Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Steach.
Thanks for sharing your story with us Melissa. So, let’s start at the beginning and we can move on from there.
My career today can be traced back to my earliest childhood. I grew up living in tents, housing projects, houses and apartments in the U.S. and abroad. Some were nice and some were not, but all were beautifully unique in their looks and their lessons. These various residences and the people residing there provided early exposure to a wide range of cultures, ethnicities and incomes. I can literally get along anywhere and with anyone. I’ve always been drawn to books and art. I’m naturally drawn to both, so I did well in school and received a lot of attention for my art. However, after being accepted to Pratt’s MFA program, I realized that I really liked business so I didn’t attend, choosing instead to remain in Los Angeles where I tried out different careers like public relations, acting, bartending, interior design, teaching (to name a few). Still no traditional job suited me; I always felt torn between my analytical and artistic sides so I decided to create my own career path.
We’re always bombarded by how great it is to pursue your passion, etc – but we’ve spoken with enough people to know that it’s not always easy. Overall, would you say things have been easy for you?
My path has been littered with tons of change and obstacles – almost all of which were self-imposed. Of course, we can’t do much as children since our care is most often in the hands of some form of adult authority, so I won’t bother detailing my childhood ups and downs. Beside, every family has its challenges.
As an adult, I would consistently work hard, get noticed, and just when I would begin to reap the benefits of my labor – I would decide to move on to another job, city, even country. Looking back, I realize I not only craved the challenges of extreme change but I was also a bit fearful of the responsibility that I believe came with success. In a sense, I would “blow up” my life in the name of exploration rather than get traction which would’ve allowed me to evolve and grow… maybe. The thing is you can never really know. So all said, my struggles were no more than what I imagine many deal with (and worse) and my struggles were almost always of my own doing.
We’d love to hear more about your work and what you are currently focused on. What else should we know?
I’m an award-winning artist, best-selling author, certified ergonomist, and Doctoral Candidate in I-O Psychology with certifications in positive psychology interventions.
As a knowledge lead and keynote speaker, I combine workplace design and art with research to explore personal/organizational culture and behaviors to understand how the built environment can better engage, empower, and even shape how we engage ourselves and each other.
My areas of expertise include implicit bias, personnel-organization fit, organizational development strategy, ergo change management, ergonomic interventions, human factors, and workplace well-being, plus aesthetic Influence and impact.
So, what’s next? Any big plans?
I plan to write another book and this time, my intention is that it will be a NYT bestseller and not just an Amazon bestseller like my first book.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.melissasteach.com
- Email: melissa@melissasteach.com
- Instagram: melissa.steach
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melissasteach/
Image Credit:
Lin Marty, Khachik Simonian
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