I Did Everything Right—So Why Was I So Unhappy with Melissa Marina
Release Date: 09/01/2026
The Questions That Reveal What’s Really Driving You With Ken Proctor
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I’ve built a lot of businesses over the years, but some of my biggest lessons came from the ones that went painfully wrong. In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with serial entrepreneur Tom Matzen, who has built 94 businesses, taken companies public, built franchise models, and experienced both enormous wins and multimillion-dollar losses. We dig into one of the most painful chapters of his career: turning a company valued at $21.4 million into $10 million in debt in just six months after stepping away from the business and trusting the wrong person. Tom shares what...
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From Self-Hatred to a Life Built Around Human Connection With Jennifer Hill
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What happens when the traits you spent your life fighting become the very things that allow you to serve others? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Jennifer Hill, a self-described former “asshole” who has transformed decades of misunderstanding, broken relationships, self-hatred, and personal development into what she now calls her superpower: human connection. Jen shares the brutally honest moment when someone finally told her that her behavior was hurting people—and how that confrontation started a decades-long journey of learning to understand herself,...
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What If the Things Making You Sick Are the Things You Don’t Know to Look For With Dr. Torrie Thompson
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In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Torrie Thompson to unpack one of the most frustrating experiences in health: doing everything “right” and still feeling terrible. We talk about the hidden toxins in our homes, products, and environments that can quietly accumulate over time—and why so many symptoms that we’ve been taught to accept as “normal” may actually be signs that something deeper is going on. From scented trash bags and household chemicals to mold, heavy metals, environmental toxins, and gut issues, Torrie explains why her approach starts...
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Risk, Resilience, and Reinvention: How to Turn Life’s “Terrible Gifts” Into Your Next Chapter With Tom LeNoble
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What happens when the challenges you’ve spent years trying to overcome become the very experiences that shape who you’re capable of becoming? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Tom LeNoble, a former executive at companies including MCI, Palm, Walmart.com, and Facebook, who has been given six months to live three separate times and has lived with metastatic cancer for the past fourteen years. Rather than allowing those diagnoses to define his life, Tom has built his philosophy around three powerful principles: risk, resilience, and reinvention. We dig into...
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What If the Last 3% Is Hiding Outside Your Analytical Mind With Barry Goldstein
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In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Barry Goldstein, a longtime music producer and creative collaborator who has spent more than 40 years exploring how music can magnify mission, unlock creativity, and help us move through the blocks that keep us from our next level. We dive into the idea of the “last 3%”—that frustrating gap between knowing you have something great and actually being able to fully express its potential. Barry explains why solving that final piece doesn’t necessarily require more effort, more analysis, or more information. Sometimes, it...
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The Story Engine Podcast
What if the very experiences you’ve been trying to leave behind are actually the things that qualify you to play a bigger game? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Markus Kaulius, a multi-exit entrepreneur, investor, author, and longtime student of personal development, to unpack the beliefs, habits, health, and faith that have shaped the man he is today. Markus grew up poor, in a broken family, and describes himself as starting “behind zero”—but instead of seeing that history as baggage, he learned to recognize it as the source of his work ethic,...
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I Did Everything Right—So Why Was I So Unhappy with Melissa Marina
The Story Engine Podcast
What happens when you’ve built the successful career, hit the milestones, created the life everyone tells you that you should want—and yet, deep down, you know something is wrong? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Melissa Marina, a subconscious healer and intuitive channel for top entrepreneurs and founders, to explore what happens when high achievers finally stop compromising their deepest desires. Melissa shares the story of graduating with honors, winning entrepreneurship awards, landing a great corporate job, and seemingly doing everything...
info_outlineWhat happens when you’ve built the successful career, hit the milestones, created the life everyone tells you that you should want—and yet, deep down, you know something is wrong? In this episode of The Story Engine Podcast, I sit down with Melissa Marina, a subconscious healer and intuitive channel for top entrepreneurs and founders, to explore what happens when high achievers finally stop compromising their deepest desires. Melissa shares the story of graduating with honors, winning entrepreneurship awards, landing a great corporate job, and seemingly doing everything “right”—while privately feeling miserable, coping with wine and cigarettes, and wondering why success wasn’t making her happy.
We dive into the patterns that keep ambitious people stuck, including people-pleasing, limiting beliefs, unsupportive relationships, old identities, and the pressure to pursue goals that no longer feel meaningful. Melissa walks me through her Release, Reveal, Rise framework for clearing the patterns holding you back, reconnecting with your deeper purpose, and building a new identity and lifestyle around what you actually want. We also explore one of the most powerful themes of the conversation: sometimes what looks like a business or money problem is actually connected to your relationships, your identity, or the life you’ve been afraid to ask for. This episode is ultimately about something much bigger than making more money—it’s about creating a life where success, fulfillment, family, freedom, and purpose can actually coexist.
Highlights
(01:42) – Why stepping away from business during motherhood became a massive accelerator
Melissa explains how maternity leave unexpectedly gave her more clarity, energy, and focus—and why removing the “shoulds” from her business actually created more growth and income.
(04:13) – The hidden cost of building a life that looks successful but doesn’t fulfill you
We explore how different seasons of life require different priorities and why performative work can quietly drain your energy.
(04:58) – The high achievers who secretly feel like something is missing
Melissa breaks down the types of founders and executives she works with—and the “wild, outrageous dreams” they often suppress because they have families, teams, mortgages, and responsibilities depending on them.
(06:31) – How people-pleasing and relationships can become invisible ceilings
We uncover how the desire to keep everyone happy can prevent ambitious people from pursuing their next level—and how a partner’s lack of alignment can become a powerful hidden block.
(08:51) – The Release, Reveal, Rise framework
Melissa introduces the three-stage process she uses to help clients identify recurring patterns, reconnect with their purpose, and create a new identity aligned with their future.
(10:52) – What has to be cleared before you can actually find clarity
We talk about releasing old career paths, business decisions, identities, and “masks” that may still be taking up space—even when they no longer belong in your life.
(12:30) – Designing a life where your business supports your life—not the other way around
Melissa explains how the “Reveal” stage helps clients design their ideal next chapter around family, travel, relationships, spirituality, wealth, fulfillment, and the rhythms that genuinely work for them.
(14:04) – The identity shift that makes your future self possible
Melissa explains the “Rise” phase and how raising your minimum standards, changing your self-concept, and creating new boundaries can help you stop reverting to the person you’ve outgrown.
(15:54) – “I did everything right”—and still hated my life
Melissa takes us back to her early twenties in Bermuda, when she had the grades, awards, career, relationship, and accomplishments—but realized she had forgotten herself along the way.
(18:30) – The moment Melissa realized achievement wasn’t the answer
She shares the profound realization that doing everything society expected of her had not created happiness—and that she had been following the formula for success while losing herself in the process.
(19:47) – What changed when success stopped being about hustle
Melissa describes her transition from a “hustle era” to a season of choosing, where she could focus on speaking, facilitating transformations, and the work that genuinely makes her lose track of time.
(21:15) – Finding a partner who amplifies your ambitions instead of limiting them
We explore how Melissa’s current relationship has allowed her to pursue international speaking, travel, and a bigger vision for her family without having to choose between motherhood and her purpose.
(22:14) – The terrifying conversation that changed her relationship
Melissa shares the defining moment when she had to tell her partner that traveling the world and speaking was part of the life she wanted—and why refusing to compromise on that desire ultimately deepened their relationship.
(25:49) – The story behind the story: when success looks right but your life feels completely wrong
I help Melissa turn her experience in Bermuda into a powerful story about dissatisfaction, playing small, discovering purpose, and ultimately creating a life aligned with what she truly wanted.
(33:14) – The surprising connection between money problems and relationships
We uncover why the “money block” or business ceiling clients think they’re facing can actually be connected to their relationships—and how recognizing that connection can create a major breakthrough.
(34:00) – Discovering what your current life is really costing you
Melissa explains her “Destiny Opportunity Audit” and how looking at missed opportunities, lost time, and potential income can reveal the real cost of remaining stuck.