Melvin Varghese On Unlocking Creator Business Success While Maintaining Mental Health

In this episode we chat with Mel, who seems to have the world at his fingertips. He’s a successful father, entrepreneur, content creator, and psychologist. 

Mel’s journey is a beautiful fusion of self-discovery, resilience, and a commitment to staying true to oneself. 

He is one of those people who has it all figured out, but is willing to share all of the ups and downs. We see the success with building a business, podcasting, and social media. But it was a grind early on and took a ton of self reflection and self care to get there.

As a psychologist he has a lot to share about the battle between mental health and illness that entrepreneurs face. And he gives us a bunch of great ideas for succeeding in business, but maintaining your mindset along the way.

Future Proofing Education

Mel reminisces about his younger days, brimming with exploration and creativity. 

Growing up outdoors, young Mel’s world was an endless canvas of possibilities. Today, when he writes online, or produces a podcast or video, it's his way of saluting that imaginative child within, or as he puts it in the episode, “The Kid Mel”.

We talked about lifelong learning and how so much of it is about remembering who we were, understanding who we are, and driving towards who we aspire to be.

Building His Podcast

Mel’s podcast is a big success and a great north start for any of us podcasters out here working to scale a show.

The journey was anything but smooth. While he's a natural storyteller, it took him six months to muster the courage to record his first episode. Even then, he recorded it seven times. His story underscores an essential truth about success; the tip of the iceberg that we see rarely reveals the entirety of one's journey. 

In his case, grappling with anxiety, depression, and the procrastination that comes with those things were part and parcel of the journey.

Scaling Your Dream Business

From bustling nine-to-fives to the freedom to design his schedule, Mel’s business evolution is a masterclass in growth. 

An intriguing aspect of his journey was overcoming money blockers, battling the ingrained belief that earning money might be synonymous with greed. 

Initially charging minimal amounts, Mel gradually recognized and embraced his worth. 

Today, his course for therapists, which teaches them podcasting, is nearing an impressive $400,000. Yet, Mel is quick to highlight that this wasn't an overnight achievement. It was a meticulous, health-conscious process of trial and error to get to this point.

The Reality of Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship is often romanticized, but Mel paints a more realistic picture.

We talked about his hunch that perhaps there is a connection between childhood trauma and the hunger to excel as an entrepreneur.

And while the appeal of detaching income from hours is real, Mel reminds us of the significance of traditional nine-to-five roles. 

His transition to entrepreneurship spanned over six years and took a lot of slow growth both personally and professionally.

Mel gives us an amazing understanding of what the steps were, at least in his case, to build a creator business while maintaining his health.

Armed with these tips, creators like you and I can navigate the often overwhelming world of entrepreneurship.

14 Tips for Balancing Creator Business Success With Well-beingHobby or Profession? It's entirely okay for content creation to be just a hobby.Inspiration, Not Imitation: Get inspired by others, but don’t feel pressured to mirror someone else's life.Embrace Your Reality: Understand and respect your current life circumstances. Work within your present commitments and needs.Reverse Engineer Your Goals: Visualize the life and business style you want in the future, and work backward to achieve it.From Ideal Schedule to Reality: Draft both an ideal and a current schedule. Whether on paper, tabs, or calendars, work consistently to make your ideal schedule your everyday reality.Find the Right Mentors: Seek out mentors who embody the approach and achievements you aspire to.Prioritize Personal Commitments: Start your scheduling with non-negotiables: family, friends, and personal wellness.Then, Schedule Business Tasks: Once personal commitments are in place, add your entrepreneurial priorities to your calendar.Deep Work Blocks: Reserve the earlier parts of your day, around 4 hours, for intensive, focused work.Routine Breaks: Integrate breaks into your day. This could be naps, walks, workouts, or meals. Turn them into regular routines.Optimize Nutrition: Pay attention to your diet and eating schedule, continuously refining for optimal health.Never Stop Learning: Dedicate daily time for continuous, sacred learning.Smart Monetization: Start with a productized service or consulting based on your unique strengths and audience needs. Once you've gathered feedback and have a growing audience, pivot to more scalable ventures like courses, products, or masterminds. This approach ensures income isn’t always directly tied to time spent.Don’t Grow Too Fast: Maintain a growth pace that you can own while not compromising your own health. A reasonable rule is to grow no faster than 10-25% year over year.Memorable Quotes

“I find the combination of exercise and a power nap keeps my anxiety at bay.” 

“I say all of this, and I recognize it’s a very neurotypical way of planning. I am a highly sensitive person, but

“My life as a creator is all about honouring the kid Mel.”

“It took me 40 years to realize this, but I don’t really need a lot of friends. I would rather have a few really deep relationships.”

Guest Bio

First, Melvin Varghese is a girl dad and family man.

Second, he is an experienced psychologist, seasoned marketing and social media expert. He has a keen sense of what works in terms of audience growth, and business.

Rather than branding himself as a private practice coach, he's on a mission to give back to his profession, driven by core values of truth, sincerity, and kindness. Mel was born in India and transitioned to the U.S. after 1st grade. His journey is one of courage, adaptation, and growth. 

He hosts a popular podcast and blog that reaches a worldwide audience every day. Melvin's transition from a successful clinical career to a thriving 6-figure creator business showcases his versatility. Currently his main business pillar is a mastermind that aids therapists in pivoting from clinical roles to course income.

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