Bestselling Author and Podcaster Melissa Radke hit a positive nerve in a lot of women when she wrote her bestseller, Eat Cake. Be Brave., a book idea that took place after Melissa made a personal wish to live her life more courageously. I got the honor to chat with Melissa as we discussed how Eat Cake. Be Brave became a book idea, her new family sitcom coming to USA network, and what it takes to be successful.
You are the bestselling author of the book, Eat Cake. Be Brave. What inspired the project and what’s your next book idea?
MR: “My 41st birthday was the inspiration for the book. Isn’t that crazy? But I was blowing out the candles on my 41st birthday cake, and I was listening to my kids rant about the importance of wishes – which, to an adult, is ridiculous – but it was in that moment that I actually did make a wish, or a promise maybe, TO MYSELF. I gave myself the next 12 months of my life to live more courageously than I ever had before. Which, for me, didn’t mean skydiving or the like, it meant living free of other people’s expectations, pursuing passions and long-held dreams, and moving out from the background of my life and on to the center stage.
This book has really hit a nerve with a lot of women, and I could not be prouder! I hope that I continually write the type of books I would want to read, and I truly believe that’s what I did with Eat Cake. But as far as my next book idea? It deals with a universal problem that all of us women have – and may not even realize it! Female relationships. Friendship is hard, at any age. Wouldn’t you agree? Well, guess what? It only gets harder! Why is that? We are going to figure it out. “
Tell us more about your podcast!
MR: “You mean “the little podcast that could?” That’s what I call it, because to some it seemed like such a silly dream that I had absolutely no training in and barely any money to put in, but I had an idea and a skill. And my skill was talking! Lol! So last January 2018, we launched the podcast Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. and I have loved every single second of it. We found a niche, and the niche was this: we can find “professionals” all over the place. Do I really think I am going to sit down with better thought leaders than Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday? Am I really going to corner a larger market of creative minds than Elizabeth Gilbert on her podcast? NO! But then again, when I look back at my life and the when I think about the best advice I ever received, the greatest compliment I was ever given, the hardest I ever laughed and the most I ever cried, do you know who was at the heart of every one of these? An ordinary person. Not a prime minister or a televangelist or a self-help guru. It was a teacher or a pastor, it was a friend or a parent. So why not talk to Ordinary People living Ordinary Lives but yet making Extraordinary Offerings to our world? Those are my favorite kind of people, after all. Because they are just like you…and me! And now, that little dream of a podcast, that people thought was crazy, can be found on iTunes, Stitcher, Spotify and Google Play. It has had over a quarter of a million downloads in one year! We have over 600 five-star reviews and our subscribers keep growing. Why? Because people like to hear from people just. like. them. People who are making a difference not in the global world, but in their own little small part of it, in their hometowns, in their families. Look us up on Ordinary People. Ordinary Things. “
You were on Meghan Kelly a few months back and you will also be appearing on USA network. What can we look forward to seeing on the network and what do you have in store for 2019?
MR: “I am being very serious when I say this, but I think my life is going to change this year. Those are pretty big words, I know. But I truly do. I feel it in my heart and in my gut and in my Spirit. And yes, the book has brought about a lot of new social media followers and a lot of really cool television interviews and appearances, and that has been nice. And yes, our new unscripted family sitcom The Radkes is coming to USA Network this July, and trust me when I tell you, it is hilarious! But honestly, it’s more than that. There is a scripture that says, “But who knows that you have come to your position for such a time as this?” And I have never felt that more strongly in my life than right now. And here’s what you need to know when I say that: I don’t care about cars or houses or followers. What I care about is that my life fulfills the purposes that it was put on earth for. And if that’s to bring joy and laughter through your television, awesome! If it’s to continue to write books that matter, great! Heck, if it’s just to raise two God-fearing children that are kind and loving and great citizens, then that’s enough! But I think 2019 is going to ask a lot of me, and I am here for every bit of it. “
What are the most important tips you give a person who wants to start a business and who are the keys in having a successful business?
MR: “It is not secret to anyone that knows me that I am a hot mess. If you lined up everyone on this earth and placed them in order of who should speak to entrepreneurs and business owners, I’d be third from the back. I don’t have any sage advice on goal setting or business loans or 401K’s. (Heck, I’m not even sure what a 401K is!) But what I’m about to tell you, I know first-hand…
You were put on this earth for a reason. You were not overlooked or forgotten about, you were not confused with someone else or given desires that are greater than your talents. Every part of you was well thought out; right down to your great memory, your ability to dance or the fact that you are an introvert. Every single thing about you works in your favor! But you must believe this before anything else. You can set the nicest desk in the highest corner office, you can have an assistant that brings you coffee and people that scream your name, but when you lay your head on your pillow at night you will not be truly happy if you do not know WHY you were put on this earth. I spent 41 years of my life trying to figure this out, and it was a long and lonely road. So take it from me, to find your purpose and walk fully into it – even if it’s hard, even if no one thinks you can, even if it requires more from you than you ever thought you’d have to give, even if you are starting from the bottom – is the most fulfilling thing you can ever do! Oh, and side note: Whenever you pursue your dream or start your business or open your studio or write your book or go back to college, whenever you do those things, you are not the only person that benefits. It always ends up mattering to someone else. Someone is always watching, taking notes. That’s the law of reciprocity, when we step into our dreams we make others want to step into theirs.
Hmmmm….that was pretty good, huh? Maybe I’ve moved up in the line of business leaders, y’all! Now I’m 100th from the back. “
About Melissa Radke
Public speaker, writer, vlogger, podcaster, entertainer, Chick-Fil-A connoisseur and hair advice extraordinaire, Melissa Radke has, in just a little over a year, amassed an enormous following across social media with posts garnering over 140 million views. After graduating from Belmont University with a degree in Commercial Music Performance and working in Nashville as a session singer for many notable artists, Melissa returned home to East Texas where she has embraced a life of exciting and unexpected adventure in speaking, writing, filming, hosting, and chasing after her two children and her husband, affectionately named The Attorney General. Melissa’s best selling book Eat Cake. Be Brave. premiered in the summer of 2018, and her family’s unscripted sitcom is set to premiere on USA Network at the end of spring 2019.
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