250: Behind the Mic: Podcast Guest Appearances & Journey of a Mom Author

This October 31 marks the one-year anniversary of my book, and I’m celebrating by sharing a curated list of my favorite podcast appearances! I’ve chosen episodes where the hosts’ perspectives, personalities, and generosity truly shone. With so many podcasts out there, it’s a challenge to find ones that are both genuinely helpful and uplifting. If I’m serving up a celebration, it’s going to be as satisfying as the best birthday cake. Join me as I revisit standout moments, including the time a host knew my book so well it made me question my own words, the episode where I shared my birth story, and another where I reveal how I’ve personally taught my sons about the importance of global networking. Discover how you can use your imagination to tell your own story and feel truly worthy!   In this episode, you will hear:   My book Fertile Imagination turns ONE on Halloween, and I’m celebrating by sharing all the juicy details from my podcast tour! 🎉 I also got personal with some epic birth stories. Turns out, talking about twins and birth is a podcast hit! 📚 Insider stories, hilarious moments, and behind-the-scenes glimpses that didn’t make it to air. 🎧 Reimagining motherhood to harnessing the wild power of a mom’s imagination. 🏆 Business secrets about leads, creativity, and balancing life as a mompreneur. (You won’t want to miss these nuggets!) 💡 Podcast Links: Momshine https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/ep-213-unlocking-your-mom-superpowers-to-monetize-your/id1713258255?i=1000657444166   Birth As We Know It https://birthasweknowitpodcast.com/ep-64-melissa-llarena-3-vaginal-births-twins-gabriel-noah-nicholas/   100% Guilt-Free with Tami Hackbarth  https://www.tamihackbarth.com/blog/episode-224   From Startup to Wunderbrand with Nicholas Kuhne – Oslo, Norway https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/nicholas-kuhne/episodes/The-Networking-Playground-Skills-for-Kids-and-Parents-e2n2jcg   Disruptive CEO Nation https://www.disruptiveceonation.com/episode-220-melissa-llarena-host-of-the-unimginable-wellness-podcast-austin-tx-usa/   Founder Podcast with Ash https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/founders-podcast-season-6-episode-2/id1704344895?i=1000665122742   Mastermind Parenting Podcast With Randi Rubeinstein https://mastermindparenting.com/podcast-293/ - 293: It’s Never A “Good” Time To Have A Baby Or Start A Business   The Bosshole Chronicles  https://www.buzzsprout.com/1451638/14827121   Networking in the AI Era With Melissa Llarena https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXIkNRyE-5M  When Mommy Grows Up https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/accelerate-your-dreams-by-mobilizing-your-network-melissas/id1663617412?i=1000638299524   And/Or Podcast, Ashley Blackington OTD, OTR/L Dovetail® founder & CEO - CareTech solutions for today's families  https://andbothpodcast.buzzsprout.com/2254305/14952247-25-harnessing-motherhood-s-untapped-business-potential-with-author-melissa-llarena  KozeKoze By Garrett Wood https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/kozekoze/episodes/333--Fertile-Imagination-with-author-Melissa-Llarena-e29uk98   This episode is brought to you by Fertile Imagination: A Guide For Stretching Every Mom’s Superpower For Maximum Impact – My book is now available on Amazon in its paperback version and Kindle format. Grab a free chapter on www.fertileideas.com.   DM me on Instagram @melissallarena just type the word FERTILE and I’ll share the link if that’s easier to get to fertileideas.com for all the details you need to celebrate your own Fertile Imagination! Here’s that link: https://www.instagram.com/melissallarena/  About Melissa Llarena   Melissa is a bestselling author (learn more on www.fertileideas.com), imagination coach behind the Fertile Imagination to Networking Success Group Coaching Program, consultant, speaker, contributor to ForbesWomen articles that have garnered 4 million-plus views, and the podcast host of the Mom Founder Imagination Hub. Featured guests include GaryVee, Beth Comstock, Suzy Batiz, David Meltzer, and hundreds of other unconventional thinkers. Melissa has been featured in the WSJ, Business Insider, Fox Business, CNN Money, The Huffington Post, and other publications. She holds a psychology degree from NYU, an MBA from the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, and a Transformational Coaching Academy certificate and is training to become a meditation practitioner. Melissa lives in Austin, Texas, with her husband and three sons (one singleton and a set of identical twins). Quotes, that can change your perspective: “I know so many hard stories and I frankly was scared beyond my imagination when I was a first time mom for obvious reasons.” “I don't know all the birth stories, but just like our thumb prints or fingerprints, we're all different.”   “It is something that doesn't go unnoticed with regards to me as the author because it's really intimidating putting yourself out there, especially in the written word, because it's quite permanent. It's not like I could go back into a landing page and make some edits.”   “Hey, if you are a mom author who wants to talk about your book without being on physical stages then making podcast appearances is the mom ultimate hack!” “A Fertile Imagination is, it's about having this ability to envision something that you have never seen before, done by any mom in your circles.” SHARE this episode with anyone passionate about writing, podcasting, or balancing the demands of parenting and entrepreneurship. As we celebrate the one-year anniversary of "Fertile Imagination," let’s embrace these insights and keep supporting one another in our creative and business journeys. Supporting Resources:   Schedule a free call to see if Fertile Imagination to Networking Success my signature program is the right fit: https://www.melissallarena.com/sessions/ Podcast: Mom Founder Imagination Hub: https://www.melissallarena.com/podcast/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MelissaLlarena/ Or, grab for free your copy of the “From Contact to Connection: The Mompreneur's Go-First Networking & Follow Up Playbook”: https://witty-thinker-2643.ck.page/21e52edb87    Subscribe and Review Have you subscribed to my podcast for new moms who are entrepreneurs, founders, and creators?  I’d love for you to subscribe if you haven’t yet.  I’d love it even more if you could drop a review or 5-star rating over on Apple Podcasts. Simply select “Ratings and Reviews” and “Write a Review” then a quick line with your favorite part of the episode. It only takes a second and it helps spread the word about the podcast for writer moms.        TRANSCRIPT 00:00:00 Melissa: October 31st is the official anniversary of my book. And I thought what I would do right now is really share with you how it's been going in terms of a podcast tour.  00:00:15 Melissa: Welcome to the Mom Founder Imagination Hub, your weekly podcast to inspire you to dream bigger. Plan out how you're going to get to that next level in business, find the energy to keep going and make sure your creative juices are flowing so that this way you get what you really want rather than having to settle. Get ready to discover how mom founders have reimagined entrepreneurship and motherhood. Ever wonder how they do it? Tune in to find out. And stretch yourself by also learning from diverse entrepreneurs who might not be moms, but who have lessons you can tailor about how you can disrupt industries and step way outside of your comfort zone. I believe every mom's superpower is her imagination. In this podcast, I'm gonna give you the mindset, methods, and tools to unleash yours. Sounds good? Then keep listening. 00:01:09 Melissa: I cannot believe it's been a year since I published my book 'Fertile Imagination.' Happy birthday. Oh my god. So October 31st is the official anniversary of my book. And I thought what I would do right now is really share with you how it's been going in terms of a podcast tour. Let me explain. I have been a guest on other podcasters' podcasts. And in doing so, I have been able to really share some intimate stories in terms of behind-the-scenes moments of having written the book, starting in Australia, finishing here in Austin. Also, I've been able to share things like my birth story. Who would have thunk it?  00:02:01 Melissa: I have had such a grand time really being on other people's platforms because it is one thing to write a book and another thing to really witness how it's made an impact in terms of the readers, and also the listeners too because now it's an audio format. Did you know that I have a hardcover? I have a paperback cover and an audio book format as well. So please if you're interested in the book just go to fertileideas.com. This will be in the show notes and you can just get a free chapter to start with. It is on that page right there. And you can also really join in on the fun.  00:02:42 Melissa: But this episode is really about the podcasters that I've had the pleasure of meeting this entire season, post-book launch. And my book again, it's gonna be one year. It's gonna be one, it's gonna be one on Halloween. And so it's coming up. And so that is why I wanted to today really just start celebrating, right? And I wanna be sure that it is going to be a worthy celebration. I'm not gonna play Kool & The Gang, Celebration, which by the way, was my very first favorite song ever, which tells you how old I am, but I don't care because my book is one. And I...  00:03:25 Melissa: But I do want to just kind of like express my gratitude before I go into this list. So what I did was I curated a list of the podcasts that I have been a guest on where I have really met people with amazing personalities, with wonderful questions, with a level of depth to them that is very, very admirable. And I definitely am learning from. And I want to be sure that in this conversation with you, my beautiful, dear listener, that you have a good idea of which podcasts are absolutely worthy of your time and attention because I know there's so many out there, but not a lot of them are saying something new. And I want to be sure that I put these guys on your map, on your radar, in your iTunes list. And because of that, I wanted to be a little bit... How should I say? Organized. So we're going to do this in a fairly frameworked fashion. Again, a little bit of my B-School just pouring through the audio waves here. 00:04:28 Melissa: I'm going to share with you about 11 or so of the podcast guest appearances that I've most enjoyed this year. Again, my book is turning one on Halloween. That is why I'm sharing these episodes with you. And I'm just gonna give you a little bit of the behind-the-scenes, but we're gonna go through each one in terms of these three concepts. So the focus of the conversation, I wanna give you a little bit of snippet of that. Then we're gonna go into why it stood out. And this is more like the behind-the-scenes. It’s often when we're not recording that some of the best podcast conversations happen. Join me as I want to reveal a little bit of those moments in this my book birthday’s month episode - behind the scenes insights whilst on my podcast guest tour for Fertile Imagination.!  00:05:12 Melissa: And then the third thing we're gonna go through is why you should listen. Why you should listen to these podcasts. So I curated these podcasts for you and I've been on every single one. And for me, it's been a blessing and it's been amazing. And I wanna be sure that you, too, find the nuggets that they offer and that you can apply to your own life. So this one, again, top 11 or so podcast guest appearances that I've been on since my book was born on Halloween almost a year ago today.  00:05:48 Melissa: So here we go. So it's not in a particular order. I'm not ranking this. Okay. This is not like corporate America, performance evaluation. Not at all. So I want to just give a shout out to MomShine. So this one, I will say from a focused perspective, when I was speaking with the host, Alicia, we were talking about harnessing our superpower, right? And if you read the book or you know what a Fertile Imagination is, it's about having this ability to envision something that you have never seen before, done by any mom in your circles. And so we spoke about that.  00:06:23 Melissa: And what I really thought stood out with regards to this conversation with Alicia is something that my dad is gonna be like, definitely giving me a heck of a lot of… I don't even know. Compliments or whatever on. Which is this, I shared on this podcast of MomShine, this notion of compensation versus aggravation. So this is what stood out for me. Alicia got me talking about something that I was taught by my dad as a little girl. And so here's the idea. If you are in a work environment where your compensation is very, very low in relationship to the level of aggravation that you feel, that is a sign that you must leave. 00:07:07 Melissa: So that is something that stood out for me in terms of MomShine and in terms of my Conversation with Alicia and I definitely want you and encourage you to listen to MomShine. And why is that? So here's the thing, Alicia definitely produces quality work. She is absolutely... I mean, she's been on the helm of corporations that have grown exponentially, many of whom you've heard of, but I'm not gonna say here because I don't wanna get it wrong. But, again, check out MomShine. Amazing conversations there with Alicia. And check out my episode on MomShine. 00:07:24 Melissa: All of this is going to be in the show notes, by the way. So you don't have to take notes and you don't have to memorize these things. Just check out the show notes and you'll get a link to every single one of these highly curated podcasts on which I have been a guest throughout this last year. Almost, almost in time right now, delivered to you by my book's birthday. Again, it's going to be on Halloween. So, oh my God, don't forget to reach out to me on Instagram. Let me know if you got a copy. If you read it, let me know. Just tell me, “Happy book birthday.” I would be so grateful. 00:08:16 Melissa: Second podcast that I wanted to share with you that was sensational, Birth As We Know It by Kiona. Here was the focus. The focus, this is really focused and I apologize if you have kids listening, but just understand I'm gonna use a word that starts with a 'V.' So here is basically the title to that episode, Birth As We Know It. She's a doula, so please be mindful of where I'm going with this. So she says, three vaginal births, twins, Gabriel, Noah, Nicholas. Yes, we talked about my birth process, story experiences in very great detail. It's not often that you get to tell your birth story, especially when you've had a great birth story to tell. And the reason why I want you to really consider this conversation with Kiona and Birth As We Know It is because I think it is so important to actually have good stories of triumph when it comes to giving birth. 00:09:19 Melissa: I know so many hard stories and I frankly was scared beyond my imagination when I was a first time mom for obvious reasons. This is the first time, you have no idea how it's gonna go. But then also when I was birthing my identical twins, I was completely petrified and just in a place of fear for about 36 weeks, but who was counting? So that's why you want to check out Birth As We Know It, right? 00:09:46 Melissa: So the focus was my vaginal births. Yes, plural, everybody. Came out that way. But then on top of that, what stood out was also with Kiona. She was so generous, so, so generous. She let me go on and on in terms of the birth story and she does that for all her guests. So I wanna just call her out for that. That's amazing. And then in terms of why you should listen to Birth As We Know It, it's for you if you're scared. If you're pregnant and you're scared, go to her podcast. Also, please be mindful. Read to see which one you want to listen to. I don't know all the birth stories, but just like our thumb prints or fingerprints, we're all different. So there might be some more encouraging stories and more scary stories. And I know that was grammatically incorrect, but I'm gonna go with it. So, Birth As We Know It, Kiona. 00:10:38 Melissa:  Third one. There's 11 here so... 100% Guilt-Free Self-Care by Tami Hackbarth. Focus. The focus was about creating your own opportunities, right? So having the guts to talk to strangers, go to concerts, go backstage and all of that jazz. So here's something that was stands out as far as a 100% Guilt-Free Self-Care with Tami. So first of all, Tami has a sense of humor and a half. So you will absolutely enjoy the conversation, any of the conversations, but the one with Tami and myself, we actually did it so that we were focused on her being my guest and me being her guest. So we did a back to back recording. So I encourage you to check out the conversation 100% Guilt-Free Self-Care with Tami. She, again, like I said, why should you listen? Because she's very personable and she's a fair play method facilitator. If you want to learn more about that, you got to check out her podcast. So absolutely check it out.  00:11:46 Melissa: All right, another podcast. Again, we're going for 11. Right now we're at one, two, three. This is the fourth. From Startup to Wunderbrand with Nicholas Kuhne. This one comes from Oslo, Norway. Yes, I will be going to Oslo at some point. Can't tell you when, but I will. Okay, the focus here is totally unlike anything else I've ever had a conversation about, which is, how to teach our kids how to network from a global perspective. When I was having that conversation with Nicholas, I was so thrilled. You would think somebody gave me like a free Katz’s Delicatessen sandwich or something, or like those wedge fries that they have, or potato fries, whatever. But they weren't. I was just excited because I got to talk about the world, my children, and speak to someone that understood and appreciated the nuances of marketing and advertising, which is my background. So that was really cool. 00:12:39 Melissa: So why you should listen, because if you're a parent, this is gonna inspire you and give you some global ideas. In terms of what stood out, the fact that Nicholas was open to talking about children and expat situations, and whether or not kids should or they benefit from moving to different countries or different places. So I thought that was really cool. And why you should listen, because Nicholas has a smorgasbord of guests and it's really appealing to hear from someone that has experiences living in very different countries. I speak of the host himself, Nicholas. So check it out. From Startup to Wunderbrand with Nicholas Kuhne. 00:13:21 Melissa:  Alrighty. Disruptive CEO. Okay. So I want to just share the backstory here. I met Allison Summers at Podcast Movement, and she's the one that told me how to become a number one Amazon bestseller. So Disruptive CEO Nation is her podcast. She is in Chicago. She's affiliated with the American Marketing Association. And Allison is sensational. The focus was leadership and innovation. I believe that I spoke about Beth Comstock, who's in my book, former CMO of GE. 00:13:53 Melissa: What stood out, again, is really, it's Allison. It's about the host, right? So she really helped me become a number one Amazon bestseller. 100% beyond shadow of a doubt, totally grateful to Allison. So Disruptive CEO, definitely if you work in corporations and want to ascend to leadership, definitely check out Disruptive CEO Nation. And if you want to hear stories, that is a place to go. Disruptive CEO Nation. 00:14:22 Melissa: So let me get this on this rank. I should have been more like David Letterman and gone through the top 10 or whatever, but I'm a mom. I'm not David Letterman, right? Okay. So let me just count this here. One, two, three, four, five, six. So now we're on the sixth podcast where I was a guest and you might really enjoy. This podcast, global here, right? This is how I get to talk about the book and never leave my house and not have to get childcare, by the way. Going on podcasts versus being on physical stages. So that's a mom hack right there.  00:15:00 Melissa: The podcast is Founder Podcast with Ash. Ash is located in London town. And it was a great conversation for a couple of reasons, but the focus was about entrepreneurship and expansive thinking. And it really keyed in on leads. So as a business owner, that's a really big challenge, getting leads for a lot of us. And so we talked about that at length, also talked about parenting. And what stood out for me was that he got me to reveal so many secrets about what's working now to get leads. So definitely if you have a SaaS product, especially because his podcast is geared towards people that are in that world, check out Ash's podcast. Again, he is in the UK. If you're YC graduate or you've heard of that organization, he was an alumni. 00:15:52 Melissa: Okay, so 7 out of about 11, 7 about 11 podcasts that I've been on. And here's the thing, I've been on so many more podcasts. And if you have a podcast that you enjoy, I would love to hear about it because I'd wanna be on that podcast too. So just DM me on Instagram. All of that information is in the show notes. But here we go, the 7th out of the 11th podcast that I am right now celebrating having been on. It is Mastermind Parenting Podcast with Randi Rubenstein. I hope I said it correctly. It's so funny when you have 11 different last names, it gets to be a little bit complicated.  00:16:30 Melissa: But here we go. Mastermind Parenting Podcast with Randi Rubenstein. So the focus was strong-willed business and strong willed kids, actually. Randi's perspective was on kids, my perspective was on business, and we were on each other's podcasts. And I really enjoyed it because we talked about the parallels between being a mother and being a business owner. So that's what stood out for me. And that is also why you will want to listen if you have a strong willed kid, especially. And if you have a business that feels like a strong-willed kid, you will also wanna listen. It was an episode that I really enjoyed.  00:17:08 Melissa: Okay, so here is the eighth one. Again, we're going for about 11, give or take. This is a great name. You're gonna really like this name. It's called The Boss Hole Chronicles. Okay, so best podcast name. Let me just say it right there. John Broer interviewed me and what I would say the focus was, was really about, you know, having a corporate mindset. And what I thought was amazing is that you can be your own boss hole. And that is kind of where I netted out with the conversation with John. So if you're a female who works in a corporation or you have your own business and you are a mom, oftentimes we are harder on ourselves than our bosses, technically, are on us.  00:17:59 Melissa: And I want you to be mindful of that. But check out The Bosshole Chronicles. I was on that podcast. John is amazing and you will enjoy the conversation. It is definitely more for corporations, even mid-sized companies as well. So check it out. Everything's in the show notes. Do not delay. I am definitely sharing all these links with you because I want to be sure that you check out these podcasts. They are amazing and I'm so grateful. 00:18:26 Melissa: So here's another one, networking in the AI era. So this one is really cool in the sense that when I had this interview scheduled, it was like a 24 hour turnaround. And the person who interviewed me, it's so hilarious. I have everybody's name except his, but I think this is Jonathan. He actually shared with me so much wisdom as far as building my own business, when the recording button was off, which is always the case, right?  00:18:58 Melissa: So networking in the AI era, the thing that was the focus was really being authentic and not using AI in order to, you know, orchestrate conversations that are fake, but using it to help you research as an example. And then what stood out, as I said, was just, you know, the podcast host's openness to sharing business building insights off record. And I appreciate him so much for that and why you should listen, because he's got his stuff together. I mean, he's really talking about AI in general. And so if that is a topic on your heart, I use ChatGPT, by the way, every day all the time, then I encourage you to check out Networking in the AI era with me, Melissa Llarena. I was a guest on that podcast.  00:19:44 Melissa: All righty, so three more, and that's it. Just three more, three more, but these are really great. And I wanted to be sure I got them to you before my book birthday, which is on Halloween. Okay. When Mommy Grows Up, When Mommy Grows Up by Becca and Marie. So it's two moms. And I had such a great time on this conversation or this podcast because the focus was about, you know, having our own village when it comes to building our business, not just when we want to raise a family, but for our business purposes. And what stood out for me was Becca and Marie's level of knowing my book. 00:20:22 Melissa: So there's some times where it feels a little eerie. It's like, wow, they're using my words. They read my book. They're like thinking and using my terms. And sometimes it's eerie if you've never written a book. But it was really cool cause it's like, dag, they're really busy and they read my book and they found a lot of value. So go to When Mommy Grows Up if you're interested in like career transition, sort of conversations and insights. 00:20:47 Melissa: Okay, two more, I promise. I'm like that birthday girl that just does not wanna leave the dance floor. And if you know me, like personally, you know what I mean. Okay, so two more podcasts where I've been a podcast guest that I wanna be sure you check out because I think they're worthy of your mom time. They can make for great, great, great parts of your weekly habits are, dun, dun, dun, this podcast here is called And/Both Podcast. It is by Ashley Blackington. So here was the focus of the conversation. It was really about untapped business potential in you as a mom. And we got very mom and business specific in terms of what's possible and what might be harder to accomplish, but possible with imagination.  00:21:38 Melissa: And so my conversation with Ashley is definitely one that you'll want to consider, especially If you're a mom who maybe you want to get funding from investors, Ashley's on that journey, so you might want to learn from her from that perspective, or maybe you want to have a better handle and hold on your childcare or caregiving logistics because Ashley is coming up with an app that is essentially the first CRM designed for families. So there you go. Check out that podcast, And/Both Podcast. 00:22:14 Melissa: Okay, so last but not least, because there are so many other podcasts I've been on, I've been grateful this whole year to be on other people's podcasts. So last but not least is Koze Koze Podcasts and it's spelled K-O-Z-E K-O-Z-E. Here's the reason why having the conversation with Garrett Wood was amazing. So the focus was really about the book, for imagination like, what is a fertile imagination, what inspired me to write the book? You know, how is it that I could apply it in my life? That's the, that’s where the conversation went. And I have answers to that in this episode with Garrett. So I have it in the link. And again, the podcast is called Koze Koze.  00:22:56 Melissa: Here's the thing. There are so many opportunities as a podcast host myself to really help the guests feel at home and feel very safe and nurtured and cozy, right? And Garrett is an ace at that. So that is what stood out for me. She made me feel so welcome. I really felt like, you know, the intangibles of my journey were captured in that episode. And I encourage you to listen to her podcast, Koze Koze, or to buy her nipple cream if you're breastfeeding.  00:23:31 Melissa: So a lot of these podcasters are like me, we're mom founders. So we've got a lot of things going on but we have a message worthy of amplifying and sharing with the world. And if you've ever felt like you wanted to launch your own podcast or perhaps you have had a podcast but you got to episode number 7 and you didn't go on from there, then this can be a moment to just reflect upon why you let it go and maybe you should start again. And maybe I could be your guest next, right?  00:24:01 Melissa: So I just wanna say from the bottom of my heart, from the...bottom of my tiny toe on my right foot, if I had to be real specific, I can't express fully how strongly I feel about the community that I have around me in terms of fellow podcasters, fellow mom founders, and anyone who has read the book, reviewed the book on Amazon, purchased the book, or even mentioned the book, or lived out some of the ideas and concepts in the book. It is something that doesn't go unnoticed with regards to me as the author because it's really intimidating putting yourself out there, especially in the written word, because it's quite permanent. It's not like I could go back into a landing page and make some edits.  00:24:46 Melissa: So I appreciate you. I am so celebrating my birthday on October 31st. This is the first episode where I'm talking about the anniversary or the book birthday. And I encourage you to follow me every single Tuesday for a new episode. So here's the thing, I wanna be sure that you and I are like two peas in a pod, and this is how we can actually achieve that. If you're watching this on YouTube, I would encourage you to go ahead and subscribe officially. Here's why, when you subscribe, when I see that number go up, so it's like 200 and something right now, if it goes up to like, I don't know, 345 or something, then...it actually makes me do a happy dance, right?  00:25:31 Melissa: So you know how like we might like buy drinks for like the birthday girl through subscribing, you're kind of virtually buying me a drink on YouTube. And so I encourage that strongly. Here's the other thing on YouTube, there's this like notification bell, which I know a lot of people tell you, they're like, please tap it, hit it, whatever it might be. However you wanna get there, please select the bell so that you are notified when a video pops up. And if you're listening to this on iTunes, Spotify, Audible, however you're listening to this, I would encourage you to think about this. Let's make this relationship official. Actually hit follow, hit follow and this way, you're gonna get without having to do anything, your mom like why add things to your calendar, make the seamless, you're gonna be able to get a new episode every single Tuesday. 00:26:24 Melissa: All of this is in the show notes. You could totally just use it as a quick way to tick off something that happened today, right. So if you hit the bell or if you hit subscribe or follow, add that to your to-do list and then go ahead, check out the boxes so that you feel accomplished. So that's an idea for you. All right, so here's something that I wanted to just share with you. And I should have said it at the top, but I wanted to just kinda share this at the end. So here's a tiny reveal before I let you go. 00:26:54 Melissa: On the day of the pod of no, delete that, on the day of the actual launch. So October 31st, 2023, I actually realized that I was number one in two categories, but I was number three in another category and I never told anyone. So you're the first one to hear that. So here's the thing. I was, or the book, Fertile Imagination, managed to get to number one in the category of motherhood and also in the category of women in business. But the one spot, you could only pick three, where I was a number one, I was number three in, was women's biography. And here's the fun fact behind that.  00:27:38 Melissa: Do you know who was number one in women's biography? It was Jada Pinkett, and it was her book Worthy. And so I always thought to myself, I was like, well, you know what, if you’ve got all the money in the world and the resources in the world, I'll let you go ahead of me. Have no problem there. I don't even know who was number two, but for me, that just made me laugh because I was like, I'm okay with that. I'm totally okay with Jada's spot.  00:28:03 Melissa: So that's it for me. I mean, that is it. I'm so thrilled that you listened to this point because I mean, you know, doing a top 10 list or top 11 or 12, whatever it was, might be a little bit more clunky than I had imagined, but I wanted to get this out to you because I really am grateful. And my birthday is coming for my book, for my book, October 31st, and I want us to celebrate together. This is not like a one person journey. No man, no mom is an island. I want to know what you're celebrating too. I want to know what questions you have in terms of writing a book, doing a podcast, launching a business or growing a business. And to do that, let's keep on the same journey together. Follow, subscribe, hit the bell button. And any questions, I'm always on Instagram.  00:28:54 Melissa: So thank you so much. And until next Tuesday, Happy Birthday to Fertile Imagination.