6. From Surviving to Thriving: How a Near-Death Experience Led a Photographer to Business Clarity and Mentorship – Interview with Melinda Edwards

 In today's episode, I speak with Melinda Edwards, an Author, Mama, Photographer, and Photography Mentor. She's also an original Camera Queen member.

Today we chat about how a near death experience impacted her life and propelled her business forward in an unexpected way, and how choosing you, can be the most selfless thing you do.

In this episode we cover:

• Introduction to Melinda Edwards
• Belle reads out her favourite parts from Melinda’s book called “Remember”.
• Melinda tells us about her experience of writing her book and how it flowed out of her.
• How “Remember” was born out of fear.
• She wrote it over the course of 19 years of writing a diary, journaling, and notes on scraps of paper.
• Writing a book for Melinda was cleansing, it was a release, it was healing, it was how she processed. It was a companion in motherhood when she felt alone.
• On 3 July 2021, Melinda pulled out all her journals, diaries, and notebooks. She felt the need to write.
• She had lost her connection with creativity, and writing this book brought it back. She wrote “Remember” in three days.
• The pages from her diary were some of the most traumatic days of Melinda’s motherhood.
• Belle and Melinda discuss how you can feel your highest highs and your lowest lows in motherhood.
• Melinda talks about her two sons and how they are different from one another.
• Belle and Melinda talk about how people wear masks, afraid to show who they really are for fear of what other people will think.
• Melinda tells us about the hard four years she had with one of her sons. She was petrified of what people would think of her as a mother of a child who had run away and was kicked out of school.
• How it was destroying her marriage. She was the epitome of that woman who was not telling the truth. She was completely disconnected from herself. She was lying to herself, saying everything was okay.
• Melinda’s son had a horrific motorcycle accident. And she was too embarrassed to tell anyone, so she dealt with it by herself.
• After the accident, Melinda was too far in a trauma response to fear anything, but very clearly the word “enough” came.
• She knew as soon as she felt that word, she’s had enough of a lying, enough of not telling people, enough of the no support, just enough.
• Melinda is now about loving herself first. It was a message.
• Melinda used to pretend everything was fine and doesn’t want that for anyone else.
• That’s why, in her business, Melinda is passionate about mothers. As they can lose connection to themselves.
• Belle and Melinda talk about motherhood and how you can lose the connection with yourself.
• Belle says how having young children, she was torn. There's a duality of wanting to be as present as you can with the kids and do all the housework, but then also she’s got this drive in her to succeed and run an amazing business.
• Melinda wanted to be the stay-at-home mum. She worked night duty and didn’t sleep and only slept in the day when her kids slept. She realises now that was ridiculous as she wasn’t taking care of herself.
• We need to know what we value, what our standards are, and what our boundaries are.
• Melinda tells us about her boundaries in her business so that she can enjoy her life and be there for her family.
• Melinda talks about social media and how it’s important to face your fear and show up to promote your business.
• Knowing your why and knowing your purpose is important in your business.
• How Melinda was an original Camera Queen member and now she’s a mentor for other photographers.
• When women are in communities, incredible things happen because they have such deep wisdom and knowledge. When women are sharing other women pick up on lessons or stories, and that's so important that they come together in those spaces.
• This is why Belle created Camera Queens. It's all about community and bringing people together and people from all different walks of life.
• How Melinda at first thought she wanted to be just a photographer but then realised she needed to do something else. That’s when she became a mentor for women photographers.
• And now she loves what she does and has clients all over the world.
• Where people can find Melinda.

Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

• Melinda Edwards Instagram: @mrsmelindaedwards 
• Melinda Edwards website: mrsmelindaedwardsc.com  
• The code “CAMERA QUEENS” will provide a 20% discount on Melinda’s 1:1 clarity mentoring conversations. 
• The code “GIFT” will provide my clarity workbook for FREE.
• Belle Verdiglione Instagram: @belleverdiglione 
• Camera Queens Facebook: @cameraqueens 
• Camera Queens Instagram: @the_cameraqueens

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