Meet Rev. Dr. Melissa Rudolph

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Rev. Dr. Melissa Rudolph. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Rev. Dr. Melissa below.

Rev. Dr. Melissa , thrilled to have you on the platform as I think our readers can really benefit from your insights and experiences. In particular, we’d love to hear about how you think about burnout, avoiding or overcoming burnout, etc.

Having a corner— I looked at how boxers have different people to help them get back into the next round—they have coaches and trainers and cut men to clean them up. I make sure I have the same—coaches, mentors, spiritual directors, and other professionals to keep me healthy to get back into the challenge..

Having regular quiet reflection time helps me to recognize my values—joy, faith, family, growth, health— so, I make sure I am honoring those in my work.

I prioritize rest! I’m not someone who can fight through exhaustion in the long term. If my work is not bringing me joy in seeing accomplishment, I make sure I am sleeping well and resting so that I have enough energy to love what I am doing.

Thanks, so before we move on maybe you can share a bit more about yourself?

I am the lead pastor of the North Carroll Cooperative Parish of the United Methodist Church, which is eight congregations in Maryland that work together for greater impact in our community. I am excited that we have been a model for other parishes to organize.

Additionally, I am founder and President of the Preston Fairfax Group, LLC. We are a real estate development company that focuses on restorative justice and lowering barriers for people—particularly women—to have safe, affordable housing. My partner and I are also launching the Preston Fairfax Foundation to support these and other efforts for community building in housing and education.

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?

One quality is nerdiness. I tend to be a polymath— I have interests in lots of different fields and I love to study complex issues and find ways to learn and grow in multiple disciplines. Most of the world requires specialization and tells us “a Jack of all trades is a master of none.” But, some of us are wired differently! So, embracing multiple interests is beneficial.

The second quality is endurance. I train for endurance sports for my physical health because I want to be able to work well into my twilight years, but that requires consistency over long periods. When I feel like I’m not seeing results, I look back at all the growth that has been happening and see where it is leading me toward something greater in the future. That is how I reflect on all the areas of my life.

The third is reflective— I spend time remembering and thinking back over where I have been to see how I can go about planning for what is next. Two books I have written “Don’t be Stupid Next Year”
And “The Year I Didn’t Finish” both come from having stopped to look back and see what I need to learn from the journey so far.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The greatest challenge is that when you are doing something that is different from the way people have always done things, it is hard to get people to be supportive. So, understand and be able to articulate why you are taking your approach and tell the story so that others can see the vision. When you hear the “still small voice” leading you in a new direction, though, you have to be able to follow that nudge even if it is something that will be hard to do because it’s never been done before. Keep going, and the support will come.

Contact Info:

Image Credits

Jamie Turner, Turner Photography

Suggest a Story: BoldJourney is built on recommendations from the community; it’s how we uncover hidden gems,
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
Productivity
Where do you get your work ethic from?

We’ve all heard the phrase “work hard, play hard,” but where does our work ethic

Productivity
Tactics & Strategies for Keeping Your Creativity Strong

With the rapid improvements in AI, it’s more important than ever to keep your creativity

Productivity
From Burnout to Balance: The Role of Self-Care

Burning out is one of the primary risks you face as you work towards your