Meet Melissa Newman

We recently connected with Melissa Newman and have shared our conversation below.

Melissa, looking forward to learning from your journey. You’ve got an amazing story and before we dive into that, let’s start with an important building block. Where do you get your work ethic from?
I had a difficult upbringing, with many challenges in childhood, and I think that fueled my drive, hustle, and work ethic. I swore to myself as a child that I would do whatever it took to push myself and do whatever it took to set myself up for success as an adult. I got my first job on my 15th birthday, and having even a minimum wage income was so motivating to me. I ended up working full time while going to college full time, as I had to fund my education on my own, so my work ethic continued into early adulthood. For many years, I held two full-time jobs as a continued effort to realize success and never again face the struggles of poverty.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I am a unviersity professor who has an interesting side hustle as a content creator. It feels strange to use the “influencer” word, but I’m learning to embrace it. I’ve made over 2,000 social media ads for brands large and small, and now create and share sponsored content on my own social media channels. I love using my business education and experience to help companies represent and sell their products, and find this work to be fun and challenging, requiring lots of creativity.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think being willing to take risks, being adaptable, and not being afraid to ask for help are three keys to success in my journey. There are a few times where I’ve had to exit my comfort zone to do hard or risky things, and these have been scary scenarios, but have almost always paid off. I’ve also been willing to pivot and grab opportunities in being adaptable in my career progression, which is tough for me since I’m such a type-A personality and planner by nature. Being open to unplanned or unexpected challenges and opportunities has proved beneficial. Finally, taking ego out of the equation and working my network and asking for help when needed (and offering it in return) has also been a positive.

How can folks who want to work with you connect?
I love collaborating with other creatives and people who work in the content creation and social media space. Operating in this sphere is exciting and new, but also challenging since it all changes so rapidly that many creators end up muddling through to just “figure it all out”. If any creatives want to network or collab, they can find me on Instagram at dr_melissa_newman

Contact Info:

Image Credits
Gary Baker

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