Show notes
“Whatever we want to do, let’s just do it now because we are not guaranteed tomorrow.”Melissa Pierce was widowed overnight at 44 when her husband Dave didn’t wake up on a cold Saturday morning in 2011. As a solo parent to their two sons, she knew she had to take care of herself first so she could care for her kids, so she began the work of processing her deep grief and practicing radical self-care to move forward.Melissa has rebuilt her life and established a deeper knowledge of herself. She is a testament to trusting her gut and standing behind her choices. Melissa’s purpose is living a joyful life, inspiring and influencing others.Join us in part one of this interview as Melissa shares her inspiring life story and talks about her coping mechanisms in dealing with grief.[00:01 – 06:59] Opening SegmentI introduce the guest, Melissa Pierce.Melissa shares about her life growing upShe grew up in a suburb near Portland, Oregon.She was raised in a catholic environment.She was in love with theater and musical art.Melissa talks about how the theater and art community helped her to move through her tough times.She talks about her late father and the experience of being with him in his last days.[07:00 – 15:39] The Social Pressure Melissa talks about her college life and community.She went to college for a year.She did not have her support and turned to parties as an escape.She left college and went back home to start another career path.Melissa shares about her parents’ reaction to her leaving college at that time.Melissa talks about her coping mechanism for dealing with her husband’s death.She tried and did different things.She ended up taking a year-long certification job in a legal fieldShe becomes a legal secretary and paralegal.The social pressure on youth to decide for their lives in such an early and short period of time.Just do explore and do the things you like in your youth.The traits are essential; we need to push the traits and teach these kids skills to thrive independently.[15:40 – 20:44] Finding The One When You Are Not Looking Melissa talks about her career life in the legal fieldShe worked as a legal secretary while going to school at night to get her legal certification.Melissa shares the story of how she met Dave until they got married.Pay attention to how they treat others, it shows how they are going to treat you in the future.Finding the one when you are not looking for someone and taking a break.[20:45 – 26:36] The Coping Mechanism to Deal with Grief and LossMelissa talks about her relationship with her husband.She and her husband adopted her two sons after a few years of marriage.She shares the traumatic story of finding her husband passed away on a cold Saturday morning.Whatever we want to do, let’s just do it now because we are not guaranteed tomorrow.Melissa talks about how she and her sons cope with her husbands’ death.Tweetable Quotes:“The traits are important; we need to push the traits and teach these kids skills so they can go out and thrive on their own.” - Melissa Pierce.“Pay attention to how they treat others; it shows how they are going to treat you in the future.” - Melissa Pierce.“Whatever we want to do, let’s just do it now, because we are not guaranteed tomorrow.” - Melissa Pierce.Find out more and connect with Melissa on Facebook and Instagram. You can also visit her website at www.filledwithgold.org. Surviving to Thriving is brought to you by Knight Protection Services. A veteran-owned and operated company, Knight Protection Services employs a diverse group of former law enforcement officers and military veterans of the highest integrity, with extensive experience in risk assessment and crime prevention. Find out more by visiting https://knightprotectionllc.com/.For More Information About Surviving To Thriving: http://tothriving.org/