Hi there! I am Melissa Chwalinski-Gordon. 

I am a social justice and community advocate, educator, speaker, author, mentor and coach. 

I created this organization, the tools in our resource store, in person/digital classes, and coaching plans to help my family and I with our own challenging adulting journey. I am excited about the opportunity to share all that wisdom with you and am committed to walking with you and your family to help you more easily overcome and maybe even avoid many of life's obstacles. 

I am dedicated to coming alongside, educating, cultivating and illuminating marginalized excellence. 

As I began to even ponder stepping out and attempting to undertake some of the ventures found on the about page a part of me shuddered in fear and overwhelm. Afterall, who was I, little ole me, to take on such a massive and far reaching problem area in society today. Then I remembered three things. First, more than twenty years ago I was digging in a bargain book bin at a mall. This was odd because I was not a reader back then. Far from it. However, I opened this book and on a page I saw this statement modeled after a quote by Howard Thurman. The book read "Don't ask yourself what the world needs. Ask yourself what you are passionate about. Because the world needs people that are passionate about something." I did not know at that moment but that was a divine nod at where my life would end up. It took a long time but I finally realized that what we are called to do is what sets us a blaze inside. The work that doesn't feel like work and that we can't keep from doing even if we tried is what we are purposed for. The quicker we can align ourselves with that passion as a vocation, the better off we and everyone we will impact are. 

The second thing I remembered was something I heard or read many years later in some self help book or testimony most likely. We should be the change we want to see in this world. That sounds ridiculous if the change you want to see is because you have been harmed or depleted by a lack of something being present in your life. I would have thought it impossible to not only overcome a void but actively practice the very thing I wanted in my life and that I thought others should or would be doing for or around me. I chose to give it a try about fifteen years ago. It took a solid year and a half for the benefits to manifest inside me but when it did it was a life and mindset altering experience. 

The third thing that came to mind was 2 Timothy 1:7. I'm going to share the verse from the Amplified Bible so you understand the power behind what is written. For God did not give us a spirit of timidity or cowardice or fear, but [He has given us a spirit] of power and of love and of sound judgement and personal discipline [abilities that result in a calm, well-balanced mind and self-control]. On that note, I really have no excuses. 

I have come to a place where literally all my life experiences have positioned and equipped me to step out in faith and serve, passionately, as I feel purposed to.  The gist of it is I know many of us don't live the level and quality of life that we have availible to us. There are many reasons for that few of which really matter. What actually matters is what WE will do about it. My passion is helping anyone willing to do the work to get from where they are to where they dream of going. I do this through teaching them to intentionally execute their lives in seven foundational areas: Spiritually, Physically, Mentally, Emotionally, Relationally, Financially and Vocationally. It doesn't matter what age group, background or circumstance, the whole person has to be educated, healed and elevated or we will not reach our true capacity. Cars will go with a flat tire, but not nearly as well. Because no two people are alike it is nearly impossible to truly serve someone through a broad smattering of content thrown at them.  Although I see a lot of influencers promising that if you buy their cookie cutter system your life will be perfect, you will be thin and you will be rich. That really only works if you are the type of person that responds to their method. Time and time again money is wasted attempting to cover a ravine with a Band-Aid. To really learn in a way that allows us to become an evolved person we need to be mentored, come alongside and shown, in practice through trials and failures, and according to specific scenarios, how to do and handle life's tasks and challenges. Every single one of the programs we offer do exactly that. We work in smaller groups to enable a more intimate and personalized experience. We do our best to create a healthy, functional, interdependent community among our learners to empower them to lead others in how to be the same.