The Bards are Singing About
Ulven Coaching...
I was a new bumbling author when Melissa and I crossed paths. Navigating self-publishing, marketing, and social media is a monster that kept freezing me in my tracks. How do you tame such a beast successfully and not lose your mind doing it? Feeling overwhelmed became my default mode every time I sat down to find an audience for my book. Where do I go next? What should I do here? Should I try this or that? Melissa swooped in and took the monster apart, brought the challenges down to the bones so I could study the structure of what I needed to do, and slowly build from there. She pointed me in the right direction for creating a website and how it should function. She broke apart social media and introduced me to my “target audience”, giving me a platform that I could manage and the tools to make my life easier with posting and creating content. Melissa’s encouragement and positive attitude made every task sound less daunting, and more doable. Melissa does not do the work for you, she helps you harness your creative energies and give them a clear direction to travel in. She is my compass on my quest, the map when I need it, and the reminder to take care of myself along the way. I would not be this far along on my journey without her care and guidance. If you have a task that needs doing, I would strongly encourage adding Melissa to your fellowship, because success is found faster with the right support.
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Urban Fantasy Author
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I’ve been nervous to take on a big creative project with a hard deadline for some time now, because my ADHD, deadlines, and BIG jobs are not friends. The idea of doing the project with a guide, someone to help nudge me along and “tell me what to do” sounded like maybe it would work, so I gave that a try with Melissa from Ulven Coaching. Well, Melissa did not tell me what to do, but she helped me to build skills, solve some of my own problems, AND get the project done. Epic win! Melissa helped me on a very logistical level to break my project down into phases, set daily and weekly schedules based around my other life obligations, and to refine and troubleshoot the inevitable challenges that arose out of the attempt to transition from being a self-described “unscheduled chaotic creative” to “someone with a deadline”. Beyond that, Melissa was an inspiring cheerleader through the entire process and helped me to appreciate my successes and recognize my own problem-solving skills. Rather than tell me what to do when I found myself frustrated or stressed out about hitting a wall or struggling with the creep up of chaos, she asked me insightful questions and gave me an opportunity to review the process and practices I was working to unlearn, and brainstorm new ones to try instead. One of the greatest parts about doing a project with Melissa as a coach was the way she helped guide me towards the goal, even when I faltered and went way off course, without ever making me feel judged or like I was failing. Melissa’s practical approach helped me see the value in those “side diversions” as learning experiences and refocus on how to integrate that new information into my project goals. Instead of allowing myself to get pulled down into despair like I have previously when I hit these roadblocks, I was getting energized with a new idea of how to approach my work, and even finding new creative visions. I honestly don’t know if I would have been able to get through a project of the scale I took on without the empathetic and meaningful encouragement that Melissa provided me. As a coach she’s approachable, perceptive, and grounded, and as a human she’s kind-hearted, funny, and smart as a whip. If you too are staring down a creative project and could use some encouragement, skills, logistics, and some cheerleading, (and who doesn’t need a cheerleader?!), I highly recommend Melissa and Ulven Coaching! 10/10
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-Angie Hickman Newnham
Game Designer