Today we’d like to introduce you to Mel Martell.
Hi Mel, thanks for joining us today. We’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I sometimes envy the people who chose a career path and stuck with it- climbing their way up the ladder in the industry they felt was a good fit. You see, I could have chosen a hundred different paths and I still would want to explore more, always excited about the opportunity to grow. It’s all about the experience, about meeting new people, about finding connecting points and leaving a positive impact on the world around me. After high school I went the conventional route- following the urging of the people around me who wanted me to use my academic gifts to make something of myself. I loved school and was always at the top of my class, so pursuing a career in veterinary medicine seemed to make sense- especially because I was passionate about animals. But in my early twenties, I had a crisis of faith, uncertain about who I was and where I was going. At the time, I was living in Madison, WI, and being so far away from my family in Texas proved to be a time of immense growth and self-discovery.
These were the Myspace days, and I was fortunate enough to quickly create a diverse and supportive social circle by connecting with other people in the area through that platform. Sixteen years later, I still keep up with many of them. I remember meeting a girl at a party who had this glow about her- something different- and the way she carried herself and interacted with other people drew me in immediately. She was a hairdresser at a prestigious and high end salon in Madison, the kind of place where people paid a lot of money to get creative hairstyles from creative-looking artists. She invited me to the salon to check it out and I was blown away. I had not ever been to a salon like that. My hometown of Abilene, Texas did not have salons that felt like that. After getting to know her better, I realized that she had an intelligence about people that was unlike anyone I had ever met, and that is one of the contributing factors to her success. I began to research the path to becoming a hairdresser and ended up moving back to Texas to attend The Paul Mitchell School because of its reputation and culture. I immediately found success. Driven by the ability to connect with people and to be creative, I found myself totally immersed in the industry, taking every opportunity I could to learn and grow. I finished school in a whirlwind ten months and started working immediately at a well-known salon in Austin.
After a few years, I ended up meeting Ricky Hodge and found myself drawn to him the same way I was drawn to my friend in Wisconsin. When Ricky had the opportunity to open his own salon, I jumped on board and worked with him up until we closed the doors in 2017. Those were some of my favorite years of my career. Not only did we create an atmosphere of style and beauty in the salon, but we also created opportunities to grow and get our name out there. From photoshoots for well-known brands to styling celebrities, we made magic. I even had the opportunity to work backstage at New York Fashion Week for four seasons, teaming up with international product lines to work the shows they sponsored. I would not trade those years for anything. Looking back, it was all about creating an experience and connecting with our clients. Through those years I developed a passion for people that drives me to this day, a real desire to make sure that the people around me feel seen and taken care of. Sometime in the middle of it all, I began to need something to fill my own bucket back up and found fitness as answer. After a friend urged me to join her at her favorite indoor cycling studio, I was hooked. I had already been taking kickboxing and some other boutique studio classes, but indoor cycling was on a whole different level and allowed me to really let go for 45 amazing minutes. It wasn’t long until I became an instructor- taking my passion for people to a whole new level. Teaching fitness classes allowed me to develop my charisma and public speaking skills. It was an outlet for my energy and a way to step into my ultimate goal of motivational speaking. Between the two careers, I had a lot on my plate. I also had a blossoming relationship, personal fitness endeavors (Krav Maga) and new-found responsibilities on our property- gardening, taking care of chickens and goats, and learning all I could about cooking wild game. How I did not burn out is beyond me.
In 2019, I added another thing to my plate when I pursued my real estate license. My husband owns a design-build firm and I initially thought I could get licensed to help him sell his speculative projects. But I quickly began to realize that in order to be successful, I would have to start moving things around and prioritizing. Again, I envy the people who can choose one thing and stick with it. When the pandemic hit and I was unable to work in the salon or fitness studio, real estate became my main focus. I also bought a vintage trailer that I turned into a small hair salon called The Parlour Pod. Juggling multiple careers isn’t easy, and so I decided to keep my sights set on real estate with the salon trailer on the back burner for the time being. I rent it to travelling hairdressers for a week or two at a time and take my own clients here and there when I can. In my first year of real estate, I was able to close quite a few deals, learning all I could about the industry and utilizing my passion for people and my years of experience listening and reading in between the lines. I am grateful for the flexibility it allows, for the beauty it has revealed in my own city, and for the people I have met along the way. It still is all about the experience, the people, the connecting points and making the world around me a better place. No matter where I end up, it will always be about that.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
There have definitely been some challenges along the way. Finding likeminded and supportive people to surround myself with has been one of my biggest struggles no matter the industry. Another struggle has been self-doubt. And of course, the financial worry when taking a new leap. Luckily, it has all worked out, and I have been able to overcome a lot of the self-doubt. Being flexible and having a sense of humor has been key in that.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
No matter the industry, I specialize in connecting with people. My salon clients and I always had the BEST conversations. My goal was for them to leave feeling better than when they walked in, and while a new hairstyle can help, being seen and heard is even more important. In my fitness classes, I wanted it to be more about letting go and connecting with yourself than about burning calories. I wanted it to be an environment in which my clients could just be themselves without the distractions and pressures of the outside world. In my real estate business, it is all about listening, educating, and providing the best service possible- no matter the price point. I am able to stay authentic to myself no matter the position I am in because I have worked hard to accept myself fully and to enjoy the journey. My salon clients, fitness clients and real estate clients all get the same Mel- just in a different outfit.
If you had to, what characteristic of yours would you give the most credit to?
My love for people and my desire to connect with them has led to my success. I enjoy striking conversations up with strangers at the grocery store and live for a good networking event or happy hour. I’ll make friends with my server at a restaurant and share a joke with my Amazon delivery driver. I have never met a stranger and I want to keep it that way, even with the weirdness that the pandemic has created. Connecting is more important now than ever, and I want my clients to know that I am here for them no matter what.
Contact Info:
- Email: themelmartell@gmail.comq
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ohthatmel/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melmelmartell
- Other: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNuf9xPQb9E&feature=emb_logo
Image Credits
Bijoulea Finney
