Coherence Podcast

Melanie Kahl is the founder of Meld Strategy, a design, strategy, and experience practice that works with purpose-driven organizations to craft new programs, services, and visions for the future. I wanted to interview her because of the impressive range of companies that she has worked for and with — from building public schools to leading innovation programs within Meta, from coveted design agencies like Dalberg to sustainable brands like Patagonia and The Design Gym. 

An innovation leader, strategist, storyteller, and experience designer, Melanie walks us through her career journey, starting with early dreams of working with primates (and a cold email to the Jane Goodall Institute!), turning down Yale, and finding herself building her own design studio after a pandemic sabbatical.

For anyone who has struggled with being “too well-rounded” and wanted to integrate all your interests under one career home, Melanie’s story will remind you that it’s possible. She’ll also share her ‘plate’ metaphor and how it helps her know how to balance and select her client load. 

 You can find Mel at:

 🔗 https://www.melaniekahl.com/

 🔗https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniekahl/

Melanie Kahl is the founder of Meld Studio, a design, strategy, and experience practice that works with purpose-driven organizations to craft new programs, services, and visions for the future.

An innovation leader, strategist, storyteller, and experience designer, Melanie walks us through her career journey, starting with early dreams of working with primates (and a cold email to the Jane Goodall Institute!), turning down Yale, and finding herself building her own design studio after a pandemic sabbatical.

I wanted to interview her because of the impressive range of companies that she has worked for and with — from building public schools to leading innovation programs within Meta, from coveted design agencies like Dalberg to sustainable brands like Patagonia.  I was curious how she made decisions about who to work with and when. (She’ll share her ‘plate’ metaphor and how it helps her know how to balance and select her client load.)

For anyone who has struggled with being “too well-rounded” and wanted to integrate all their interests under one career home, Melanie’s story will remind you that it’s possible.

 You can find Mel at:

• https://www.melaniekahl.com/

• https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniekahl/

Ever feel lost in the messy middle of a major life transition? When you're questioning your career path or contemplating a big change, it's easy to feel disoriented without a map.

In this solo episode, I share a powerful framework for understanding the four distinct stages of personal renewal—release, heal, explore, and launch. Through the story of client "Ester," I illuminate how each phase has its own unique energy, emotional landscape, and aligned activities.

You’ll learn why (literally or metaphorically) pushing yourself to train for a marathon when your body craves restorative yoga creates unnecessary friction and does not set you up to feel like you’re doing anything right.

If you've ever felt the void of meaning in work you once loved, wondered who you are without your old identity, or felt the stirrings of excitement about a new direction, this conversation offers practical wisdom for navigating change with more self-understanding and tactical tips.

Resources mentioned in the episode:

• Coherence Course

• Release 8 week email series
• Heal 8 week email series

Enter the code “COHERENCE4EVER” to get the email series for free.

Ritesh Gupta is the founder of Useful School, a pay-what-you-can creative school for overlooked talent, and a multi-hyphenate kind of creative. On any given day you might find Ritesh in the midst of a design client feedback round, coaching a rising design leader, or deciding what outfit to sport at a vintage clothes event. 

In this episode, Ritesh shares about navigating a season of doubling down on what brings them joy —  making room for texture, fragrance, and cultural heritage— and asking better questions. We talk about his philosophy of expanding scope, why he wears the same outfit to build trust, and how being unafraid of numbers has made him a stronger, more intuitive designer.

If you’ve ever wrestled with balancing wealth and values, questioned when to let others into your creative process, or wondered how to do an audit of all of your work activities to figure out what is worth keeping, give this one a listen! 

You can find Ritesh at:

•  usefulschool.com
• ritesh-gupta.com

What shifts in your life when you stop asking “What should I do?”—and start asking “What feels most true to me?” Relationship coach Alice Turpin-Johnson bravely quit her teaching job (and the encroaching burnout) to return to her core value: Wilderness. 

I wanted to interview Alice because so many people claim to want a job that fuels their life, but they are still working the grand majority of their waking hours and not truly letting their values guide their business design. I have been so impressed by how Alice truly gets rigorous in the amount of time she lets her work take up (and she loves her work!) so that she can spend more time with nature, adventure, and the people she loves.  

Alice shares how she restructured her life from the ground up to honor what matters to her most. From two years living on the road to building a coaching practice that supports people through the heartbreakingly tender decision of whether to stay or leave a relationship, Alice reminds us that we get to choose how to work. (Maybe your weekdays and weekends could all feel the same so that there was no such thing as a ‘workday’?)

To access the free personal values exercise that is mentioned at the end of the episode: https://www.coherence.studio/personal-values-exercise

You can find Alice at: 

Website: https://www.alicetj.com/

How can Coherence help you move your personal story forward? 

In this episode, I'm making the connection between how our current crisis of collective meaning-making and absence of shared stories impacts our ability to know how to make confident decisions in our life.

Developing personal coherence can become your navigation system in a world of endless options but few trusted sources of wisdom. I'll break down five powerful narrative patterns—from the “Wound-Gift Transformation” to becoming the Guide you once needed—that can help you understand your own life themes.

If you've ever felt lost trying to make sense of your next chapter or wondered how your past experiences might actually be guiding your future, this episode offers a framework for seeing your life as a meaningful story unfolding with a specific pattern.

If you want to check out Coherence Course go to: https://www.coherence.studio/coherence-course

Victor Saad is an entrepreneur, coach, and talent leader who helps people through transitions. 

After deciding against traditional grad school and instead creating his own successful masters program “The Leap Year Project”, Victor founded Experience Institute, a new type of higher education rooted in real-world experience. But that was over a decade ago.

Victor recently transitioned from being the full time CEO of the company he had started to advising on the board and stepping into a new full time role at another company in a different industry. 

In this episode, Melissa gets curious about what it takes to make a transition away from a business that you’ve built. And what does it feel like to start in a new role after being the leader and expert of your own thing for a long time? 

Victor shares about the entrepreneurial “tick” that shaped his early career, the creation of his self-designed “Leap Year”, and how to transition without losing the core of who you are. 

If you’re navigating your own leap—whether it’s career, identity, or a more quiet shift in direction—this conversation offers a crash course in how to change your life.

You can find Victor at:

Website: victorsaad.com

IG: @victorsaad

Feel like everyone else has found their perfect career fit while you're still searching? When you're stuck in work that doesn't align with your talents or passions, it's easy to believe you're simply not destined to find that elusive "click" so many others seem to have. But what if the roadblocks to your career change are simply myths you've unconsciously internalized as truth?

In this episode, I dismantle five common myths that I see keep talented professionals trapped in unfulfilling careers. Through real client stories—from a digital marketer turned Bachata instructor to a creative soul who found her calling in medicine—I reveal how our self-limiting narratives about linearity, identity, planning, age, and finances create artificial barriers to transformation.

If you've ever thought "it's too late," "I need the perfect plan first," or "my background is too different," this conversation offers liberating perspective on how shifting your mindset can open doors you never knew existed. Discover why your past doesn't dictate your future and how embracing a different mindset might be the most powerful career move you'll ever make.

>>> FREE OFFER: If you want more support on how to create custom work that really makes sense for you, I host a free training on how to get started with your own career transition that you can attend by signing up here: coherence.studio/work-that-works-training

What happens when a painful secret becomes a revolutionary business idea? For Emily Sauer, painful sex wasn't just a personal struggle—it was a problem no one seemed to be solving (or talking about). So she took matters into her own hands and made a prototype in her kitchen and started talking about it. A lot.

Emily’s story reminds us that innovation often starts with a worthy problem to solve, empathy, and some guts. 

In this episode, Emily, founder and CEO of The Pelvic People, takes us through her career story from art school and high-fashion photo shoots to building a company that’s redefining pelvic health. With candor and humor, she reflects on her early days figuring out how to solve problems and do well in school even with her ADHD diagnosis, and connects a (retrospectively obvious) line to how she transformed something she felt shame around into an empowering solution and movement that now reaches thousands of clinicians and customers.

If you’ve ever felt like your body wasn’t doing what it was “supposed to,” or you’ve wondered how to use your relationship (and charismatic) skills to your advantage, this should be an inspiring listen. 

You can find Emily at:

website: thepelvicpeople.com

IG: @sauerhour

Simone Stolzoff is an author, designer, and workplace expert whose debut book The Good Enough Job catapulted his speaking career and recently landed him a TEDx talk.   

Simo and Melissa talk about the challenge of being pulled in two different directions, and the time he declared something on Twitter that changed his life. Simo worked for the reputed design consultancy IDEO for many years, so it’s no surprise that he helps other people design their next career steps and applies an extremely experimental approach to his own business. Listen in to hear here why Simo is doubling down on his business despite the challenges that come with doing your own thing.

Fun Fact: Melissa was the matchmaker who connected Simone with his now wife! 

You can find Simo at:

website: https://www.simonestolzoff.com/

IG: https://www.instagram.com/thepizza_bagel/