public, anyway) Did better than I thought I would.

Abigail was the belle of the ball at the walk, drawing walkers and onlookers to her in the way only she can. She was in heaven as every kid wanted to pet her. She even befriended one of the volunteer mimes. Abby proudly wore her “walking in honor of grandma” sticker on her head the entire time.

There were several other doggies walking. My favorite were the pair of Mini-Pinchers with their mom, a beautiful woman currently in treatment. I just had to hug her. I missed my mom so much in that moment that we kind of just clutched each other and she let me cry. Again. I hope to God I see her again at next year’s walk!

Abby and a mime share a smile.

Mélanie Hope

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Team Hope Walking at the 2011 Seattle Brain Cancer Walk originally appeared on Hope Speaking on September 24, 2011.

Hope Speaking

I believe

I believe…

that the majority of human beings are fundamentally good.

that music worth it – always.

in abundance abundantly for all, all the time with repetitive redundancy.

that sometimes to hang on, you’ve got to let go.

that the Universe wants us all to succeed.

2011 Rags to Runway

YWCA story behind the program

Interview on Business Info Guide

Max and Maggie update

Foster Kitty Update

Lee Kaplanian

Pet fostering

You know you’re a pet foster when:

Narayan & Janet: Music and Truth

I’m a calendar girl!

Link your Facebook page to Twitter

Team Hope Walking at the 2011 Seattle Brain Cancer Walk