I guide writers through a profound inner journey to uncover their purpose & create art that matters.
Through a soul-centered process of writing & reflection, you discover the personal myth that shaped you…and the one asking to be written next.
Begin with a free 30-minute Inkspiration Session to explore what within you is ready to be written.
Are you a midlife creator whose whisper to write—to create—has become a deep, dogged rumble you can’t ignore?
Midlife will do that to you.
It brings you to a crossroads and asks you to strip away the distractions and take stock of the mountain of creative potential buried within you.
Then it hands you a shovel.
So you dig.
And each shovelful of dirt is symbolic of what the second half of life is asking you to leave behind—not because any of it was “wrong,” but because it no longer fits the life that’s trying to emerge.
Things like:
This is what midlife asks of you.
What’s left, once you stop carrying all of that, is space.
Space to understand why you’re really here.
Space to listen for what wants to be created now.
Space to live a truly creative life—from the inside out.
Here’s the truth:
You didn’t mean to bury that creative potential.
You were living the first half of life—raising children, building careers, holding up the sky for everyone you loved.
That’s what that season required.
But not creating and not bringing forth what is within you eventually begins to feel destructive.
Midlife arrives as an invitation
As James Hollis writes, it’s a time to “go back and pick up the bits and pieces that you left behind — gifts, talents, capacities, interests, and passions.”
And once you’ve begun to excavate what was buried — once you’ve loosened your grip on “what will everyone think” — you don’t simply place those pieces back into the same old story.
You use them to write a new one.
A larger, more soulful narrative for the second half of life…
one shaped consciously,
creatively,
and on purpose.
You might think you know why you haven’t been writing.
You tell yourself it’s about time.
Or timing.
Or priorities.
And even when you know you could make the time, something still stops you.
Because deeper than logistics is something more tender.
The fear of being seen.
Of speaking from a place that isn’t polished or proven.
Of letting what’s inside you take shape without knowing where it will lead.
Most of us learned early that our voices needed permission.
That our words should be impressive, useful, or approved.
That silence was safer than saying too much — or saying the wrong thing.
So the impulse to create gets buried.
Not intentionally.
But carefully.
Over time, that silence begins to cost something.
Not creating—not giving form to what’s alive inside you—starts to feel destructive. Not because you’re meant to produce something for the world, but because something in you wants to be acknowledged.
This is the threshold moment.
You are not being asked to perform.
Or to publish.
Or to prove anything.
You are being asked to listen.
And to decide whether you’re willing to live in relationship with what wants expression — even if you don’t yet know what it will become.
Because the cost of silence is the unlived life & the unwritten myth
This is where writing comes in.
Not as a performance.
Not as a product.
Not as something you do once you feel “ready.”
But as a practice.
Writing becomes the way you stay in relationship with what you’ve uncovered—the way you listen without rushing to explain, fix, or package what emerges.
On the page, you can slow experience down.
You can give shape to what has lived only as ache, image, or intuition.
You can meet parts of yourself that were never given language.
This kind of writing isn’t about being impressive.
It’s about being honest.
It doesn’t ask you to know the ending.
It asks you to stay present to the unfolding.
Over time, something shifts.
You’re no longer writing from an old identity.
You’re writing into a new one.
Not because you decided who to become, but because you were willing to listen long enough for something truer to take form.
This is how the personal myth becomes conscious.
This is how inner gold is brought to light.
This is how meaning is made — word by word, breath by breath.
Ink & Insight: Excavate Your Inner Gold, Live Your Purpose & Make Art That Matters
Ink & Insight is my primary body of work.
It is a depth-centered writing container for the second half of life for writers who sense that what is asking to be written now is not about output, achievement, or performance, but about becoming more whole.
This work is for those who feel the call to dig deeper…
…beneath old identities, inherited stories, and roles that once made sense.
And to live in conscious relationship with what they uncover.
In Ink & Insight, writing becomes the way you:
- engage your personal myth consciously
- mine the inner gold buried beneath adaptation and expectation
- integrate what was left behind in the first half of life
- reclaim creative authority from within
- shape a life — and a body of work — that feels true
This is not a fast process.
It is not formulaic.
And it is not about forcing clarity or producing something on demand.
It is about creating the conditions where truth can surface slowly, honestly, and with care.
Sometimes what emerges remains private.
Sometimes it grows, over time, into something larger.
What matters is not the outcome.
What matters is becoming someone who can stay present with what is real and allow it to take form.
That is the work of Ink & Insight.
An Invitation
This work begins with a conversation.
A space to listen together for what is stirring,
to sense whether this path is the right one for you now,
and to discern what kind of container would best serve what wants to emerge.
Why Work With Me?
If you’re wondering whether I’ve stood at the edge of that rich, untouched vein of inner gold and felt the unbearable risk of vulnerability and exposure.
The answer is yes.
The first half of my life was devoted to creating for others.
Building their dreams. Helping their work take shape and find its way into the world.It was meaningful, successful, and deeply rewarding.
And it came at a cost.I set aside my own creative longing.
My own voice.
My own unfinished story.What followed was not a tidy “dark night of the soul,”
but a long descent marked by loss, illness, and the collapse of an identity I had relied on for years.It was there that I realized something essential:
There were depths within me that had never been explored
and an inner permission I had never granted myself.Not permission to be productive.
But permission to be seen.
To create from truth rather than expectation.
To let my work, and my Self, take up space.That descent changed how I understand writing forever.
Today, I don’t work with writers to fix them or push them toward outcomes.
I work as a guide and a witness—someone who knows the terrain, recognizes the patterns, and can hold the lantern steady while you descend into your own material.
I have a particular capacity for sensing what is trying to emerge and for weaving together the seemingly disparate threads of a life into a story that feels coherent, alive, and true.
Not polished.
Not performed.
But whole.This work is not about becoming someone new.
It’s about reclaiming who you’ve always been and learning to live and create from that place.
How We Work Together
This work unfolds slowly, deliberately, and in relationship.
There is no formula to follow and no timeline to race against.
Instead, we listen for what is emerging — and respond to it with care.
Our work together weaves writing, reflection, and conversation.
Sometimes that looks like time on the page.
Sometimes it looks like staying with an image, a memory, or a question that refuses easy answers.
You are never asked to know where you’re going in advance.
You are only asked to stay present to what wants your attention now.
I offer structure when it’s needed and spaciousness when it serves.
I reflect patterns you may not yet see.
I help you recognize when you’re circling old stories—and when something new is trying to take shape.
This is not about fixing blocks or pushing past resistance.
It’s about developing the capacity to remain in relationship with your inner life and to let your writing arise from that place.
Over time, many writers discover that what they are creating on the page begins to reshape how they live, how they make choices, how they hold their stories, and how they imagine the future.
That is how meaning is made here.
Not all at once.
But honestly.
And on purpose.
This Work May Be Right For You If…
This Work Is NOT For You If:
Begin with a Conversation
This work doesn’t begin with a commitment.
It begins with a conversation.
to listen for what’s stirring,
to name what feels alive or unfinished,
and to sense whether this work is the right next step for you.
There is nothing to prepare.
Nothing to perform.
And no expectation that you will already have clarity.
This is not a sales call.
It’s a space for discernment—for both of us.
Some people leave the conversation with a clearer relationship to their writing.
Some discover they are ready for a deeper container.
Some simply name what has been quietly asking for attention.
All of those outcomes are welcome.
If you feel the call to create from a deeper place.
To live in relationship with what wants expression.
I invite you to begin here.
Testimonials & Book Acknowledgements
“…Melanie is an absolute badass developmental editor and aunty to stray animals (and authors struggling with writer’s block). Melanie’s process helped me to unlock my story and share the stories of others, so that everyone reading (and listening) to this book can feel seen and heard while healing their Busy Brains. Every Friday afternoon, your wisdom and laughter helped me to edit my writing and magically gifted Rahja more doggy comfort food. This book was born because of your consummate professionalism and editorial skills—thank you for being my book shaman.”
“Melanie Bates… Thank you for being the daily sounding board for the ideas that bubbled up as I researched and wrote this book. Transmuting fuzzy thoughts into language people can understand is no small task, but you made it feel like a picnic. I loved learning all this with you by my side, and I will always consider this book part yours. You once told me it was part of your calling to help me bring my message into the world, and darling – phew! We’ve done it. Thank you.”
“Melanie Bates was a kind and astonishingly efficient editor and organizer for this project. Thank heavens I was led to her.”
“Melanie Bates, you are so gifted, talented, and full of wisdom. You truly are a book shaman. Thank you for your coaching, your feedback, your editing, and your incredible support and partnership with this book, I could not have done it without you.”
“Working with Melanie Bates as my Book Launch Manager for The Joy of Genius was a great experience for me and all the members of my team. She exceeded my expectations, and I don’t get to say that very often.”
“Coaching with Melanie is like having a spiritual mentor, best friend, business strategist and champion by your side. She gives you permission to do what you truly want, have what you deeply deserve, and BE who you were born to be. She is the person I call when I need a reminder of who I really am.”
“I am in awe of the person I have become since working with Melanie. I just completed my last session and although deeply saddened as our time together has come to an end, I am walking into my new life with direction and a confidence I sorely lacked five months ago… In addition to fulfilling her commitment to me, through my writing, I was able to heal so many years of emotional suffering. Melanie’s authenticity, nurturing love and well-honed intuition provided her with a deep soul knowing of exactly what I needed and when I needed it. She simply took my lead and my hand and guided me with amazing gentleness to the most unexpected and healing results. I will be forever grateful to her and whatever entity brought us together.”
“One of the gifts Melanie brings to coaching sessions is her willingness to help me see the difference between what I believe I ‘should do’ and what I feel called to do. Melanie has the courage to ask tough questions when she’s aware that even though I may not feel entirely comfortable with my answer, I may be ready to open up to it. In our sessions I felt understood and listened to, as well as challenged in good ways. I asked to work with Melanie because I’m endeavoring to listen more to my body’s and soul’s voices than to my mind’s expectations. Melanie delivers exactly this kind of coaching…My life mission has been blessed by working with Melanie.”
“Working with Melanie as a business coach has been invaluable. She has provided insight on everything from book writing and TEDx speaking to webpage wisdom. What I love most about Melanie is that she sees you as your truest self, your highest form. And she helps you see yourself that way, too.
Melanie is an awesome listener and is able to use laser focus in determining next best steps, even when you are still in the stumbling phase. She guides with grace. I’m grateful to know her and have her in my corner.”
“Melanie’s authenticity, personal views and way of operating her business—of being in the world—have all encouraged me to look more within than without—to deal with criticism more evenly, to feel more confident in my expression/choices and, even when I get it wrong, to shrug my shoulders more when mistakes happen. As we moved through the business coaching sessions, we established an expression for my business that was a good fit for my natural talents and personal ‘soapbox.’ Writing the content for the new website was a joy and, with Melanie’s assistance, grew in depth and clarity. I found such value in Melanie’s intuitive ability to pull out the perfect tool at the right moment and her sense of when we had touched on what was authentic, deep and meaningful. As a lifelong Virgo striving for perfection, usually through embracing difficulty as a badge of courage, Melanie showed that there was another way: intimate, intuitive, trusting and relaxed. If you want an authentic, fun, intuitive and generous coach, then do choose Melanie.”
“Choosing to work with Melanie Bates was hands-down, bar none, the best decision I could have made for myself and for my book. I honestly don’t know if I would have ever finished my book without her caring guidance and support. She was truly with me every step of the way—from the scary beginning until the triumphant finale! The accountability that our weekly calls provided made sure to keep me on track and moving forward. I would wholeheartedly recommend Melanie to anyone even thinking about writing a book.”
“Melanie Bates, what a blessing you have been in my life, for my business, and with my book. Your partnership, support, feedback, editing, and vision helped this come alive – it would not have happened in the way and the time it did without you, your gifts, and your incredible support, thank you!
Melanie is an amazing coach! She has the ability to hold space, see things, say things, and guide you in a way that is clear, kind, loving, and spot-on. Her intuitive gifts coupled with her business savvy, make her a unique coach, with a valuable set of skills. She has had a profound impact on my life and my business since I started working with her – things have gone to a whole new level and I’m so grateful for the work we’ve done together.”
“Melanie, you have been my cheerleader and my sounding board throughout this soulful process. Thank you for keeping your promise to never blow sunshine up my ass, for drawing out my stories and doing so with such love, compassion and wisdom. ”
“Melanie has a natural grace and is a gifted teacher who shows you how to access your own core wisdom. She encircles you with intuition, light, kindness, clarity, practical advice and enables you to find your calling and navigate the obstacles along the way. It’s like having a cup of tea with your guardian angel architect as you manifest your dreams.”
“To my developmental editor, the ‘Book Shaman’ Melanie Bates, many thanks for your support, expertise, and strong belief that I could complete this project.”
“Melanie Bates, offering all of her wisdom, literary gifts, brilliance, candor and compassion has most literally transformed not only my career, but my life as a whole. Thanks to her, I’m never looking back, only forward… to employing my untapped gifts and talents, as well as the numerous ways that Melanie has coached me to ignite them.”
“You’re not only helping me with this book, you are also helping me hash out some important themes in my life. I appreciate your awesome process. I appreciate your candidness. I appreciate your ability to see beyond the words. I feel better about this book than ever before. The themes are coming to life for me and I feel great about where we’re headed. It’s starting to feel ‘real’, and I can sense a theme, focus, and direction now.”
“Writing a book was a dream of mine since my 20’s. For over 30 years, I started over and over again, but never followed through.
When I was introduced to Melanie, I had gotten past the initial inertia, but I was in serious need of guidance. Over the better part of the following year, Melanie helped me shape and complete a first draft. At the beginning, I could never have imagined the book that eventually emerged through our work together. The result is thrilling, unexpected, and best of all, I learned so much about myself in the process.
I wouldn’t be where I am now without Melanie’s help and support. She is a coach in the truest sense of the word. She grew my capability, guided me in new and exciting directions, and—when it was most needed—told me the tough truth.
It’s funny. When I tell people about my book, so many say, ‘I’m thinking of writing a book,’ or ‘someone I know is thinking about writing,’ that’s when I smile from ear to ear and tell them, ‘I know just who to call!'”
“I’ve experienced a deep sense of being witnessed in our time together as I work through healing aspects of my ‘story’ and of having a compassionate, intuitive, wise, inquisitive, and interested companion as I travel this journey. It is so deeply healing.”
“Melanie has been so helpful with motivation to keep writing, improving my craft, and much more. She has guided me to process emotions as I was writing through a lot of grief. I’ve realized things I know I never would have if it wasn’t for her, and I am beyond grateful. I’ve been to many therapists, and this coaching experience has been vital for my healing. I believe processing your thoughts through writing can be valuable, but sometimes you need an extra nudge in direction or motivation to move you forward. Thank you, Melanie!”
“When I was first introduced to Melanie, I had a calling to write my story—and not much else. I had no formal writing education nor degree, and I didn’t even understand why I wanted to write. All I knew was I wrote in a journal my whole life and that something inside me needed to be expressed. She told me from day one, ‘you are a writer.’ (Bless you!)
I’lI never forget sitting on the steps leading into my garage, looking for a private spot in my small house so we could talk on the phone for the first time. I told Melanie that I wasn’t interested in the fastest path to publish a book nor to make money
I already had a full-time, well-paid job. What I did want was someone to help me navigate the next steps in taking the words I had in my heart and putting them into a first draft.
I realize that many people may want (and don’t get me wrong, I want it too) a best-selling book. What was more important to me was having someone meet and understand the very unexplainable urge that I have to use writing and inner exploration work to better understand my life so that I can live better and share what I’ve learned with others. I once heard someone say that if you’ve survived something big, you have a story to tell to help others. This is my motivation.
The highlight of my month is connecting with Melanie. Not only does she create a safe space for us to create together, she allows me the opportunity to step back and look at my writing in a way that helps me better understand my life and who I am. I share the most intimate and embarrassing parts of myself through my writing and she embraces it without judgement and in a way that helps me to feel safe.
She has the most incredible talent of showing up and being present on our calls. When she is reviewing my writing, she connects dots, pulls out information that I didn’t quite see, and finds the most important and salient thing that is seemingly right in front of me that I didn’t realize was there. The result is not only better and more truthful writing, but a blueprint to my life that helps me decode myself so that I can pass that on to others. She has a way of seeing and knowing like no one else.
Melanie is special. And anyone who gets to work with her will not only learn how to write a book, but will learn who they are as human.”
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