We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Melissa Overcash. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Melissa below.
Melissa , thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?
Amid adversity, I found resilience, but I’m not sure my personal journey in overcoming adversity is uncommon, however, it is mine and profoundly shaped who I became. My resilience is deeply rooted in a traumatic childhood. Born into a turbulent environment with zero parental support, my early years were filled with neglect and emotional hardship. Yet, it is precisely these experiences that have shaped me into a business owner that looked at adversity as the norm not the oddity. It is what makes me who I am. Often suspicious of motives, a listener that takes all things in and learned early to “read a room”, and a person that works through a multitude of scenarios for solutions.
From an extremely young age, I learned to navigate a world that seemed indifferent to my needs. My parents, preoccupied with their own struggles, offered little guidance. Instead of surrendering to despair, I developed an internal strength and ambitious drive in finding my purpose. Why the heck was I here and what was I good for? This early hardship forged a resilience that became the cornerstone of my success in business and the ability to look past the difficulties and continuously reach beyond it.
As I ventured into the professional arena, the scars of my past became my armor of strength. Particularly this was true during the pandemic. A business obstacle that was never expected and one that no experience had ever conquered. With a million arrows flying I knew from experience, that I could take it, my childhood empowered me with a unique ability to persevere. Where many saw insurmountable challenges, I saw opportunities to apply the lessons learned from years of navigating a previous tumultuous path. Resilience was not just a personal trait but a strategic advantage that allowed me to thrive within various business roles, particularly under extreme stress.
In boardrooms and strategy meetings, my ability to remain composed under pressure and my commitment to consistent value, equality and simply put…. doing the right thing set me apart. My background, which had once been a source of pain, now served as a silent testament to the capability to weather storms and emerge stronger. My personal journey is an example of how adversity can be transformed into a source of unparalleled strength and resilience.
Early in my career as an entrepreneur, I owned a private duty home care agency working with senior adults and end of life empowerment. I now own three locations of Class 101 College Planning working with (high schoolers) senior teens on beginning life decision making. Essentially going from seniors to seniors, which always makes me smile.
In addition, my husband and I own two Petbar Grooming/Bathing Boutiques in Fort Worth and after losing a son in December 2023, took on his previous business, CertaPro Painters of Southlake. This phase of our life has been an ever-changing landscape that has been bumpy with frequent twists and turns, but at the end of the day, I look and am so very thankful for what God has provided, and even more, understand and am thankful for how HE utilized my early trauma and equipped me with the desire to step courageously into other’s peoples lives. If I can’t do something that impacts others for betterment, I wouldn’t want to do anything. Business continues to grow, not because of my business acumen, but because from the beginning grit and determination have been my subconscious focus. Praying the ending of my story outweighs the beginning.
Resilience isn’t about surviving but it is about thriving despite unbelievable circumstances.
I’ll end in just saying that how we view the storms of life impacts how we embrace that same life. In the last months, each of my three children have sent me a picture of my granddaughters individually playing with sheer delight in the rain. It is cloudy, wet, and what appears to the world as a bad day, yet they are smiling, laughing, and in a state of pure joy. This reminds me of exactly what we are talking about here. Storms can impact us to stop, hunker down and freeze in place OR they empower us to play, embrace, and experience the growth of joy to come. Resilience is simply your reaction to the world around you.
Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?
Owning multiple types of business is always a challenge and each presents its own whys. In owning Class 101 College Planning in Mid-Cities, Alliance, and Flower Mound the focus was on how I can impact the future of our young adults and families. There are several things we say in Class 101: Early Engagement is a Game Changer; College Planning Made Simple; We want to help make college more affordable; and we focus on empowering students, serving families and inspiring greatness. This is a lot of why’s! Really great ones.
In addition, however, managing my own family of six children provided a profound experience filled with both challenges and triumphs. We understand the unique hurdles that come with guiding one or more students through the complex and often overwhelming world of college admissions. But before you apply, what about answering the questions or why, where, how and what? Students need assistance in finding out the various career choices of today, what will be here in 10 years and what might not be. Our family’s journey has been marked by a blend of fear, conflict, and uncharted territory, but it has also been a testament to resilience, growth, and the pursuit of dreams. What better why do you need?
Our story began with a simple realization: the college planning process could be a daunting experience for families. For us and our six children, each with their own aspirations, needs, and personalities, the traditional approaches to college planning often felt inadequate. There were limited resources to guide us or our children. We faced moments of uncertainty and tension longing to discover more effective strategies and insights to transform our approach to this crucial life milestone.
At Class 101, we bring our wealth of experience coupled with college planning knowledge to you. Our entire mission is to
provide a supportive, informed, and compassionate approach to college planning. We’ve been where you are—juggling multiple applications, understanding financial aid, and managing family dynamics. Our goal is to make the process smoother, less stressful, and more successful for you and your family.
In addition, Class 101 as added High School Prep to college planning. The adventure begins when a student enters high school and not being prepared or understanding the skills needed is a set up for failure. Where in college planning we focus on developing a college list, college tours, deep career dives, resume building, essays, managing the vast application deadlines and all things college related, high school prep focuses on managing your mind, communication skills, note taking, stress management, optimizing organization, goal setting and problem solving. These tools are life changing and can assist the students in ultimately reaching success. It’s a winning combination and one we are passionate about.
As parents the investment into the child’s first birthday, sports clubs, talents, and various training are all part of encouraging our child towards their ultimate path. Class 101 wants to be a part of that team of encouragers as we help discover what comes next in their lives, fostering their sense of achievement and confidence. Someone once said, “It takes a Village, no truer words were spoken.”
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?
There are so many revelations I have picked up throughout business ownership, but if I had to choose three that have essentially been most impactful it would the following:
1. Realizing there is always someone wiser than me and surround yourself with that team.
In my younger years, I always wanted to be the smartest in the room. Not only wanted to be but felt had to be. I didn’t want someone to see me as not having the answer because that may look like I didn’t know what I was doing. Understanding that I have gifts and talents of my own but when coupled with other gifts and talents, wow, now that’s a winning combination and frees space for you to learn, grow, and develop your own in a way that is often unexpected.
2. Proactive is better than Reactive or burying your head in the sand.
Reaction is human nature, and it is particularly based on emotion brought on by stress. This knee-jerk reaction to a problem often creates another problem. When reacting we fail to listen, and problem solve as we are usually in a posture of defense and hostility that often makes the situation worse.
Proactive is seeing the problem and instead of reacting immediately due to emotion, we may wait until we are calm and we do not ignore the signs of it coming. We are looking at potential risk and in the processing of finding solutions always. Proactive also lends itself to taking responsibility vs. blame. Example – we know the economy is tightening, we know we have a political year ahead and these are all reasons that could effect business, what can we do to think ahead of the problem and solve it before it affects us. It is not burying your head in the sand.
3. Failure is the key to success.
You will never understand the sweetness of success unless you have ever felt the pain of failure. This one was very difficult for me because the feeling of failure can be connected internally to so many roots. My fear of failure was about never living up to someone else’s expectation, never being good enough for my parents, etc. This can be such a trigger for many, however, understanding that failure doesn’t define us it is the groundwork being laid for success is key. Failure is deep and understanding your ideology around failure can help you frame this differently. Not that you won’t continue to struggle at times, but playing a different tape can help you move forward much more quickly.
What has been your biggest area of growth or improvement in the past 12 months?
In the past 12 months, one of the most significant areas of growth has been learning to avoid the trap of comparing myself to others and getting overwhelmed with the feeling of not being good enough.
Embrace your unique path. This profound statement I use with students all the time. High School peer pressure can be brutal, so we are wired to accept this pressure as the norm even into adulthood. We are unique and individual, and our path is designed specifically for us. This tendency to compare ourselves to others often stems from a lack of understanding the concept that we are shaped by different experiences, skills and circumstances and that it is beautifully designed. How boring our world would be if we were each created identical following in each other’s footsteps, with automated movements and thoughts.
In focusing less on others through comparison, I’ve learned to focus on others needs for connection. This action becomes introspective as well and deepens self-awareness. I have strengths and weaknesses, and areas of improvement without the distraction of self designed benchmarks. Self-assessment fosters growth that is aligned with personal values and internal aspirations. I have forever hid my childhood upbringing in fear of comparison and that essentially has hurt me but yet driven me. This last year I have uncovered that it is all a part of me but it is also a part of everyone around me. We share to support, we share to connect, we share to help others. This ultimately has been my goal always, the answer has been within –the biggest area of growth and improvement this year has been in learning and putting to practice to live out loud, to live thankfully, to share whole-heartedly, and to love others Godly.
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