Rising Stars: Meet Melissa Calles

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melissa Calles.

Hi Melissa, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a 27 year old Mexican American that has always had a knack for entertaining. Performing in any way that I could for my family and friends. Whether that was in the form of dancing, speaking, singing (not well), playing an instrument, or even saying a speech at my 8th grade promotion, it was always something with me. As a child, my idea of fun was constantly playing pretend as a news reporter, or a tv host interviewing friends and family that came to visit. I would go as far as record commercials, cooking tutorials with my grandma and even report on the weather for the week. I have to say how grateful I am to my family and siblings (especially my sister Melina) for always going along with my crazy ideas.

I started at the Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at ASU back in the fall of 2016 but found myself switching to Criminal Justice by the following year. Truth be told, I was intimidated by my colleagues and felt I did not have what it takes to make it in the entertainment industry. I was on a scholarship and did not want to ‘waste’ it by getting a degree in something that wasn’t going to financially secure my future. In May 2012 I received my Bachelor’s of Science in Criminal Justice and Criminology which has opened many doors for me and I have very much loved. I graduated from ASU May 2016.

However, it was the safe route nonetheless.

By September that same year, I married and moved to North Carolina to a military town. At 22, I took on a whole new life I knew close to nothing about. I became a dancer for the Cape Fear Heroes, a semi pro indoor football team in 2017. Met amazing women and enjoyed performing once again. Things took a turn for the worse and by October 2019 I found myself driving 33 hours back to Arizona with my dog (Chente) and a U-Haul full of my personal belongings. What a trip that was! If I’m being completely honest, my marriage had completely fallen apart a full year before that, but I did not have the courage to face my family and friends then. So I waited a year to see if things would turn back around, and once they didn’t I decided it was time to move back. By December 2019 I was officially divorced and for the first time in my life, I wanted to not be in the spotlight.

I wanted nothing more than to just crawl under a rock and stay there until further notice. I was bringing in the new year with no job, no car, no money, living at my parents. If there was any year for a fresh start, 2020 was not it. The pandemic put a hold on any plans I had for myself and looking back, I am grateful because it served as a breather for me and just a year to reflect and find my old self again. It’s crazy how we tend to lose ourselves in toxic relationships and how self destructive we tend to become without even realizing it. It was in July when it hit me. We are in the second half of 2020 and although I still find myself with no job, no car, (I’m telling you, the pandemic really made it hard to start over) I was not going to finish the year without having accomplished nothing.

I thought to myself what is something that terrifies me just as much as this whole ‘starting over’ has? That’s when I thought, doing standup or starting a podcast. The thing is, I have always been a podcast aficionado. I used to fantasize about what having one of my own would be like and how much fun it would be. It wasn’t until I came across Topics and Views Podcast featuring my now good friends Nate and Oscar. They had started a podcast of their own a few months prior and were absolutely killing it. To see some brown boys from the valley that grew up just like I did take on this hobby and go for it was what did it for me. So I reached out to them and decided to go for it.

I decided I was going to make it happen if it was the ONLY thing I accomplished in 2020. I made sure to take a few courses, do my research on the correct affordable equipment and decided October 5th 2020 would be my launch date. The day that just the year prior I had arrived back to Phoenix. I chose that date to prove to myself that my move was not in vain. That I hadn’t made a mistake calling it quits and moving back because let’s be honest, there’s plenty of times I would second guess my decision and wonder if I would have been better off doing the latter.

‘Who gave this girl a mic?’ saved my life. It gave me a purpose and brought that old Melissa back to life. Launching this podcast has been the scariest, most terrifying yet the best decision I ever made. It has introduced me to some amazing people and has opened many doors for me. It has challenged me creatively, it has taught me discipline and has allowed me to be my genuine, unapologetic self. It’s everything I would hope a podcast would be, entertaining, informational and relatable.

I want my listeners to gain at least one thing from each episode. I want to help people and also want them to enjoy themselves through my episodes. I am very proud of my roots which is why my podcast is also bilingual. My parents and siblings are the most important people in my life and I wanted people to know that and to love them like I do which is why I included a segment called Street Wasanga where the four of us Martin, 35, Mario, 34, Melina, 28, and I, 27 would chit chat and just talk about certain topics once a month. It is definitely a fan favorite and it makes me happy people enjoy our crazy segments!

Today, I find myself with a job that I love, driving my dream car, living in my own apartment with my Chente (my 4 year old Boxer) and on top of that, I have ‘Who gave this girl a mic?’ which will forever be my passion project. I get to meet amazing individuals and interview guests I admire and bring people closer together through conversations. I am the happiest and healthiest I have ever been. I have my listeners to thank for that. I am forever indebted to them and anyone who has supported me in one way or another. Y’all are the love I didn’t know I needed. Thanks to you all, I am working with brands and only hope to grow from here. I am excited to see where this podcast will take me. At the end of the day, what do I’ve got to lose?

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Personal struggles were definitely always there, not feeling good enough, entertaining enough. Will people even listen, better yet care? The main one that would haunt me is “Why am I even doing this? honestly?” There were times where I would think prior to launching is why? It wasn’t until I told myself BECAUSE I WANT TO. I think this is what would make me happy so WHY NOT??? It’s really hard to fight internal battles and try to reason with yourself. To be feeling down already and try and find something to uplift you. I can’t explain it. You have to be your own cheerleader, and fight the negative Nancy that is also living within you.

Financially, there was definitely a struggle. I was fortunate enough to receive rental income from my home in North Carolina but anything I wanted to spend money on I had to double and triple check was a smart move. I took a $285 course to learn about how to launch a podcast, and I can say with absolute certainty that was the best investment I ever made. It didn’t feel like that at the time though.

Then we come to the logistics of it all. Learning the equipment, thinking of a theme, a logo, topics, the editing, finding your image. What your vision will be. It’s a whole process in its own. Trying to find your individuality that will make you stand out within the masses of podcasts that already exist.

Alright, so let’s switch gears a bit and talk business. What should we know about your work?
I am the host of Who gave this girl a mic? Podcast. We are an entertaining, relatable, and informational bilingual lifestyle podcast with all of the funny and a hint of the serious. We are known for bringing guests from all over that my listeners can either learn from, relate to, or simply enjoy. Anything or anyone that I feel would benefit my listeners in any way shape or form I include. I use my podcast as a positive outlet for creatives like myself to share the wealth whatever that may be. I have been known for being so genuine and just my dorky self. My listeners appreciate how honest I can be without ever belittling anyone. I’m not perfect and I don’t pretend to be, I am constantly learning with each of my guests and it shows so I feel like my listeners enjoy that realness. I’m just like them, taking it day by day.

What I am most proud of is how I’ve been able to tackle all of this on my own. To be able to look at Who gave this girl a mic? and say that’s ALL ME is just a wonderful feeling. Truly empowering if I’m being honest. I am the ring leader, outreach manager, show host, writer/editor, voice over specialist, audio engineer, graphic designer, administrator and the list goes on. Now, I have had help from my friends and family, whether it’s their input on certain topics, allowing me their home to record, or taking pictures of me with certain products to post for social media. I definitely do not take any of that for granted and they know that. However, when I look at the big picture, from getting started and recording to the release of a new episode week after week, it does make me proud to know that I’m doing what I love. That I set my mind to something and actually did the damn thing.

What sets my podcast apart from others would without a doubt be my Street Wasanga Segments. It is a monthly episode I record alongside my siblings. It is a fan favorite and the feedback I get is always so interesting. There is just no bond like the one we’ve got. It’s plain and simple. Street Wasanga gives an insight to listeners that don’t know us personally into our childhood, growing up together, our different points of view and opinions on certain topics. It’s great hearing all the feedback and how much people enjoy our stories.

What I think makes it such a hit, is that my siblings really don’t care that it’s MY podcast. To them, it’s just the four of us having conversations and if they need to tease me they will, if we need to share embarrassing stories we do and I think that’s what people love. It’s also very funny to me, how people will take sides and let me know that they are more of a Martin, a Mario, or my sister Melina. As the youngest Calles, a lot of me is them and the listeners get to see that I’m bits and pieces of every single one of them. I’m really glad my siblings agreed to commit to this and have once again, gone along with my crazy ideas.

Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
First and foremost I would like to thank Nate Rodriguez and Oscar Orta. They are the hosts of Topics and Views Podcast. The podcast that inspired me to go for it. They gave me tips and feedback on how to go about getting started and Oscar even recorded my intro for me! Tyler and Blaz the hosts of If It’s Free Take Three Podcast also were a huge help. When it came to the equipment and softwares to use they were nice enough to guide me in the right direction. Last but not least, my family. My parents, not really knowing what a podcast is, or the purpose or why I was even doing this, were so sweet and willing to help keep the house empty or quiet so I could record.

My brothers for allowing me to use either their house or cars to record with guests. My sister Melina and Sister-in-Law Blanca for being the voice of reason when it came to my ads, my posts, my designs, my topics. Then there is Lexi, one of my closest friends who has hyped me up the whole way there. Being so supportive and a positive light in my life. Last but most definitely not least, my listeners. They are who I owe my success to. They tune in each week and share my podcast and chime in, and continue to allow me to do what I love. It’s still crazy for me to think that anyone tunes in besides close family and friends. Then one day I get a message from someone in another state regarding how my podcast has moved them and my heart just wants to explode.

Contact Info:

• Email: whogavethisgirlamic@gmail.com
• Instagram: https://instagram.com/whogavethisgirlamic?utm_medium=copy_link
• Other: https://plinkhq.com/i/1533925842