#455: SPOTLIGHT: Melissa Norman

#455: Melissa Norman 

Feb 10, 2026

A Backbeat of Community

Question for Melissa: 

Has your idea of what happiness means or looks like changed UNEXPECTEDLY as you've grown older?  Would you share that truth or perspective with your younger self if you could?

Melissa's Response: 

I realize I spent my late teens and early twenties chasing everyone's approval but my own. I shaped a lot of my life around what others wanted. Both personally and professionally, I made choices based on what I thought was “right” and what would make other people happy rather than what I actually wanted.

Countless times I’ve had conversations with my Mom about how I wished I knew what I knew now back then and how differently I would have done things. I used to think I would love to spill all the beans and say to my younger self, “don’t waste your time”, “don’t do this or don’t do that”, to avoid those years filled with people-pleasing anxiety. But really I wouldn’t want to change a thing. Life is beautifully messy and everything I’ve experienced or missed out on made me who I am today and have allowed me to discover how I want to show up in the world.

What I know now??  I have no idea .  I’m continuing to grow and learn and having a ton of fun making lots of mistakes. Happiness isn't found in others' approval any more (even though I do like making others happy). It’s in the quiet confidence of knowing myself, living accordingly, and finding joy in the journey. And laughing…..lots of laughing.