In this special 200th episode, I'm joined by my amazing podcast producer, Ashleigh Hanson, for a heartfelt conversation that's a bit different from my usual content. 🎙️ Today, we're diving into my passion project—**Girls Matter**, my non-profit that focuses on the transformative power of educating girls. 🌍👩‍🎓

Inspired by the documentary *Girls Rising*, I co-founded Girls Matter to support and empower girls in accessing education. I'm proud to share that we've already supported 4 girls in graduating from university/vocational school, with many more on their way in Uganda and Kenya. 📚✨

Educating girls doesn't just change their lives; it uplifts entire communities and even boosts the GDP of their countries! 🌟 Our mission is clear: "Breaking the poverty cycle, 1 girl, 1 family, 1 village at a time." 💪👧

Tune in to hear the full story, discover the ripple effect of education, and find out how you can get involved. Whether you're looking to sponsor a girl or provide resources, your support can make a world of difference, with donations of any size. 🌍❤️

👉 Ready to take action? Reach out at info@girlsmatter.ca or donate directly here: http://www.girlsmatter.ca

Watch the Girls Rising Documentary Trailer: https://youtu.be/BJsvklXhYaE

Offers:

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Linktree: https://linktr.ee/yourguidedhealthjourney

Eposide Summary:

Melissa's podcast milestone @ 0:01

Melissa celebrates reaching episode 200 of her "Don't Wait for Your Wake Up Call" podcast and invites her podcast editor Ashleigh to interview her about a cause close to her heart - Girls Matter, a non-profit Melissa co-founded to keep girls in school in Uganda and Kenya.

Melissa's inspiration for Girls Matter @ 2:00

In 2013, Melissa was deeply moved by watching the documentary "Girls Rising" which highlighted girls around the world being denied the right to an education. This sparked Melissa's passion to take action, leading her to eventually co-found Girls Matter in 2017 to provide educational opportunities for girls in Uganda and Kenya.

Girls Matter's work in Uganda @ 14:10

Girls Matter partners with the non-profit Meaningful Megan to support girls' education in Uganda, including providing funding for high school and university, as well as starting small businesses like sewing to empower the girls. They have also helped build critical infrastructure like a new pit latrine for the school.

Girls Matter's work in Kenya @ 21:51

In Kenya, Girls Matter partners with the Jolly Sisters organization to support women in the slums by teaching them income-generating skills like running a market stall or sewing reusable menstrual products. They also provide educational support for the women's daughters.

The impact of educating girls @ 24:12

Melissa emphasizes the powerful ripple effect of educating girls, who are then more likely to ensure their own children are educated. She also shares insights on how material things don't bring true happiness, while community and connection do, which is what she sees in the third world countries where Girls Matter works.

How to get involved with Girls Matter @ 31:19

Melissa invites listeners to support Girls Matter through one-time or recurring donations, as well as the opportunity to sponsor individual girls. She also shares how her podcast has been used to raise funds for the organization.

About the Guest:

Ashleigh has been a podcast editor and manager for 4 years at Amplifyou. She has worked on over 20 podcasts ranging from coaches, nutritionists, therapists, inspirational speakers to economists. Ashleigh's passion lies in the wellness field and enjoys working on those podcasts that help her expand her mindset. In her time as a podcast manger, she has trained as a Registered Professional Counsellor herself and looks forward to joining the ranks of the podcasters she works with!

About the Host:

Melissa is an Integrative Health Practitioner and a Board Designated Trainer of NLP, Time Line Therapy® and Hypnotherarpy, helping people get to the root cause of their health issues and then get lasting results. Melissa neither diagnoses nor cures but helps bring your body back into balance by helping discover your “toxic load” and then removing the toxins. Melissa offers functional medicine lab testing that helps you “see inside” to know exactly what is going on, and then provides a personalized wellness protocol using natural herbs and supplements.  Melissa’s business is 100% virtual – the lab tests are mailed directly to your home and she specializes in holding your hand and guiding the way to healing so that you don’t have to figure it all out on your own.

Melissa is the winner of the 2021 & 2022 Quality Care Award by Business From The Heart and is also the recipient of the Alignable “Local Business Person of the Year “Award 2022 for Whistler.

Melissa has been featured at a number of Health & Wellness Summits, such as the Health, Wealth & Wisdom Summit, The Power To Profit Summit, The Feel Fan-freaking-tas-tic Summit, the Aim Higher Summit and many more!  She has also guested on over 60 different podcasts teaching people about the importance of prioritizing our health and how to get started.

Linktree: https://linktr.ee/yourguidedhealthjourney

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