Melody Alisa on The Freedom to Pivot

Hey y'all, do you have a YouTube crush? I do. I have a few actually. There are people I watch because they're geeky. There are people I watch because they're teaching me the word. There are people I watch because they're showing me how to clean up my kitchen. Listen, I have my people and every now and again I nervously ask one of my people if they'll join me on YouTube for an interview. So I asked one of the young women I follow because I think she's doing such an amazing job, not only talking about her faith in Jesus, but also y'all, and just showing us how to live, how to take care of our temples, how to have a quiet time, how to have great habits. And I reached out with sweaty palms and was like, oh my gosh, is she going to think I'm crazy for reaching out? She didn't. She joined me. Her name is Melody Alicia. I'm officially her friend now, so I'm calling her Mel. And I'm inviting you to join us in our conversation today. All right, y'all, here we go. Y'all, welcome back to another episode of the Sister Circle Podcast. And y'all know how this goes. Sometimes you just get me by myself saying whatever is top of mind or what I feel led or called to share, or sometimes it's just a little foolery. I'm okay with that. I hope you're okay with that. But sometimes I invite a sister or a brother into the circle so that we can learn from each other. I truly believe we are better together. And today I'm inviting a sister to join me in the circle. So I would like for you to welcome with me Ms. Melody Elisa. Thanks for joining me.

Thank you so much for having me.

So I want y'all to know that sometimes people just think that, I don't know, I think in this world we think that things are easier for us than they are for other people. Y'all, I want you to know that I am on YouTube getting fed algorithm stuff just like you are. And I stumbled upon some of Melody's videos and I was like, I really like her. And then I was like, I wonder if, like biting fingernails, I can get her on my podcast because she's such a major YouTube influencer. So I'm like poking around, going on her website, looking at her contact. And I was like, well, let's just reach out and see if she'll join me. You know, I know she's probably too famous for me. That's what I was feeling. So then when she replied and was like, sure, I was like, oh my God, she replied.. And when she got on to the podcast today and we were getting prepared to chat, she was like, she was so honored. I was like, to get an invite from me? What? So y'all, it takes all the things to make the world go round. I am so curious. And when people, I mean, I know Melody Elisa is everywhere, but is it Melody Elisa, like the full two words, or is it Melody when I'm talking to you?

So it's Melody. My middle name is Elisa. And so that's kind of how my YouTube name became Melody Elisa because my last name is Thomas. And I'd be like, you know what I mean? Flow as nicely as Melody Alisa. So we go with that, but please feel free to call me Melody. All my friends call me Mel because Melody, you know, the two syllables, it's kind of tiring after a while. Bam.

Melody is— well, okay, so I'm so curious about this one thing because I, in truth, one of the things that is important to me really, um, I don't want to force relatability, uh,, but it is important to me because of the content that I'm creating to have content that is useful to, um, multiple generations and for different reasons. Um, and I don't know exactly how old you are. My guess is going to be late 20s, early 30s. Am I in the ballpark?

You are. I just turned 33.

Okay. So I'm always thinking, man, you know, if I was 25, 28, 32, 36, some of the things that 50-something-year-old Chrystal are talking about, this would be helpful to me if I was, you know, that age. And so when I saw your channel, I was thinking, oh, this is really cool. Like, well, let me watch her. I'm watching you, right? To learn from you in a multiplicity of ways. One is just your lighting is always fantabulous. You always look cute. It's like, Chrystal, get your act together. I literally pulled out my makeup bag and dusted my face because I was like, Melody's gonna be cute, so don't look like you just woke up, Chrystal Hurst. Um, so I was, I was, I was looking and learning from what you were talking about, but also thinking, what is she talking about and teaching that is attractive generationally to those who are following her? Um, so there was a lot of things that I was able to learn from watching you, but inquiring minds want to know, why are you on YouTube? Why did you start on YouTube? How long have you been there? Why do you continue?

Okay, well, get ready because it's been quite the journey for me to get to the point where I am. I feel like, um, a lot of times people might see a YouTube channel and see specific numbers and they're like, wow, that's amazing, they probably got there in a few years. But I've actually been making content on YouTube since 2016, so coming up on 8 if my 7, 8, 8 years and I haven't taken it and I went full time about actually almost exactly 2 years ago. So it's definitely been a journey to me getting to where I am now. And honestly, it's all God. I originally started my channel 2016. I was sitting on the floor of my studio apartment. I was living in South Korea at the time. I was living in a really small town. Called Yeonju. I was an English teacher, and after a year of being there, I just needed to communicate and share my experience of being Black in Korea, especially being Black in a small town, being a Black woman in a small town. And I had a blog at that time, but I was like, I can't type this. Like, I have to, I have to share this. And I never made a video before. I'd never edited anything before, but I just knew that I needed to share it. So I sat down, I recorded, I had some fun learning how to edit, editing it, uploaded it to my YouTube channel. It wasn't even a channel at that time. I just, you know, uploaded it.

Yeah.

And then from there, the views started coming in, people having questions about my experience over there. Also my friends and family being like, wow, you want to know more? Like, what does your day-to-day life look like? And that is how my channel was born. All of my content at that time focused around being young, abroad, and traveling specifically in Asia. And so that was my content. And then as that chapter of my life closed, I started to feel like, okay, what am I now going to talk about? And I think that has been the really beautiful journey that I can see God's hand in so much. I mean, I definitely can see his hand in all of it, but just the way that my channel has pivoted, because oftentimes it's hard to find success in one space and then pivot and still being able to capture another audience, or pivot again and being able to capture another audience. And so I got back from Korea. I am now living in America. And also something to know is while I was in Korea, that's actually where I met the Lord. Grew up in the church, um, but it really wasn't until I was over there alone going through at the time a breakup that God really drew me to himself. And I started to embark on like a real relationship with God. And so I have this channel focusing on travel, my personal life. I'm really growing in things of the Lord, becoming super passionate about God. I'm back in America. I'm like, what, what am I, what am I doing? Like, what do I want to talk about? I can't, I'm not traveling anymore. That's what people want. And it wasn't until July of 2022— I'm sorry, July of 2020. It's COVID times. My job sent me home. At this point, I live in Atlanta, working in tech, specifically finance. And I have all this free time on my hand because the world is shut down, more or less. And God just keeps placing it on my heart. Be a good steward of the platform I've given you. Be a good steward of the platform I've given you. Because there have been times over that, you know, 2016 to 2020, where I had stopped posting for a year. I sporadically might post a blog, but I really wasn't pouring into that community intentionally at all. Not sure if that's really what I wanted to do, but God kept placing that on my heart. And then around that time in July of 2020, God put it on my heart to share my testimony. And I was like, well, that's a bit much. I don't want to put all that on the internet, Lord. And I kind of sat with it, wrestled with it for a few weeks, and then I sat down on the floor of my now studio apartment in Atlanta and I recorded that video. And that changed the trajectory of my channel and honestly, um, my content and my life in a lot of ways. And people started coming to my channel relating with my testimony, being encouraged by my testimony and wanting to hear more about my walk God, wanting to hear more about the Lord. And it was like God presented this opportunity for me to talk about the one thing that I will never not want to talk about and providing people in my, you know, on my channel that are wanting to hear about it. And so it's just the goodness of God. And from that point, you know, pivoting into making Christian content. And I feel like that has also been a journey in the types of Christian content that I'm making and how I'm communicating and you know, what the Lord is placing on my heart to share. But that is kind of how I got here. And I've always— it's so interesting that you were bringing up that point of relatability. I feel like there have been points in my walk where I've been around different, um, specifically Christian women, honestly, and that's really who I talk to on my channel, where you kind of feel really alone, although you might be with them, because of how they communicate about some of the struggles they've gone through and it kind of seems like they're above the struggle, they're above dealing with certain things. And I've always wanted to come from a place of like, sis, I get it. Like, I am right there with you. I might be able to speak to it because something the Lord recently brought me out of, but you are not alone. And so coming with that kind of tone and communication, that heart, is really something that I make sure to include in all of my videos because you're not alone. Like, we all are going through different things as as glamorous and as nice as my lighting might seem, there's a mess right behind me, you know. And so really being able to share that as well is something that I feel really passionate about, um, and really called to.

It's so good, so good. I, I am curious, I mean, you walking through that and just like you said, the multiple pivots and watching how God, um, I mean, even now you at the top of your channel, you've got your video that you just released where you're talking about God wastes nothing, and it's true, he, he wastes nothing. Um, but often in the middle of the pivots, and when we feel like we're trying to figure out what the heck do we want to do, um, how is God— how has God shown himself to communicate with you about the new thing? So whether that's as major as a pivot, or even if it's as minor as what's the next video about, how do you find that God speaks to you when the direction is shifting or you need to change lanes or you need to make a turn? Um, how have you learned to hear from him in change in your life?

Yeah, it's actually such a timely question because I feel like I'm kind of going through a pivot, not necessarily outwardly, like no content direction is going to be changing, but, um, the heart behind it a little bit is changing. And something that, um, I feel like the Lord does in my life because of who he knows me to be is things stop working. And so things were like being able to go and I could do this and I could— yeah, you know, yes, certain, you know, success, or things work in this way, and, um, it no longer works. And I feel like time and time again I can see that in my life, and it's when things stop working that I'm realizing first and foremost, I kind of got used to the methodology of this thing working and the routine of this thing working versus really being dependent on God and really going to him.

Yeah.

And it keeps me close to him and saying, what do you want for me? This is what I think. This is what seems to have worked in the past. And it's so funny, I just this last week started verse mapping, and the verse I first started with was Proverbs 3:5, do not lean on your own understanding. And I realized that it's such a tricky, small— like, it's a big task to at least on your understanding, but it comes in such subtle ways where it's like, well, that just makes sense. Well, it worked that time, but obviously I should do it this time. And God really showing me like, no, take— submit all of that unto me, whatever you think. The thing that seems so obvious, still submit that unto me. Um, and so for me, that's my experience. Things stop working, and then I kind of am like, oh Lord, Okay, I hear you, I see you. And I think over time, you know, my goal is for things not to stop working and me still being like right there, you know. But for the time being, that's definitely how he has gotten me to pivot. And I've just seen his goodness too in that of like not being, you know, just being so gracious and merciful and patient with me in that time.

Okay, so let me follow up on that question. One of the things that, um is a struggle for me personally. I'm a— you seem like a pretty laid-back person. I don't know if that's true or not, but that's what it feels like talking to you. I am not. I'm a driver and I'm an achiever. And I'm like, if you tell me I can make 100, how do I make the bonus points? I can get 110. And so one of the things that— I mean, you personally just actually spoke to me, but one of the questions that I am asking when things stop working is, Lord, is this a stop sign, or is this a— is this, um, is this you saying stop, or is this, um, something that is, you know, discouragement from the enemy? And I press through. Like, you know, sometimes people will say, if, you know, if you can't get through the door, then find a window. Or did God just lock the door and you just need to sit there and wait? You know what I'm saying? And so knowing And again, I know it depends on the situation, but I think anything that you could share will be helpful. Knowing the difference between this is hard, and sometimes God asks us to do hard things and it doesn't feel like, you know, it's working, but you press through it, versus it's not working, so stop. Yeah. Have you ever had to wrestle with that?

Yeah, absolutely. I feel like the first thing I'm going back to, um, is the why. You know, why am I doing this thing? I know sometimes for myself, if I am desiring to push through and make it happen, I know, okay, what is my why in doing this? Am I trying to do this because, oh, um, there's some pride in it, that it feels good to see specific numbers or specific amount of things, you know, people attached to something? Or is this God originally told me to do this, or he gave me a promise that this is what was going to happen? And I need to persevere through the challenges to get there. So the why is a big part of it and the reason behind like, what am I pushing for? What am I— what is the goal that I'm trying to do? Because I can relate to what you're saying. I personally feel like throughout my life I've struggled with perfectionism, wanting to be like my version of perfect, my version of like I did this, this, this, and this, so I should get this, this, this result. Um, and that can come up in these moments we're trying to, you know, figure out, am I pivoting or is God being like, all right girl, the door is closed, it's, it's time to do something else.

That, that's great. You mentioned, um, just in talking about your process that now, um, you're full-time. Um, I didn't know that before talking to you. So YouTube is your job, is that what I'm hearing you say?

It is my job.

Okay, when you left your last job, uh, in finance, uh, did it feel like this is just the next right step, or was it like, oh my gosh, am I about to leave my job with benefits? Where were you at when you took that step?

You know, I feel like God had really prepared me to get to that point. Um, so I've been working at that job for 3 years when I put in my notice that I was going to be quitting. And for the last year and a half of that 3 years, I actually wanted to leave. I'd been working on my resume, looking for other jobs. It was a very high-stress environment. Um, it was a startup. It now has IPO'd, so no longer really considered a startup. You're wearing so many hats, you're doing so many things, a lot of expectations on you to just kind of like get the work done regardless of how many hours it took you. And so I had been looking for a way out for a year and a half. And so what I didn't know that God knew, because he was shutting all the doors and really just nothing working out when I was applying other places, was that once I got married, 3 months later I was going to get pregnant. And that was never in the cards for what we thought was going to happen. That was never what was our plan per se. To say. But when I did find out I was pregnant and I'm still at this job that I really wanted to leave, I was so grateful because they had such an amazing maternity leave, um, system. And so I got 6 months of paid maternity leave. What a blessing! And had I been able to leave the job when I wanted to leave the job, no way would I have ever gotten that type of maternity leave at a new company being so new. Um, so I just see God's hand in closing— so funny— closing the door. And I was pounding, pounding on these doors and nothing worked out. And so by the time my maternity leave was over, my husband and I had already known once I started my maternity leave, those 6 months, that I wanted to transition out of the job, focus on YouTube, and focus on being home with my baby because I just could not fathom like and can't leave her. Like, no way. Like, she must stay with me. Not a chance. And so for those 6 months, that's when it was like my headspace was like, all right, in 6 months I am going to go back to work and basically tell them that I am resigning. And I had the 6 months to kind of get everything together, figure out what my plan would be, um, you know. And God has been so kind as I have left that job and transitioned into this full-time, the expectations that my husband and I had of like, okay, just we need to just make sure we're getting this each month and we should be fine. If something happens, like, I'll be able to cover it, blah, blah, blah. God has exceeded every expectation that I didn't even know to dream that big. You know, I left at maybe 150, maybe 175,000 subscribers, and it boggles my mind where I think 3 $368,000. And it was never my, you know, it was never even like the goal. But God, I feel like his hand is just on it and it's evident. And I'm grateful for that, to move at his pace. And I always feel so grateful when he gives us those insights into seeing why the door was closed, because you don't always get to know why, right? But I'm like, oh God, you are so good. Thank you for not letting me leave that job. Thank you, Lord. Thank you, because it all has worked out. So beautifully.

So how long ago was that that you left the job?

That was—

or when did you— yeah, I was gonna say when did you leave the job, but you left the job after you had maternity leave. So yeah, I was trying to figure out what to ask.

Oh, so I actually went back. My maternity leave started January of 2021. My daughter was born the end of January. I went back, uh, July— it was July 15th, 2021. It was my first day back, my first meeting with my manager, and I was like, so this is actually going to be my last week. I'm going to put in my notice. And I was so nervous, but she was so kind. She's like, I had a feeling. Go home, stay home with your baby. And so, yeah, I kind of worked one week. Not really, because, you know, when you're leaving, no one's really asking to do anything. And that was it.

That's great. That is great. Okay. So let's talk motherhood and what you're learning in that process. So you have the one, she's 3, 3 and a half. Is that right?

2 and a half.

2 and a half. 2 and a half. Okay. Okay. So this is the busy zone. What is the most, what is the easiest thing in this season for you? And what is the most challenging thing about this season for you?

Wow. I feel like you're always asked about the challenges. I love that you're asking about what's easy too. I think this easiest— the easiest part of this season with Zoe is just connecting with her. Like, she's so joyful. She's so happy. She's so— she loves connection, you know, like you're going to sit down and read with her. She'll put her little hand on you or she just wants to be close. And I find that so cute. And I think the hardest part or the most challenging part of this season is just being present. I think there are a lot of like pulls for my attention, especially working for myself. There can be that desire to be like, oh, let me multitask. Oh, let me go ahead and do this. Let me do that while she's doing something else. But really just being focused in on a moment and making sure that my priorities reflect what's truly important. I think I've gone through seasons where like work is taking number one when it really shouldn't. You know, it should be God. My husband, my family, you know, and it really should be, um, in its proper place. And when it's not, I definitely feel that. And so just keeping, um, priorities in order and present in the moment, probably my biggest challenge and things I'm going through.

Are you naturally a little kid person?

So I didn't know I was, but I think I am. I hadn't really been around a lot of kids before my daughter was born, and I just, I love it. Like, I love, I love making up cute little words like nappy poo and snacky poo, like everything's the e-poo. And like, she's starting to say that now too instead of like the real world. So I'm like, okay, maybe I need to reel it back. But I do love this age. I love the cuteness. And yeah, I, I do really, really enjoy it.

Okay, so when it comes to, um, your time with the Lord in this season, I know that You know, people can feel either by their own experience or by what they've heard other people talk about that there's a prescription for their time with the Lord. And I'm sure over the years from when you were in Korea, coming back, being single, getting married, now in motherhood, what time with God personally has looked like has maybe shifted and changed, whether it's the time of day or it's the length of time, or I mean, you just mentioned starting verse mapping, what you're learning to do in terms of your study of God's word. And so in this season of your life, what does time with the Lord look like now? When are you doing it? What does quiet time look like? How much time are you spending? Because one of the things I hear most frequently, particularly from women who are in the season of life that you're in— at my last one, I have 5, but my last one is 15, and he's, you know, about to get into the super busy years of high school. But I remember when the kids were small and just thinking, I can't finish. I can't even finish a daily bread before somebody needs to nurse or before I'm interrupted or a baby cries or, you know, and then you're exhausted. So just curious, what is it? What is working for you right now? And what do you wish you could do maybe more of that it's just not the season for?

Yeah, so what's working now is accepting the fact that I have to wake up early. I think I go through seasons where that's like an easy thing to accept, and other seasons where I'm kind of fighting it, like, no, like, I want to sleep in, I want to get a little bit more sleep. Um, but what's been helping me accept it is I've started working out earlier, so I'm kind of already up, I'm going, and so that's been a really driving force. So waking up earlier, waking up Zoe, waking up before my husband, basically waking up before I need to help other people do things or be there for other people is really valuable and carving out about 30 minutes. And it's interesting because I feel like just in this last few weeks, what I'm doing is changing. Like I mentioned, the verse mapping, and this is something I'd never done before. My best friend had mentioned it to me and sent me a video., and I actually have been finding so much joy in it. And prior to this, I'd been someone who kind of, I need to read a chapter, I need to take notes, I need to kind of like feel like I'm progressing through something. And just taking one singular verse and unpacking it, the idea of it at first felt very unproductive. Like, you know, I need to get through a chapter, I need to, you know, really feel like I've gotten through something. But it's been nice to slow down, to dive deeper, to do word mapping and understanding the text in a different way. Not how much can I get through it, but how deep can I go into it. Um, so that's been a lot of fun, and I feel like God has been kind in that too because it's reigniting my passion for like doodling and calligraphy. Just being able to like write out more on the page and draw the arrows and kind of make it look all cute with the different highlighters and things. This is something that I've gotten away from, but it is a hobby of mine that like I don't honestly feel like I have much time for hobbies these days. And so it's been nice to like tap into that creative side while also doing something that has like that lasting eternal impact. And so that's kind of what it's been looking like. 30 minutes in the morning, waking up before the family and carving out that time. I know for myself, starting the day just makes such a difference. Like as much as I think, oh, I missed this morning, I'll do it at nap time or I'll do it in the evening. I won't. I just simply will not. I have to do it in the morning or that's it. So I just— learning to realize who I am too has been helpful.

Um, where did you pick up on verse mapping? Like, where did you learn about that?

Yeah, so it's actually a fellow YouTuber. Her name is How to Faith Alive. Her first name is Faith, and she's gone to seminary school, and she's so passionate about God's Word, that she, um, has so many different videos, but one in particular was about verse mapping. And I just watched it and I was like, this is so fun. So that's kind of like the guide I've been using on how to do it with different scriptures.

What is one thing, um, you're in that first 5 years of marriage season, uh, what is one thing that God is teaching you right now in your marriage? Whichever the thing is that you can talk about. Sometimes it's like, oh, I can't tell you about what he's teaching me right there. What is, what is one thing that God is currently teaching you about marriage? I mean, I know that you're passionate about following Christ and being devoted to him. And even when you were talking about priorities, even when it comes to not prioritizing our children over our husbands, because our children need so much time and attention. So You have to be mindful about that. But what is God teaching you right now? How is he working on your heart and your mind?

You know, I've been, I've been, uh, reading this book. I'm sure you've read it or heard of it, The Bait of Satan by John Bevere. And it wasn't until I read that book that I realized how much offense in marriage I was holding on to and how unproductive it is to, you know, progress and to continue to grow closer to one another and how unfair it is also on my end to do that. And so that has been one of the ways in which I can feel God working on me, just kind of waking me up to me. Like I mentioned, I have this tendency to like pursue perfection. And then sometimes because of pride, I'm like, you know what? Like, I'm kind of perfect. Like, I don't know, like, that was on you. Like, that wasn't good to me. Like, that was unfair., and I kind of could have a tendency to like view myself higher than I should. And so I think marriage has been a beautiful way that God has allowed me to see me and really show me me. And so in this season, really showing me the offense that I have been holding on to and how unfair it is and how it's something like, I, you know, just recently, you know, asked my husband to forgive me for holding on to that. And, you know, he gracefully and gratefully did. And said, you know, of course I forgive you. And there's freedom in that, you know. And so that's one way that I have definitely been growing in this season, really recognizing where that has been located. And it's not just in my relationship with my husband, unfortunately, but that's definitely the place that God started with. And it's been— yeah, it's actually really crazy to see how slippery of a slope offense can be and how holding on to it really can drag you down and, um, keep you from being the person that God has called you to be, to sow into the spirit, and not just being like, oh well, they didn't do XYZ, I'm not going to do XYZ, and take you out of that cycle. Um, so yeah, you lit up when you just used the word freedom.

You said there's so much freedom in that. Your whole body language, your face, everything lit up. I'd love to know, uh, I mean, I just would love to hear you talk more about that, about either— there's two questions that I have in my mind. You can pick one or both. One is, why? Why do you think there's freedom? And what was that? You said there's freedom in that. Is there freedom in asking for forgiveness? Is there freedom in releasing the offense? Is there freedom in discovering that you're not perfect and working through that? Like, where does the freedom come from? And then how do you know you're walking free. I hear a lot of people talk about just wanting to be free, but I don't know that we always know what freedom feels like, what it looks like. How do you know you're experiencing in that? So, um, free from what? And how does freedom feel? How do you know you're walking in that?

Yeah, so when I said freedom, it's definitely experiencing freedom from offense. I know just for myself, I think the way in which I grew up, the way in which I was parented, or yeah, parented, there was more of a tendency on like, uh, do this and this is what you'll get, do that and this is what you'll get, which, you know, cause and effect, sure. But that kind of bled into or really impacted me in wanting to pursue that sense of perfectionism. Like, okay, if I'm perfect, then everything's going to be great. And so having that higher sense of myself, it also— there's freedom in seeing myself more accurately for really who I am. There doesn't feel like there needs to be this, um, the— so much energy put on keeping up a facade when it's like, all right, this is just— this is what it is. And there's freedom in that, just being who it is that God's called me to be, being honest about the things I'm struggling with. And not letting shame of that really, um, mute me or keep me from, you know, feeling, oh, I can't talk on this, or I, I'm not good because I struggle with X, Y, or Z, when actually I'm reminding myself of who God says I am, and in that I'm good, not necessarily in what I do or don't do or what I'm struggling with or not struggling with. So I guess the freedom is two-pronged, but mostly freedom from the offense, because for so long I mean, I'm 33. I didn't know I was even holding on to it. So it's almost like you don't recognize how heavy your backpack is until someone says, hey, you have bricks in there, like, you don't actually need to carry these bricks around. And I'm like, wait, what? How did they get in there? I put them in there. Okay, let me go ahead and start bringing this to the Lord. Let me go ahead and start asking for prayer. Let me go ahead and start processing this and start asking for forgiveness so I'm not carrying around 20 pounds and then wondering also It's easy in relationships. You take that brick from your bag and you put it between you and the person. And so now I'm wanting closeness, but these things I'm carrying around, I don't even know I'm carrying around, I'm now placing between us. And so taking the bricks out of my bag feels like freedom, and taking down the bricks from, you know, between me and my husband has been freedom as well.

Okay, so you mentioned earlier on that you you know, you were in Korea and you started messing around with editing video, but then you mentioned later, oh no, I have a video editor. And so, so what, what do you, what has your evolution in this new career basically as a content creator? What has your evolution look like in terms of what you had to learn and what you've learned to hand off? And when have you been able to get assistance for what you, for what you do? You know, and is that the only assistance that you have? Inquiring minds want to know.

Yeah, absolutely. So it's definitely been a journey. Um, I started out editing my videos, doing everything by myself, and it wasn't until I would say around 2020 and I was starting to consistently post Christian content, which I had posted my testimony video, and I was finding it hard to keep up working and filming and then taking hours on the weekend to edit. And so I would say around 2000, oh, maybe the end of 2020, the beginning of 2021, probably the end of 2020, that's when I started working with an editor. And that's been amazing. He has been with me ever since, and he's just so patient, so patient with like me getting something last minute or me switching something around.. And so that's been a great relationship to have and a great help to have. And over time I've also added to my team. I'm now managed like my social media influencer arm managed by Salem, which has been awesome just having people. It's a Christian influencer marketing company. And so they only work with Christian influencers, which is amazing. So I know anything that comes my way is already going to meet you know, my standards of the type of company that I would want to work with, type of company that I would want to promote. And they've been really helpful in finding companies and different brands that really align to what I'm doing, because a lot of the other talent on the roster might be more lifestyle. But I know God has specifically called me to sit down, record a 12 to 15 minute video talking about the Bible, talking about faith, and that really be it, and not dabbling into something, you know, lifestyle and things like that, sharing my life, that I know that that's not what I'm called to do in this season. And so they've been supportive of that, which has been really awesome. And I also have a small but mighty team that helps me run my membership club. So I launched my membership club when I actually left my job. So 2 years ago, and it's called They Created For This Membership Club. And so originally I hired someone as a personal assistant and she was actually local to Atlanta. She would come over, we would get all our work done, and we became friends as well. And so that working relationship has blossomed into a beautiful friendship. She still works with me today, and she has now evolved into our strategies operations manager. She helps me run all of our live calls. She also helps train our customer service team lead, which we have as well, who kind of helps with all admin customer service needs of the membership club, as well as some engagement, some copy, some graphics. And so we kind of all wear a lot of hats, but it's been a journey for me to delegate. I feel like that's something that I'm still learning how to do because for so long it was just me and, oh, I know how I like it. I know what I want the thumbnail to look like. I know how I want the video edited. So it's been this process of realizing— I think my daughter's really helped me do this, of like knowing what I can do, what I have the capacity to do, and then letting someone help me, letting someone take over, giving my feedback, of course, but letting someone else do it because I just don't have enough time in the day. I still need to sleep so I can wake up early and get that time in with God or go to the gym. So, uh, it's definitely been a process, but that's kind of the whole team I have now. And then also a social media manager for Instagram who helps me edit, post content, and things like that as well.

That's good. That's good. So, you know, when you talk about the team evolving and I love, you mentioned delegating being one of the things that you're learning, that's a part of your evolution. How else have you evolved in this process? I'm curious, you know, when you grow and you have to not just delegate, but as a part of delegation, communicate, managing your time, setting deadlines, setting expectations. And it sounds like you have a an amazing team. But I know anytime you're working with a team, there's, um, evolution for you too as a leader. How else have you seen God elevating you as you evolve into the space that he's created for you to operate in?

Yeah, there's actually been one I've been feeling the growing pains of recently, of just having to have conversations that are less than comfortable, but knowing that they still need to be had. I'm not someone who really find joy, pleasure, enjoyment, any of that in confrontation. And so while the conversation isn't necessarily confrontation, it's still uncomfortable, but it still needs to happen. And so I feel like God has been giving me, um, or I've been experiencing moments where I'm being led to have a conversation, or I know I need to have a conversation, and really growing in my ability to be compassionate, to be the type of leader I know God has called me to be, but also to to uphold the people around me to specific standards or being able to ask maybe a more challenging question and not shy away from that for my desire of like, I don't want to ruffle their feathers or I don't want them to think ill about me or I don't want them to— this to come off wrong and just being able to confidently ask the question or confidently have the conversation. And I think also something that goes into it as well, money management, managing things, making sure that everything is— I'm being a good steward of everything practically as well. Then this is also an area that God has been growing me in. I have the tendency to be like, everything's fine, you know what I mean? Like, it's gonna be fine, and not really getting into the numbers, the nitty-gritty, which is unwise, you know? It's not good. And so I feel like God has been like, all right, we— everything has been fine, but we need to really get into the numbers. For you to be a good steward, you really need to know what's going on. For you to do this well and to have the longevity and to really, you know, provide and, and, you know, support your family and this and that, you need to do things differently. So we're, we're growing across the board for sure, but I'm grateful for it. But it's definitely giving growing pains. This season has been definitely giving some growing pains.

No, and you wanna not feel them, but it's also, you know, that it's a part of how you how God grows you and how you level up and how he stretches you to a new, a new capacity. What is your favorite episode on your channel? Like, you, whether you enjoyed making it, creating it, releasing it, you like the aesthetics of it. Like, if you had to pick one that you're like, I really like this one, what is the one you like?

So I'm going to do two because my niches have been so different and they just can't even compare. So my first one, I actually went back and rewatched this video recently. I went down a nostalgic lane and it's a video where, um, Day in the Life of an Epic Teacher. And so I show my walk to school, my students. It just was like, oh my gosh, I can't believe this used to be my day. This is what I did. I'm just so happy I have that documented. And so that's from like, you know, 6, 7 years ago. And then one from my current niche of being in the Christian content sphere, there's a video where it's 5 signs that God is getting— wanting to get your attention. And that was my first video where I had really been feeling like I was going through something and being able to pull out what I was experiencing, correlated to different Bible verses and be able to help other people. Maybe understand where God is talking to them or wanting to get their attention as well. And so that was one kind of unlocked a new style of content for me unknowingly because I was going through something unfun. It was like, what's going on, God? Why is this happening? And then being able to be like, oh, these are the manners in which you are getting my attention. Let me help my nexus understand and also point to some Bible verses that might help them so they might not have to sit through that season as long as I did trying to be like, Lord, what's happening. So that one definitely stands out in my mind.

That's great. You are— I want to ask you just some, some, what is it called? Oh, I want to ask you some rapid fire questions-ish, rapid fire-ish. Okay, I know you don't edit your own videos anymore, but when you did, what were you using? Final Cut? Premiere, iMovie, DaVinci?

So I started as an iMovie because it was free and on my computer, and then after a year or so I was using Final Cut Pro. Okay.

Coffee or tea?

Coffee for sure.

Creamer, no creamer, which creamer?

So there's this dairy-free creamer that I really like I can't— oh, Nut Pod. I really like them because there's like minimal calories, minimal sugar, and it kind of gives you the cream without all the sweetness. I don't really like too much sweetness. So Nut Pod dairy-free creamer, their French vanilla is really good.

Beach or mountains?

I think I would be more of a mountains girl, which might be shocking because I grew up in Florida, pretty close to the beach. But the beach is like— it just— the sand always stays with you. It's kind of messy. And so I kind of like more of the mountains.

Okay, fair enough. Um, what are you currently reading besides the Bible?

Besides the Bible, I am currently reading The Fate of Satan. I haven't made it through, but I have a few chapters left. And then I recently started The Awe of God as well by John Bevere. So I'm kind of on like a John Bevere kick right now.

Okay.

Yeah.

Favorite book of all time?

Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi. I hope I'm saying that right, but it's a beautiful historical fiction book, um, just beautiful. It's always stuck with me.

Okay, what is something that is currently, besides your husband and your daughter, bringing you joy? Just fun, just making your face light up in this season of your life?

Working out. I recently started working with a trainer and it has been so nice to have a new outlet and to just like not have to think about what I'm doing, just go there and let someone tell me what to do. To feel like I'm getting this close to death and then make it through, it just feels like, uh, I'm proud of myself.

Um, like I said, you always look so cute. You have a very— I mean, I know sometimes that you're here and you're not all made up, and you're not like an all made up person, but you're here au naturel sometimes. But you do have this light fresh look. I really appreciate it. What are your maybe top 3 makeup fave finds? Just your go-tos or, you know.

Yeah. So I love Merit. Clean beauty. I feel like it's really easy to use. Merit. I have like 7 individual eyebrow hairs, so I'm always looking for like a good eyebrow marker. And NYX, it's true. They look, you know, thank goodness for makeup, but NYX makes a really great eyebrow pencil, can't live without that one. And probably Laura Mercier setting powder, 'cause I'm kind of an oily girl and that keeps me all matte.

So, you know, is it NYX? 'Cause I've been spending my whole life talking about NYX.

Oh, you know.

Now you taught me something. Now I'm gonna have to go and research that. I'm not exactly sure. Talk to me about your membership. We, I'm an accidental membership creator. I started YouTube in 2020, mainly because everybody said you've been podcasting. I started podcasting in 2014 and you just flip on a camera and still do it. You can still have your podcast and use YouTube, Google algorithm, all the things. I've never wanted to be on video because that means you have to get dressed. Like I told you, I got my makeup bag out for you today. Right? So. But I had been, I'm a geeky girl, so I like all the things and I was learning. And then when we got shut down, I was like, well, everything's set up, just flip the switch and just do it. And I had a small membership, but it grew from there. So I hadn't planned on it, just stumbled into it. And it's been a lot of fun to ebb and flow with the growth, the needs and the, you know, what the women in the membership need. But I'd love to know a little bit more about your membership club. Club, the Created for This Sisterhood. What are y'all doing in there?

Yeah, so the sisterhood is a place for women to grow alongside other women, um, in their walk with the Lord and their knowledge and understanding, um, and all the things of the Lord. And it's been such an honor to lead it, to, to, to grow with the members, to walk alongside them. We have weekly— uh, I'm sorry, not weekly— we have monthly Bible study calls where we do the SOAP method, go through that together. We have biweekly prayer calls where we're praying together, and then each and every month we also have a live Q&A where we kind of have a topic set. Last month it was about navigating the unknown or navigating waiting seasons with the Lord and really just coming together to pour into one another, speak life over one another, and also offer advice. And then on top of that, we have weekly devotional videos where we're every month walking through a different woman in the Bible. And so my goal with the club is just to provide a safe space for women to come because oftentimes, you know, community can be a struggle in person, online, like really finding a place where you feel safe and seen, being able to connect with other people. I know for myself, a lot of the transformation that I've experienced in my walk with the Lord, it was contingent on the community that I was in, you know, the community that was surrounding me. And so wanting to provide an opportunity for women to come together to grow in their knowledge, love of the Lord, and really just walk alongside each other. And so it's been a beautiful journey, definitely one, um, lots of learning, you know, learning how to manage something, the back end, the front end, learning what people want, what they want more of, what they want less of, and then also learning, you know, team-wise on the back end as well, you know, managing a team that helps me manage all the things. So it's been a joy, um, 2 years now, and it always boggles my mind. Like, just, God is good.

What is in your future purview? Like, what are you like— whether it's something that you're currently doing and you're like, I have a thought about what it could look like, or if it's something you're not even currently doing but you're like, I can't wait until I get to or I get to try.

So one that comes, comes to mind just in my day-to-day personal life, as I'm starting homeschooling with my daughter a few days a week, and that has been so exciting and just so fun to be a part of, like, teaching her things and seeing her grasp things, and just excited for all of that to come. And then work-wise, I really just want to do what I'm doing well. I feel like there are certain, like, back-end things, just really wanting to, um, steward all the things that I'm doing well. There's nothing necessarily new on the horizon. I feel really content with what I am doing, and I feel like God will lead me where I'm supposed to be and, you know, into the next phase whenever that comes. But for now, I just really want to focus on doing what I do now well.

I get that. I get that. Some people will say they want growth or they want a certain outcome in their lives or they want to be in a certain place, but you can have a fast pass to a certain place and then not have the structure needed to sustain it. And at some point you have to slow down enough to make sure that if there's gonna continue to be growth, if you're gonna continue to be challenged, pushed higher, that what's in, in you, underneath you and around you, that it can sustain at. Because if you keep growing and doing, checking the boxes for whatever we think success or forward movement means, and you don't have the structure to sustain it, it only makes the higher you go harder when you topple. And so you're a wise woman for wanting to get situated, uh, get situated where you, where you are. So this has been really fun. I, I think you've done so much to walk us through like the seasons of faith, just, you know, finding the Lord in the season when you were in Korea and the prioritizing the time that you have with him now, getting up early to do that, you know, the rhythm and the pacing. You've used that word pacing too a lot. But when you think about the seasons that you're headed into, if you had to speak to your hope for your faith journey and your hope for your walk with the Lord, what would you say you hope to see in the next 5 years in your relationship with him? Like, we dream about relationships, right? We'll say, you know, in 5 years, I hope we've got this much money in the bank, or we've taken our first vacation, or we've gotten our house, or, you know, we, we will talk about where we're going with relationships, but I don't think we look at— we're taught or even invited to have that same thought process with the Lord. Like, where do you want to be in, you know, in 5 years, 10 years, or whatever? So what would you say the future seasons, um, in the near term with you and the Lord hold for you?

The first thing I can think is more intimacy. I think more intimacy, um, deeper intimacy. And I'm such a feeler, like emotions is the first lens that I process life through. And wanting to learn more how to not rely so much on what I'm feeling, but going back to what I know about God, his character, despite what I might be going through. And despite, again, for me importantly, what I'm feeling. And so I think deeper intimacy, more reliance on Him, seeing Him in everything, being able to really in each and every moment not rely on my understanding, but like James 1:5 says, asking Him for wisdom, knowing He's going to give it to me, and recognizing more so those moments where like, oh wow, I didn't even realize I'm relying on my own understanding. Okay, let me go to the Lord. Like that constant abiding in him and communication. That's what I would love to see and would love to experience with him in the future. And you're right, what a great question, because you don't often think like, wow, how, how, where do I hope to get with my relationship with the Lord? What do I hope to experience? But it's exciting to think about, um, deeper intimacy. Yeah, more closeness.

So y'all, when you go to her website, um, it's melodyalisa.com, and you're checking her out in all these places I want you to make sure that you also grab her free download, and we'll put the link in the show notes. But check that out because it is a free workbook, and it's called Walking in Purpose. It's a workbook to guiding women to discover the difference between their purpose and calling and practical steps for seeking God. And so if that's where you are in your life and you're thinking, I just, I just need some help. Well, she's provided it and it's free, so there's no reason why you shouldn't grab this download. And we'll make sure that you have the link so that you can grab it. I'm curious, when you created this workbook, why did you create it and what can the person who walks through it expect to get out of it?

Yeah, so I created it at the time my church was going through a series on your purpose and really talking about the difference between your purpose and calling. And I feel like the way that they worded it and put it was just beautiful and something that my audience needed to know as well. I know for myself, I feel like purpose can be such a buzzword in the Christian community. I'm like, oh, I'm so focused on my purpose, my purpose. And we really all have the same purpose, and sometimes we don't realize that. And so the book really breaks down what is all of our purpose, and then we talk about those individual callings and even has some steps on where you can take a spiritual gifts assessment, how you can really start to understand your spiritual gifts. And operate more so in your calling, but doing all of that submitted unto God and knowing that even if you don't have clarity on your calling, you have this purpose in the Lord.

That sounds so great. And you know, sometimes what seems easy to other people, one, is not easy, two, is hard fought for, but three, when someone says, hey, let me show you, like, here's some steps you can take, then that's an invitation. And all we have to do is say yes to the invitation. So y'all grab the workbook. It's an invitation for you to go deeper. To get a little bit of a download of some stuff that Melody got that she wants to pass along to you. So get the workbook. We'll make sure you have the link. Well, it's been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for saying yes to the random person who reached out on all the places. I think we tried 2 or 3 places just to make sure you saw her request. But thanks for saying yes. It's been fun getting to know you, watching your videos, fun getting to know you today. I know everybody's going to enjoy our conversation and y'all, If you don't know who I'm talking about, if you've never seen her, go find her. You can find her on YouTube. Just type in your browser, youtube.com, Mel on the Move, or you can search on YouTube, Melody Alicia. Follow her on YouTube, go to her webpage, check out all the things in all the places. I think you'll enjoy continuing to get to know her and you'll learn a lot from what she's been learning and sharing as well. So thanks again, Melody, for joining us. Mel. I'll take Mel.

And here we go.

Thanks for joining me on the podcast today.

Thank you so much for having me. This has been amazing.

All right, y'all, if you enjoyed this conversation with Mel— because remember, we're friends, I call her Mel— uh, I want you to know that she is not only about teaching, sharing, and encouraging you on YouTube, she also has an amazing workbook that she's created to help you walk with God better, walk in your purpose better, understand what God wants you to do in your life to be better connected with his purposes for you. If you're one of those people that's like, listen, I want to grow, I want to understand, I want to get closer to God, but I always feel like things are over my head— or maybe things aren't over your head, but you just need a kick in the pants to get going again— you need to download this. Here's the beauty of it: it's free, okay? It's free. And we're going to put the link to it in the show notes down below. And also, you can always go to the website and get not only those, but all the other things we talked about, links for all the things. So information about that is below this video. And if you're listening, just go to the show notes for this episode to get that link and all the other ones. So you have no reason, listen, to deepen your faith, to know what it is to walk with God and to get focused on living a faith-filled life. And that tool will help you. I hope you enjoyed this episode. I certainly did. And if you've never heard of her, well, now you have, go subscribe to her channel. And you better not dare go subscribe to her channel if you're not already subscribed here. All right, y'all, okay, I'll see you next time.