Meet Melinda Mages

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Melinda Mages. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Melinda, we are so deeply grateful to you for opening up about your journey with mental health in the hope that it can help someone who might be going through something similar. Can you talk to us about your mental health journey and how you overcame or persisted despite any issues? For readers, please note this is not medical advice, we are not doctors, you should always consult professionals for advice and that this is merely one person sharing their story and experience.

I had one of the hardest years of my life two years ago in 2022. I started the year off with my first time getting Covid 19. While I was still at home recovering my grandmother’s health started failing and she got put on hospice care. Because I still had symptoms I was not able to go visit her in person and I had to say my final goodbye to her via FaceTime. She passed away not long after that. While I was still grieving her great loss in my life, just two months later my other grandmother (my last living grandparent) also started a major health decline and ended up on hospice care as well. I was there when she took her last breath and it was another devastating loss for me. I was very close to both of my grandmothers. The same week my second grandmother passed away, my best friend and roommate of four years started dating someone and for various personal reasons, it led to us having a lot of conflicts and put a wall of distance between us. Because of all these major sudden changes, trauma and loss, I started having panic attacks (which I had never experienced before). I also completely lost my appetite and couldn’t eat or sleep. I became very depressed despite doing everything I tried to do to pull myself out of it. I ended up having to go on an antidepressant and anti anxiety medicine just to be able to function again. I also started talking to a therapist. Despite getting the help I so desperately needed, things with my best friend went from bad to worse and she ended up telling me that she was moving out via a text message a few days after we had yet another argument. I never saw her again since she moved out very soon thereafter when I was not home. She ultimately ended the friendship without a conversation or any resolution, stopped all communication with me and blocked me from all of her social media. I was left feeling completely rejected, humiliated and full of major regrets as I blamed myself for all of the mistakes I made in the friendship that ultimately helped lead to its demise. I now found myself grieving three huge losses in my life within the span of several months that only added to my mental health decline. As if things weren’t hard enough my other close friends had to move out of state. I found myself not only devastated and heartbroken but also feeling very alone with no close friends nearby for the first time in my life. I became so depressed that I didn’t want to live anymore. If it wasn’t for my faith in God that I clung to, I don’t know that I would be here today. I gave my life to Jesus Christ and was baptized as a Christian when I was fourteen years old. I am so grateful for God’s saving grace. God never left me and I overcame and persisted through this dark time with His help and by not giving up on my faith. I continued to go to church, read my bible, pray and cry out to God for help. I stayed in therapy and got a lot of love and support from my mom and family as well. It took a lot of time but I slowly started rebuilding new friendships and community. I began volunteering for a non profit organization called the Hollywood Prayer Network (HPN). They connect entertainment industry professionals like myself with someone who wishes to pray for creatives in the industry. They also put on a lot of events and groups to bring together Christians in Entertainment and build community. This was a huge lifesaver for me and I am so grateful for HPN and the prayer partner they connected me with. I also joined a choir at my church which I found to be very healing for my soul and where I also made some really great new friends who have been amazing. One of the most healing things for me is to be in nature and one of my favorite things to do is hike. So I joined a church hiking group (not knowing anyone). I met and made more friends there as well. Exercise has been another key to overcoming my mental health battles. Lastly, I stayed active with my weekly acting classes at the AFA studio which has become like family to me. Not only have I grown immensely in my skills and ability as an actor there, but I also found a safe space filled with so much love and support from my peers and coaches there. While the grief is not linear and still hits me, I have come so far in my healing process. One of the hardest things to do has been forgiving myself and letting go of the things I can not change. Instead of closing myself off, becoming bitter and resentful I have chosen to forgive, let go, surrender it all to God, and move forward with love one step at a time. Everything I have gone through has refined me like fire refines gold. It has expanded my capacity for empathy, understanding, love, self-control, self-care, emotional intelligence, and maturity. All the things that help me not only spiritually and personally but also creatively as an actor.

Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?

I started acting when my mom signed me up for a musical theater course (against my knowledge or will) through the city where we lived over the summer just before I entered the 7th grade. The class put on a musical using all the kids in the class at the end of it all. My dad passed away from a sudden heart attack just four years earlier when I was 10 years old and I was still really grieved from his loss and also very shy and introverted. Singing and acting in front of others was the very last thing I thought I could ever do. But my mom knew I loved singing and performing with my friends at home and she hoped it would get me out of my shell as well as bring some joy into my life. After I put up a big fight over going to the class, she told me that if I didn’t like it after the first day then she wouldn’t ever make me go back. Well I think she got more than she bargained for because I ended up falling in love with performing and decided I wanted to pursue it as my career path from that time on. I went on to get my B.A. in Theatre Arts from Biola University as well as studied acting for Film and TV, graduating from the Los Angeles Film Studies Center Program. I moved to Los Angeles about a year after graduating college. I am now pursuing it full time and am a proud SAG-AFTRA member and have full representation with Dream Team Talent. I have a lot of theatre experience as well as having been featured (both working as a background actor and stand-in) on many major Television shows and Feature Films. I love what I do! I am currently working on a play as a producer’s assistant and am also playing one of the main characters. The show will be premiering in North Hollywood this fall. I am working with a fantastic artistic team and cast which makes me very excited for this show! Feel free to follow me on Instagram for more details that will be shared soon.

Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?

The three things that have been most impactful in my journey to where I am now have been persistence/perseverance, courage/risk-taking, and continual training with a willingness to never stop learning and growing. For those who are early in their journey they need to be in it for the long haul and realize that the entertainment industry is very hard to break in to. Especially as an actor where you will face a lot of rejection and no’s. Thus it will take a lot of persistence and perseverance with a never give up mentality. I know this is said a lot but finding the joy in the journey over the destination is key in developing this. I have learned to look at my auditions as a chance to do what I love no matter the outcome so each one is a fun new challenge/character I get to play. When it’s done I let it go and just look forward to the next one that comes my way. I believe that whatever is meant for you won’t pass you by. This leads to my second thing which is having the courage to take risks. For a long time when I was early in my journey I let my fears keep me from really going all out in pursuing my acting career. It wasn’t until I found the courage to really believe in myself and put myself out there despite my fears that I started making progress. Even if that means leaving your full time secure office job to freelance and in so doing making the financial and time sacrifices needed to invest in your career in the arts. I think it also pays off to take risks in your art as well. Try new things and be willing to fail at them. Which lends to my final key in your journey to success by always being in a state of growth. The way I do this is by staying in on-going weekly acting classes where I am challenged and continually growing in my craft. I have made this a priority as it keeps my acting muscles strong and gives me the confidence I need to succeed.

Okay, so before we go, is there anyone you’d like to shoutout for the role they’ve played in helping you develop the essential skills or overcome challenges along the way?

My mom has been the most helpful person in my life in overcoming whatever challenges have come my way. Not only is she the reason I got into acting in the first place but she has always been my biggest fan, supporter and confidante. I have a very close relationship with her and I am so grateful to have such a loving mom who is, and has always been, there for me. She believes in me sometimes more than I even believe in myself. She also is a strong Christian and her many prayers along with the Godly example and wisdom she shares with me have been the biggest blessing and vital in helping me succeed in my life.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.melmages.wixsite.com
• Instagram: @act4god
• Other: www.imdb.me/melindamagesRepresentation – www.dreamteamtalent.com