We’re looking forward to introducing you to Dr. Melanie Ross Mills. Check out our conversation below.
Hi Melanie Ross , thank you so much for joining us today. We’re thrilled to learn more about your journey, values and what you are currently working on. Let’s start with an ice breaker: Who are you learning from right now?
I’m realizing there are so many people in the world doing amazing things. People who have so much to teach me, not only about themselves, but about who I am and who I’m becoming. To truly learn, I have to stay open… open to examples, open to perspectives, and open to embracing the lessons life places in front of me.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
Dr. Melanie Ross Mills
Relational Health & Friendship Expert | Author | Speaker | Founder of Seeing the Good
With a background in Temperament Therapy and a passion for cultivating healthy, life-giving relationships, I’ve spent my career helping people navigate the complexities of life, whether through media appearances, coaching, speaking engagements, or my books: The Friendship Bond, The Identity Bond, and The Couples Bond.
Today, I’m especially excited about a deeply personal new chapter, Seeing the Good (seeingthegood.com). This project was born from a profound legacy left to me through a donor advised fund by someone very close to my heart: Leila Meacham, multiple-time New York Times bestselling author of Roses, Dragonfly, Somerset, Tumbleweeds, and more. In honoring her legacy of generosity, I launched Seeing the Good, a vision I first sensed many years ago when I secured the domain, not yet knowing how it would unfold.
Seeing the Good is a multimedia platform spotlighting nonprofits making tangible impact in our communities. Through a YouTube web series and Instagram (@seeingthegood___), we feature inspiring stories of service, hope, and transformation. In this series, viewers can engage by liking and sharing their favorite episodes. The nonprofits with the most likes across both platforms by the deadline will receive the largest donation, while others will also be honored and gifted as well.
It’s more than a show, it’s a movement. A way to carry forward a legacy of love, generosity, and purpose by celebrating those who are truly seeing the good and being the good in the world.
🔗 seeingthegood.com
📺 YouTube & Instagram: @seeingthegood___
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. Who taught you the most about work?
Leila Meacham taught me more about work ethic in impactful ways. Witnessing her work ethic firsthand gave me a front-row seat to what it truly takes to pursue your dreams and reach your goals. Her dedication, tenacity, perseverance, and hopeful mindset modeled for me the great value in a single day. I watched as she approached her writing with unwavering discipline, keeping scheduled writing hours, researching meticulously, and taking purposeful trips that served her stories. Her vacations were never just vacations; they were opportunities to dig deeper, to understand more, to enrich her work with intention.
That intentionality didn’t stay on the page, it was woven into every part of her life. Being alongside her inspired me to mirror that same focus in my own pursuits: to show up with purpose, to steward my time well, to dream big, to work hard, and to keep going with hope—no matter the obstacles. Her legacy lives on in the way I work, the way I lead, and now, through Seeing the Good—a project born from the very heart and values she helped shape in me.
What fear has held you back the most in your life?
Healing the Fear of Abandonment
I’ve wrestled with a fear of abandonment for much of my life. For years, I didn’t realize how much it was shaping my decisions, my relationships, and the way I showed up in the world. Looking back, I can now see the pattern clearly. I was often the first to walk away from a friendship if I sensed the other person pulling away. I would put up walls the moment I thought I might get hurt. It felt like protection, but in tall honesty, I was living in a constant state of emotional defense. It wasn’t until adulthood that I began to understand where it all began. When my parents divorced during my childhood, a seed of insecurity was planted deep in my heart. That early pain quietly grew into a fear that others might leave me too—and so I stayed ready for it. But once I recognized that root, I was finally able to begin healing. I started doing the internal work, learning to respond from a place of security instead of fear. I began to see that I am enough, whether someone chooses to stay or go. That I don’t have to live constantly bracing for heartbreak. That it’s safe to be open, to be vulnerable, to love freely. Freedom came when I stopped trying to control the outcome and started living from a place of truth: I am whole. I am loved. I am safe.
Alright, so if you are open to it, let’s explore some philosophical questions that touch on your values and worldview. Is the public version of you the real you?
The Real Me
The public version of myself is both the real me—and not the real me.
I’m honest in the way I show up. I share my thoughts, my joys, my struggles. I believe in the power of vulnerability and connection, and I know that healing often begins when we realize we’re not alone. But there are parts of me I protect—quiet moments, sacred relationships, and cherished memories that belong only to the people closest to me. Those private pieces are guarded out of love. I’ve learned that living authentically doesn’t mean living entirely exposed. Vulnerability isn’t about telling everything, it’s about telling the truth. And part of that truth is knowing what to share, and what to keep sacred. If I’m asking others to be open, I have to be willing to go there myself. But I also honor the importance of boundaries, the places where intimacy and trust can grow quietly, away from the noise.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. Are you tap dancing to work? Have you been that level of excited at any point in your career? If so, please tell us about those days.
Tap Dancing to Work
I’m tap dancing to work these days, after many seasons of tiptoeing. And let me tell you, it feels amazing.
I’ve never been more excited about where I am in my career. The spark is back. There’s a skip in my step. I wake up energized by what’s ahead, and I truly believe that Seeing the Good (seeingthegood.com) has the potential to become more than just a project… it can be a movement.
This vision was born from something deeply personal, and I believe it’s arriving at just the right time. Our world is hungry for connection, unity, and hope; and this brand carries those values at its core. It’s about bringing us together through the good we see in one another and in our communities. There are so many directions I want to take it, sometimes I wish I had twelve more of me (LOL). But I’m learning to trust that the right people will come alongside at the right time. If I show up, stay faithful, and do my part, God will take care of the rest. So here I am… tapping forward with joy, expectancy, and full belief in the beauty of what’s to come.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://seeingthegood.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/seeingthegood___/
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melanierossmills/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melanierossmills/
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@seeingthegood
Image Credits
ABC Good Morning America
NBC Texas Today
