Ep 7: In conversation with Melissa Measoud

Foreign. Welcome to the All Is Wellness Podcast with me, Emma Naylor. Join us in open and honest conversations with wellness professionals and industry experts. Welcome back to the All Is Wellness Podcast. This week's guest is Melissa Massoud. Melissa has been a professional DJ for the past nine years, traveling the world for gigs during the Pandemic. She has embarked on a new journey as a mindset and meditation mentor where she. Where she's been doing group masterclasses and one to one sessions with clients. Melissa, I'm so excited to have you on the podcast this week.

Thank you so much for having me. It's so good to be here.

I'd love to hear a little bit more about how you went from being a DJ to now being a mindset coach.

Oh my gosh, it's crazy. I feel like a lot of people recently have kind of said to me, like, isn't it such a huge change, like, what you've done? And I'm like, I guess a lot of people from the outside would look in and be like, that's such a drastic change. Like, how can you go from a DJ to like, what you're doing now? But the reality is, like, that's just who. I've basically just discovered my purpose and, like, who I am. And like, for me, it's the same stuff. Like, it's. I'm still crazy creating a vibe, Like, I'm still making people feel good in, like, somewhere or another and incorporating music as well. So for me, it's like a really natural change. Like, it's a. It's a natural growth for me. It's not like a random thing.

Yeah.

Like, and anyone that knows me knows, like, it's super organic and it just fits for where I am and who I am as a person right now. So, I mean, I had an amazing career as a dj. Like, I literally am super grateful for everything that I've been able to do, but it just got to the point in my life where I was like, I just can't really do this anymore. Like, I actually gave it up. Before COVID before the pandemic, I was obviously still DJing a little bit, but just not as intensely as I. As I once was. Like, I was doing so much so often that my health just, like, my health started to deteriorate. Like, and I just kind of had to take control back and, like, take the power back and be like this. As much as I love this and it's how great it is and all the experiences that I've had from my career, like, I just had to take a step back and be like, what's more important? Like my health and my mental well being was just way more important to me than going out. And essentially it's partying, but like it's obviously my job too, but is the, it's the lifestyle that comes along with it and like just a whole bunch of stuff, like late nights, like drinking, traveling, up and down on the road, like you're on your own 99% of the time. Unhealthy lifestyle, unhealthy diet, and not enough exercise, not enough sleep, like just everything. Right. So I, as I was chasing this, chasing what I loved essentially, but then neglecting my actual well being in the meantime, which was a massive thing for me. And I think the blessing of this pandemic is it's allowed me to like sit back and like actually reflect on absolutely every single aspect of my life and just fine tune it. So I think that's where I am now. And I just feel like because I've been able to get myself from like essentially a place to where I am now, that's like become my ultimate purpose. Like I just want to help other people be able to do the same.

No, and I completely agree with regards to kind of having that massive shift, you know, as you said, going from a DJ to kind of like the mindfulness and the wellness space seems like it would be a massive, massive shift. But actually the way you spoke to me about DJing, you obviously were so passionate about it and I think you kind of mentioned it there where it was like it wasn't just chasing the money, it was actually chasing what I really enjoyed doing. And yeah, before this we were kind of having a conversation around that. I think the pandemic, because a lot of people are on furlough and it's actually allowed people to kind of chase what they want to do without those kind of risks. Because I think a lot of the reason people don't chase their dreams is because they're so worried. Exactly. Money. They're so worried about. Am I going to be able to support myself? You know, am I actually going to be able to live off this kind of job?

Yeah.

And I think that the pandemic has actually allowed people to kind of have that risk as such taken away.

100.

How. How was it kind of, you know, I know as you said before, you know, to me privately, that you're still very much in the music world, but how was it kind of shutting that door for now, almost being forced to shut that door because of the pandemic to kind of open this great new door. How did you find that shift? Kind of mentally?

I'll be totally honest with you, because I am just one of those people that I love to keep it completely honest. Like, I don't really like to hold back on too much. For me, I. There was a massive shift for me because I moved out my parents house in August. And I think living alone, there's just something about living in the loan. It just takes you from like one extreme in life. Like you could feel like you're a woman already, but like when you live alone, you become like an actual woman. Like you get your together, like you figure out, you know, what you want from life. And I think for me it was obviously such an overwhelming experience. Just as a general, as like just generally overall it was really overwhelming for me. So there were times on this like, journey that I've hit some serious lows and like some serious times of confusion. Like, am I doing this? Like, why am I what. What is my why? Like, my why is very important to me. Like I had to figure out and what my purpose was. And like, obviously it can be a lot of emotions involved because you're like, okay, what do I do now? Like, I have to not reinvent myself, but I just have to continue to grow every day. Because I think one thing this pandemic has taught all of us is that anything can happen at any point. Like it's. It can. Something can just turn around and hit you in the face and you're like, whoa, like, what am I actually living for? Like, I, for me, I just want to do everything that makes me happy. Like, it's quite simple. So I have now mastered my life and mastered my mindset to the degree where I won't do something that I don't want to do. Like, I will not feel any kind of pressure or feel obliged to do absolutely anything in my life. If I don't want to do something, I'm just not going to do it. So it was, it was a strange door to shut, but like it was, it's just a new chapter. Like you're always opening new chapters. Like your life is what you make of it. So like you are the author to your own book.

Yeah.

You can shut a page at any point, you can close a chapter at any point and start again. It's never too late to start again. So that was a massive thing for me. Just like figure just figuring out basically.

Yeah. And I think that, I think the pandemic has actually really allowed people to do that?

Definitely.

Do you think that after the pandemic, lots of people will kind of carry on with the hobbies and the kind of passion projects they've started? Or do you think we're going to kind of see people just going back to how things were and kind of putting those to one side again?

It's a good question. I think I would love personally to see people go down the passion route because, like, I'm a big. Like, I'm a. I'm just all for that. Like, I love seeing people do well at what they love. There's just no that you can't put a price on it. So for me, I feel like majority of society are stuck in that rut of working to live and living to, like, living to work and like, all that kind of stuff. It's like, okay, I need to work a 9 to 5 for money just so I can live. But I think this pandemic has also just kind of made us realize money is actually not. Not the most important thing. Like, of course it's important. We all need money. But, like, when you chase the money, I feel like things just end up backfiring in some crazy way or another. Like, it's. That's just from my experiences personally, and I think a lot of people can probably relate to that. Like, when you chase the money, it's like, I feel like when you put pressure or force on anything, it kind of backfires on you. It just kind of everything fits into place and just happens when it's gonna happen. Like, every time I take pressure off of a sit, things fall into place all the time. And I think it's like. Yeah, it's just. It's just crazy. I think. I just love seeing people do what they love. And when you take money out of the equation, let's say money wasn't a thing that we needed or had to chase or felt like we had to chase. Essentially, all you would want to do in your life is stuff that you enjoy and makes you happy. Like, as soon as you take money away and you say to someone, what. What do you want to do with your life? They will definitely choose something that makes them happy. That's just a fact. Like, why would you not want to do that? Because, like, money is just an object. Right. It's not like it gives us, like, freedom or whatever it is. But, like, once you become detached from the. The idea of the, like, chasing the money, it actually just. Just ends up going so smoothly. Like, everything just happens.

Yeah.

And I Think I'm a massive believer in that.

Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think that it's interesting because I've had conversations with people around this, especially during the pandemic of, like, you know, when people have a job, there's often a lot of perks that come with the job. You know, we all know that, you know, as you said when you were DJing, you got to travel, you got to meet all these great people, you got to kind of be involved in that nightlife that you really, really enjoy.

I've met some incredible people. I would not be where I am now if it wasn't for that.

And that's the thing, is I think that every single job you do or that you do in life definitely has its, like, perks, but I think during the pandemic, we've kind of had that taken away. So if someone said to you right now, you need to dj, but it's remote, there's no people, you don't get to travel, and it's from your living room, even though you're doing the job you love.

Yeah. It's not the same.

It's not the same.

There's no way. There's not. There's not one single inch of that that would be the same.

Exactly. And I think that's what's made people realize is that actually, is it the job that we love or is it what that job kind of adds? And I think that now people have kind of been taken out of their situation and they're working from their living room or they're working from their bedroom, There's a part in their head that's thinking, great, this job pays my bills, but what is it that actually makes me want to get up in the morning? Is it the job that I'm working or is it the fact that I can shut my laptop at 5 or 6 o' clock and work on the passion projects? Because I don't have to commute, I don't have to go for work drinks, I don't have to do the work dinners. So true. And I think that it's actually allowed people, you know, something that people often say is they don't have time.

Yeah.

And what this pandemic has allowed us is so much time and actually something.

I now feel like there's not enough hours in the day because I've. I'm using every single bit of my time to benefit me in. In the long run or whatever. And I feel like the only way I'm ever going to get a result from doing what I'm doing is remaining consistent with it, and now I have all the time to be consistent with it. So for me, I'm like, I just want to encourage everyone to. Even if they use one hour of their day to do something for themselves, it will lead to greatness. Like, it's a fact. You need to focus on yourself. It's amazing.

And I think it's really interesting because, like, you say that there doesn't seem to be enough time. And I'm kind of having that issue at the moment that I'm thinking, working full time, running this, doing my charity, doing the other projects I'm working on, where's my social life gonna fit? Where's the gym gonna fit? All of these things. And actually. But I think what it's made me realize, especially now, I can't talk for everyone, but I think what it's made me realize is prioritizing things is so, so important. So important. And like you said before, showing up for things that you don't want to show up to, going to that drinks, going to that dinner. We don't have to go to all of those things. And I think you don't feel like.

Your energy is served there. Why are you going?

Exactly? But I think this pandemic has allowed us to do that and be like, actually, if I don't go to that dinner, it's not the end of the world. And I think that a lot of the mindset has kind of changed around that. What would you say is kind of your biggest takeaway or learning curve that you've had? You know, I say a year. It's so crazy to talk a year of the pandemic.

I know.

What do you think's been your kind of biggest takeaway and your kind of biggest growth in your journey during the last year?

I could sit here for a whole hour and tell you a million things, but I think it was this time last year, right, when we actually went.

Into the first lockdown.

First lockdown. And I think probably 90% of us all thought that this was going to be over in, like, six weeks.

I thought three weeks. I literally thought, three weeks, lockdown, and we're done. We're out of this.

I literally could. None of us could have prepared for what actually hit us, But I don't know. I think for me, I've kind of trained my mindset to be, like, to try and see the blessing and everything, because I think everything in life that happens is either a lesson of some sort or a blessing. And I feel like, regardless of what? Whether it's a lesson or a blessing, you're just going to continue to grow. Life is still going to move as quickly as it's moving. So I think for me, I've trained myself to see the positive and everything because of course there's so many negative situations that happen on a day to day basis, whether that be around us or whether that be whatever's just going on in the world. In general, we're feeding off of the things that are happening in the world. Right. We're all constantly seeing negative news, we're constantly seeing bad things happen, we're constantly seeing tragedies. And it's like, for me, take like the information and things I take in, the content I take in on a daily basis is very important to me. If I feel like I've come across too much negativity online or whatever it is, I have to remove myself from that and refocus that negative feeling or emotion that is attached to that and turn it into a positive one. Because the reality is there's an opposite of everything. Like on a battery, there's a negative and a positive. Like there's an opposite of everything. So if you can feel something bad, you can feel something good and you can move that feeling or emotion into something positive because of the things that you're choosing to do in your life. It's just a choice I'm making. It's never a personal thing to a specific situation or a person or whatever it may be. It's just a choice that I've decided to make for a more positive outcome. Of course we're going to have days where things aren't always bloody positive. It's freaking life. Like we're human, we're not superhuman. But it's. It's more like learning to control it.

Yeah.

And like learning to understand what makes you feel certain ways and like understand things that trigger you and kind of just learning to let go of things. I think a lot of us hold on to so much and it's like, why hold on to it? Like it's, it's happened, it's done. You learn from it and you move on. Like quite simply. Sorry, I just banged the mic. I apologize if that sounded funny. So, yeah, I don't know. I've had a million lessons, Emma. Honestly, a million through. Through such a short space of time. And I actually, I'm kind of happy with it because I like things that I. I love it when things just move quick and like, it all just makes sense, you know, you're like, okay, cool. I've got to do this, got to do that. And I, where I'm going, like, I know the direction I'm moving. I know what, where I'm going to be. Because, like, success and happiness isn't a final destination. It's a, it's a constant journey. You don't just get to success or get to happiness and then go, right, I'm chilling now.

Yeah.

You know, it doesn't, it doesn't work like that. Like, it's all about maintaining it and continuing the journey and maintaining who your purpose and where, you know, you want to get to.

And I think something that you said that's quite interesting there actually is, like, success is not a destination. It's a continuous journey. I think there's lots of people out there, including myself. You know, I've, I've done a lot of work on this, but for a really long time I thought, when I have X, I'll be happy. When I have Y, I'll be happy when I have this job. And it's like, you get that and all you want to do. And we spoke about this, we spoke.

About this in the car.

Yeah. When you, when you get there, it's like, okay, well, what's the next thing? And you don't actually enjoy what it is that you've wanted for so long because we're constantly chasing and chasing things.

It's human nature. We're always going to be chasing. We're, we're always going to want more. It's. Yeah, it's a wild one. That doesn't really blows my head, actually. Yeah.

And I think if you, I think if we sat down with a lot of people and said, what does success and happiness look like to you? I think a lot of people don't actually know what that even looks like. They just say out loud, well, I want to be successful. Okay, well, what is successful? I don't know. So you're kind of just kind of shooting in the dark and hoping to hit something. Whereas actually, I think a lot of what about mindset is. And obviously with a lot of what you do is going, well, this is what you want to get to. Now, how do you get there? What things do you need to change in your life? What risks do you need to take?

Or what.

You know, they're not always risk, but there needs to be change. And I think a lot of people often go, I want to do exactly what I'm doing, but I want to get a different result. And that's never, never happened.

I say this all the time. I say you will never get a different result if you're always doing the same thing. Like you need to put, you need to take risks. Like if you don't take risks, you will never get the reward. That's what they say.

The definition insanity, isn't it? Doing the same things but expecting different results.

Honestly, it is, it is. Like I make sure that I'm consistent with everything I do because then I see a result. Like I say this all the time in my master classes, in my one to ones, I always say you can't say that you want to get a six pack and then go to the gym one time and if you don't see the six pack from that one gym session, you quit.

Yeah.

Why? That's, that's actually, that's mental. Like, that's actually stupid. It's crazy, it's bizarre. Like, of course you're not going to see a result, but you have to be consistent. You have to be consistent in anything you do. Like you. It's the only way. It's the only way.

And I think often because you can't see, you can't physically see your mind outside of your body. Yeah, I think a lot of people think it's very different, but you're right, it's exactly the same as if you don't see physical results straight away, you can't expect results in your, in your mind straight away.

Of course, and I say this all the time, I say physical health is just as important as your mental health. Like you have to work on both of them. Like even your sweat, you could actually incorporate a second, like a third one. You can say your mind, your body and your spirit because like you have to look after all of them equally because if you don't, one of the others won't work properly. So like for me, physical health is very important. But it's not me physically moving my body that's making me get the result. It's actually my mind pushing my body to do it. Like it's all in my mind. And sometimes we all set limiting beliefs on ourselves. Whereas I can't do it, I can't run 5 miles or I can't run 5K or I can't push 100 kg in the gym. But, but you can, you just not pushing yourself. Like it's all in your head and it's, you're not going to go from one extreme to the other overnight. Like you need to work on it, you need to build it up. Like you need to build. It's the same as anything you would build up from pushing a certain amount of kilos in the gym to a higher amount of kilos in the gym. You don't start at the highest, you start at the lowest. And you just remain consistent. And you get. It never gets easier. You just get stronger.

Yeah, I say that all the time.

It never gets. It's like a breakup in a relationship or something. It doesn't matter who it is. A breakup is so hard. Like, that's just a fact. Anyone can relate to that girl or guy. Like, it's not easy and it never gets easier, but you just get stronger and you. You learn how to deal with it better next time. It's a lesson every time, right?

Yeah.

You just learn how to do something better next time.

Yeah, no, absolutely. And I think that what you kind of said there was actually quite interesting of, like, it doesn't get easier, you get stronger. And I think that, you know, I always kind of relate it back to the pandemic just because we're still in the midst of this and, you know, there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Yeah, definitely.

But for people who. For people who are really, really struggling and are kind of coming to the end of it and are feeling, like, a little bit lost, because I feel like there's a lot of conversations out there of people going to go back to normal. Are people going to go back to jobs? If there's kind of people out there that you. That are sort of in that mindset and feeling a little bit negative about it and unsure about how to turn, what would be your sort of guidance to say, you know, how can they move forward from this in terms of, you know, strengthening their mind?

I mean, look, I. I'm not perfect. So, like, for me, I'm always a continuous work in progress anyway. Like, I haven't reached a final destination. I'm still on my journey myself. So for me, I just love to learn new things. I think pushing myself outside of my boundaries has allowed me to learn new things. I'm doing things now that I've never, ever done before. Or I completely said years ago I would never do that again, or I would never study. I would never pick up a book again. I just would never. That was never something I ever wanted to do. Like, I went straight into work at the age of 16. I worked for. Until now. I've always been a worker, but I've always set things in. In my mind, like, I'm never going to do that. And now I'M finding myself doing it and everything is just changing. Like I would always say to people, push your boundaries, do things that scare you. Step one foot outside of your comfort zone, and so much will change in your life. And, like, believe in yourself. Love yourself, who you are, because there is only one you like. That is your absolute superpower in life. Stop trying to be like everyone else or anyone else. Stop comparing. That's a massive one. Because I think it's so easy to compare yourself. But why are you comparing yourself? Like, you can never be that person or be anything like that person because they are unique in themselves. Like, even twins. You're a twin. I'm sure you could say, yes, we come from the. We're twins. We're connected in. In some crazy way or another, but we're still very different in our own ways. Like, no one is the same. Even twins.

Do you think? You know, I've definitely found myself comparing myself a lot more to people, I think, during lockdown, just because I feel like. And I said this before, is that so many people have created, like, amazing things during lockdown.

So many people have been on time.

So many people have been on these, like, amazing diets. They look amazing. They look epic. You know, they're living this life that they've wanted to live for so long. Do you think social media, massive impact. Do you think during lockdown, people have definitely spent more time on. How do you think it's kind of affected people?

I mean, I've seen people, don't get me wrong, sometimes I find myself stuck in that rabbit hole and I'm like, sitting there comparing myself someone, and I'm like, whoa, whoa, whoa. Yeah, take the reins back, because that's is not real first and foremost. Like, obviously we see lovely, great things on Instagram every day, but it's not real life. You never, ever, ever know what someone is actually going through behind closed doors. You never know whether they are actually an image says a thousand words. Like, you don't know how someone is feeling. They might be smiling on a beach in the most beautiful place, looking like they are living their best life, so happy. But deep down, they could be in absolute pieces. Like, something could have. Tragic, could have just happened to them. Like, you just never know. You know, everyone's dealing with their own shit in some way or another. And I just feel like social media is. Can be so good, but it can also be so dangerous as well. And I think that's why it's really important for me to be putting out, like, positive stuff and Reminding people that it is okay. Like, you can do this. You can be whoever you want. You're the one that creates your life. It's no one else. Like, a lot of us put blame on other people or situations or jobs or this or that for things happening to us, but it's us shaping our own life. Like, it's all down to the choices and decisions you make. Just be very conscious of things that you do before you do it, because. Yeah, but even if you don't, you're going to learn from it anyway. It's all about learning from the lessons for me. Like, continuing to learn from them and not, like, brush them under the carpet and make myself feel like I'm always right. Because you're never going to always be right. You're never going to always know everything. I think a lot of us as young adults especially, we get to a point in our life where we just think we know everything. Like, I swear, I. I hit that peak really early. I think I hit that peak at, like, 18. I thought I knew.

Yeah.

Absolutely everything.

I was always right.

I was always right. I was just. No, you can't. You can't tell me. I know exactly what is going to happen or how it's going to be. But listen, you're always going to learn. And that's the thing. Once you let that thing go of thinking you know everything and just be willing to learn something new.

Yeah.

In a positive way. Positive things will happen.

Yeah, it's.

It's literally that simple.

Yeah. And I think that it's really. Look, it's really easy to sit, you know, where I am right now, where you are right now. Because, you know, we're both doing very exciting things. I'm not saying everything's easy and simple, but we both definitely not have gone through these journeys.

Yeah.

But it's often very interesting, as you said, because when things get really hard, no one sits on Instagram and posts a picture of themselves having an argument with their boyfriend, having an argument with their parents, losing their job, crying their eyes out, whatever it is. And I think that even though I know this and everyone knows, as everyone knows, Instagram and TikTok, they're all highlight reels. There's still that bit deep down inside that feels that we should be where someone else is. And. And it's often we Compare our chapter one with someone else's chapter 500. Again, we had this conversation talking about a lot of these business people. We see we haven't seen the 15 businesses that have failed. We haven't seen the long nights of them, the breakups, the, the lack of support, the debt. And I think that the more and more, you know, there's Bebo's coming back, another social platform.

God, I literally just don't want to download any more apps. I feel like I have so much.

They said you might be able to log into your old Bebo, which is going to really, really interesting because I think we had them when we were.

About like 15, but I was obsessed with Bebop.

It's just, it's another, it's another app and I think that's the thing sometimes is it's like the one thing I'm really, really looking forward to after this pandemic is actually like seeing my friends in non work settings and actually being able to just like go for dinner or go for a drink with them.

So exciting.

And hopefully we've all learned to kind of put our phones away and go, actually I'm going to spend an hour with a human. One on one, 100% without having to.

I have this new thing that I do because I literally am. We're all, every single one of us, whether we, whether we like it or not, we're attached to a mobile phone in some way or another. We're attached to it. Everything happens through that phone our whole lives. Right. So I have set myself a challenge every day to stick to a routine as much as I can. Obviously things change every single day, so it's hard, but I always put my phone away for at least like an hour, just put it in my other room and just like focus on what I need to do. And it's unbelievable how much you actually get done within an hour. It's insane scrolling, so scrolling.

And that's the thing, it's the scrolling.

Without any screen time. Yeah. Reducing screen time is very important. Like just take your phone, put it in another room, it's not going to go anywhere. It's just in that room and just do something productive. Like even if it's, God, I don't know, walking, going for a walk or like cleaning your flat or like working on something or just whatever it is, you know. That has had a massive, massive, massive positive change for me. Just putting it in the other room.

Yeah.

Even if it's for half an hour.

I felt exactly the same. Yeah. And I actually, I actually kind of set that time limit. But I did feel myself when it said you've reached your time limit. I'd sort of go 15 more minutes. But I think physically, yeah, it's Crazy. We've come to an age where we have to physically remove the phone from ourselves. Yeah. But no, I think that's. I think that's a really good piece of advice, and I'm definitely gonna kind of try and do that a little bit more.

When you're in lockdown, it's hard, obviously, because you're, like, in.

You're so connected with people that way. Yeah.

You're in your house all day. So, like, what else are you gonna do? Like, trust me, you can find a million things to do. You'll be surprised. It's just pushing yourself to do it and not being, like, stuck in a. In a mindset where you're like, okay, I don't want to do that. Well, just do something. You're never going to get a different result. If you are doing the same thing, you need to do something different.

Exactly.

And it's okay to change. A lot of people are so scared of change. But, like, I get really excited by change personally, because I know it's, like, gonna. It's. I'm either going to learn something or it's going to be an amazing thing. Like, one way or the other, you're going to work out. Okay. And it always does work. Work out okay.

Yeah.

Every time.

Melissa, what would be your one piece of advice from your experiences and your lessons that you've learned for the people who are listening?

Oh, my God, I have so many. I think just stay true to yourself. Like, I know that's such a cliche thing to say, and, like, it's just one of those words where it's like, oh, stay true to yourself. But, like, just do what makes you happy. Be around people that you love. If something doesn't feel right, don't do it. Like, a lot of us ignore our intuition so much, and for me, I just trust mine and listen to mine every single day. And I think you should, too. Trust your intuition. That's my lesson for you guys.

Well, Melissa, thank you so much for being this week's guest on the All Is Wellness podcast. You can head over to Melissa's Instagram page, which is elissamasood. She posts daily quotes, affirmations, and you can find out how you can work with her again. Thank you so much, Melissa, for being our guest on this week's podcast.

You are so welcome. Thank you so much for having me. That was such a great, great, great convo. I'm gonn and listen back to myself.

We hope you enjoyed this week's podcast. Please leave us a review if you did. Head over to our Instagram page, All Is Wellness Podcast, and let us know what you think. We look forward to welcoming you next week for more open and honest conversations.