Graduate Stories – 2002

Gabrielle Melchionda

Finding your voice personally and professionally

Gabrielle is President of Mad Gab's, a twelve-year old business based in Westbrook, Maine. Mad Gab's manufactures natural body care products and candles which they sell throughout the U.S., U.K., and Japan.

The Seven Intentions® program was such a powerful experience because it helped me find my voice in my life and in my business. That’s something that stays with me and something that I am enjoying in the alumni group gatherings. I was always petrified of speaking in public, even in small groups. I remember going to the first Seven Intentions course and my palms were sweating. I knew the program required a lot of writing and sharing. It was the beginning of me getting comfortable with who I am, in my life and my work. I was able to work on goals both personal and professional, which helped to strengthen my voice in both arenas. I’m not afraid of my voice anymore and it started with The Seven Intentions® course.

The course helped me realize that I did want to grow my business and that I had something to offer the world as a businessperson, as a mother, and as a human being. It gives you a chance to applaud yourself, to think really hard about what you’re here for and what you are good at.

The Seven Intentions® experience helped me put together a board of advisors for my business. I opened myself up to the accountability of people who cared about me and wanted to help. That was a good example of Seeking Counsel in a structured environment. These people helped me redraw my ‘river of destiny’ and it’s now my lifeline.

The Intention Know Thyself has been a particularly powerful tool for us at Mad Gab’s. After spending time with this Intention at the alumni gathering, I brought the question "What are our gifts?" to work and posed it to each person. It was remarkable to me that no one had been asked that question, but each person was eager to look inside and discover his/her gifts. By exploring each person’s gifts, I can be a better employer by serving each individual, both in a working and a personal relationship. It honors each person in a true and deliberate way.

The big reason why people want to be at Mad Gab's is that they are allowed to bring their life and their passions with them to work. It’s embraced here. The Seven Intentions® helps me know that if I take the time to deliberate what I need to make me whole, and if I can encourage my employees to do the same, then they’ll want to be here, they’ll want to work harder and they’ll feel there is space for what is important to them. Our performance reviews are not just a review of their work, it’s a review of their life. They say, "I feel heard, I feel valued, and I feel that people here care about me and what I want out of my life." We share The Seven Intentions® tool box; we look at all the tools together. It’s very cool.