Make Life/Work: Taking Care of Business While Raising a Family

Welcome to The Make Life Work Podcast! In this episode I speak with Jenna Cooper, Founder and President of C3 Collective and SpeakYou.A public relations professional and former TV personality, Jenna is truly an expert in how to present yourself most effectively, and in the very best light.. and our chat is filled with many great tips -- for both in person and virtual meetings and presentations -- and is sure to help  take your presentation game to the next level and really connect with your audience. Cheers for a great week and I hope you enjoy the episode!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, which provides workspace, community and tailored services for entrepreneurs, families and organizations to help them create balance, find joy and excel in their personal and professional lives. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWorkThis episode is supported by  VIDA Business Services, Virtual Assistance and Consulting Services for Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs + Independent Contractors. Book a 30-minute call to learn more!

Welcome to The Make Life Work Podcast! In this episode I speak with Amy Jermain, the Executive Director of the XXcelerate Fund, which provides a uniquely powerful combination of business education, peer support and a pathway to financing for womxn in the Pacific Northwest. It's a model that has been proven to produce higher rates of success.Amy's career has taken her all over the world and her commitment to improving the resiliency and self-sufficiency of underserved groups. Her work at the United Nations World Food Programme, the International Finance Corporation, International Planned Parenthood Federation and is now helping Womxn-led companies create a new layer of economic power in our country.Amy and I enjoy a truly engaging conversation about the state of women + business, what we've learned from Covid and what the future of work can look like. We also take a moment to share our love and respect for Sara Batterby, the Founder of the Equity Capital Collective and an advisor to countless women entrepreneurs and an evangelist for equitable access to capital. Sara was a consultant to me in the early days of VIDA and her work has helped launch many a female-founded company. Last month, Sara died suddenly at the age of 49... may her memory be a blessing and her expertise live on.Cheers for a great week and I hope you enjoy the episode!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, which provides workspace, community and tailored services for entrepreneurs, families and organizations to help them create balance, find joy and excel in their personal and professional lives. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWorkThis episode is supported by  VIDA Business Services, Virtual Assistance and Consulting Services for Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs + Independent Contractors. Book a 30-minute call to learn more!

Welcome to The Make Life Work Podcast! In this episode I speak with Caitlin Crocker, an early childhood educator and Director of the VIDA SCHOOL program. This summer she will also lead our newest offering at VIDA, Summer Camp @ VIDA SCHOOL, which begins on June 14th.Caitlin has been an integral part of helping our onsite kids integrate back into a social setting -- and she's had a front-row seat to their challenges, the big feelings and also their amazing resilience. Caitlin joins me in the VIDA Podcasting Studio to talk about what the year has been like for so many kids, what has piqued their interest over the last nine months and what they are craving for summer -- and also some helpful tips for what to expect when kids start back to in-person school.Cheers for a great week and I hope you enjoy the episode!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, which provides workspace, community and tailored services for entrepreneurs, families and organizations to help them create balance, find joy and excel in their personal and professional lives. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWorkThis episode is supported by  VIDA Business Services, Virtual Assistance and Consulting Services for Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs + Independent Contractors. Book a 30-minute call to learn more!

In this episode of The Make/Life Work Podcast I am excited to speak with Amber Grubenmann, a dating and confidence coach who teaches women how to attract men without playing games or overthinking their every move. She is also the host of the Women's Dating And Confidence Podcast -- one of the most popular podcasts in the genre!She joins me in the VIDA Podcasting Studio to talk about what dating looks like in the post-pandemic world, tips for dating at any age and why sometimes you just need a vetted script and a supportive crew to help you get through the early stages of dating.Cheers for a great week and I hope you enjoy the episode!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, which provides workspace, content and tailored services for entrepreneurs, families and organizations to help them create balance, find joy and excel in their personal and professional lives. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWorkVIDA Coworking Community // VIDA Business Services // VIDA Coaching Services

In this episode of The Make/Life Work Podcast!I am excited to share more about the work of Dr. Michelle Gerbi, a local chiropractor and postpartum mothering mentor. Dr. Gerbi is known locally in the Portland area as the owner of her respected practice, Hood River Chiropractic and she is also a Certified Prenatal and Postpartum Health Coach, International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, and Tummy Time Method Educator.She has worked with hundreds of women and families throughout her career and has a keen sense of what is missing for women in the current healthcare model and how this can affect moms and babies in the short and long-term.In her newest venture, Dr.Gerbi.com, she has taken all of her best tools and knowledge and packed them into online courses so that women can -- anytime, anywhere --  benefit and thrive during the tricky, ever-changing times in the 16 weeks postpartum.In this episode we talk about Dr. Gerbi's ideas for designing a better healthcare system to support women after birth, as well as her personal tricks for making life work to support herself and her family.Cheers for a great week and I hope you enjoy the episode!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, which provides workspace, content and tailored services for entrepreneurs, families and organizations to help them create balance, find joy and excel in their personal and professional lives. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWorkVIDA Coworking Community // VIDA Business Services // VIDA Coaching Services

On this episode of The Make Life/Work Podcast, we are excited to share more about the newest offering in the VIDA family... VIDA Business Services, Virtual Assistance for Small Businesses, Entrepreneurs + Independent Contractors.I speak with Kaitlyn McConnell, lead of our Client Success Team, about the origin of VIDA Business Services, the role of a virtual personal assistant, how we can help individuals and businesses with a range of needs + why this new offering further supports VIDA's overarching goal to Make Life/Work for all. VIDA Business Services is now available to those outside of the VIDA Coworking membership -- if you'd like to learn more about how we can support you and your business, please schedule a time to chat further.Cheers for a great week!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, which provides workspace, content and tailored services for entrepreneurs, families and organizations to help them create balance, find joy and excel in their personal and professional lives. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWorkVIDA Coworking Community // VIDA Business Services // VIDA Coaching Services

On this episode of The Make Life/Work Podcast I speak with with Aaron Labadie, husband, father of two and Vice President, Senior Commercial Relationship Manager of Umpqua Bank.Aaron and I chat about the recent opening of the second round of the Paycheck Protection Program -- which opened to applicants on January 13, 2021 -- plus he gives us a behind-the- scenes look at what was happening during the first round of PPP, and some sound advice for those who haven't yet applied this round and aren't sure if they qualify.Cheers for a great week!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, which provides workspace, content and tailored services for entrepreneurs, families and organizations to help them create balance, find joy and excel in their personal and professional lives. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWorkVIDA Coworking Community // VIDA Business Services // VIDA Coaching Services

Happy New Year! As many people are partaking in Dryuary this month (not drinking in January), I am excited to share this episode of a first-person sobriety journey with Staci Pfeffer, a wife, mom of three and founder of Staci Pfeffer Interiors, warm, minimal design for the curated modern home. She is also my longtime bestie!Staci and I have known each other since the 6th grade and we have experienced many foundational aspects of life together, including our first sips of alcohol. In this episode she openly and bravely shares her story -- about why she started drinking, how she used wine to manage her anxiety, when she realized it had become unmanageable -- and then how she was able to quit. She's been sober for eight years.In the episode we have an honest chat about what disordered drinking can look like, and I promised to share some resources. Here and these are my fave books (and blog):Nothing Good Can Come From This Quit Like a WomanBlackoutThe Sober LushThe Sober Glow (Blog)Plus, Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)Here's to a most fabulous 2021!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, which provides workspace, content and tailored services for entrepreneurs, families and organizations to help them create balance, find joy and excel in their personal and professional lives. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWorkVIDA Coworking Community // VIDA Business Services // VIDA Coaching ServicesThis episode of The Make Life Work Podcast is supported by our friends at ArtKive, -- the easiest and most beautiful solution for preserving and celebrating your kids artwork. Our listeners can get $20 off their first book or mosaic by visiting https://www.artkiveapp.com and using code Make Life Work at checkout.

Wowza, 2020! What a year, and now it is almost over, yippee. This year was not like any other, but like always, I learned a few things along the way.In this episode I share the Top 5 Things I Learned, as well as my five favorite books I read in the last year.I also share more about where VIDA is headed in 2021. My #1 learning of the year is that Diversification is Key to a successful business in this new reality -- and so we will be focused on growing the new business service lines we established in late 2020, including: VIDA Business Services, which provides administrative assistance + business consulting for entrepreneurs and small business, starting at $199/month.VIDA Coaching Services, which works with companies to offer workplace coaching to their employees and executives.VIDA SCHOOL – our onsite remote learning and extracurricular programVIDA Media -- this podcast, our new YouTube Channel, VIDA TV and our revamped newsletterAnd of course, Coworking! Dedicated Desks and Private Offices for all members.All of our offerings are rooted in our mission to help professionals Make Life/Work so they have the time and tools necessary to pursue their ambitions and create ease and success in all facets of their lives.I am beyond ready for 2021 and I am feeling hopeful about the future... so, I raise a glass of bubbly water to each of us and say, Cheers! Here’s to 2021 and the next chapter for us all. Enjoy!~Melanie MarconiMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community and professional services firm in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWorkThis episode of The Make Life Work Podcast is supported by our friends at ArtKive, -- the easiest and most beautiful solution for preserving and celebrating your kids artwork. Our listeners can get $20 off their first book or mosaic by visiting https://www.artkiveapp.com and using code Make Life Work at checkout.

Welcome to Episode #18 of The Make Life Work Podcast!This week I am excited to have on the show Day Bibb, fellow #PDX entrepreneur, mom of two, Founder of Helen Rose Skincare, an organic skincare line + Founder & Executive Director of OM Thrive, which creates equitable access to wellness resources for survivors of abuse and under-served communities of color.This year, Day formally launched her skincare line -- and watched it soar. She successfully completed an iFundWomen campaign, raising $43,101 to support the company's growth, and then last month was named as one of 100 Black women entrepreneurs selected as part of American Express's “100 for 100” program, which provides grants of $25,000 and 100 days of business resources (three other Portland-based founders were also selected, including Drink Mamey, The Fab Lab and Go Girl Ride)!In this episode we learn more about Day's journey to founding OM Thrive, and then Helen Rose Skincare, which she started to support the nonprofit and is named for her mother. We also hear more about her mom-first philosophy to business, which I love and wholly support.This episode of The Make Life Work Podcast is supported by our friends at ArtKive, -- the easiest and most beautiful solution for preserving and celebrating your kids artwork. Our listeners can get $20 off their first book or mosaic by visiting https://www.artkiveapp.com and using code Make Life Work at checkout.Enjoy!~Melanie MarconiMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community and professional services firm in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWork

Welcome to Episode #17 of The Make Life Work Podcast!This week I am excited to have on the show Jelani Memory, an African American entrepreneur, thinker, constant learner and founder of A Kids Book About... a publishing company that helps start conversations between kids and parents on a variety of topics including racism, failure, anxiety and feminism (and 36 more titles!). He lives here in Portland, Oregon with his wife and six kids. Prior to writing his first book, A Kids Book About Racism, he co-founded Circle, a parental control platform.In this episode we talk about raising kids, how to talk to kids about tricky topics, building businesses, Jelani's journey to becoming an author and publisher and what's next for his company.This episode of The Make Life Work Podcast is supported by our friends at ArtKive, -- the easiest and most beautiful solution for preserving and celebrating your kids artwork. Our listeners can get $20 off their first book or mosaic by visiting https://www.artkiveapp.com and using code Make Life Work at checkout.Enjoy!~Melanie MarconiMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community and professional services firm in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWork

Welcome to Episode #16 of The Make Life Work Podcast!After Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday comes Giving Tuesday, a global movement that inspires hundreds of millions of people to give, collaborate, and celebrate generosity, As such, this week I am excited to have on the show Toni Tringolo, the Executive Director of Willamette Week's Give!Guide, a year-end giving platform in Portland. This year G!G showcases 174 small, medium and large organizations whose missions fall into eight categories: Animals, Civil & Human Rights, Community, Creative Expression, Education, Environment, Health and Human Services -- the goal this year is to raise $5 Million from 10,000 donors.Toni is also a mom and longtime nonprofit professional who "believes in community over competition" and we talk about the impact nonprofits make in communities, especially during these trying times, the innovative Give!Guide model and also fun ways to engage kids and family in charitable giving and philanthropy. This year, my daughter Ellie and I selected Don't Shoot PDX and the Fresh Water Trust and there are so many other amazing organizations to support! You can make a donation through the end of the year at https://giveguide.org/ -- or to your favorite nonprofit or cause!This episode of The Make Life Work Podcast is supported by our friends at ArtKive, -- the easiest and most beautiful solution for preserving and celebrating your kids artwork. Our listeners can get $20 off their first book or mosaic by visiting https://www.artkiveapp.com and using code Make Life Work at checkout.Enjoy!~Melanie MarconiMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community and professional services firm in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWork

Welcome to Episode #15 of The Make Life Work Podcast!In this episode I speak with Kelsey Lewis, a mom of two, Certified Public Accountant and co-owner of Arrow Advisory Group, which provides solutions for the modern business including tax planning, tax compliance, systems planning and advisory services. She is also my CPA and tax advisor!After a selling a traditional tax practice, two years ago Kelsey launched Arrow Advisory Services to focus on providing hands-on boutique services to small business owners. This approach to tax planning has come in handy this year for many of her small business clients as so many (all?) businesses have been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Kelsey and I talk about small business life, year-end tax planning in a very uncertain year, PPP forgiveness and the recently released IRS guidance on the non-deductibility of PPP-funded expenses and the importance of holding on to cash.This episode of The Make Life Work Podcast is supported by our friends at ArtKive, -- the easiest and most beautiful solution for preserving and celebrating your kids artwork. Our listeners can get $20 off their first book or mosaic by visiting https://www.artkiveapp.com and using code Make Life Work at checkout.Enjoy!~Melanie MarconiMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community and professional services firm in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life. Learn more at vidacoworking.com #MakeLifeWork

Welcome to Episode 13!This week we have a very timely episode as we welcome Yshai Boussi, PCP, therapist, dad and founder of Portland Family Counseling, which offers decades of experience helping adults, children, couples and families. He understands first hand the challenges of raising kids while trying to stay connected to ourselves as individuals and as a couple and family.As we head into the last week of the election, anxieties might be running high -- and for our kids as well! Yshai and I talk about how to talk through current events as a family, how to remember the bigger picture of how we want to raise our kids, and that at the end of the day, "It's all going to be ok."I hope this chat is helpful and don't forget to vote!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life.You can find Portland Family Counseling here and Yshai's blog post from the last presidential election here.

Welcome to Episode 12!This week we are excited to welcome two partners of The Goodness Collaborative, an incubator of talent, confidence, and readiness that meets clients where they are — and supports them as they make their next moves. This innovative firm is seeking new ways to support people and change in the world, serving individuals and companies and creating powerful impact across a range of projects through consulting, coaching and change management.Diane Bradley is the Founder & CEO and Sarah Foltz serves as Head of Experience - their team is headquartered at VIDA. In this episode, Diane, Sarah and I discuss the intersection between coaching and consulting, how business has changed this year, and how we are dealing with distance learning and the future of education -- and of course, how we set-up our personal and families lives to make it all work.I hope you enjoy our chat and cheers for a great week!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life.You can follow The Goodness Collaborative on Instagram @thegoodnesscollaborative and on Linked in at Diane Bradley and Sarah Foltz.

Welcome to Season 2 of The Make Life/Work Podcast!As the new school year kicks off this week, I am excited to share this interview with Kali Thorne Ladd, a mom of two and the Executive Director of KairosPDX, a nonprofit organization here in Portland that operates the Early Learning Network and a Reggio-inspired, multicultural Learning Academy Public Charter School.Kali is a longtime social entrepreneur who is a passionate advocate for equity and education transformation with a background that spans from teacher to program manager to policy maker over the last 18 years. She currently sits on the Early Learning Council for the State of Oregon and is part of Reimagine Oregon, a coalition of Black-led organizations, community members and activists, that are creating big plans to 'reimagine' the state, from its education system to the justice system to housing and healthcare.In this episode, Kali and I talk about the need tor talking to kids about race to help children be accepting and understanding of difference, the role of growth mindset and neuroscience in educating children, why we need to focus on equity in education, and how Black children must be included in the conversations of the Black Lives Matter movement.Kali says she, "believes in the power of children to transform our society" and she uses her entrepreneurial instincts and policy savvy to "illuminate their voices and drive towards educational transformation in the name of equity and a better society for all."Finally, my thoughts go out to my adopted state of Oregon and those who have lost their homes or been evacuated as several fires burn and smoke chokes our air. Big thanks and admiration to the firefighters and others who are working nonstop to put them out and keep our homes and businesses safe.I hope you enjoy the episode and cheers for a great first week of online school!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life.You can follow KairosPDX on Instagram @kairospdx and Kali Thorne Ladd on LinkedIn

Catherine Ryan Gregory is a mom of two, a freelance writer and travel blogger of the To and Fro Fam Blog. She is also a newly minted author with the publication of her first book, Virtual Travel Activities for Kids: Explore the world from home with 52 fun, no-prep lessons - which she wrote during quarantine so that the coronavirus wouldn't cancel her family's love of travel. In this episode, Catherine and I talk about how to keep kids engaged with virtual learning and how education is shaping up for the fall. She also shares more about the creative and winning schedule she used to write the book over four weeks during quarantine (and uses for all writing projects) -- it includes lots of post-its!I also share a bit about what we are doing at VIDA to help support our member families with virtual learning this fall -- you can learn more about VIDA SCHOOL here.I hope you enjoy!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life.The Make Life Work Podcast is proudly supported by the University of Oregon’s Executive MBA program. This Portland-based program is designed for established professionals who want to earn their MBA while continuing to work full time, and they are currently accepting applications for the fall 2020 cohort. Learn more or register for an upcoming info session here.

"I don't think philanthropy should exist as it currently does in the United States," said Emily Evans, the Executive Director of the Women’s Foundation of Oregon and proud bonus mom to two kids and our guest for this episode of The Make Life/Work Podcast.The Women’s Foundation of Oregon mission is to focus the power of women’s collective resources to improve the lives of women and girls throughout Oregon, and six years ago Emily arrived there to work alongside its visionary board of directors to build a new foundation, from the ground up, as it was transitioning from a traditional grant making organization to a Giving Project model (created by Social Justice Fund to reach and engage historically underrepresented communities).Emily came to Oregon after a long and impressive nonprofit career in Washington D.C. —most recently at the Forum for Youth Investment, a nonprofit think tank, and at the Women’s Leadership Institute where she helped produce events featuring notable women leaders including former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, NPR’s Linda Wertheimer, and U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.Emily shares some strong and exciting ideas about the current state of nonprofits, giving and the social good, and as a nonprofit consultant in my former career, this topic really has great personal interest to me. It's also a very timely conversation as we look at ways to advance equity in all aspects of American life, including philanthropy.I hope you enjoy!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life.The Make Life Work Podcast is proudly supported by the University of Oregon’s Executive MBA program. This Portland-based program is designed for established professionals who want to earn their MBA while continuing to work full time, and they are currently accepting applications for the fall 2020 cohort. Learn more or register for an upcoming info session here.

Welcome to episode 8 of The Make Life Work Podcast — This week I had the pleasure of interviewing Madison Young. Madison is not only a mom of two and a Founding Member of VIDA, but also a feminist filmmaker, sexual revolutionary and brilliant storyteller whose most recent project, Submission Possible, just premiered on Revry TV.As a noted sex educator and artist, Madison's work has taken her around the world and has been featured in outlets from the Independent Film Channel to Bitch Magazine to the Best Sex Writing of 2013 anthology. Very early in her career, Madison founded the nonprofit arts organization Femina Potens Art Gallery, and has since served as a speaker and panelist on the topics of sexuality, feminist porn studies, and the politics of BDSM around the world including at Yale University, Hampshire College, Northwestern University, University of Toronto, University of Minnesota, and the University of California at Berkeley.Her storytelling work has spanned her life and touches every medium from live theatre to a memoir, to children’s books to a podcast and her recent project, Submission Possible, is a travel TV series that takes viewers on a sex positive trip around the globe -- she has been described as the "Anthony Bourdain of sexuality."I hope you enjoy this far ranging episode in which we discuss the new show and her ever-- evolving career, the Black Lives Matter movement and marginalized communities, as well as the importance of finding and maintaining the resources needed to take care of oneself. Enjoy!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to Make Life/Work for women and families.The Make Life Work Podcast is proudly supported by the University of Oregon’s Executive MBA program. This Portland-based program is designed for established professionals who want to earn their MBA while continuing to work full time, and they are currently accepting applications for the fall 2020 cohort. Learn more or register for an upcoming info session here.

In this episode of The Make Life/Work Podcast, I offer my top three considerations I review when making difficult decisions -- a practice that has been tested again and again over the last three months!For me, this includes taking some time, taking care of myself and then acting decisively. I hope this process comes in handy for you too.I am also excited to share that VIDA has reopened for current members, with many new protocols and procedures in place to keep everyone safe and healthy. ~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to Make Life/Work for women and families.

In this episode of the Make Life/Work Podcast, I chat with Tia Coachman, single mom to two boys and founder and principal of Affirma Consultancy, a human resources consulting firm based in Portland, Oregon that works with clients across industries to help to affirm what is right, what is productive, and what is fair within their organizations. Tia founded Affirma in September of 2019 after working for creative agencies Laundry Service and Wieden & Kennedy, where she implemented innovative campaigns and strategies, particularly around diversity, equity and inclusion practices.Tia is also a woman of color and our interview took place during the week of nationwide protests following the murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor -- and the nationwide awakening to the systemic racism that has been centuries-long in the making. As such, Tia agreed to speak about her experience as a black woman in work and life, and the process she uses to work with clients to create equity throughout an organization. Though, as she notes, first it begins with personal work.To this end, we must look within, and then "look left and look right" to start our own personal transformation in order to create change. Then we must continue to use our voices, dollars and time -- and any other privileges we may have -- to keep pressing on, and to demand the policies, laws and systems that make our country equitable for all. In the show, we talk about the need to "be the change you want to see in the world," which was attributed to Ghandi. I hope you find this episode as enlightening as I did, and I send a big appreciation to Tia for her graciousness and willingness to take off her daily armor and allow the personal exposure so that we can learn more about why this matters so much.~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to Make Life/Work for women and families.

Welcome to Episode #5 of the Make Life/Work Podcast! In this episode I chat with Dulcinea Myers-Whitcomb, a mom of two and an award-winning real estate agent with Living Room Realty, a full-service real estate brokerage in Portland, Oregon and also a certified B-Corp.A former teacher, Dulcinea shares about the schedule she designed for her kids' homeschooling, as well as the state of the real estate market and how she has designed new ways to work in real estate now that she can no longer meet with people in person.This show was inspired by my gratitude for my own home during this time of quarantine, and I'd like to give a big shout out to Jennifer Raynak who found and fought for the most perfect house in which to build a life for me and Ellie.Enjoy! ~Melanie Melanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to Make Life/Work for women and families.

In this episode of the Make Life/Work Podcast, I chat with Terry Wilcox, mom to twin 6-year old boys and founder of Patients Rising, a national nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support and education to people with chronic and life-threatening illnesses.Terry cofounded Patients Rising five years ago with her husband, and after a career path that had pivoted many times along the way -- from a musical theatre actress to celebrity coordinator to media network exec to owner of a video production company, and finally to working in patient advocacy.Pivoting is all the rage right now as we all work to figure out what's next for our lives and businesses in this new reality, and Terry and I talk about her willingness to embrace pivoting throughout her life and career and how it brought her to the exact right place for her personally and professionally. I met Terry in 2002 when we worked together in LA (my first career stop and her second), and we've had the pleasure to work together again in recent years as I've been consulting on the launch and growth of the organization's newest offering, Patients Rising Concierge, a free program that supports patients and caregivers by connecting them to free or reduced-cost services that are personalized to each person's specific needs.Enjoy!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to Make Life/Work for women and families.

In this episode of the Make Life/Work Podcast, I chat with Lauren Ross a mom of two, an educator and school social worker whose personal struggle dealing with the onset of the Coronavirus pandemic inspired her to launch the leading family-friendly Facebook community, Project Quarantine 2020.This online community, now 42,000 members strong and from countries all around the world, offers daily community challenges, including activities for kids to complete that are available to anyone, free and/or very low cost. Her goal is to encourage creativity, joy, and family connections despite the crazy and stressful circumstances in which we find ourselves. Here is a link to the very first project on Day 1 -- and a link to the Facebook Group Page if you'd like to join this delightful community.Enjoy!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to Make Life/Work for women and families.

In this episode of the Make Life/Work Podcast, I chat with Tera Hurst, single mom, clean energy advocate and candidate for Portland City Council. Tera has had a long career in political and community organizing, first working as an organizer with Basic Rights Oregon, fighting to pass Marriage Equality in Oregon, then working in the State Legislature, followed by serving as Chief of Staff to Portland Mayor Charlie Hales, and currently as Executive Director for Renew Oregon. She is actively campaigning for the open seat of position two of the Portland City Council.We discuss similar experiences we've had as solo parents, plus addiction and recovery, what it's like to a campaign during these times of Coronavirus, and how supportive communities are at the core of connection and change.Finally, to all the moms and mom figures, Happy Mother's Day!Enjoy!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to Make Life/Work for women and families.

For this episode of The Make/Life Work Podcast I was excited to chat with Anna Mackay, the Director of Development for Guerrilla Development, "Portland's Most Daring Developer." She is also a married mom of two boys, under the age of five.Anna has had an impressive career as an intern architect, carpenter, educator, and developer. She also led the first Regulation A crowd-investing effort for new construction in the United States for Guerrilla's Fair-Haired Dumbbell. She then followed that project with a crowd-invested equity raise from everyday Oregonians for a sustainable homelessness project called Jolene’s First Cousin.We discuss both of these projects in the episode, along with Babies at Work, coworking and what our schedules and lives look like right now as both of our families are Sheltering in Place during the pandemic.Enjoy!~MelanieMelanie Marconi is the founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to Make Life/Work for women and families.

Welcome to The Make Life/Work Podcast hosted by Melanie Marconi, serial entrepreneur, single mom and current founder & CEO of VIDA, a coworking community in Portland, Oregon designed to support modern life.Life is FULL. And for those of us who want to do it all -- have a big career, raise a family and achieve our most ambitious personal goals – oftentimes it can feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day. Host Melanie Marconi knows firsthand the extreme joy, challenge and chaos of Building a Business While Raising a Family. She launched VIDA while working full-time, raising her 7-year old daughter and making self-care a priority. The Make Life Work Podcast was created to talk with inspiring women who are, have been, or want to be, at this unique intersection of life… to hear more about the schedules, strategies and solutions they employ to create fulfilling personal, professional and family lives. If you are an entrepreneur, executive, leader or planning something big – this series is for you._________________________________________________________________________This season of The Make Life/Work Podcast is supported by The University of Oregon Executive MBA Program.