“Just before finding out about SWIHA, I was in a soul sucking job in Corporate America. I dreaded going to work,” recalls Mel Rhoden, describing a path that we often hear of those who choose to serve others in a new way, “Every day that I was there, the cubicle walls seemed to be getting taller and darker. That office was quickly becoming lifeless, and I needed to get out.”
Mel had already left Corporate America once to travel the world as a missionary and journalist. She had sworn never to go back, however, after living overseas and having to raise financial support for so long, she needed to create some stability.
“I had a coworker who was a student at SWIHA, and we would have the most interesting conversations about life. You know, the deep talks that most people in corporate America shy away from,” Mel tells us.
One day, Mel was extended an invitation to the monthly Gifts and Graces event: “It just so happened to be the one that Mary [Ritter] and KC [Miller] led just after coming back from Japan. There was this energy in the air that I can't quite put words to, but I liked it and I wanted more of it.”
Mel stayed afterwards, and a woman approached her with an offering of a Life Coaching session, where all of the questions led Mel to the conclusion that I was in the wrong career.
“Subconsciously I knew that,” she says, “I just needed to hear it from someone else. I didn't even realize that Life Coaching could be something I studied and could make a career of.”
Today, Mel serves as a Yoga Life Coach, where coaching is the foundation of her classes and private sessions. “I don’t just want my yoga students to walk away feeling light and limber,” expresses Mel, “I want them to experience a breakthrough and gain the clarity and confidence they need to manifest their dreams and desires.”
She also describes herself as a Life Purpose Coach, with her target audience being professionals who are ready to find their Souls purpose. “I use Hebrew numerology to help my clients discover their Spiritual Map of Life, using their birth name, birth date, and the Star of David,” she continues, “This type of reading reveals not only their soul's purpose, but how to attain it. Over a period of three sessions, we discuss their lives, the karma that has been holding them back, the gifts they have to overcome them and how they can manifest their Souls purpose.”
“I’ve been in the corporate world, and I understand that people reach a point in their lives where they start to ask the questions: Who am I? What’s my purpose? What was I brought here to do? And these are the questions we uncover together,” she says.
Concludes Mel: “Sometimes it feels like I’m a homing beacon. People seek me out, because they know that I am someone who will listen, encourage, affirm and guide them. Even though it can be overwhelming at times, I wouldn’t have it any other way. This is my Soul’s purpose: to help others find theirs.”
