02: Coach Melinda Oldt - Oola and Living Differently

Episode 2

Date Recorded: December 27, 2022

Title: Coach Melinda Oldt - Oola and Living Differently

 Description: Living differently with Oola means working towards a life that seeks balance and growth in all 7 key areas. It means confidently finding your purpose on this planet by honestly assessing where you are right now in this moment, what you want your life to be going forward, and what steps you need to take to get there.

 Melinda is a unique blend of intellect and compassion, which she demonstrates in her role as a company controller and as an advocate for the American Heart Association. Melinda lives in PA and is also a licensed massage therapist and life coach for her business, Melinda’s Mindful Minutes. She provides a variety of services for people who need to find a way to de-stress and who seek a life of more balance, but she is especially passionate about helping anyone who spends more time caring for everyone else before themselves – the over-givers.

 Melinda is a heart centered Certified Oola Life Coach and is all in with the Oola movement to live life by design, not by default. How can you do that, you ask? Tune in to find out!

To learn more about this week’s episode, check out our show notes. You can connect with Melinda at https://linktr.ee/melindasmindfulminutes

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Transcript

Melinda: 0:08

Welcome to Life Coaches and Cahoots. My name is Melinda olt and I co-host this podcast with Stephanie Islets. We are certified ULA Life coaches, and together with the ULA community, we are on a mission to change the world with a word ula. Every other week we bring you an inspiring coach story and message. It is our hope to encourage you to discover how you too can start living your ULA life. If you are excited to start learning how living differently can create a life of less stress, more balance and personal growth. This is the podcast for.

Stephanie: 0:49

welcome everyone. Today's topic is what does it mean to live Ula Live differently? My name is Stephanie Islets and I'm here today with Melinda Alt, my co-host, and also a certified ULA life coach. And we're gonna learn a little bit more about Melin.

Melinda: 1:07

Hi Melinda. Hi Stephanie. Thanks for welcoming me. I am gonna give you a little bit of my background. I am a certified ULA life coach since about 2020, and I am also a licensed massage therapist,. A company controller, I teach C P R and advocate for American Heart Association. So certainly Ola and the lifestyle fits into my background. It's a community of like-minded people who are heart-centered. We're all out there trying to share the word ola, share the lifestyle framework, which is a proven framework that helps everybody define more balance and greater purpose in life. And so today we're gonna talk a little bit about how you can go about living Differe.

Stephanie: 1:52

Perfect. Do you wanna tell us a little bit

Melinda: 1:53

more about that? when it comes to Ola, our certified coaches are trained to follow a framework and to help guide our listeners and our clients. So what we do is it's broken down into three separate steps phases. Myself personally, when I coach, I absolutely believe that a vision and a plan go hand in hand. I definitely take the time with each segment of the training, which is email delivered to our clients. And then we have a follow up meeting where we're talking together, and there are just so many ways that you could go about. Coaching out there. I'm sure a lot of our coaches do it differently, which is one of the important aspects of bringing this out into the public so people can see the many different opportunities that exist for you to do the lifestyle framework. You can do it on your own, with a coach, with a group. You can do it through chat. You could do it through Zoom. There are so many different ways that coaches are out in the public and sharing not just ula, but the coaching itself. So that's one of the exciting things about bringing living differently out into the open. Right. And

Stephanie: 3:06

I love how you were talking about how it breaks it down into three separate areas. I like to tell my clients the three areas are important because the first one is you need to know where you are now. And the second one is where you wanna go. And then the third one is, how are you gonna get there? I would like to ask you, do you have any coaching tips for people?

Melinda: 3:31

Yes. for me, the how you're gonna get there is the most important. It's all about taking the action steps. you are gonna plan a life that you live by design instead of by default. And we're gonna take action steps and later on when we're talking about all things, ULA will definitely cover the action steps. But for me, the tip is to get involved to stay on top of it. If you invest in the e-learning program, you definitely wanna get the app so that you can. use your app to record your action steps, but you're gonna take at least three action steps towards your goals every day. By the end of the year, you'll have completed at least a thousand of them. And for me, I think that's what really has propelled me forward is really having the focus to do that.

Stephanie: 4:17

So you have gone through the ULA lifestyle framework and you are living differently, and then you decided that you wanted to be a life. and get certified to teach this framework. How did you know that life coaching was your calling to serve and how were you drawn to

Melinda: 4:35

do that? I've been following ULA since 2015, and each year my life gets better. The more I stick with it and the more I grow with it, everything has definitely improved over the course of five years that I've been following it. I am a controller, which I have been for almost 30 years, which is an accounting field. that's my day job. And so when I say that we serve, it's not just about what you serve as in helping others. You wanna serve, you can serve your day job just as well as you could serve in a helping. giving sort of way. So I serve my day job with purpose and I show up. and serve it meaningfully, but it's not my fun job. I have a lot of gratitude for my day job, and honestly, I like my day job. But when I moved into doing massage therapy and started interacting with people on a different level, and believe it or not, people can come to massage therapy and sometimes you think they're actually there for therapy instead of body therapy because they like to talk so much. And I realized then that. For me, it's a big goal to advocate for people to stress less feel. and to have more fun in life. I realized at that point that I had put all these things in place over the course of five years that were really working for me. I should probably jump on board and get certified and start sharing it with other people. I'd been talking about it and sharing it in small groups and with people I met that were really starting to make little changes in their life. And so it just absolutely showed me that it works for me, it works for you. It works for our other coaches and. Yeah, it's definitely my fun job. Get out there and share and help people.

Stephanie: 6:16

You mentioned you are a licensed massage therapist. Tell me a little bit more about why you decided to

Melinda: 6:22

do that. That's an interesting question because I came into massage therapy and knowing that I would even like doing massage therapy. I. My sister living with me who had cerebral palsy and, she'd been with me for seven years, so I knew we were coming to the end of, let's just say her lifespan. It got increasingly difficult to help manage her pain and discomfort as she got older. Living to 42 with cerebral palsy is a big deal especially when you're spastic quadriplegic and you have a host of other problems and she was on a feeding tube for 10 years, so life is not meant to be sustained on a feeding tube. We definitely had our challenges and. Definitely discomfort was one of'em. So I had taken her with some of my nurses to treat'em to a health and wellness day and she got a little massage and a little bit of reiki, which is energy healing work outside in the open air. And it had such an impact on her, so much so that she slept for the next three days. I was like convinced that we must have had a mix up with our meds or one. AIDS might have given her two or something, you know, I couldn't imagine why she would be so relaxed and comfortable. finally I called and I talked to the therapist that I worked with and she said, you know what? Because your sister has such a true untouched spirit, this energy work just affected her that much more deeply. So I thought, you know what? I'm gonna try and little spout myself to see. If it would make her more comfortable and happier. Sure enough, like the kid just was in heaven every time you massaged her feet. And so I decided I was gonna go to massage school to, you know, just further that knowledge and help her really is how it all came about. Wow. That

Stephanie: 8:12

is incredible.

Melinda: 8:14

It sounds

Stephanie: 8:14

like you had your hands. working full-time and taking care of your sister and then going to massage school. How did you maintain a work-life balance? How do you now maintain a healthy work-life balance?

Melinda: 8:28

It's interesting that you asked that because that's the perfect example of what ULA and the lifestyle is all about and how to live differently. I definitely felt as though during those years of my life that I was chasing the clock that I had to be everywhere, every minute of the day that I was needed the most, and I had children as well. So for sure I started to follow ULA and started to put things in place. I got rid of things like the toxic relationships that were making things worse for me. I got rid of things that were causing me excess stress. I found a way to put boundaries in place to protect myself. certainly I think I used ULA as a crutch. That really helped me come up with a schedule and a plan that I was living by design instead of by default, running around in a circle, chasing that clock, which is how I came up with Melinda's mindful minutes where I teach everybody else how to be mindful of their minutes and do some mindfulness and some meditation as well. That sounds really

Stephanie: 9:30

great. I think I need that sometimes. what are some of the most meaningful goals that ULA has allowed you to actualize?

Melinda: 9:39

I love to share my goals. Not everybody does, but I like to show, for example, one of my early on goals was to quit smoking I had somebody else that had an addiction problem in my life, and I always felt like I was such a hypocrite because I was encouraging this person to quit their habit. Yet I couldn't quit mine, so I'll never forget, I went to Maryland and the guys were doing a book tour at Barnes and Noble in Baltimore, Maryland, and I was like, that's a two hour drive. I'm gonna go down and see the guys and jack off a letter. I'm good at shadowing things in the back. You know, say hi. and I, I wanna get the sticker on the bus because as you know, the guys go around and they collect the dreams. That will really help propel people forward if they figure out that one thing and stick it on the bus. And for me, that was like a big deal, was to get that habit out of the way out from underneath me so I could feel like I was fully supporting this other person. Without being a hypocrite. And so I went down and it rained like crazy. It rained so hard. Actually, I didn't get to put the sticker on the bus. I had to put it in this little bin, but they assured me they would get it on the bus. And I did that year, quit smoking and, it. Happens that it has a trickle down effect. even though I quit smoking and I went to great length to put that in place, which is something that I do in the training and continuing education with my business, is to set people up. So that they don't fail. we wanna work towards the success of quitting smoking. I had to go and try it and do this myself before I was gonna share it with other people. And so I actually went to the doctor and I got a prescription and I went and joined a support group that was eight weeks long. And I gotta say, this woman was fantastic. She was such a motivator to keep us all on track. And that was also through. Uh, quit smoking hotline. in our area, you could get the nicotine replacement therapy for free if you joined this group. we all got, like, I, I think I was there for, I made it seven weeks and my daughter graduated high school, so I was there seven weeks and I know I used at least$800 worth of quit therapy products that they had for free for everybody. So that in itself was a. But then we also used things like the quit tracker, which would show you how many days of life you were getting back health-wise, and also how much money you were saving. And then we also put things in place for every little step that you made it. So you picked a date to quit and then you weaned down, and then you got rid of all the lighters, and then you got rid of all of. Things in your car and all the ashtrays in your house, and then you could reward yourself for making it through that week and doing these things. But at the same time, we also started changing our mindset and putting things in place that go sort of along the lines of one of the programs that ULA offers, which is the miracle mindset where you really change your outlook on things and, find more gratitude in everyday things. We totally were a great support system for each other. It's so great that

Stephanie: 12:45

there's so many amazing tools out there to help you in hand with ULA to live differently. We say, ULA, the framework is just one tool in your coaching tool belt. It's not the only only thing to use to coach people, it's just, in my opinion, one of the best ones. I wanted to clarify for our listeners when she's talking about the ULA guys, the co-founders of ula, Dr. Troy and Dr. Dave. And they take this old 1970 VW bus on the road and do their ULA Dream tour. and that's where she met them in Maryland and I met them in Portland, Oregon, actually at Barnes and Noble. That was great

Melinda: 13:26

I think that's important too. when you start in your design here, Path you wanna come up with 21 goals, but then we narrow it down to seven and eventually one. So we have one big one every year. that was just an example of one of my big ones one year. Another example would be this past year, my big one was to go and get a knee replacement. And I did that in May, and I'm happy to say I just spent the holidays in Tucson with my kids who commented on how much. Easier it was and how much better I was getting around. They're like, oh, we still don't think you walk perfectly straight But I was able to keep up with the youngsters, so that was huge. You know, I definitely want to be healthier moving forward so they can be around for my kids as long as I can. And that's part of the ULA lifestyle too. Definitely. Yeah.

Stephanie: 14:16

So let me ask you another question, do you have a mentor or friend who inspires you

Melinda: 14:21

in your. I think the ULA certified life coaches are so fortunate because I feel like really Dr. Dave and Dr. Troy mentor each and every one of us every day. And, they have aligned us with some great coaches and the director of coaching is fabulous. Becca and Chris Ko Ash, she does a wonderful Wednesday. Coach's corner. That gives a lot of advice. But of course when you do the certification, because they wanna make sure everybody is absolutely trained, to not just let anybody get certified, they also offer continuing services. So you get marketing and you get trainings with the ULA guys. And, I have created it for. An inner circle that meets every other Wednesday. And so I have those girls who are also around my age and they are all professionals. they are like my mastermind group. And we mentor each other. I do think it's important that you align yourself with some like-minded people and always people that are above, I can say better than you, but they're above you, where they'll pull you up and they push you. propel forward. I a hundred

Stephanie: 15:36

percent agree with that. And what is the best advice you've received along your hula journey?

Melinda: 15:45

The best advice that I've received, I would say, There's so much good advice out there, anybody that's listening, if you get a chance to read the ula. You wanna read Ula, find balance in an unbalanced world because there is so much good advice in there.

Stephanie: 16:06

I think some of the best advice that I've received going through ULA was, you are designed by God for greatness and purpose and for sure I believe that. Definitely. I like that one too. During your Ola journey, was there a particular aha moment that resonated

Melinda: 16:26

with you? I did definitely have an aha moment. I think most Ula followers do have an aha moment when we're out there sharing and it surprises you when it comes and gets you too. for me, it was back in 2015. It was right after I lost my sister, which was shortly after losing my mom. So I was really feeling down like I was without my best friends. And, some of my girlfriends were like, let's go. And do this convention with another company that they were interested in. And I was like, I really don't want to travel and have fun cuz I'm, you know, grieving, but okay, I'm gonna come but this is why I'm gonna come because I read this insert that talked about the ULA guys and they were like, well, who are the ULA guys? I tell'em all about the OOK guys and they're like, okay, whatever, let's go. We'll all go. And I was like, okay. So they're off doing their thing cuz they're all excited over this big convention. I'm like literally sitting by the two doors to the Auditorium, which back then was maybe. I don't know, like a hundred people could fit in this little auditorium and now there would be like a hundreds and thousands of people coming out to see the ULA guys. But so I go to this talk and I kid you not, that 45 minute talk actually changed my life. And one of the things that they said, and I, I'll never, forget this, was that if you are. living on the edge, you are not living. And it was such an aha moment for me because I realized over the past decade, I really wasn't living. I was there for everybody but me and I couldn't even imagine how you would go about dreaming of a future because I never saw one for myself because I thought that I would be taking care of my mom and my sister and my kiddos for much longer. So to be in that moment where things were really changing for me and to have those guys. Just set out and tell me how I could live differently. Definitely. That was my aha moment for sure.

Stephanie: 18:23

I believe you're 100% accurate when you say most people that are in ULA do have that moment. So we're gonna shift gears a little bit and ask questions from Marcel per. And if you don't know who this man was, he was a French essayist and novelist who believed that in answering the questions, he formulated an individual reveals his or her true nature. So we have some questions. Tell me something in your life that has grown out of a personal disaster.

Melinda: 18:58

A tough question. I think for me it would be, I have, two kiddos. My oldest My son is 34 and my baby is 21. I had my son very young in life. And. I was like super excited and I, you know, I had the world in front of me and I just thought nothing could go wrong. Everything was gonna be fantastic. It didn't matter what it was gonna take. His dad and I were gonna be the best parents and you know, I was gonna get out there on my own and start living life well, as unlucky as I was. And as things turned out, His dad passed away from a car accident when my son was just about three years old. So I think. That was definitely a pivotal moment in life where I had to regroup and say, okay, now I'm a single mom and I can't change that I can't give him back what we just lost and how am I gonna do this and be the best of both parents? And so I think really in that moment, it definitely was a game changer for me. I started to live my life like I was living it through my son until I could get through that grief stage. I literally just felt like he was the wind beneath my wings. Like everything I did at that time was for him. He is happy and healthy and he's a good human. So, you know, I think I did pretty good and you know, that's my legacy. I think I'm a family person and to know that I raised good humans is, cool.

Stephanie: 20:30

I think that is way cool, Melinda. And I also think it's cool to help people become the best versions of themselves. And it's even more cool when it's one of your own kiddos.

Melinda: 20:41

Where and when were you the happiest you've ever. but there was a time before I had to move back to the city to help my mom when she was sick and to take care of my sister that I lived out in the country. It was a different lifestyle really, even though it was a half an hour from where I worked. there was nothing like the quiet of the country and taking walks where you would go and see the cows and the horses and the lifestyle. Even though I like the city the mountains and I like the ocean, I like them all. But living out there presented a quaint lifestyle where like the Amish and the Mennonite farms were. So you would literally get off work and you would go home and you would play games with your kids and you would make dinner and you would go swimming in this women pool and you would take late walks and play games in the yard. And it was. So much of a more relaxed atmosphere to raise the kids back then, that's when I was the happiest I was in my twenties. And you wouldn't even leave the house to go back to the grocery store cuz it

Stephanie: 21:43

is

Melinda: 21:43

45 minutes outta your time. And so you did all your shopping on Sunday. You made sure you had everything you needed for the week. And unless it was school related, you pretty much stayed home and had the good family life. And I think my kids were the happiest there as. That sounds really

Stephanie: 22:00

relaxing. the next question is, what relationship defines love for you? Real or fictional? Good question.

Melinda: 22:11

I have a background of really strong women in my life and, I'm gonna say though, for me personally, it's probably my bestie. We've been friends since I was 10 years old, so she has seen me through every up and down and she is the one person that I could tell anything to. She's the leaf judgemental person I know. And she is always there. So I think we have a bond. that's almost like a sister bond, even though we're not blood related.

Stephanie: 22:43

Everyone that has a friendship that has spanned decades, is very fortunate, I think, especially if it's one that's

Melinda: 22:50

support. I know in ula, one of the seven F's is friends. And so I think every year I try to find a like-minded friend, but I'll never ever be able to replace that friendship and I hope we grow old together. You see the this Yeah. Guy and girl out there growing old together. Well, I hope my bestie and I grow old together and she's about to be a grandma this year, so that's super exciting cuz every phase of life we share and I'm even super excited for. Aw.

Stephanie: 23:21

Uh, so the next question is, what person, place, or experience has shaped you the

Melinda: 23:25

most? I'm probably gonna say my son. Like I said, he's just my star. We have really been through some things together and I look at him and I see the young man that he's become and I see how he's been able to go through the struggles and come out on the other side. And he is happily married my beautiful daughter-in-law. And, um, yeah, he works so hard. He lives the ULA lifestyle as well. And um, yeah. It's just fantastic to think about where we came from and how hard we had to work and yeah, I couldn't be any happier. He's just, yeah. Yep. There's nothing like your first baby, I don't think. And now that he's at that age where he can actually give like mom advice that's meaningful and I'm like so touched by it. I love it. not as sweet.

Stephanie: 24:21

You have already talked about. your best friend defines love for you. And my last question of the Marcel pers questions is, what do you most value in your friends?

Melinda: 24:34

That's a good one. I'm definitely someone who looks for loyal friends. I like my friends to be open and honest with me. And even my mastermind circle of friends are, very honest with each other. And I know not too long ago I said to my bestie, can you just tell me one thing in this circular thing that we were doing that I could do better? And she was like, you really want me to tell you? And I'm like, absolutely. I want you to tell me and. So she did, and I took it to heart and I changed it and I've been working on it ever since. But yeah, that's I think the most important. I want her to always feel like she can be honest with me and, whatever it is, we're gonna work through it and we're gonna help each other. So yeah, I'm a big one for honesty. Yeah, honesty and

Stephanie: 25:22

loyalty are pretty Yes. Top on my list too. Okay. what is your best coaching tip?

Melinda: 25:29

regardless of what brought you to coaching that you are looking to change your lifestyle For, me, it would be the realization that things take time. Sometimes you do have to address something that came up from the past, but mostly you want to live in the moment, the day-to-day do in the daily action steps, but that if you continue taking those steps, you will eventually get. The end result, which is to meet your goals. And it definitely takes time. Definitely.

Stephanie: 26:00

What quote or motto do you value and live by? This is

Melinda: 26:04

a great question. I can't wait to hear what the other coaches have to say. I think there's so many of them out there, and I'm a big person. Goes with the laws of attraction and whatnot. But, I'm gonna probably say this one is a Charles Darwin quote. it's not the strongest of the species that survives nor the most intelligent, but the one most responsive to change. I think everybody, if you want to live differently, you have to embrace change. that's my quote. That's what I'm going with today. That's a really good

Stephanie: 26:41

one. So we're gonna ask all the coaches if they've done their Enneagram,

Melinda: 26:48

The Enneagrams. Yeah.

Stephanie: 26:50

And if they have done that test, taken that personality test what their number is. So Linda,

Melinda: 26:56

what's your number? So I took the Enneagrams test and my number. Let me tell you this. I thought for sure I would be the helper. I was gonna be a two which would be the caring interpersonal type, the demonstrative, generous people, pleasing and possessive. And then I continued to pick out two more. Which were not what the Enneagram said I was. The Enneagram actually said the fourth one that I chose, which is number five, the investigator, which is the intense cerebral type, perceptive, innovative, secretive, and isolated. and interesting when I read down further to break it down when you take the test. I can totally see the investigator side of me in there. So it was super interesting. I'm so looking forward to finding out what everybody else's are and, to see if they really think they resonated with them, if that's who they. Yeah,

Stephanie: 27:54

I have to say I didn't get the one I picked for myself

Melinda: 27:56

either.

Stephanie: 27:57

I did a little more digging on yours and the strength of a five and I came up with easily cut through complex intellectual ideas and problems. Stay calm, emotionally composed, and objective in a crisis are very perceptive and insightful about many. have excellent boundaries and no problems respecting those of others are trustworthy and good at keeping things in

Melinda: 28:23

confidence. All those things I want in my friends,

Stephanie: 28:28

those are all things I would want in a life. Coach's brother, right?

Melinda: 28:31

Yes, absolutely. That's really good.

28:34

who do you serve in your role as a life coach, and what coaching opportunities do you offer them? I serve anyone who needs to find a way to de-stress, and is working towards a life of more balance, but also can use some of the other tools that I have in my handbag. I serve women who are young moms who can learn. How to be more relaxed and stay in balance moving forward in life so they can come up with a vision and a plan instead of getting caught in the rat trap early like I did, but also then I am always seeking to help anybody who is an over giver who is spending more time helping everybody else. and not taking care of themselves. I truly believe that you have to be taking care of yourself in order to give well to others. First you must do self-care for you. And that includes coaching sometimes. I think there's a lot of people that are interested in pivoting and making some changes for the second half of the life, really. So I love to help people find their authentic selves, find their vision, get that plan going, and anybody that's looking to make themselves better is great fit. And how do I do that? You say, well, I offer coaching. That's one-on-one. But I also offer group coaching, which can be done by Zoom. I do do workshops. I do come out into the public and do them for different businesses and organizations I also hold a group at my home and then I also do some continuing education classes where I get to go over the same sort of thing. I also speak and I've done some expos that are health and wellness expos and some different things like that. Do little talks. and there are many sessions there. I usually, I'll do a vendor table too, and I, for me, like one of the best things ever is to collect those dreams. I get so caught up in getting people to dream again and getting dreams on the dream bus that I forget to even talk about coaching sometimes. It's that much fun. Yeah, I agree. I like to get those dreams from people and get them on the bus.

Stephanie: 30:40

that about wraps. This interview with my co-host, Linda Olt, and we are super excited to announce that we are going to have Dr. Dave, one of the co-founders of ula, also known as Ula Seeker here on our next episode, and he's gonna share a little bit more about ula, the Mind and Body Company.

Melinda: 31:04

So I wanna close out and thank Melinda

Stephanie: 31:06

for being here today and answering all my questions. We found out a little bit more about the three step ULA process and a little bit more about Melinda's lifestyle and what brought her to ULA and what her strengths are, what she looks for in a friend. We got just a little bit more insight about what makes Melinda tick.

Melinda: 31:28

If you wanna

Stephanie: 31:29

find out a little bit more about Melinda and how you can reach her, you can go to our Buzz Sprout Life coaches in Cahoots website and

Melinda: 31:38

find her there. Thanks everyone. Thanks for having me, Stephanie. I'm looking forward to interviewing with you and Dr. Dave next episode. Thank you. Bye now.

31:51

We hope you enjoyed this episode and that it inspires you to go get your ULA life a life of less stress, more balance, and greater purpose. For more information, be sure to check out the notes from today's episode. And if you appreciate our show, please leave us a com and let us know. We would really love to connect with you. You can also subscribe to our podcast, share it with a Friend and on your social media. Until next time, be grateful. Have faith and go get your ULA life.