What if resilience isn’t about pushing through, but about coming home to yourself?

In this powerful and practical conversation, Melie is joined by Monica Bodurka, founder of the Leadership Wellness Group, who blends neuroscience, yoga therapy, and lived wisdom to help people reignite the flame of resilience—especially in life’s dumpster fire moments. Whether you’re rebuilding after divorce, burnout, or just trying to stop spiraling at 2 a.m., this episode offers a new way forward.

What happens when the faith you’ve built your life on starts to crack? When the prayers go unanswered, the pain doesn’t lift, and certainty gives way to silence?

What do you do when life doesn’t look anything like you hoped? In this deeply honest and hope-filled episode, Melie sits down with author, minister, and coffee entrepreneur Nathan Westwick to talk about navigating disappointment, waiting on God, and finding peace in seasons that feel painfully uncertain.

“We weren’t meant to heal without scars—because scars mean we survived.”
In this powerful and deeply moving episode, I sit down with Sylvia Moore Myers—author, speaker, business consultant, and founder of Goldscars LLC—to talk about healing, resilience, and what it means to mend with gold after devastating loss.

We’re back with Part 2 of Unfiltered: Men on Love, Faith & Dating, and my guest today is someone you might remember—Kevin Livermore. In his last appearance, we talked about living as your true self. Today, we're taking that conversation a step further by diving into what it means to show up authentically in the world of modern dating.

What actually is going on in the world of modern dating? This week, I sat down with John Peregrin for a candid conversation about dating apps, mixed signals, and why finding real connection feels harder than ever.

We need to talk about something that gets wildly misunderstood in the world of healing, growth, and starting over: resilience.

In this solo episode of Diamonds in Dumpster Fires, Melie pulls back the curtain on what real resilience actually looks like—and spoiler alert, it’s not the flawless woman with a coffee mug that says still rising. It’s the kind of strength that shows up messy. It's crying on your living room floor one night and leading worship the next. It's not a personality trait you either have or don’t. It's a practice. One you can choose. One you can build.

In this episode of Diamonds in Dumpster Fires, I’m joined by the insightful Danielle Sangalli—licensed marriage and family therapist, relationship coach, and the brilliant mind behind the term single-spousing. If you’ve ever felt like you’re doing all the emotional heavy lifting in your relationship while your partner feels miles away (even if they’re sitting right next to you), this conversation is for you.

If you’ve ever wondered how neurological conditions like ADHD or autism affect how we handle stress, relationships, or life transitions like divorce — this episode is for you. I’m joined by Dr. Robert Melillo, a leading expert in brain development and functional neurology, for a fascinating, deeply practical conversation about what’s really going on beneath the surface during moments of emotional overwhelm.

What if the money stories you’ve been told—especially in the church—are actually holding you back from stepping into the life God has for you?

In this powerhouse episode of Diamonds in Dumpster Fires, Melie sits down with Christian entrepreneur, speaker, and best-selling author Janine Mix, who went from living in a cockroach-filled apartment and $120,000 in debt… to building a multimillion-dollar life by 33.

We’ve all heard the phrase “just bounce back,” like we’re rubber balls instead of actual human beings with hearts, brains, and tear-stained sweatshirts. But real resilience? It doesn’t look like a movie montage or a perfectly curated Instagram comeback story. It looks like crying on your living room floor, knitting through the quiet, whispering prayers you’re not even sure God can hear… and showing up again anyway.

What if joy isn’t about feeling good all the time? In this episode, Melie sits down with Charlie Engelmann—educator, speaker, and PhD candidate studying joy—to unpack what joy really is, how it’s different from happiness, and why adversity is actually essential for building a joyful life.

In this honest and heartfelt episode, Melie gets real about what it looks like to rebuild a life after heartbreak. She opens up about the unexpected path her life has taken post-divorce—wrestling with rejection, untangling old expectations, and learning to heal from the inside out.

In this episode of Diamonds in Dumpster Fires, Melie gets real about what it means to wear your heart on your sleeve—and why that’s not a weakness, it’s a superpower. From Shakespeare to C.S. Lewis to the Psalms of David, she unpacks the beauty (and the occasional chaos) of being emotionally open.

Have you ever felt like you're screaming into the void—on social media, in a room full of people, or even in your own home? Like no one really sees you?

In this powerful episode, Melie gets real about something deeply personal: the ache of feeling invisible. Whether it's navigating Instagram algorithms, dating apps, or church gatherings, the sting of being unseen is real—and you're not alone.

Together, we explore the concept of the false self vs. the true self, how societal pressures push us into living inauthentically, and how we can break free from external validation to embrace our God-given identity. If you’ve ever found yourself striving for worth through achievement, approval, or possessions—this episode is for you.

Do you ever feel guilty for doing something just for fun? In today’s episode, we’re talking about the importance of creativity for the sake of creativity—and why self-expression is essential, not a waste of time.

Life after a major transition—like divorce—can feel like standing in the rubble, wondering what’s next. In this episode, I sit down with Chris Meston, a Transformation Life Purpose Coach, who knows firsthand what it takes to rebuild with intention. Chris shares his personal journey of self-discovery and how he turned a difficult chapter into an opportunity for growth.

Welcome back to Diamonds in Dumpster Fires! In this special (and slightly spooky) 13th episode, we’re tackling a topic you might not expect on a faith-based podcast—superstitions, luck, and how they intersect with faith and resilience.

Life throws curveballs, but resilience is the key to bouncing back stronger. In this episode of Diamonds in Dumpster Fires, we dive into The Resilience Blueprint—a practical, faith-based guide to developing resilience when life gets messy.