If you’ve been feeling that itch to make more money, build something of your own, or finally stop asking permission to live your life - this episode is for you.

In this chatty, unfiltered episode, I talk about how to think about money and business as a game, why fear of failure keeps so many women stuck, and how to spot real business opportunities hiding in plain sight. From messy kids’ rooms and co-parenting chaos to thrift stores, food trucks, network marketing, content creation, and weird ideas that just might work , we cover it all.

I share stories from my own businesses (the wins and the ones I outgrew), how to know when to start small, when to pivot, and why not trying is the only real failure. We also talk about different ways to make money, what to consider before jumping in, and how to choose something that actually fits your life - not just your bank account.

If you’re craving flexibility, creativity, and income without burning yourself out… this episode will light a fire.

✨ What We Talk About

• Why making money is a game - not a moral issue
• How fear of failure keeps women stuck (and how to redefine it)
• Starting small instead of waiting for the “perfect” idea
• Finding business ideas in what’s missing or overflowing around you
• My experience with food trucks, Etsy, thrifting, and creative businesses
• Network marketing, affiliate income, and personal branding (the honest take)
• Why consistency beats shiny objects every time
• How content creation fits almost any business model
• When to listen to advice - and when to trust your gut

🔗 Mentions & Resources

• Magnetic Content Club – Founding members open now
• Weekly Zoom trainings + planning
• Founders rate: $15/month (locked in for life)
• Thursday Zoom: Monetization & strategy

👉 https://buy.stripe.com/9B6dR975m3Mh4jU8zfebu00

You can email me at hello@melissalahti.com with any questions or find me over on fb at https://www.facebook.com/melissalahtibrown

👋 About Your Host

If this is your first time here, welcome. I’m Melissa Lahti. I’m a mom of many, a longtime entrepreneur, a teacher at heart, and a woman who believes life gets better when you stop waiting for permission. I’ve built and rebuilt businesses, navigated divorce and blended family life, and learned how to make money in ways that support real life, not drain it. This podcast is where I share what I’m learning about business, motherhood, creativity, healing, and making a living that actually fits the life you want.

Saving money gives us a dopamine hit… but actually doing the things that save money? That’s where it gets real.

In this episode, I share how I learned to save money when we truly had none - from paper routes and food stamps to garage sales, dumpster diving, negotiation tactics, and learning how to stretch food, fuel, and everyday life without shame.

This isn’t about perfection or Pinterest frugality. It’s about letting go of ego, getting resourceful, and realizing that the best things in life really are free - or at least a whole lot cheaper than we think.

If you’re in a tight season, trying to get out of debt, or just want practical, lived-in strategies that actually work for real families, this episode is for you.

Next week, we’ll talk about my favorite topic of all: making money

Because you can only save so much, but income has no ceiling.

If this episode resonated with you, message me.
Tell me what number you’re trying to get down; groceries, debt, gas, or something else and I’ll help you think through it.

And make sure you’re here next week, because we’re talking about how to make money, not just save it.

Christmas break is over, the house is finally quiet, and I’m having some real realizations.

In this episode, I talk candidly about what it actually means to decenter our kids - not by loving them less, but by finally including ourselves again. I share how years of motherhood, homeschooling, guilt, over-functioning, and saying yes at the expense of my nervous system slowly pushed me to the edge… and why I’m choosing a different way now.

We talk mom guilt, identity loss, boundaries, content creation, social media backlash, creative courage, and what it looks like to become more self-aware instead of more self-sacrificing. If you’re a mom who loves her kids deeply but knows something has to shift so you don’t disappear in the process, this one is for you.

If this episode resonated with you, please:

• Share it with a mom who needs permission to rest

• Send me a message — I love hearing from you

• Follow along on Facebook & TikTok for daily unfiltered thoughts (Melissa Lahti Brown)

• Subscribe so you don’t miss what’s coming next

New episodes drop weekly (again — we’re back on schedule 😅).

It’s Christmas Eve, so I’m doing what I love most; jumping on for a yappy, chatty catch-up. We’re talking about why our brains choose “familiar” relationships even when they’re unhealthy, what my therapist said that absolutely rocked me, and how we can start building a new picture of what love is supposed to feel like.

Then we pivot into real life: Goodwill bins (and how I’ve basically been “manifesting” through thrifting for 20 years), the financial whiplash of last year vs. this year, and what it’s like watching a “controversial” video blow up when you’re usually the encouraging, uplifting girl.

I also share a personal update on tirzepatide (30 pounds down + the biggest surprise benefit), a kid update (driver’s permit?!), and my favorite Christmas storage tip that will make next December feel like you got a present from your past self.

Merry Christmas, friend. Let’s keep healing, keep shining, and stop letting the “shoulds” steal the magic.

• TikTok: @melissalahtibrown

• Website: melissalahti.com

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Today is a happier one. Life update first… and then I’m telling you the real story of dating after divorce, what I worked on, what I looked for, what I avoided, and how I ended up remarried to a man who calms my nervous system.In this episode of An Unfiltered Life, Melissa shares a real-life look at dating after divorce - from the messy brain chemistry, to Facebook Dating, to the moment she realized safe love feels “boring” compared to a trauma rollercoaster.

She breaks down what she focused on before dating (attachment style, masculine/feminine dynamics, safety, patterns), how she vetted men, and how she ended up marrying Kevin; a steady, self-aware man who shows up as a giver and partner.

If you’re divorced, separated, or healing from a painful relationship, this episode is a reminder that peace can be real and love can feel like home.

If this hit you, send it to a friend who’s dating after divorce - or who’s afraid to try again. And if you’re rebuilding your life right now, I’m cheering for you. Come hang with me on socials and on the next episode.

Melissa finally says out loud what’s been brewing for years: why she no longer trusts “church as usual,” how she still deeply loves God, and what happened the night the Death card showed up for her - twice.

In this raw, unfiltered episode, Melissa shares the story she’s been nervous to tell: her journey out of traditional church culture and into a more expansive, Spirit-led faith.

She opens up about being “a good little Christian soldier” for years; Bible studies, leadership, pastors as friends - while quietly wrestling with questions about patriarchy, power, fear-based teaching, and who gets to speak for God. After walking through divorce, abandonment from church community, and deep disillusionment, Melissa started studying, listening, and paying attention to her own inner knowing.

You’ll hear how a book (The Dance of the Dissident Daughter by Sue Monk Kidd), midlife awakening, and a girls’ trip with tarot cards all collided to crack something open. Melissa talks about psychic gifts, sensing illness in other people, cord-cutting with her ex, and why she now believes intention matters more than religious labels.

If you’ve ever secretly wondered, “Am I losing my faith or just losing my fear?” this conversation will feel like a permission slip. You don’t have to choose between loving God and telling the truth about your experience.

If you want to hang out with me more you can find me at

www.melissalahti.com

https://www.facebook.com/melissalahtibrown

https://www.tiktok.com/@melissalahtibrown

What if the mentors you’ve been praying for are actually the women already standing in your kitchen, at your church, or in your tiny hometown, you're just not asking the right way?

You might’ve clicked in expecting a deep dive into my recent spiritual journey, and that episode is coming.

But with my daughter home recovering from tonsil surgery and roaming the basement where I record, I needed a topic I could talk about without censoring myself mid-sentence. So today, we’re talking about something that’s shaped almost every good thing in my life: mentorship.

In this episode, I share how I’ve found mentors in unlikely places, a cowgirl cousin with horses and dogs, a small-town trapper, food truck friends, pastors, older moms, and now an intuition teacher who reminds me of the woman who once made me feel deeply seen. We’ll unpack why asking, “Will you be my mentor?” often freaks people out, what to say instead, and how to offer help in a way that opens doors instead of draining people.

We’ll also talk about the ego traps on both sides: the “I don’t need anyone” ego and the “I’m not worthy of asking for help” ego. I’ll share stories about trusting your own inner guidance (and the Holy Spirit), navigating imperfect mentors, and why you should probably stop expecting one person to mentor every area of your life. By the end, you’ll see how to turn real humans- not just internet gurus - into teachers, and how you might already be someone else’s mentor without realizing it.

🔗 Want more from me; coaching, resources, and all the things? Visit MelissaLahti.com

• Why I had to postpone the “big spiritual episode” and what that says about needing privacy to process deep stuff

• The simple mindset shift that makes people want to teach you (without ever asking, “Will you be my mentor?”)

• How helping clean up after a class turned into a brand-new mentor and a lunch date

• Two sneaky forms of ego that block mentorship: “I don’t need help” vs. “I’m not worthy of help”

• Learning from imperfect people—taking their wisdom without adopting their whole life

• The pastor story: when mentorship crosses into control and how to come back to your own inner guidance

• How I hunted down small-town mentors for my kids (sewing, painting, music… and even a professional trapper)

• Why receiving generously (yes, even bags of random hand-me-down clothes) can actually invite more provision

• The wild DMs with a 200k-follower creator who wasn’t making any money—and how teaching her will level up my skills

• Practical scripts you can use to ask questions without sounding judgy or like you’re attacking someone’s choices

It’s the first Monday of Thanksgiving break and I’m coming to you from the basement in a towel and a moo-moo, giving a real-time life update. From my daughter’s tonsil surgery and autoimmune history, to my 12-year-old wanting to spend more time at his dad’s, to rethinking what Thanksgiving and Christmas actually look like after last year’s disaster… we’re going there. If you’re a mom feeling the holiday pressure, co-parenting chaos, or just craving nachos instead of turkey, this one’s for you.

In this episode, I invite you into a very real Monday morning of Thanksgiving break: hair in a towel, cozy moo-moo, kids still asleep upstairs, and a daughter scheduled for tonsil surgery this afternoon.

We talk about:

• Why school holidays feel so different now that I’m not homeschooling

• How I’m supporting my 17-year-old through tonsil surgery (homeopathy, collagen, AO scans, etc.)

• My own history with Epstein-Barr and what I believe about autoimmune issues and childhood trauma

• The spiritual journey I’ve been on quietly in the background—and why I’m finally ready to share more next week

• The heartbreaking moment my 12-year-old asked if he could “basically just live at dad’s”

• The tension of wanting influence as a mom when you’re co-parenting and don’t have equal time

• Why last year’s Thanksgiving with 15 unhelpful guests was a hard no, and what we’re doing differently this year

• Our new plan: pie for breakfast, fancy nachos for dinner, and a quiet family day at our favorite hot springs

• Big-family budgeting, secondhand couches, and how one “deal” turns into new rugs, pillows, and art

• The pressure moms carry around holidays—and permission to make this season simpler and kinder to your nervous system

If you’re someone who loves your kids fiercely, worries about screen time, carries mom guilt, or is renegotiating what holidays look like post-divorce or in a blended family, I think you’ll feel very seen here.

This is An Unfiltered Life, where I share the real stuff -motherhood, business, healing, and everything in between. I’m Melissa, and if you want links, resources, or to reach me directly, head to MelissaLahti.com.