This episode's topic is "How to Find the Right Life Coach". Our guest this week to share 3 thoughts on this topic is Melissa Wiggins, who is the Founder of Cannonball Kids cancer Foundation and now a Master Certified Life Coach, helping women (and couples) to encourage and empower them to become the best version of themselves.
TOPIC: How to Find the Right Life Coach
GUEST: Melissa Wiggins
THOUGHT #1
Decide on a Budget - How Much You Are Comfortable to Invest in Yourself?
THOUGHT #2
Treat It Like You Are Dating - Get as Much Information as Possible Before Making a Decision
THOUGHT #3
Start at the Result - Review Testimonials from Previous Clients
CONNECT:
MELISSA WIGGINS' BIO:
Melissa Wiggins, a Scotland native, currently residing in Orlando, FL, is a proud mum of 5, and an advocate for change in pediatric cancer. She holds a law degree from the prestigious University of Glasgow (2004-2006) and worked as a commercial litigation solicitor prior to moving to Orlando in 2010, where she gained court experience and a background in advocacy.
When her first born son, Cannon James Roland Wiggins, was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer, and she was about to give birth to twins, her full-time calling for 3.5 years became saving her son’s life. Melissa and her husband Michael founded Cannonball Kids’ cancer, a nonprofit pediatric cancer research foundation in 2015. Cannon, his cancer journey, survivorship, and her family’s experience, inspired her to write her first book “Thankful For the Fight'' in which she shares her family's heartbreaking and inspiring cancer battle.
In addition to advocate, lawyer, boss, and wife, Melissa proudly wears the hats of stepmum, bio mum, adoptive mum, and most recently, grandmother - all by 36!
Melissa is now a lawyer turned Master Certified Coach and has since worked with countless women, encouraging, and empowering them to become the best version of themselves – or as she likes to say, helping them “get ripped on the inside – that their insides match their outside.”
It is said that life’s hardest moments make us stronger. That is true for Melissa. As a result of advocating, fundraising, and changing the world of pediatric cancer Melissa has had the privilege of speaking on stages across the globe from keynoting at Glasgow Children’s Hospital, to the SF Giants stadium, and the private home of Dick Vitale, ESPN megastar.
While those stages are powerful platforms indeed there has been nothing more transformative for Melissa than the stories of love and hope found over a shared over cup of tea with another mother or family walking through their hardest times. Pediatric cancer is not fun. It is hard. It is unforgiving. It does not discriminate. It forces you to reckon with what you think you know about yourself. It challenges you in ways nothing else can. The battle isn’t always in treatments or diagnosis it is your mental emotional and spiritual strength. And even still, it is all too often not enough to win. While she did not know it, every hard thing she walked through, every devastated mother’s hand that she held as another precious baby was taken too early, every plane she boarded to travel across the country to speak for the voiceless… Was giving birth to something even more powerful…
Mummabear is her moniker and it is also a metaphor. Life is hard but we can do hard things. Strength does not come from life being easy. Radical changes in the way we live our lives, or practice medicine do not come from our silence. It comes from finding our ROAR. Melissa knows that to live your truth, you must first find your voice. Her ROAR, saved her son, changed her marriage, and transformed her life. Today, she is passionate about sharing this message and this work with women around the world.
Awards:
Melissa and her work have been honored and recognized in many ways over the years:
Links to award articles and video:
https://thenycjournal.com/top-30-life-coaches-to-look-out-for-in-2021/
Video of the event provided by CKc YouTube page
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jWiLor6OkA
Orange Appeal January/February 2018 magazine, page 108 Melissa’s interview
https://issuu.com/orangeappealmagazine/docs/oa_0118-issuu
Cannonball Kids’ cancer
When her son’s battle with cancer began, Melissa realized the true horrors of pediatric cancer. From a lack of funding for new treatment options, to the enduring despair families often face in silence. The government spends less than 4% of the annual cancer research budget on pediatric cancers. This means there is little to no treatment options for the children as there is little to no money invested for research purposes. Having always been taught to “Go big or Go home” and experiencing this reality firsthand, she used her drive to become a founding member of Cannonball Kids’ cancer. CKc was founded on June 16, 2014. The mission behind this one of a kind foundation is to fund innovative, accessible research, to provide better treatments and quality of life, and most importantly, to educate for change.
CKc, focuses on funding clinical research trials with board appointed scientists. These trials give children a chance to survive and thrive. CKc has created over 590 treatment options for pediatric cancer patients, and has taken over 25 U.S. States, plus Washington DC, Canada, Scotland and Switzerland. And in 6 years they have created more treatment options for patients than has been available for the last 40 years.
In addition to the brilliant work of the scientists and their committed teams, the CKc community outreach and education team has launched multiple impactful marketing campaigns such as #NoMoreOptions. The #NoMoreOptions campaign brought awareness to the critical moment when a doctor must tell parents “we have no more options for helping your sick child”. This campaign received nationwide recognition being featured in Times Square and all over the U.S. on public buses.
The more recent campaign, “This is Treatment'' was revealed at their annual Gold Gala, featuring many of the kids on CKc trials who have endured secondary hardships due to traditional chemotherapy treatments. Through this campaign CKc’s goal was to educate communities on what is rarely ever discussed: First, that the typical treatments for pediatric cancer are simply watered-down adult chemotherapy. And, finally, the dramatic and life altering consequences of those treatments – such as hearing loss, loss of limbs, developmental delays and many more. We need to fund research in order to create treatments that are appropriate for children’s bodies, and to ensure they have the opportunity to live complete and whole lives.
One of the most awaited nights of the year for any CKc supporter (and team member) is the “Gold Gala” night, or as Cannon likes to call it “his party”. The purpose for this gala is to raise money that will later be used for funding new innovative trials, to educate and to engage a new crowd of people who are eager to help and get started on the journey with CKc. Money is raised, educational and inspirational speakers such as CKc founders, researchers, patients and their families share their stories, sensational auctions, a live DJ, delicious food, all to change the world of pediatric cancer.
As the support for CKc has grown exponentially since 2014, the team realized it was time to empower supporters who were eager to drive change in their own communities. And so, “Ambassador Training” was born. The first cohort of 60 people from all over the U.S. who were interested in becoming more involved with the mission of educating for change gathered together and received advocate training. Learning how to stand up and use their voices in their hometowns, cities, states. This group of advocates now speak up about the disparity in funding, lobby for change, and share the harsh reality that comes with pediatric cancer. These Ambassadors share the stories of families who have suffered and made the most unfair sacrifices, and make sure that the children taken by pediatric cancer are not forgotten – but beacons for hope and change.
Writing:
Melissa realized early on that very few know, and even less understand, the world of pediatric cancer, which is the number one killer of children in the U.S. The experience is isolating, within families and communities because watching children suffer is hard. However, she knew in her bones if the world could see and not look away, they would be moved to change. So, Melissa took it upon herself to show everyone the gut wrenching, heart dropping truth by publishing her first book called “Thankful for the Fight” (2018). “Thankful for the Fight” was a central quote Melissa used through-out her family’s cancer journey. In this book she details her son Cannon’s battle - sharing the pictures of her two year old during treatment, and blood transfusions, and the after-effects of those treatments. And also, this book shows the healing power of gratitude – from within the family between her and her husband, and for the community that gathered around them and walked with them through the hardest time in their lives.
Speaking:
Melissa is a big advocate in the pediatric cancer world and as a result has had many opportunities to publicly share her knowledge. She has been invited to speak and be interviewed for TV, local news channels, podcasts, and has been praised and featured in many magazines.
Adoption:
Melissa had always dreamed of adopting a little girl into the Wiggins clan. Already a mum to 4 awesome kids and a cute bull mastiff, there was just a little something needed to complete her cup of gratitude. In comes the beautiful rainbow, which is what the family refers to her as, Charlie Mary Emma Wiggins. A little 2-year-old Colombian baby girl, with a personality bigger than life itself - who shares the same birthdate as her mumma (a God-incidence, as Melissa likes to say). After the year-long process of paperwork, home studies, meetings, 30 days in Colombia without her 3 boys, the little rainbow was finally able to come home to her family.
The adoption journey was hard, but anything is possible with a strong team behind her. Charlie met her mummy and daddy in Colombia for the first time, and it was a bond like no other. After those long 30 days, Melissa and Charlie headed home for Orlando where Cannon, Arran and Gray patiently awaited their sister’s arrival. Her room had been ready with a hand painted rainbow on it, head bows hanging on the walls and princess decoration galore. When she met her brothers, it was as if they had been siblings their whole lives, it took no effort at all for these 4 siblings to get along. Charlie loves her big sister Olivia, who is away at college, but has made many trips to come home to see her little sister.
Not only is she receiving all the love she deserves, but she is also receiving the medical attention she needs. At just a couple days old Charlie was put into an orphanage where it was discovered that she had craniosynostosis. Craniosynostosis is a birth defect which causes the bones in a baby’s skull to join too early, in most cases causing developmental delays if not treated right away. She came into the U.S. with a surgery already scheduled so that her growth would not be greatly impacted. In the 8 months since Charlie came home and she has gone through 2 major surgeries where her head was opened from ear to ear for the purpose of reshaping her skull giving her brain the space it needs to adequately grow.
In such a short time Charlie is a new person. She smiles ear to ear upon waking up. She loves to swim with her family. She loves to go on adventures down to the lake. She can ride her scooter like no other and she loves to snack. The impact a loving home can have on a child is huge. She is a strong, brave girl as she loves to say, and has shown a lot of Melissa’s followers that although adoption is hard, we can all do hard things for love.
Social media:
You can keep up with Melissa on social media: On IG at @mummabearwiggins_ and Facebook. There you can see her day to day raising 4 kids. Pictures of her new granddaughter. Charlie’s journey since integrating with her family. Cannon's journey in life as a now happy 8-year-old. The awesome Dr. Gray who insists on being called Dr. as he aspires to be a brain surgeon someday. And Arran, who is filled with love and creativity. You can also catch up with some of her personal day to day adventures as a wife, boss, writer, speaker, and pediatric cancer advocate.
BRAND RESOURCES: