All direct quotes from clients that have worked with Mel over the years
TRUE CALLING
“Great talk again yesterday. I meant what I said about this being your true calling. You are in the life changing business and I’ll never forget the change you have made in mine and my family’s. I will be eternally thankful. You are a true pro and a master of your craft, so much in fact that one doesnt really even notice your influence at the time, only that suddenly that there is a significant improvement in an area where there hadn’t been any. That is what a true natural talent looks like. Regardless of the profession, the best always make it look effortless and your methods reflect that. For the first time in a very long time I feel mentally and emotionally dialed in, and it’s great.”
SPEAKING
“I LOVED your talk. Biggest takeaway: make room for the unexpected. It’s in the random moments that come up unexpectedly that I realize how stretched thin I am. That’s the bigger motivation I now have to hire and delegate. Thank you for showing me the need to take action, not necessarily to prevent burnout, but more so to make room for the unexpected. Also, I was thoroughly entertained by your presentation. HILARIOUS memes!!!”
“Melanie is a seriously entertaining and insightful speaker, pulling you in with her incredible stories from her skydiving, life and client experiences. Her delightful sense of humor makes you want to be her friend, while her command of the material and real-time coaching earn your trust instantly.”
PROFESSIONAL BADASS
“Look up “badass” in the dictionary and you’ll see a picture of Melanie Curtis. (Go ahead, I’ll wait). No kidding, this woman jumps out of planes on a ridiculous basis. As in thousands of times. For someone who is always up in the sky, she is surprisingly down to earth. And funny. And awesome. And a kick-ass speaker, too. Everyone needs more Melanie Curtis in their life. So hire her. Quick, before she jumps again…”
INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF
“Life coaching has been the single most productive and awesome thing that I have done for myself as an adult. I can’t say enough great things about how it has worked for me and how great you are at what you do. Thank you!!!”
“Seriously, you are the best and soundest investment I’ve ever made in myself! Thank you for being you!”
IN WRITING (CLIENT EMAILS AND ARTICLES)
“Seriously, while I was reading the email from you, I was thinking to myself, ‘Now how can she make it seem so easy? I’ve thought about trying to pinpoint what makes me happy and where to go from there with it and have hit dead ends, yet BAM, there she goes telling me how to progress and move forward like a pro.’ Not a surprise since you make everything look easy. And what inspires me most about you is that I know it’s not all easy for you. It’s such a privilege to witness and know that process because I know you so well. And that, my friend, is what I think makes you such an amazing coach. You figure sh*t out, you know it for yourself, and then you figure out how to personalize it and explain it to others so that they can get it and can do something with it for them, not in a way where they’re limited or locked into a way or THE way that you did it. F*ck. Amazing. Wow.”
MOVING YOU FORWARD
“Mel is incredibly skilled at honing in on how to move someone forward. When I get particularly stuck on issues in my life, be it in my career, relationships, or overall life outlook, she is always able to offer varying, non-judgmental and fresh perspectives that challenge me to think differently about my situation. She is an exceptional listener who is committed to really hearing me and my concerns and honoring my experience. She doesn’t try to solve the problems for me. Instead, she has a unique way of using her wisdom, positivity, and encouragement to highlight different choices and options that I can create for myself. That process is not only empowering, her method of coaching has directly led to opening up more and positive opportunities for myself personally, professionally, and relationally.”
TEAMMATES
“Working with Melanie is like having a VERY strong supportive ally in your corner. She is interested in truly seeing me succeed which is very valuable. I have always felt that she provides that perfect non-judgmental space for me to just let it all out and then she helps me organize the pieces and come up with an action plan. When I am stuck she is able to nudge me along or ask me the perfect question to move me forward. She is a huge asset to the growth and productivity levels in my life and I am honored to have partnered with such a caring woman and coach.”
YOU GOT THIS
“For what it’s worth, Melanie was my life coach for a few months last year, and she will be, again. I would highly recommend her to anyone, who has an interest in getting life coaching. Melanie makes it her job to guide you towards finding your own solutions to your life goals and happiness. It is really an empowering feeling. Mel really has a gift in helping to recognize and bring out the best in herself and others.”
OVERCOMING DEPRESSION
“Thank you so much for EVERYTHING! You know how dark and depressed I was when we started talking, I truly was at my wits’ end. But here I am, embracing life and looking forward to being ME, all thanks to you and your mad skillz! I really cannot thank you enough for helping me to see everything in a different light; my parents, my family, work, life, myself…really, truly, from the depths of my heart, THANK YOU!”
“Mel was my life coach as well, and yes, she is as awesome as a life coach as she is a skydiving coach! When I started life coaching with Mel I was depressed and unmotivated due to circumstances in my life. With Mel’s coaching I was able to not only overcome my depression, but become more motivated and happier than I’d been in a long time. I would definitely recommend life coaching with Mel. Even if you aren’t at a low point in your life, like I was, life coaching is great because it helps you realize that YOU have the ability to take control of your life and achieve your goals! Good stuff!”
WORKING WITH ATHLETES AND SKYDIVERS
“Mel completely changed my skydiving experience in showing me that it is fun to be good! My early approach to skydiving was one of tremendous self-doubt and self-deprecation. I would often beat myself up for screwing up when I couldn’t understand how to do something ‘right.’ Instead of letting me get discouraged and live in the negativity of my own self-perceived failure, she coached me with undying patience, positivity and encouragement. It’s one thing to be able to tell someone how something should be done to get it right. It’s another thing to be able to truly relate to someone’s experience and to see what challenges them and to get them from feeling discouraged to meeting their goals by meeting them where they’re at by pushing them in way that is right for them. No matter how many times I told myself that I sucked, she was right behind me showing me how I didn’t and how I could meet my goals. She is completely right. It’s fun to be good!”
OVERCOMING SKEPTICISM
“You know I read all the reviews about you on your site and still I wondered what you have to offer. Obviously I was curious enough to still… I’m sure you’re told often that you hit the nail on the head so easily it seems. I’m speechless lol not a familiar thing for me. Thank you a million times over. I don’t think you’re trying to sell me but you have.”
LONG-TERM COACHING AND IT’S IMPACT
“I remember on my first call when I was still exploring the idea of coaching that Melanie offered, “what would life feel like if we were able to take this worry off the table?” I remember giving her a negative reaction and thinking to myself that there was no way. Indeed a few short weeks later, that worry that was causing crisis in my life on a daily basis was seriously reduced. So mission accomplished….all set, right? No, once we’d blown away the first goal and it was off the plate, in fact, bigger challenges appeared that I hadn’t been seeing.
Even then, this new team of ours was so effective that in fact, some of my primary goals were significantly impacted less than three weeks after we started! It was crazy! After this initial success though is when we really buckled down and started to make some big progress. The ‘what if’ statements got bigger, the goals got more audacious and I was more willing and prepared to take on larger, more structural issues.
Over the last year we’ve tackled communication issues, relationship issues, life goals, time management, along with a host of other areas. What’s really been amazing is how often I use the skills. Yesterday, for example, I practiced three different times a new communication technique we’ve been working on.
Now, you would have thought that in a year I would have had all of these nailed: like any new endeavor, though, you start with the novice exercises and then work to build the skill set. We continue to try more and more advanced exercises and yes, there’s regression that happens. Always vigilant, we try to be aware when I’m slipping back to past behaviors and identify why the regression is happening. Consequently I continue to fine tune my skills and see opportunities to make even more improvements.
Certainly one of the tougher issues to come to grips was, “how long is this going to last?” With a year of experience I can now say for as long as it can. I see the results not only in my productivity but in my attitude as well. Being in a far better place at work has made my whole life a happier place. It is amazing to think back to that first conversation when Melanie said, “What if…” When she says that, dare to think that she can make that come true!*”
– Client since June 2010
WHEN YOUR USUAL APPROACH JUST DOESN’T WORK INVESTMENT IN YOURSELF
“Here’s the deal with Mel Curtis. She’s cheap.
Now, let me explain before you think I’m spreading vicious rumors!
In terms of investments that I’ve made in myself over the years, life coaching was not something I thought I’d ever be willing to put resources towards or even take seriously. I have really good health insurance so I can always see a psychiatrist or therapist for whatever ails my psyche. I have a great life partner that is particularly pragmatic and enlightened. I have supportive and loving family and a tight circle of friends that have seen me through a number of life experiences. But, all of that wasn’t enough.
Two and a half years ago, I found myself saying hello to an on-coming mid-life crisis, anxious, angry about having to give up a sport I loved and devoted all of my free time towards, and physically injured, with major scary surgery scheduled. The holidays were approaching and I was a bundle of unhappy nerves. My usual self-help method of a couple of tune-ups with the psychiatrist, a few weeks with a therapist and trying to talk myself out of that funk wasn’t working. I knew I was getting into deep trouble. I could see it in my partner’s face and body language and I was withdrawing into a place that was self-defeating and quite cruel. I couldn’t see my way out and things were getting worse, quickly.
During the summer of 2012, I ran into Mel at a skydiving event and we had a couple of minutes to catch up with each other’s lives. Six months later, while I was hiding from life (in the bathroom, my favorite place to regroup, don’t ask), I remembered that short chat with Mel. First one’s free, right? I’m desperate; let’s see what this life coaching is all about.
As it turns out, life coaching was the missing piece to my puzzle. Up until that point, I had addressed all of life’s issues one-by-one, usually in crisis mode. Have a big problem, fix it quickly, file it away. Mel was the one to show me that while it’s easy to narrow your focus down to the crisis du jour, it’s a much bigger deal to be able to expand your vision and capacity to see the entire landscape: the patterns of your life, and to tackle things accordingly.
As I mentioned, my approach to mental and emotional healthcare had been quick application of professional care on an as-needed basis. This is something completely different. Coaching is all about getting in the practice. Identifying life’s troublemakers, recalling methods and skills learned from coaching sessions, and applying them and seeing new, better results takes practice. Accountability is a huge factor, as well. It isn’t just enough to have a couple of chats about major life issues. It takes a whole lot of repetition, conscious focus and dedication to reset a lifetime of patterns. A great life coach facilitates that practice and makes sure you’re staying on track. In my time working with Mel, I have had a number of occasions when I found something I had already addressed was coming back up as a show-stopping issue again. Each time, however, I was getting better and faster at identifying and problem solving. Having a coach that I know only has my best interest in mind and wants to see me succeed for the long haul gives me the confidence to confront my issues, both one by one and with a big picture approach. Life coaching has been the only effective way I’ve found to learn how to do that.
In one of the lowest points of my life, Mel came in with her energy, ELI assessments and relentlessly positive approach to (pardon the language) un-fucking my shit up. I like to call her my flashlight in the darkness. She brought in illumination, focus and with her clenched tightly in my hands, the strength I needed to uncover and tackle the not-so-pleasant parts of my life that were driving my dissatisfaction and unhappiness.
When I say Mel Curtis is cheap, I mean for the invaluable return I’ve received and continuously benefit from, I sometimes think I should direct-deposit paychecks into her bank account, make small burnt offerings or build tiny, glittery shrines in her name. Am I Buddha now? Not by a long shot. But I can confidently say that I’m a happier, better version of me every single week that I put the work in and that peace and awareness is worth its weight in gold.”
– Laura Song
June 4, 2015
BOB ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP #1
BOB can stand for so many things and I think that’s one of the awesome parts, from the get go of starting BOB you choose your life. BOB could stand for Beyond Our Boundaries, Beyond our Balance, but my favorite is Beyond Our Bulls**t. I started BOB because I could use a little more accountability in my life but it turned out to be so much more.
The BOB group wasn’t just a post and go type of relationship; I became incredibly close with every member of the BOB group and consider then an extension of my family.
As usual Mel runs an amazing group, surrounded by amazing people, providing amazing results. The BOB group was more than an accountability group to me, it was a way to really push myself harder than I ever have and for me to be accountable about the goals I set.
My goals started out small like work out once a week, eat healthier ect, but I found myself as I began to immerse myself into the BOB group and with Mel’s motivation my quality of life increased ten-fold!! My goals got bigger to gym more, eating more, life goals, career goals and it only increases as time goes on.
If you want amazing groups led by an amazing woman (Mel of course) and want a life-changing result hit up BOB.
#F**kyeahlife #BOBer4life
BOB ACCOUNTABILITY GROUP #2
So, a friend approaches me and says, “I’m putting X together, do you want to be a part?” Typically, I will try almost anything once, and if a friend asks me, I’m more inclined to want to take part to support my friend and show support for his/her idea. This is how I got into a group called BOB.
I had no idea what to expect or what would be expected of me, but I’d check it out, see how it goes. BOB = Beyond Our Bullsh*t – in other words, going beyond the typical BS that trips you up or prevents you from achieving the tasks you have set for yourself – from the lofty (fixing up the resume and looking for a new job) to the mundane (that closet needs to be cleaned out). Being involved with a group of people that has helped me set goals and then offers advice and encouragement to achieve them – I feel I can accomplish almost anything. BOB changes the things you *need* to do into the things you *want* to do. Seriously, I have seen it, been in the mix, and am so inspired by how BOB is truly *working* for the people involved. Thankfully, I’m one of those loving these very tangible results.
The feeling of elation that comes with completing something that seemed impossible (or a total pain in the butt) is such a lift. That’s the massive takeaway – self-satisfaction – it makes you feel so dang good! Personal growth – YES!!! With BOB in my corner, I am so totally excited about what I’m going to achieve going forward in this new year.
Sometimes the crazy idea that your friend wants you to try totally works – and sometimes it changes your life. BOB has changed mine. The ever-elusive ideal of being the best person we can be – we all strive for it – well, BOB actually makes that happen.
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