Meet Melissa Rathbun

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

Melissa, we’re so excited for our community to get to know you and learn from your journey and the wisdom you’ve acquired over time. Let’s kick things off with a discussion on self-confidence and self-esteem. How did you develop yours?

I started my business in 1999, long before working from home was the norm. At the time, I was going through a divorce and, as a stay-at-home mom who had taught herself HTML, I wanted to create a life where I could put my daughters on the bus in the morning and be there to greet them in the afternoon. So, I started a web design business. Divorced, raising two girls, and stepping into the unknown—honestly, what choice did I have? If I didn’t believe in myself, who would?

In 2004, after joining a Rotary club, I found myself in Zimbabwe helping to rebuild a school. The experience was transformative. I saw firsthand the profound impact a small group of dedicated people could have on an entire community. It was life-changing, and from that moment on, I was hooked on community service and sharing the incredible power of Rotary whenever I could.

As an early adopter of social media, I discovered my magic. The tech geek in me loved diving into analytics and studying results, while the marketer in me thrived on brainstorming creative concepts for posts and advertising campaigns. It felt like coming home. I quickly became a subject matter expert, delivering presentations, conducting training, and implementing innovative strategies to help businesses and organizations leverage the power of social networks. It’s a passion that continues to drive me to this day.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I love being in digital marketing. I have been exposed to many different types of businesses, and learning about the nuances of each is exciting. Meeting business owners who really shine in their work and are passionate about they do is amazing. I learn from them. Not just about their business or industry, but how they operate and see their role. Each interaction makes me a better business owner.

Many want to DIY social media. To that end, I’ve created several industry specific workbooks to help owners or managers plan their content. Each book has prompts for the week, and yes, they actually write down their goals and their ideas for posts. From there they can schedule an entire week of content and focus on engagement and other business tasks. These are sold on Amazon and have received good reviews.

Of course, we can’t ignore AI. In my experience, the more effort you put into a good prompt, the better result you will get. I love that ChatGPT can now do research, but you must check the accuracy. This is a great tool to break writer’s block or get past the blank page – then you take it and turn it into your own.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Curiosity:
I have a deep love for learning, especially when it comes to people and discovering what truly inspires them. People are your greatest asset, and it’s essential never to lose sight of that. Whether it’s a long-time friend or a new client, approach them with genuine curiosity—about who they are, what drives them, and what they value.

Ask Questions:
This might sound like an extension of curiosity, but asking questions has been one of my most valuable tools. Serving on multiple boards, I’ve learned that asking the right questions provides clarity about an organization’s goals and helps me be a more effective leader. This approach has also been beneficial in my personal life. For instance, I often ask my husband about his work to better understand his world. It allows me to be a better partner when he needs support.

Other People’s Opinions Don’t Define You:
If I had let others’ opinions guide my choices, I would never have started my business, traveled to Africa, or embraced so many other life-changing opportunities. You don’t need anyone’s permission to be yourself, but if it helps, here’s mine: Be unapologetically you.

I’ve built a life filled with flexibility and freedom—something I cherish deeply. This freedom allowed me to care for my father in his final months, work on my own terms while on vacation, and raise my daughters in the way I felt was best. None of this would have been possible if I had played it safe and stuck to a corporate path. Taking risks and following my instincts has made all the difference.

Before we go, maybe you can tell us a bit about your parents and what you feel was the most impactful thing they did for you?

There were so many great questions to choose from in this section, but I landed on this one for two reasons.

First, once my parents realized I wasn’t going to “play it safe,” they stepped back and let me figure it out. They babysat my daughters when I needed help and, over time, became my biggest supporters.

Second, on my 40th birthday, my dad walked into my house with a bouquet of flowers and said, “Melissa, I will never understand you, but I will always love you.” Those words hit me like a ton of bricks. The life I created was nothing like the one my parents envisioned or knew, but they accepted it, supported me, and let me be myself.

Whether they realized it or not, that acceptance and encouragement was the greatest gift they could have ever given me.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://newward.com/
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/melissawardrathbun/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/newward & https://www.facebook.com/melissa.ward
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/newward/
• Twitter: https://x.com/newward
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@melward

Image Credits

professional photography by Susan Blackburn