See a photo of Melissa, her bio, and Part 1 of this Q&A.
Q&A with Melissa Wells, Question 2:
Q: How did you initially become involved with story/storytelling/narrative? What attracted you to this field? What do you love about it?
A: Life is about stories, whether you choose to express your stories through the arts, the sciences, or helping people. Whatever it is, your talent in turning your experiences into a narrative is what is important to me. That includes your whole life, in an important way. As a career coach, I guide talented people to create lives that represent their best stories. Life itself is can be a splendid story, if done with flair.
As for my own story, another part of my life is that I work in rainforests and deserts, documenting new species and behavior of animals around the world. I am just back from Botswana where an elephant charged me from only a few yards away — now that, at least for my life, is a wonderÂful story. I ask people, “What experiences make you proud or do you love to remember?” The key to creating a self-determined work-life lies in the stories of our past and the experiences we hope for. I extrude those stories from clients. The magic is in the real-world planning and execution. I was a management consultant for more than 12 years. Clients love to be escorted over that threshold from idea to reality. That’s what I love, clients realizing the most powerful stories of their careers.