Melony Brown, a writer and Smyrna resident for over 24 years, loves uplifting and motivating people in her community. When she isn’t cheering on her beloved Braves and enjoying a juicy burger paired with a salad from Wade’s on the Marietta Square with her high school sweetheart Jeff, two sons, and labradoodle Willow, she’s interviewing people on her podcast and motivating people with her Motivate Me project.
The pandemic has impacted every person on the face of the planet. Realizing how the pandemic may be one of the toughest challenges some of us will face, Melony began noticing that while some were fighting to overcome and some were thriving, many were living in defeat, losing focus, questioning what was the point of pursuing their dreams, and feeling unmotivated.
Melony grew up in Woodstock, graduated from Etowah High School, and earned a dual degree in Early Childhood Education and Learning Disabilities from West Georgia College in Carrollton with a master’s in Interrelated Special Education. With Melony’s years of encouraging and motivating students as a special education teacher in Cobb County and leading a support program called Discovery for students who struggle academically, Melony felt compelled to do something for people struggling with life’s toughest challenges.
"I knew with my experiences as an educator and as a writer who shared inspirational/motivational stories I could do something,” Melony told us. “Add in what I've learned as a podcaster, and well . . . the Motivate Me project was designed to deliver three minute audio text messages (essentially mini-podcasts) to subscribers' phones. It is a newer method of connecting with followers. As American Author, Edward Everett Hale said ‘I am only one, but still I am one. I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do something that I can do.’ and I wanted to embody that.”
The Motivate Me project is not just for those who are barely surviving and are starved for motivation to get them refocused, refueled, and re-energized. It's also for the person who knows the value and power of daily motivation to encourage and motivate her to keep pursuing her goals, to welcome the lessons that come from setbacks and failures, and to keep a strong, positive mindset.
If you sign up for her Motivate Me project at TheMotivateMeProject.com, a three-minute audio text will be delivered straight to your phone every single morning. You can start your day with a power-packed motivational message that encourages you to constantly dream big, ignite the fire within you, and challenge you to pursue all of life’s adventures.
Melony started writing 17 years ago, publishing two math resource workbooks called Solving Word Problems for Life. Writing these workbooks opened her eyes to the world of writing and publishing. She’s written countless fiction and nonfiction books, and like many writers, the books live on her hard drive. But, eight years ago, she decided to narrow her focus and began interviewing and writing the stories of fearless women who have overcome trials and tribulations.
She has interviewed more than 110 women and three years ago, she began sharing some of those interviews in audio form on her podcast, Zigzag & I. Her theme of ‘overcoming’ is incredibly personal to her as she has faced significant health challengers throughout her life. She is celebrating her five year brain surgery anniversary in March and you can hear her story on episode one of her podcast.
Other episodes include Smyrna warriors like Cathie Seibert who overcame illiteracy and is currently an assistant administrator at Griffin Middle School. Or Brenda Gallagher who overcame breast cancer, Faye Yost who is the current caregiver for her son Mak who suffered a brain aneurysm, and Elise Tedeschi who is an eight year pancreatic cancer survivor. These women and their stories are simply amazing. You can listen to them on Melony’s website: MelonyBrown.com.
One of Melony’s favorite quotes is by Zig Ziglar: “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Well neither does bathing - that’s why we recommend it daily.” This quote is her impetus for sending 365 motivational messages during 21. Creating and recording 365 messages IS an ambitious undertaking, but Melony is up for the challenge and is excited for the project.
If you are interested in joining the Motivate Me project, you can get try out a 14 day free trial, giving you the opportunity to “taste and see” the audio text format, the ease of having motivation delivered to the technology we all look at dozens of times throughout the day, and the huge benefit of being filled daily with motivation.