To beginings...
It started, like most of my big ideas, with a cocktail (okay, maybe a mocktail), a half-burned candle, and a notebook full of dreams I hadn’t quite dared to chase yet.
Hive Notes is my place to get real about what it takes to build a business from scratch—and rebuild myself in the process. Think of it as a journal with more sarcasm, fewer rules, and just enough wisdom to keep things interesting.
I’m Melissa: creative-nurse-turned-business operator-turned (hopeful) entrepreneur, single mom, serial overachiever, and your go-to girl for figuring out life the messy way.
Melissa 1.0 was all reaction: childhood trauma survivor, ER nurse (saving people because I couldn’t save my own), climbing the career ladder because, well, climbing felt like success—and frankly, I needed the paycheck. Midwifery, nurse practitioner, titles and degrees? Check, check, check. Passion? Not so much.
Melissa 2.0? She’s here for something different. She’s building a Hive: Hive Craft Cocktails, Hive Market, Hive candles (yes, I’m a little obsessed)—and, most importantly, a life built on purpose and joy, not just survival.
This blog is where I’m journaling it all: the late-night strategy sessions, the inner battles, the small wins that feel huge, and the big moments that still make me doubt everything. You’ll find business talk, personal reflections, and probably a few eye rolls at the ridiculousness of it all—because what’s the point if we can’t laugh along the way?
So grab your drink of choice, light a candle (bonus points if it’s one of mine), and let’s figure this out together.
Thought(s) for today:
What if chasing your passion isn’t about having it all together—but about showing up, one messy, brave step at a time? What would you fo if you could do anything?