Hi, I'm Melody.
I teach women how to think like designers.
For the last 15 years, I've worked in design and content strategy, helping companies solve messy, human-centered problems.
And somewhere between designing tech products for a living and redesigning my own life, I noticed something:
The women creating the most interesting lives weren't necessarily the most confident.
They were the most willing to experiment.
That observation became the foundation of everything I teach.
Most women don't need more ambition — they need a better framework.
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Self-Designed helps women create lives that feel aligned, intentional, and fully their own through the lens of design thinking—a methodology traditionally used to build products, now applied to building a life.
It's part personal growth, part practical strategy, and part permission slip.
Because life is a problem to solve—it's something you can actively create.
The idea behind Self-Designed
 We've been taught to approach life like a checklist.
- Pick a goal.
- Make a plan.
- Stick to it.
The problem is that life doesn't work that way. And right now, in a cultural moment where women are asking bigger questions and rewriting the rules living well: how we approach careers, families, partnerships, and more-
We don't need need better plans or bro grind-culture paths to productivity:Â we need better tools for navigating uncertainty and newness.
We need an updated way of thinking.Â
That's where Design Thinking comes in.
When designers don't know the answer, they don't freeze. They don't wait until they're 100% sure. They observe, research, experiment, test ideas, learn from what happens, and build from there.
What if we approached our lives the same way?
What if uncertainty wasn't a sign to stop?
What if it was part of the process?
That's the question Self-Designed explores.
Why I teach this
Because the fulfilled women I know aren't following a blueprint—they're building their own.
Also? Because I've lived it.Â
A few years ago, I left a life that looked successful on paper and started over.
Since then, I've lived and worked on the road, built a location-independent career, moved to Alaska, reinvented myself more than once, and created opportunities that didn't exist until I went looking for them.
Not because I had a master plan—in fact, most of the time, I had far more questions than answers.
But because I had a designer's training to explore forward:
- Research
- Experiment
- Learn
- Adjust
- Repeat
The same process I've used professionally for years is the same process that helped me build a life that feels deeply aligned with who I am, and what I teach to women around the world.
Speaking, Workshops & Corporate Events
I speak and facilitate experiences for organizations, conferences, leadership groups, women's communities, and teams navigating growth, change, and uncertainty.
My sessions blend practical tools, fresh ways of thinking, and interactive exercises that help people move from insight to action.
Popular topics include:
Think Like a Designer
A new framework for decision-making, confidence, and navigating uncertainty.
Designing Your Next Chapter
How to approach career pivots, reinvention, and life transitions without waiting for everything to make sense first.
The Core Values Reset
A workshop that helps participants uncover what drives their best decisions, work, and lives.
Confidence Through Action
Why confidence isn't something you find—it's something you build.
Luck Surface Area
How experimentation, visibility, and small brave moves create more opportunities than most people realize.
Whether I'm speaking to a room of executives, a women's leadership organization, a conference audience, or a community event, my goal is the same:
To leave people with a completely new way of thinking about what's possible.
Book Melody for a workshop or talk →Let's work together
Interested in a keynote, workshop, company offsite, leadership event, retreat, podcast, or partnership?
I'd love to hear what you're building.
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The short version?
I don't think women need better plans.
I think we need better ways of navigating uncertainty.
That's what Self-Designed is all about.
