Episode 483 – Finding Your Voice: The Power of Unstoppable Confidence with Michelle Mekky

Sometimes the biggest setbacks in life lead us to discover what we're truly capable of achieving. My guest, Michelle Mekky, knows this firsthand. A former broadcast journalist and television producer, Michelle spent 12 years working behind the scenes at Fox before moving into public relations. Her journey took an unexpected turn when she faced ovarian cancer and later lost her job. Rather than allowing fear and self-doubt to hold her back, she started Mekky Media, which grew into a seven-figure PR agency. Michelle shares how she built her business through storytelling, hard work, trust, and a strong team culture. We also explore the importance of public speaking, media training, authentic communication, and learning to believe in yourself. Michelle's story reminds us that confidence doesn't always come naturally. Sometimes we have to face the things that scare us most to discover our own potential. I believe you'll find valuable lessons here about leadership, entrepreneurship, overcoming adversity, and finding the courage to share your story.

Highlights:

01:21 – Discover how Michelle's passion for journalism shaped her career.

06:41 – Learn why believing in yourself is key to overcoming fear.

16:06 – Hear how Michelle overcame her fear of public speaking.

30:23 – Explore how cancer and job loss led Michelle toward entrepreneurship.

36:53 – Learn how trust and team culture helped build a seven-figure PR agency.

56:40 – Discover how AI and digital media are changing storytelling and communication.

About the Guest:

Michelle Mekky is a veteran, award-winning broadcast journalist and public relations executive, and the founder and CEO of Mekky Media Relations, Inc., a boutique PR agency with clients in Chicago and coast to coast. She began her career as an overnight newswriter for the morning shows at Fox-TV in Chicago, before eventually growing to become Senior Producer, overseeing all morning show content. After 12 years in the media, she transitioned into PR and marketing, working at top agencies prior to launching Mekky Media in 2016 after she survived ovarian cancer. The agency partners with organizations across a broad range of verticals, including nonprofits, technology, healthcare, restaurants, retail, fitness, financial services B2B and more.

Michelle leads a team of experienced PR professionals who help clients tell their stories, reach new audiences and fuel growth through PR strategy, media relations, media training, social media strategy, integrated digital and PR programs and personal branding. Building on nearly a decade of growth and demand for executive coaching, Michelle also recently launched Elevated by Mekky Media, a sister company specializing in personalized media training, public speaking coaching and executive presence development for leaders and teams.

Michelle and Mekky Media have been widely recognized for their success, earning multiple Gold and Silver Stevie Awards between 2018 and 2023, a PR News Top 100 Agency Elite Award, recognition as one of Expertise PR’s Best Chicago PR Firms and several Publicity Club of Chicago Gold and Silver Trumpet Awards. Michelle has also received numerous individual honors, including being named one of the 2025 100 Women to KNOW in America, PRSA Chicago’s 2023 Professional of the Year, the 2023 Daily Herald Entrepreneurial Excellence Award, a 2021 Ragan and PR Daily Communicator of the Year Award, a 2020 PR News Top Women in PR honor, a 2019 Crain’s Chicago Business Notable Entrepreneur recognition and the 2018 Bronze Stevie Award for Women in Business.

Michelle is a member of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Small Business Council, Forbes Agency Council, WBENC and the International Public Relations Network, where she serves as North American regional chair and a member of the Executive Committee. A Forbes blogger and motivational speaker, she is also a cancer survivor, a spokesperson for the National Ovarian Cancer Coalition and serves on the board of the Business Executives Association and the Strategic Advancement Committee for Start Early. She earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Northwestern University’s renowned Medill School of Journalism. The daughter of immigrants, she is the first-generation in her family to go to college. Michelle also is most proud of being a mother to her children Adam and Hannah, who are getting ready to launch their own careers as they finish college and graduate school.

Ways to connect with Michelle**:**

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mekkymedia/

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/mekky-media-relations-inc./

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/mekkymedia/

About the Host:

Michael Hingson is a New York Times best-selling author, international lecturer, and Chief Vision Officer for accessiBe. Michael, blind since birth, survived the 9/11 attacks with the help of his guide dog Roselle. This story is the subject of his best-selling book, Thunder Dog.

Michael gives over 100 presentations around the world each year speaking to influential groups such as Exxon Mobile, AT\&T, Federal Express, Scripps College, Rutgers University, Children’s Hospital, and the American Red Cross just to name a few. He is Ambassador for the National Braille Literacy Campaign for the National Federation of the Blind and also serves as Ambassador for the American Humane Association’s 2012 Hero Dog Awards.

https://michaelhingson.com

https://www.facebook.com/michael.hingson.author.speaker/

https://twitter.com/mhingson

https://www.youtube.com/user/mhingson

https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaelhingson/

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Transcription Note

Michael Hingson 00:04

What if the biggest thing holding you back isn't what's in front of you, but rather what you believe? Welcome to Unstoppable Mindset, where inclusion, diversity, and the unexpected meet. I'm your host, Michael Hingson, speaker, author, and advocate for inclusion and possibilities. This podcast explores how the beliefs we carry shape the way we live, lead, and connect with others. Each week, I talk with people who challenge assumptions, face adversity head-on, and show what's possible when we choose curiosity over fear. Together, we focus on mindset, resilience, and the small shifts that lead to meaningful change. Let's get started. Hi, everyone, and a gracious welcome to you wherever you happen to be. I am Michael Hingson, your host on Unstoppable Mindset. Today we get to chat with Michelle Mikky, who is a PR person. She's been very much involved in the past in broadcast and so on, but very actively involved in media. And we're gonna get to the bottom or to the top of all of that, as we go forward, yeah. But either way, Michelle, welcome to Unstoppable Mindset. We're glad you're here.

Michelle Mekky 01:27

Thank you so much, Michael. I'm very honored to speak to you today.

Michael Hingson 01:31

Well, I'm I'm glad that we get the opportunity to do this. And before we started this recording, Michelle and I were talking about Chicago and Garrett popcorn and I miss it. Oh well, I'm gonna have to figure out a way to fly through O'Hara to go get some Garrett popcorn somewhere. Yes, well we got to do.

Michelle Mekky 01:50

It's always waiting for you here. There you go.

Michael Hingson 01:53

Well, anyway, thanks very much for for being here. Why don't we start a little bit like I love to do? Tell us, kind of maybe about the early Michelle growing up and all that.

Michelle Mekky 02:03

Okay, wow. Well, let's see. I am a long

Michael Hingson 02:06

time ago when a long time ago

Michelle Mekky 02:09

feels like forever. I am a Chicago native. I was born here and grew up here. My parents were immigrants. My dad. Where were they

Michael Hingson 02:18

from?

Michelle Mekky 02:19

My dad was from Dublin, Ireland, and my mom's from Poland. They met here in a singles immigrants group in Chicago back in the day, and you know they got me, fell in love, got married, and raised me and my two brothers over on the north side of Chicago. And you know, I was a a very ambitious child, always a good student, and fell in love with journalism really when I was in high school. I was editor of the newspaper, and I had a column, and I wrote a story about my grandmother passing away, and people came up to me, and that was the first time I experienced death. And people came up to me and said how, you know, I really affected them. They loved the writing. They they really related to me. They cried, and I think that experience maybe wanted journalists. So that was back in high school. So that was really where it all began for me.

Michael Hingson 03:19

Wow, did you did you go to college and continue that in college?

Michelle Mekky 03:24

I did. So you know we didn't have a lot of means growing up, and you know my I wanted to go to a great journalism school, and I looked up Northwestern University right here in Evanston, Illinois, had Medill School of Journalism, one of the best in the world, and you know, my dad looked at me and said, "How are we going to afford that? You can't go there. You know, you you have to go to state school. And I said, "No, I'm going to make it happen. So I was determined. I went to the library. I researched scholarships, and I found a way to get into Northwestern, pay for college, and get an incredible journalism education. I actually continued on then to get my master's, and I specifically fell in love with broadcast journalism when I was at Medill. It was really just mesmerizing for me at the time, and I wanted to be an anchorwoman on television. So didn't exactly end up that way, but it I was I did still get my foot in the door. Where my very first job was as an overnight news writer, coming in on the one a.m. shift for Fox here in Chicago. Now I wanted to be in front of the camera, but I lost my confidence kind of quickly when I didn't get a couple reporting jobs I went for. You know, you have to start in a small town in our industry to really work your way up you don't just start in Chicago

Michael Hingson 04:47

yeah

Michelle Mekky 04:47

but I I didn't really have the courage to do that back then and so I ended up as a news writer and worked my way up on the production side.

Michael Hingson 04:56

Well, Oprah Winfrey started doing weather in Chicago and went somewhere. Happen with you?

Michelle Mekky 05:01

I know you're right. She was really, she was an idol of mine. I mean, I looked up to her so much, and really always wanted to work for her. Honestly, it didn't exactly end up that way. I, you know, really made my way in television at Fox. I started, like I said on the one a.m. shift, but quickly grew to becoming a segment producer, and then a a senior producer, and then finally was really overseeing all the content on the morning shows and filling in for our executive producer, and it was just incredible 12 year career. I loved every minute of it,

Michael Hingson 05:38

but you never really did get to get in front of the camera much?

Michelle Mekky 05:42

No, I didn't. You know, I I produced for Tamron Hall, who went on to host her own talk show out of New York, and you know, incredibly successful. And I was her right hand producer, and her and I would go out and do these segments together, and I was like her workout partner, and we would do feature stories together. And so I, I sort of got on camera that way, but I didn't fully get a chance to realize my dreams of being like in front of the camera. I think until to be honest, recently as the owner of my own business, yeah, and the explosion of social media, it's like now I'm I'm doing things on camera all the time, but in a different way. So

Michael Hingson 06:23

I had never heard of Tamron Hall until a few years ago, when I guess she started her show on now on ABC.

Michelle Mekky 06:30

That's right,

Michael Hingson 06:30

and so in fact she comes on at one in the afternoon here in LA. So so yes, she's on.

Michelle Mekky 06:39

She's incredible and has made a real impact in the industry, and you know we remain great friends even until today. And that-that's the thing about working in this industry is you build so many relationships, and you know there's nothing like producing live television. I mean, the team of people that I did the work with, like you're like in the trenches together, you know, and it's it's no matter how much you prepare, it's like the minute you go live, it's like you you know whatever happens is going to happen, and so I think a lot of those bonds I still have from today or until today, actually,

Michael Hingson 07:17

yeah. So for someone like Tamron Hall or Oprah Winfrey, why are they so successful? What what is it that they have, or what is it they do? That's a

Michelle Mekky 07:28

great question. I mean, you know, I think it takes obviously a ton of hard work and tenacity to get to where they are, but it's a magical skill. I mean, it's interviewing is a skill, and and getting the people you speak with to really open up to you and and share, you know, relevant information that's going to impact the world, I think is a is a talent that each of them, of course, have, but in different different ways. And you know, it's something I've always admired. I aspired to do that when I was younger, but it also takes like incredible confidence. And I didn't really, I did not have that as a young child. I was very insecure. I, you know, I had super crazy curly hair, and my parents didn't know what to do with it, so they cut it short. And I was bullied, and you know, I just didn't ever feel like I found my groove until until much later in life. And so, like now, when I speak to a lot of young people, I say, you know, you have to believe. Believing in yourself is all it takes. Sometimes you just have to believe. And I think so many of us lack that in those early years, it took me a long time to find

Michael Hingson 08:43

it. One of the things that I talk to people about when we're talking concerning them coming on the podcast is that I believe everyone has a story to tell, and people say, "Well, my story wouldn't be interesting, and they underrate themselves. And people so often do that, and then they come on the podcast and and and leave with a different attitude, but but the bottom line is, you know, it's it's it's what we face.

Michelle Mekky 09:07

I I love that, Michael. I I agree, and I you know everybody is walking around with these big stories that none of us know about, and that's one thing I love about what I do is that you know, our job is to pull these stories out of our clients' businesses and lives, and and tell impactful stories that that really make a difference and inspire others. I mean, your story alone completely blew me away, and it made me so excited to speak to you. And and I myself am very committed to telling my true story. Like I never pretend like oh I have this great life. You see me on social media. I'm in PR. I go to all these parties. It's it's not like that at all. I mean I we've faced incredible obstacles and challenges that we've had to overcome, and I feel like everyone has. Their story, and it's about encouraging people to have the the the ability to tell it, and it's actually quite therapeutic when you really do. I'm sure you would agree.

Michael Hingson 10:10

Oh, absolutely. I I tell people all the time when they ask me, well, after September 11th, did you go through counseling? And I said no, but I and my wife decided to allow me to be subjected to all the press that wanted to come and interview us, and we learned a lot about how people do things. Everything from a Japanese television station that came, and there were like two or three people all together, to an Italian film company that came with 14 people to our house. Don't the head configure that? Yeah, I mean, most of them just sat around and didn't do anything.

Michelle Mekky 10:46

I know. I mean, it when you see the behind the scenes of how the media really works, especially broadcast, it is it blows your mind. I mean, I remember when I first walked into the newsroom, I said, "What time do I have to start? One a.m. You know, there's people that actually work on that shift, producing, you know, the the content in the morning news that starts at 5 a.m. 6 a.m. I walked in and I saw it was like a whole other world. It was like all these people were wide awake and writing news and listening to the police radio and creating the content that was going to be in the shows, and it was really exciting and fascinating. And you feel like you're this big part of putting something important together every day. Yeah, and and you do it with a team, and so it's it's really an amazing industry to be a part of.

Michael Hingson 11:38

Oh, I can I can imagine, and I've I've not done it directly, but I've been enough involved on the other side and so on that I have seen it, and I've been and round TV stations and and seeing how some of the technology works, and of course for me, I worked at our campus radio station when I was at UC Irvine, KUCI, as program director one year, and so I I also got very familiar with radio, and I think the in in in thinking about the question I asked about Oprah and Tamron Hall, I think the the the key to their success is that they really are themselves on the. That's very true. You know, when they really are themselves, they're not pretentious, and I think that's so important. That's a that's an excellent

Michelle Mekky 12:30

point. You know, I I I truly believe that that comes across on camera. You know, I know Tamron in real life, and I know her on TV, and it's not that different of a person, you know. Yeah, it's it's really the same human being, and you know, I have so much love for her because of our history, but also just seeing you know her natural talent come to life every day. It's it's really remarkable, and so now, with what I do for a living, which I know we haven't gotten to that part of the story, I I coach people and teach people how to do that because all those years behind the scenes, I was booking guests and taking pitches from PR people and walking who I thought would be a great, confident spokesperson into a studio, and the minute they walk in and see the lights and the cameras and hear the countdowns, you know it's extremely terrifying for most people. And so it's that just goes to show you how how much talent it does take to like to overcome that and really be yourself. It's like crossing a barrier that most of us feel, but when you can really, you know, embrace it, it's very powerful and an incredible thing to be able to do.

Michael Hingson 13:48

Well, for me, I know I I still have a hard time intellectually. I can understand it, but I have a hard time truly understanding why it is that public speaking is one of the top five fears in the country. Getting up on a stage. Oh,

Michelle Mekky 14:03

I know.

Michael Hingson 14:04

And especially since, in reality, unless you're just a real scrounge, audiences want you to succeed, and they're out there rooting for you. And when you have a story to tell, or you go out and you talk, yeah, they want to hear you.

Michelle Mekky 14:19

They really do. I just. It's it's something innate in so many people. I mean, even my husband. Look, we're like exact opposites. I can get in front of a camera and have the time of my life, and he is like terrified of it, you know. And he has to speak often on Zooms and in meetings, but it's not his favorite thing to do, and I think some people just they just are filled with anxiety when the thought of it comes. And I don't know if it's about just being in the spotlight or having all the attention on you or what that is, but it's not a natural for the majority of people that I have trained, and so it's it's such a. Important part though of our lives is to be able to to speak and communicate and and authentically tell your story, whether it's on camera, whether it's on social media, or just in front of a room or at a cocktail party. You know, those are the things that I've really those skills I've honed on over the years, and now luckily I get to do that. I just launched a new business aside from my PR firm, which is focused strictly on public speaking, coaching, and media training because of the need for it. It's so great.

Michael Hingson 15:34

Yeah. Well, as as good as humans can be dealing with cameras and dealing with visibility in the media and so on. I think the best creature that I ever knew that dealt with a camera was my guide dog at the World Trade Center, Roselle. She loved she loved it when cameras started taking pictures. We were on Larry King Live. It was, I think, our second interview. Oh wow! They actually built a platform that she could lie on, so that she would be in in the pictures because you know they do it like from the chest up. Yeah. And about a minute before the the show was to start, the director comes over and he said, "Look, is there anything you can do to get your dog to be a little bit more responsive and active? And I said, "Why? Well, she's just laying there. I said. But are the Klieg lights on? No. Then just wait. And the lights go on. Roselle's head pops up. She's blinking and yawning and looking around and just having a good old time. She knew. She she was just always that way.

Michelle Mekky 16:39

That is so funny. What a talent that is. That's

Michael Hingson 16:43

amazing. She

Michelle Mekky 16:44

just-that's amazing.

Michael Hingson 16:45

She just absolutely loved it. I always wanted to be in the picture.

Michelle Mekky 16:49

And you know what's also crazy? I-I got very passionate about teaching this because of my own personal fears. When I was in fifth grade, I used to be terrified of public speaking, and I was a very shy young girl. And in fifth grade, my dad was always trying to push me to like do more, to go for things I was afraid of. And he said, "You know, I want you to run for student council president. And I said, "Are you crazy? Like I can't run for student council president. He just pushed me, and we made the campaign posters. Ring the bell, vote for Michelle. And I thought I'm never going to win. And then I had to make a speech in front of the whole school, and it was me and my competitor. You know, the other candidate. And I go up there to speak, terrified, and my hand can't stop shaking. You know, I'm holding the speech, and my hands are shaking like crazy. So much so that I can't even read the words. That my opponent reached out, and he held it for me so I could finish the speech, which was really nice. But I went home crying. I said, "There's no way I won. I tanked. I couldn't speak. I don't know why you make me do this stuff. I hate it. And then the next day, what happens? I found out I won. I won. I couldn't believe I won. And oh my gosh, was that like an amazing moment for me? And ever since then, I thought that's it. I'm going to do whatever it takes to overcome this fear, and it takes. It took me a lot of years, Michael. It wasn't like that was just one moment. I actually decided to go study broadcast television, and I had to do live shot reporting as part of our class, where they give you a script and say, "Give us a one minute report on camera, and then we had to all watch it back together in class. I mean, those were moments that terrified me, but it was pushing myself to be uncomfortable that made me get over it. And so that is a lot of why I do what I do now, because I know people can if they just commit to it.

Michael Hingson 18:56

Well, I tell people that I probably learned not to be afraid of public speaking when I was in school, it was after we moved from Chicago out to California. But you know how they always did spelling tests where

Michelle Mekky 19:10

yeah,

Michael Hingson 19:10

you got to learn how to spell the words, and then when the spelling test comes, the teacher dictates the words, you write it down or do whatever. And back when I was going to school, then kids would exchange their papers, and the teacher would write the words on the board so that then they could be graded. Not in my class because since I did, since I wrote Braille and the teacher and nobody else wrote Braille.

Michelle Mekky 19:32

Oh yeah,

Michael Hingson 19:33

I had to spell the words out loud for the class.

Michelle Mekky 19:37

Oh my gosh!

Michael Hingson 19:38

So the teacher would say the word and I would spell it, yeah. And I guess in general, the the the real part about that that's relevant is I didn't miss. Except I can. I remember one time I missed a word, and somebody said something, and then I corrected it. But I'm but I missed that word, and it was the only time, and all the the times that I was involved in spelling tests because my. Mom and I every week would study all the words, and I learned how to spell them. And I I grew to not be at all concerned about standing up or whatever in front of the class and spelling the words. So maybe that's how I started to learn about public speaking. But it's a lot of fun.

Michelle Mekky 20:15

Interesting. Yeah. Well, good for you. I mean, that's you know a lot of people shy away from it, and later in life really struggle. And you know, I have two kids now. One one finished college, and the other one's graduating this year. And I remember lucky them when they were, you know, going through school. I was always quizzing them and having them do their presentations in front of me and telling them to look up and now look down, and I was sort of training them, you know. But it helped. It helped. It really does.

Michael Hingson 20:48

Well, being a collector and a and a great fan of vintage radio, old radio broadcasts, I listened to some of the politicians like Franklin Delano Roosevelt and so on, who were up through JFK, who were really good speakers by comparison, and and and it was just part of their natural talent. Yeah, I think it's something that unfortunately our politicians today, to a large degree, have just lost, which is unfortunate.

Michelle Mekky 21:16

Oh boy, yeah, yeah, we could go on and on about that. I don't want to go into that area?

Michael Hingson 21:21

Yeah, but but I I I listen to Roosevelt all the time.

Michelle Mekky 21:28

Oh, that's that's really

Michael Hingson 21:30

cool. Yeah, it's a lot of fun, and I've I've I've collected old radio, and I do collect old radio shows. I don't have too many, you know, just a few, like about 90 terabytes. But you know, I collect all radio shows, and it's a lot of fun.

Michelle Mekky 21:42

That's awesome. Yeah, I mean that would be we can learn from those guys for sure.

Michael Hingson 21:47

Well, we could, and and what's really fascinating about radio, which we which we've lost in most television, is so many of the radio programs were live, and that's they had to be perfect, and they had to be right. Yeah. And when they messed up, they integrated it right into the show. So you probably knew that they messed up, but it was so much fun. Yeah. And they just went right on with it. It was great. It

Michelle Mekky 22:16

was great. Yeah. And I, you know, I when I teach this, I tell people, you know, most most radio segments these days are taped or they're podcasts, you know, and run at a later date. But when we practice, we always practice as if it's live because that's the absolute best way to be trained in this. You know, is to really get comfortable where you can't say, "Oh, can we start again? or "Oh, wait a second, I want to change my answer. You know, you really just got to learn how to roll with it, and that'll make you that much stronger of a speaker.

Michael Hingson 22:48

Yeah. If

Speaker 1 22:52

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Michael Hingson 23:24

So you did so much work in broadcast journalism and so on before you moved into what you're doing today. What lessons did you learn from the newsroom that still kind of guide you or that control what you do today?

Michelle Mekky 23:39

Yeah, you know, I really learned so much during those years in television. You know, things like producing live TV on a daily basis makes you move fast. You know, there's no time to really sit around and think about who do we want to book the next day. It's it's following the news and the the flow of news, which changes by the minute, right? Yeah. And when we were producing guest segments and taking video that was pulled from you know the street that day, covering a story had to be edited and turned around fast. You know, things move very quickly. So I sort of became a almost just quicker on the job, no matter what job I had. Where I like to find a resolution, I like to move through it, and I feel like that's helped me in my career. But what's the the real source of why I went into PR is you know other than having little kids working on an overnight shift, live TV is exhausting, was was that I was pitched by so many PR people on a daily basis who all wanted to be on my show, and I would get these pitches in my email, and they they most of the time were, you know, too wordy, too long, or too promotional, or not really made for TV. And I thought to myself, "Gosh, you know, I would be so good at PR if I had the chance to do it, because I knew what people like me needed. Like I knew what I was looking for as a producer and what I thought was a newsmaker and an interesting story. And you know, I felt like a lot of that was lacking at the time. And so, and it was a skill that I really refined being on the inside for that long, and so when I finally got out of the newsroom and decided to take a chance in PR, I was naturally really good at it because I knew what is a good story and what makes news, and not everybody fully understands that. You know, sometimes it's just a commercial. It's too promotional, or it's not that unique, and it's not that interesting, and it's hard to tell somebody that who thinks that you know they deserve to be on the front page. But it's our job and my job is to shape those stories to make them something unique. And I think you know you have a lot of understanding of that now, given all the media you've done and what that takes.

Michael Hingson 26:04

Sure, I you know I know that I've never totally gotten used to the concept of speaking in just small sound bites, right? Because I have stories, but I can do it, and I and I appreciate it and understand it, but it just doesn't always necessarily happen that way, but I work at it, and I and I realize the importance of it. But at the same time, the problem with speaking in little sound bites is you don't necessarily get all the information, no matter how hard you try.

Michelle Mekky 26:32

That's very true, and that is one of the key parts of the media training I do: is how to speak in sound bites. But knowing how to get the right information out and when to take a pause so you're not cut off and the essential information isn't you know hidden from what you were trying to say, but also doing a podcast like this versus a five minute segment on television is very different. It's a different pacing, and you know we have time here, so we can breathe and really have a great conversation. When you're doing a quick interview, five minutes, even less than that, sometimes they're only three minutes. I mean, it is very, very high speed and tough to fit in everything you want to say. And so that's where a lot of the skills come in of three to five talking points. You know, really thinking about what it is you want to get out because you're not going to get out nearly as much as you think you can. Yeah,

Michael Hingson 27:25

yeah. Or you you can get out as much as you think you can if you really learn how to do it. Because

Michelle Mekky 27:31

if you right, it it

Michael Hingson 27:32

is true that you can speak in sound bites. But I also I know a lot of times that there's there's only so much one can do, and I'm I'm used to it and I appreciate

Michelle Mekky 27:42

it. Yes.

Michael Hingson 27:42

So so I can make it happen

Michelle Mekky 27:44

exactly. But at the

Michael Hingson 27:45

same time, I love to do podcasts because you're not limited to being exactly at one hour or 45 minutes or whatever your podcast length is. If if you want to go a little bit longer, and I've had I've had a couple episodes that actually went 80 minutes because we got so involved, and that's the beauty of podcasts. That's awesome!

Michelle Mekky 28:05

Yeah, yeah. I mean that that's the like podcasts are incredible. Like it's it's amazing the explosion of them and the abilities that we have as PR people to get our clients a variety of media these days. That's been one of the big changes in the world of media is that you know we we have so many different types of outlets now that we can pitch to, and podcasts are an amazing way for experts and thought leaders and just human beings to to tell their story and and get their moment to shine.

Michael Hingson 28:39

Yeah, and and it's fun to be able to do it, and and

Michelle Mekky 28:44

yeah,

Michael Hingson 28:44

and as far as I'm concerned, every time I get to to do a speech or interact with the media, as far as I'm concerned, every one is a learning experience, and so I love to get a chance to listen to the the broadcasts and so on because I'm always going to learn something from it, and

Michelle Mekky 29:04

yeah, I I completely agree. Even if it's someone that just wants to learn how to speak better in a sales meeting, or you know, learn how to just stand up with confidence. I mean, that's really a big part of it. It's it's not only about doing television interviews, but we teach, you know, it's it's there's different techniques for each type. But I think everyone should get that training because it can help you in many aspects of your life.

Michael Hingson 29:31

Well, as I've told people, when I was working in computer sales and was the Mid-Atlantic region sales manager for Quantum, you never knew on any given day whether you'd be talking to somebody from the board of directors of a company or an IT person or whatever, and you have to learn to be prepared and and be focused and calm.

Michelle Mekky 29:49

That's right. That is absolutely right. And and really understand how do you get there? You know, yeah. How do you control the nerves? How how do you calm yourself? You know, how do you project? A room, when all you feel is that you want to pass out, you know, which a lot of people do, which a lot of people do. I know, or they get so thirsty that their mouth is, you know, super dry, and that's all they can think about because that's what happens when we get nervous, you know.

Michael Hingson 30:15

Well, I I suppose I do have the advantage of having a dog with me, and of course, the dog promotes a lot of questions and a lot of curiosity, and that's fun. Yeah, and and so I have figured out over the years that that since guiding is very stressful for these dogs, they love times to relax. So if I'm going to be in a in a meeting for a while, and and I'm doing the major presentations, I at some point will take the harness off and let people interact with the dog because it relaxes everybody. That's my man, and especially the dog.

Michelle Mekky 30:46

Yes, that is amazing. When

Michael Hingson 30:49

when I sell books at at speaking events, there is no better salesperson than a dog who oh

Speaker 2 30:55

yeah

Michael Hingson 30:55

out there tied to a table who's visiting everybody and stretching out in every direction to get as much heading exposure as possible.

Michelle Mekky 31:03

That's incredible. I agree. He loves it. He loves

Michael Hingson 31:06

it. That's

Michelle Mekky 31:06

amazing. Yeah.

Michael Hingson 31:08

Well, so you you eventually though left broadcast journalism.

Michelle Mekky 31:12

That's right.

Michael Hingson 31:13

And and I know you you talked earlier about that you thought that you ought to be able to do pretty well on PR. So tell us kind of about that transition, and especially what kind of mindset shifts did you have to make when you switch from working for someone and working at a at a TV station or whatever, and now you're going out on your own. That's a big step. Oh

Michelle Mekky 31:35

yeah, now that's a huge that's a huge question on its own. But I know

Speaker 3 31:40

I'll

Michelle Mekky 31:40

start with the the transition into PR. So, you know, so I decided after 12 years to finally make the change. I found myself at a small agency in Chicago that only had three clients at the time, and I was really put in charge of helping grow that company, and I never did sales before. I'm a journalist, but you know I have a pretty good personality. I like people, and I know how well,

Michael Hingson 32:09

and you know how to tell stories, and I know

Michelle Mekky 32:11

how to tell stories, and yeah, and I believe in what I do. Like I believe in the ability to to get on television and tell those stories, or get in the media and really use it as a way to grow and tell your story, and you know, give give your business exposure through storytelling. And so, I was very good at PR. It was a great fit for me. I ended up helping grow that company from three to 30 clients, and then eventually went on to another firm, which had a lot of bigger national clients. I spent about four years there, and then two years at a third company before starting my own company. So I've started Mechi Media 10 years ago. It's interesting. There were a couple twists and turns that happened in my life. This is kind of the heart of, you know, when you talk about being unstoppable, I had a couple, you know, moments where the universe really kicked me down, and one of those was being told that I have a growth in my ovary, and there's only a 10% chance it's benign. I went in for an annual exam, and out of nowhere, was told to go see an oncologist. Like I really did not even expect that. I would just work. I was working 80 hours a week back then. I dedicated my life to my job, which really is unhealthy, as we all know in today's world. But you know, back then, I just thought that was what I was, you know, set out to do, and that's what was meant for me. And so, so I was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. It was now 12 years ago, and it changed my life forever. You know, I ovarian cancer-they call it the silent killer. It's most people do not survive ovarian cancer. If you get diagnosed with it, it's usually too late. So I was very lucky that I, you know, had immediate surgery. Woke up from the surgery. I really thought it was going to be benign, but my husband told me it was a seven-hour surgery. It was only supposed to be four hours. I had a full hysterectomy, and it was cancer. And I thought, oh my god, like my life is over. I was shocked, but one week later, found out through the results of the pathology test that every every biopsy that was taken was clear in 39 spots in my abdomen. And my oncologist said, "Michelle, someone's watching over you. You're only stage one, which I rarely ever get to anyone with ovarian cancer, so it was really like a moment in my life where I thought, okay, like now I need to do something bigger because why did this happen to me? Why am I so lucky? You know, and you know, it still was a very tough recovery, but I decided to move. On to another agency, hoping to have a little more of a family-friendly atmosphere, a little less demanding of a schedule. But you know, the the PR is PR. It's a very demanding career, and it still was very hard on me. And after a year and a half to two years there, suddenly lost my job. The agency lost some business. They made changes, and I found myself home that day. Looked at my husband and said, "Oh my God! Like I, I don't know what I'm going to do now. I, I cannot believe that happened to me. And you know, Michael, I was a very, very hardworking perfectionist. Like I never thought that would happen, even though it happens to people every day. Yeah, I was that was all it took. That that was almost worse for me than being told I have cancer. I was lost, and in that moment, my husband looked at me and said, "You're going to start a business. We're going to be fine. And I said, "Okay, second time in my life, I'm like, are you crazy? I can't start a business. Like I don't know how to do this. I don't have an MBA, you know. I'm a journalist, and he's like, I believe in you. I know you can do it. You know everyone. You know everything about PR. You have a ton of contacts. He's like, all you need is three clients, and and you'll be great. You know. By the way,

Michael Hingson 36:18

what kind of work did he do, and does he do

Michelle Mekky 36:20

sales? He's in sales and technology sales, but you know he's been doing that forever. But he he

Speaker 4 36:27

knows

Michelle Mekky 36:28

he believed in me, like he knew he knew that I could sell, and before I knew, you know. So, so anyway, I put one foot in front of the other. I cried for seven days, and then I finally wiped my tears, and I went to see a family friend, who and this is one story I love to tell because she was so integral in my life, is she said, "What is it, Michelle? Like, what's holding you back? Like, why can't you just believe? I said, "I don't know. I'm afraid to fail. And she said, "You know, what's it going to take? Do you need money? Is it money? I said, "I think you need money to start a company, don't you? So she took out her checkbook and she wrote me a check for $10,000. She handed it to me and said, "It's a loan, no terms on repayment. Go start your company. So that was the beginning of Mecky Media, and I love to tell that story because that was 10 years ago now. And people who think they can't start a business like or look at me and think, "Oh my God, she's so successful. That's how it started. You know, it started with me being really terrified to do it. Well, fast forward. You know, here we are now. After five years, it became a seven-figure business. I have 10 full-time people on my team. We have clients across the country and the and some even internationally, and I am so proud that I did it. And I've worked, of course, extremely hard, but I'm really proud of how it's grown and what I've built. It's it's my probably been my you know aside from having children, my greatest achievement in my life.

Michael Hingson 38:00

Wow, why do you think that you have been so successful with it for 10 years?

Michelle Mekky 38:05

You know, I think there's a lot of reasons. I think number one, I'm just built to work really hard. I learned that from my father, who was an electrician, an immigrant, as I said, and I watched him just work all the time, and it became inherent in me because, and he struggled a lot. He didn't like his job, and I said to myself, "I need to do whatever it takes so I have a happy life and I like what I do, you know. And so for me, I that became working a lot and and learning how to do what I do, and so I think to be an entrepreneur, it takes a lot of grit. It takes a lot of, you know, sleepless nights in the beginning, especially. And you know, I was willing to just do whatever it took at that time. But then I think I realized quickly I'm not the type that wants to be alone. Like I don't want to do this by myself. Like I loved working with a team when I was in agency life. I loved the relationships I built, the friendships, and I was missing that. And so I started to hire, but with a a lot of intention for building a good culture because that's what I think was really missing in a lot of my years of my working years was feeling the culture and the team really being unified towards a common mission or value or values, and so I I became kind of obsessive about that. And if you ask anyone who works for me, like culture is number one for me, and I spend a lot of time on you know really making sure the team is happy. We have wellness initiatives. We have retreats. So that's from a culture perspective. And then the work perspective is that I really built it based on all of my years in the industry in news, understanding what takes news, what you know, what stories make news. And how to get them to come to life, right? And so we built a strategy that works. And I'm, you know, it's it's it's really understanding how to have a great team and the right people around you, and then knowing how to get the work done. And so I think the combination of us just continually, you know, putting great stories out there and landing great media coverage in an in a in an environment that's actually very competitive. I will say that there's amazing PR people all over the place, sure, and agencies, and so it's a it's a competitive field. It is not easy, but that's why we're constantly trying to just innovate, but also just do our jobs the best we can and continue to grow from there. One

Michael Hingson 40:42

of the things that that I find is that it's amazing how much we learn as we go through life, and only when we listen to our inner voices as we learn, and and and our our inner cells are trying to communicate with us what to do. If we learn how to listen to that, it makes us a whole lot more successful because there's so much that we learn that we observe. I I know that I've learned a lot about companies, startups, and and how to deal with that, how to deal with culture and so on. Just because I've been involved in various aspects of of different kinds of companies, and I never thought about the fact of how much I learned until suddenly I'm put in a position one way or another where I have to actually put some of those skills to practice. But I've also learned how to listen to what my inner self is saying, and I think that's so important because we already know answers to things if we work at it.

Michelle Mekky 41:40

That's that's such a great point. I I feel like I took a little bit from every thoughts I've had to build what I've built. You know, things that I liked, things that I wanted to do differently. You know, every company kind of teaches you along the way until you get your own moments. You know, to create your business or your mission, as far as listening to your inner voice, that that is not an easy thing for everyone to do. It definitely was hard for me. I would say because I I have a lot of self doubt, especially in those earlier years. So I started working actually with an intuitive coach who teaches people how to tap into their own intuition and your own gut. You know how they say go with your gut all the time. Yeah. Well, because we do have the answers. You know, if you quiet, if can quiet your mind a little bit, you know what to do. And it's been fun for me to to grow a business, not knowing like what's coming next, but really kind of going inward and thinking, okay, Michelle, like, what's your instinct about this? And can you trust that you're making the right decisions? And you know, what's going to happen if you don't? It's not the end of the world. Everybody makes mistakes. I still make mistakes, right? We're human, but it's about really tapping into hearing, okay, what feels good, and that's what I've learned through the work I've done, and it's helped me. It's really helped me in finding success today.

Michael Hingson 43:05

Well, and the the reality is that the more that you work at listening to what's going on inside of you, and the more you practice it, the easier it becomes. But it is a process, and you have to do

Michelle Mekky 43:18

it. Yeah, you're going to be

Michael Hingson 43:19

successful.

Michelle Mekky 43:20

It's so true, and I don't think I realized when I started a company. It was sort of, kind of, I felt like I didn't have a choice in the moment. But as I've continued, you you're hit with you know 1000s of decisions to make on a daily basis, and everyone's looking up to you to make them, and you can't waver. You know, you need to be the leader of the ship. You know, so it's it's the pressure is on when you're in leadership, and I think it's it's been a great practice to really be able to tap into my own instincts and intuition to get to get through it, and and also you know having a good team around you of people you can bounce ideas off of, people you trust, people that you know are in your inner circle. That's been a huge part of our growth as well.

Michael Hingson 44:11

Well, and the other aspect of it is, it's not a bad thing to be confident as as long as you're you're doing it for the right reasons. You're not doing it to show your own ego or anything like that, but rather you're trying to do it to help everyone be successful and you to be successful. And it's all about attitude. But when when you develop that attitude and you use all the things that you've learned and your inner voice is telling you what to do, it's it's a wonderful world.

Michelle Mekky 44:41

It it is it really is, and I will always have to remind myself, even today, like okay, like stop and be grateful for a minute. You know, I know you're always going to work, and what's next? What's next, right? Or we calculate in our head all the time. Okay, what else should I be doing? What else am I missing? What else am I not? Today, what's the to-do list? But we really need to take a moment and be like, "No, okay, we're alive. We have great things around us, you know, and everybody, you know, wants different things. But to take note of what you're grateful for has also made a huge impact in my life.

Michael Hingson 45:16

Yeah, and as it should, because it's not really about you. It's about the process, and it's about what you've learned that you, for the right reasons, put into practice.

Michelle Mekky 45:28

Right. Exactly. Exactly. And I can't tell you how good it feels to when I know that I've you know made an impact on a team member in a positive way, or you know they thank me for something that happened in their lives that I'm responsible for, or you know I'm able to provide amazing benefits and and take care of people in that way. It's been so rewarding, and a lot of people you know who aren't in my field, you know especially some of my media friends look at me and they're like, "Oh my God, you're so good to your people! Like that, you spoil them. You spoil them, you know. And I think, my God, it's not spoiling. It's it's about valuing, you know, who works for you. And sure, have I been told sometimes I'm too nice? Sometimes, but you know, I feel like the risks I've taken to invest in the team who are now with me almost the whole time I've had the business means a lot, you know. And I was just looking at a presentation today about generations, and I think they said like millennials stay an average of three years typically in companies. You know, I have millennials who've now been with me for almost seven years, right? And I've only had the business 10 years, so I do feel really, you know, responsible to them. And but I also feel like the the investment I've made in the in the people has really continued to pay off.

Michael Hingson 46:56

One of the lessons I've learned over many years is something I learned from working with all of my guide dogs, which

Michelle Mekky 47:04

is

Michael Hingson 47:05

we tend to be worried about everything in the world, and and with everything that goes on in the world, we've also learned not to trust because everybody clearly must have their own hidden agenda. So I can't trust anyone, yet dogs do really fine. I think dogs love unconditionally, but I don't think that they trust unconditionally. But I think that the difference between dogs and people, by and large, is that dogs are open to trust, and when you develop that trusting relationship, and for like me with a guide dog, it is a two-way street. We both have to learn to trust each other. We each have a job to do on the team. The dog's job is to make sure that we walk safely. It's my job to know where to go and how to get there. And also, the the in a sense almost scary and awesome part of it is the dog is looking to me to set the rules and to to establish the relationship. And so, when that relationship works that way. It works. It it it really is something that is a sight to behold. Yeah, because everybody works together, and and the team is great.

Michelle Mekky 48:10

I I love that. Actually, trust is one of our core values at the company. It's all. It's been a core value since day one, because I also feel that that's the only way that a client relationship is going to go well is if we trust each other, and also as a manager and an owner, I need to trust my team. And the minute there's that lack of trust, and you feel like you have to micromanage, and you feel I have to check what they're doing and doubting, you know, that's when it's not going to work out. Yeah. So, and they need to trust me. They need to trust that I'll be there for them, that I have their back, and you know, and take care of them. So, I agree with you. It's it's key to a relationship, and not always naturally there, you know. But I can only imagine what that's like for you with your guide dog. I mean, that's essential.

Michael Hingson 49:02

Well, it is. I think some people do a better job of learning to trust and and honor the teaming relationship than others. But I know for me, it's one of the things that I've learned, and it's has helped me in building human human teams as well. Yeah. So it's all about trust and so on. Well, for you, for you, how did you turn a boutique agency into a competitive advantage?

Michelle Mekky 49:30

Yeah, I mean, I mentioned that PR is so competitive, and you know, there's so many options for businesses to to find agencies, but I feel that given that we're small still, we can really be nimble. And and what I mean by that is, you know, we can change, we can shift with the needs of the clients. I don't have you know a huge board or 100. People to answer to, you know, and layers upon layers, you know, the from intern all the way to, you know, vice president. Like everyone is involved and gets a chance to think of ideas and move the needle. And so, I think it it's helped us stay competitive, where we can, you know, move with the client's needs. If, for example, during the pandemic, you know, a lot of agencies really struggled, and we actually grew during the pandemic. And I think it was because we didn't really lose business; it was just shifting focus. You know, like maybe help us write some crisis statements that we need to put on our website to encourage safety, or help us, you know, speak to our customers about why we have to cancel the gala and what we're doing to continue fundraising online, and or or come up with a creative way to, you know, continue the fundraiser, but not in person. You know, there's just a lot of different ways we had to move and switch. And I said to everyone, don't tell a client it's not in scope. You know, like we we need to figure out how to find the answer for them and and get the work done. And so I think that's been a competitive advantage. And and if you pay attention to any of you know the big news in our industry right now, there's a lot of the big agencies that are struggling that have gone through acquisitions, that have merged, and a lot of people have lost their jobs. And so, I think being a smaller firm has been helping us right now. In that, you know, again, we can move with the times and be able to address, you know, the needs of clients in a in a much more impact, you know, quick and impactful way.

Michael Hingson 51:40

Do you think that you could, as an agency, grow and become much larger and still keep the same kinds of attitudes and processes that you have?

Michelle Mekky 51:51

Well, that's a great question. I don't know that I have the exact answer. That would be hard. That would be hard. But I will say, I do feel that if you have the right operating procedures and and ability, you know, people in place to manage that, I think you you could. It the the the issue becomes, you know, obviously the the cost of doing the work, right? But I think for me, the values, the you know, the dedication to the culture is really, really inherent in everyone that works for me. And I think, you know, maybe doubling in size would work, but I don't know if we can get much bigger because I feel like that's when things get really difficult to manage, you know, and

Michael Hingson 52:43

and maybe there's a lesson there that too many companies have have yeah done that, and that's a problem.

Michelle Mekky 52:49

I I know, and I you know people want human beings and and connection. I think it gets harder. I've always been amazed at at people I know who have grown their businesses that large, and and I I'm in awe, honestly. But as a small business owner, you know I I love what I do. I love the people that I've attracted to the business and the clients. And we definitely want to keep growing. We're we're on a growth, you know, trajectory. But I I think about those things, Michael. Like how big do I really want to get, and how what will change if we grow as far as our culture? Because I do see that that would be very hard.

Michael Hingson 53:29

So the trick is to really monitor that growth, and

Michelle Mekky 53:32

yeah,

Michael Hingson 53:33

and don't don't let it affect or or make sure that the growth that you you do decide to undertake doesn't change the the whole direction or process of the way the company works, and I'm sure that you can do that.

Michelle Mekky 53:48

Yeah, I mean, why not? Right? Look at all I've done so far. But I think I think you know one change I've made in the last year, which was really significant for me, is that I pulled out of being on all the day-to-day phone phone calls with the clients and meetings, and really trusted the team to to manage that and move things forward, so I could focus on growth and culture and be the visionary that I want to be. And that was a huge adjustment for me as someone who has been involved in every aspect of her business, you know, from day one, it was like I finally decided this is the only way we're going to continue to grow, and also that I can grow the people that work for me to elevate them as well to the next level. And those kinds of changes are scary, but they've worked. So I'm very proud of how the team's performing, the leadership has really continued to grow, and it took me having, you know, a little bit of courage to let go the reins a little bit, but but also trust that with the right direction and oversight, like the the right things are happening at the business,

Michael Hingson 54:56

and they will bring you in when they need you. That's. Yeah, they will. I'm

Michelle Mekky 55:01

always reachable.

Michael Hingson 55:02

Yeah, never part of dark trust. Yeah,

Michelle Mekky 55:04

yeah. I never go dark, so they know where to find me. So the other

Michael Hingson 55:07

thing that you did that I think is really clever is rather than just making it part of the same company, you also launched Elevated by Mickey Media.

Michelle Mekky 55:14

Yes,

Michael Hingson 55:14

as a separate company, which I think is is kind of fascinating. Tell us about that a little bit.

Michelle Mekky 55:19

Yeah, so you know, I've always had media training under the Mecky Media umbrella, but I felt that most people didn't understand that they could just come to us and hire us for media training or public speaking coaching or executive presence building. And I am really proud of our training, it's myself and I call him my work husband, David Vigiano, who is a former reporter for Fox and actor. And the two of us together, I was the you know I was the producer, he was the reporter. We've built an incredible training process and program, and so I decided to I had actually a contest at the company to name it, and Elevated was the name of the company that won Elevated by Mecky Media because it really speaks to what we're trying to do. You know, we're trying to elevate people to get to the next level, to be able to speak more confidently, as we talked about earlier, to be comfortable doing media interviews, and even help with executive presence. You know, do you want to be more of a force on LinkedIn? Do you want to understand how to be better at your social media videos? So that's really what Elevated is all about. And we've started even training individuals who, you know, a nonprofit head that has to do a big speech at a gala coming up and fundraise and just wants to really be crisp in how she speaks to you know the the storytelling aspect of the nonprofit and and be effective. And so those are the kinds of things Elevated does. I'm I'm really excited about it,

Michael Hingson 56:55

which really does sound exciting. That's that's pretty cool. Do you so do you you have clients all all over the the country. We're elevated by Miki Media.

Michelle Mekky 57:04

Yeah, we can take anyone across the country. We do it virtually. I was going

Michael Hingson 57:08

to say virtual really helps you.

Michelle Mekky 57:10

Yes, we do it virtually. We can travel to you, and so and and again, we can really you know train and we in any type of format because we we cater it to the person, so it's not like a template that we just throw in. It's it's really very unique to what that individual needs. And I love teaching. I've always wanted to be a teacher. I never got to be a teacher, so this is my moment. I'm there. You

Michael Hingson 57:33

go.

Michelle Mekky 57:33

I'm stepping up and and and helping teach something that again I'm super passionate about, and and I know that almost everyone could use.

Michael Hingson 57:43

What excites you most about the futures of storytelling and communications?

Michelle Mekky 57:49

You know, I would say a couple of things. I mean, the fact that there's so many different formats for us to tell stories in now, the explosion of social media, digital media, podcasting, blogging, social media, television streams-you know, there's so many different aspects to what we do now that it's gone way beyond just the traditional, you know, print and and TV segments that we all know of, and magazines. I mean, everything is online, and so I think for what we do that gives us a lot of opportunity and I think it's going to continue to evolve. The other thing is AI, so we can't ignore AI. Oh, it's going to be absolutely incredible what we can do with AI now when it comes to communications, right? And so it's just a matter of not being afraid of it and learning how to dive in and use it. So we actually have worked with a specialist who has helped us build our own enterprise, you know, learning language model. Basically, I call it the Mecki GPT, which knows our clients, has all of our style, our values, our writing samples, and can work. You know, we can work with it to help us do our job. Now, it never replaces exact writing, as we all know, but it it can really help save time with a lot of the research, a lot of the audits. I have a tool that even measures now how you're performing in AI because people find me and they say I found you on ChatGPT and I think yes that means I'm doing something right right so you need to be found on ChatGPT people need to know you're there and the only way they know you're there is if you're really active in social media in content and in in PR in the media so I think that's an ever-changing landscape now that we're still trying to, you know, continue to grab our hands around. But it's it's making an impact for sure,

Michael Hingson 59:50

right? What advice do you give to professionals who want to find their voice but are just hesitant to speak up? Of course, we talked about fear a while ago. Yeah,

Michelle Mekky 1:00:00

you know it's more than fear. I think you know it's it's it's belief. So believing that you are worthy of telling your story. Number one, number two, like what you said, Michael. Everyone has a story to tell. It's so much fun to dive in and get to know people and hear their stories because we all are changed by them, we're inspired in different ways, and so I believe everyone has a story. And you know, if you have a business and you are hiding behind it, you know that's a mistake. Like every business has a human aspect to it, and the public wants to hear the about the person behind the business, you know, it's not just about the service. It's about who started it. What's your story? Why did you do it? And you know, what what do we need to know about you? And and then being able to to come up with what what angles can you talk about? It isn't just about your business. Maybe it's about something that's you've overcome. Like I shared with you, my cancer story, my job loss story. We're we're we're all more connected than we think we are, right? We all have a lot of battles that we've faced, and when you have courage to share them, I feel like making a difference is really, you know, what in the end will carry you even farther, and so whether it's to grow your business or to become a speaker or just to you know be more known, everyone has a different goal, and we love what we do because we get to learn about so many different stories and and make an impact every day in people's lives through our storytelling. It's amazing.

Michael Hingson 1:01:40

Have you written any books yet?

Michelle Mekky 1:01:43

Funny you ask that. No, I haven't. I've thought about it many times. I've only written a chapter here, a chapter there, but not my own. I haven't found the time yet, but I I would like to. I have I have a lot of things I'd love to to share.

Michael Hingson 1:01:56

I think there would be fantastic stories in it if we do that.

Michelle Mekky 1:02:00

Thank you. I haven't even told you all of them yet, Michael. But you know, we can go here for hours if I do. Yeah, I

Michael Hingson 1:02:06

know. Well, we'll have to do another episode to do that. Yeah,

Michelle Mekky 1:02:08

that would be awesome.

Michael Hingson 1:02:09

Well, if people want to reach out to you, how do they do that?

Michelle Mekky 1:02:13

They can find me all over social media. I'm on every channel at Michelle Mekky or MekyMedia.com, our website.

Michael Hingson 1:02:21

Mekk is M E K K

Michelle Mekky 1:02:23

Y media.com. Yes,

Michael Hingson 1:02:25

there you go.

Michelle Mekky 1:02:26

Would love to hear from anybody.

Michael Hingson 1:02:28

There you are. I hope people will reach out, and I am glad that we did this. And I'm very serious. We need to do another

Michelle Mekky 1:02:34

one. Oh, thank you so much, Michael. Anytime.

Michael Hingson 1:02:37

We will plot about that. But I want to thank you for being here, and I want to thank all of you for listening and being a part of this with us today, if you'd like to, and I would appreciate it if you would, I'd love to hear from you as well. Feel free to email me at speaker at michael Hingson m i c h a e l h i n g s o n.com. Love to hear from you wherever you're finding our podcast. Please give us a five star rating. But even more important than that, please give us a great review. We love reviews. People who are interested in listening or watching podcasts also love to see reviews that say that so and so is really good, and we want you to say that about us. We would appreciate it a lot. So, if if any of you also know of anyone who ought to be a guest, and Michelle, including you, if you know anyone else who ought to be a guest on Unstoppable Mindset, we'd love it if you'd introduce us. We appreciate that and would would love to make more friends and hear more stories. And would love to. Well, thank you once again. This has been fun, and I'm glad we were able to do it. And thanks for being here.

Michelle Mekky 1:03:40

Thank you so much. It was great speaking to you today.

Michael Hingson 1:03:45

Thank you for being here with me on Unstoppable Mindset. I hope today's conversation left you with a fresh perspective, a new insight, or at least something worth thinking about. If you're ready to go deeper into the ideas that shape how we see ourselves and others. I have a free gift for you. Head over to michaelhingson.com and download my free ebook, Blinded by Fear. It explores the invisible beliefs that hold us back and shows you how to reframe them so you can move forward with clarity and confidence. Be sure to subscribe to our podcast, leave a review, and share this show with someone who can use a reminder that growth starts with mindset. When people think differently, we all move forward together. Thanks again for listening. Keep learning, keep questioning, and keep choosing to live with an unstoppable mindset.

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