From Crisis to Clarity: Melissa Hampton on What Matters Most

What happens when life brings everything to a full, heartbreaking stop?

This week, I’m joined by Melissa Hampton, a financial planner, entrepreneur, and mom whose world changed overnight when her seven-year-old son faced a life-threatening medical crisis. What followed was four months in the hospital, a surrender she never expected, and a profound rebuilding of what mattered most. 

Melissa shares how this experience reshaped her business, her boundaries, and the way she shows up for her clients and her kids. Her story is raw, hopeful, and a powerful reminder that we don’t need a crisis to choose a slower, more intentional life.

Learn more about Melissa’s work: hamptonwm.com

In this episode, Melissa and I talk about:

• The day an ordinary ER visit turned into a fight for survival
• What surrender really looked like in the hardest moments
• How crisis forced her to rethink success and simplify her life
• Why she rebuilt her business with clarity, boundaries, and heart
• The message she wants every overwhelmed woman to hear

Key Topics Inside:

• The illusion of control and the courage to release it
• Life-changing perspective from a medical emergency
• Rebuilding life and business with purpose
• Slowing down to protect what matters most
• Showing up for clients with deeper empathy and intention

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Transcript

From Crisis to Clarity: Melissa Hampton on What Matters Most

Two weeks before Christmas feels like the exact right moment for this conversation. The world is buzzing with activity and yet so many of us are craving stillness. Perspective and a reset on what matters most. This week I'm talking with one of my cousins, Melissa Hampton, a brilliant financial planner, entrepreneur, and mom whose life changed in an instant, Melissa shares the story of a medical crisis that shook her [00:01:00] family to the core and ultimately transformed the way she works.

Parents serves her clients and lives her life. It's raw, it's hopeful. It's a reminder that clarity often comes from the hardest places, and that sometimes we are invited to rebuild our lives in a way that finally feels aligned with who we really are. If you need permission to breathe, if you're carrying more than you let on.

Or if you've been wondering what it looks like to choose a slower, more intentional way of living, this episode will meet you right where you are. Grab a cozy drink and join us. You'll be thinking about Melissa's wisdom long after this episode. Ends here is Melissa Hampton.

[00:01:44] Melissa Hampton: Hi, how are you? Good. How are you? Good. I'm so happy we're doing this. I can't believe it's been gosh, months, but yeah, we're finally doing it. 

[00:01:56] Penny Fitzgerald: I love that.

 so last time we [00:02:00] talked, and you know, for, for those of you listening that don't know this, Melissa is my cousin. Would you be my cousin, my second cousin? 

[00:02:08] Melissa Hampton: My, that's a very good question.

We're we're distant cousins through marriage, right? 

[00:02:14] Penny Fitzgerald: Yes. Yes. My, so Jeff's mother and your grandfather were brother and sister. Is that accurate? Yes, that's accurate, yes. Okay. I believe so. Mm-hmm. Okay. 

 Well we, we connect at family reunions and I love that. I'm grateful we have those to be able to chat and 

[00:02:34] Melissa Hampton: I know get to know each other a little bit. That was so fun this summer. 

[00:02:35] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. 

[00:02:36] Melissa Hampton: Yes, it was. 

[00:02:37] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. So when last time we talked, you, um, were getting ready, not, it was coming up a, a ladies' retreat 

[00:02:47] Melissa Hampton: it was up in Dillon, Colorado, like Silverthorne area.

Oh gosh. It was just, yeah. It was beautiful. Um, so yeah, it's a group of women that I connected with a year ago on, um, [00:03:00] Amy Porterfield's platform. Yes. Probably a lot of your audience would know her. And we went through that program together, but it was so massive that we created our own little pod group.

And we've talked every week since then for almost a year now, and finally got to meet each other in person and it was wonderful. So just a little mini mastermind and one of the gals has a second home up there, so she was gracious enough to let us stay there. And yeah, um, it was great. So that in-person connection is.

Really important, I think. 

[00:03:35] Penny Fitzgerald: Absolutely. Well, and you're like-minded. You're go-getters, go givers, 

[00:03:40] Melissa Hampton: right? Yeah, yeah. We all connected. It's just, you know, crazy. Um, the amount of people that you have the ability to connect with. You know, we all have similarities in kind of the way that we're working and trying to move our business, uh, the direction we're moving our business towards, but we're in similar [00:04:00] industries, so insurance, accounting, marketing, um mm-hmm.

Virtual assistant. So it's, yeah, it's a great connection to have. 

[00:04:09] Penny Fitzgerald: Very cool. Yeah. And, and for anyone listening who doesn't know Amy Porterfield is. The queen. She's the queen of marketing. Yeah. In digital course. Yes. Yes. Digital courses. Yeah. So have you relaunched your course? How was that go going? 

[00:04:27] Melissa Hampton: Yeah, so what I found, I kinda came full circle in doing that work, especially with the conversations with my little pod.

Mm-hmm. So, um, you know, her course is all about creating a digital course, a membership, something like that. And I came full circle to realize I already. Have a course, which is the financial education that I provide to clients. 

[00:04:50] Penny Fitzgerald: Yes. And 

[00:04:50] Melissa Hampton: I already have a membership, which is my current client base. So I really just took her strategies to recognize how I can foster [00:05:00] those relationships that I've already built within my business and just how to do it better.

Um, give clients more structure so they know. What our processes are, that type of thing, so. Wow. Yeah. And online marketing is just a new world. I mean, not for some, you know, they start their businesses that way, but we're a small town Midwest over here, so we, you know, I built my book knocking on doors and meeting people face to face and getting to know their families.

So trying to expand on that. Through the online world is a little bit more difficult, you know? Mm-hmm. You have to connect with people in different ways, um, and allow them to get to know you, so 

[00:05:42] Penny Fitzgerald: mm-hmm. 

[00:05:43] Melissa Hampton: And interesting. 

[00:05:45] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. I imagine. And for, for your core business, you are a financial planner, correct? 

[00:05:52] Melissa Hampton: so I'm a certified financial planner professional.

Um, I am coming up on eight years as a financial advisor, to be able [00:06:00] to buy, sell, and trade on the market. So the majority of my first handful of years was basically investment management. I was an employee with a major corporate firm. Okay. That recruited me to be an advisor.

Um, so I was pretty bubble wrapped, which is okay. I, I had some great training and it allowed me to really work on my client relationships. But it came to a point where my clients needed more. Just naturally in our area, I was connecting with people that were higher net worth, that had more complex tax issues, and for one, I needed to know how to give advice for that and for two, be able to have the fiduciary capacity to legally give that advice.

Mm-hmm. Um. So yeah, after five years I went and, um, studied for and passed my CFP exam and then took my business independent, um, so that I can do more of that complex [00:07:00] planning for clients. 

[00:07:01] Penny Fitzgerald: Wow. And it seems, it feels like a natural progression and growth pattern. Yeah. 

[00:07:08] Melissa Hampton: Yeah, absolutely. You know, I think that some advisors may love stock trading all day, every day, but for me.

I do like that, and that is an important part of a financial plan, however. Mm-hmm. The bigger picture, you know, is what I really enjoy. How do we solve these huge issues, this giant puzzle that you have, um, to bring all of those different parts of your life together. So that's your, your taxes, your estate strategies, your cash flow.

Um, I like bringing all of that into one picture. And, um, yeah, it just provides a lot of value for, for clients. 

[00:07:45] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. Well, and being, you know, where you're located, you're in Wyoming. Correct. So I grew up in Wyoming, but I'm in 

[00:07:53] Melissa Hampton: Spearfish, South Dakota, so just right across the border. Okay. In the Black Hills.

Yep. Yeah. Mm-hmm. Um, but yeah, still, um. [00:08:00] I think my Wyoming groups, you know, transfer through a lot to how I work with people. I have mm-hmm. 

[00:08:07] Penny Fitzgerald: A 

[00:08:07] Melissa Hampton: lot of ranching clients, but I also have some CEOs from Denver too, you know? Mm-hmm. And probably the common theme is they just want someone that they can get to know and trust to handle, you know, professionally handle their bigger issues.

Mm-hmm. And what they've worked so hard to earn over a lifetime. 

[00:08:26] Penny Fitzgerald: Right, right. Well, and getting back to your, um, doing things digitally, so mm-hmm. Marketing yourself online, um, I imagine you're attracting clients from all over the country. Mm-hmm. And how does that change the complexity of it?

Do you, do you need to be licensed in multiple states and do you need to, I mean, are the, are the tax laws different? Are the strategies different? 

[00:08:52] Melissa Hampton: Um, so I think the strategies are very similar. So when you have higher income people, whether they're working or they're [00:09:00] retired or those, those strategies remain the same, but no, you're correct.

So we have reciprocity with our licensing, um, that I can get license in any state, which is nice. Um, the tax differences, that's where it becomes important for my relationship with a, a local. CPA, and if they don't have one, we have networks that I find CPAs through that have already been vetted, um, that we can trust to work with the client.

So that client, um, advisor, CPA, and attorney relationship is partnership, that we're the professionals that should be handling everything for. The client. Um, sometimes people have those professionals in their lives already, and sometimes we go and find them and, and build out that relationship for them.

[00:09:53] Penny Fitzgerald: Okay? Mm-hmm. Wow. Interesting. So how, how does that shift your business when you're, [00:10:00] you know, you obviously have the relationships with your, um, community and, um, where you grew up and things, but like the online relationships, how do you foster those? 

[00:10:10] Melissa Hampton: Yeah, so it has been interesting. Um, last year we ran some Facebook ads.

Um, I think, you know, being really direct in those issues that we're solving for clients. So, mm-hmm. How do I pay less in taxes? Exactly when can I retire or let's establish my retirement timeline. Um, something that people really appreciate is, you know, what's my max spending amount to get to my goal, and then how much can I spend?

In retirement. And those are all questions that keep people up at night that they need clarity on. So really just being direct about this is what, these are the problems that we're solving for people. Um, you know, let's start that relationship. It begins with a financial planning engagement. So within eight weeks we have a structured process, [00:11:00] um, and within eight weeks they get answers to those questions.

We bring another CFP on board, we have a tax, professional tax consultation with them. Um, so they have to be in that place where they, yes, they want clarity, they wanna begin, you know, building their confidence and they're ready to do that in an eight week time, time period. Uh, the relationship doesn't end there, and that's where it's a little bit different.

You know, we can do all of that through Zoom and that continued relationship for people online is through Zoom and phone calls. Um, I've traveled to see people, of course, to meet them in person. Which I enjoy, but we can accomplish a lot through this. I mean mm-hmm. Looking at each other and talking to each other over a camera, we can accomplish a lot.

Um, it's just a matter of them trusting me, you know, to do that work for them. 

[00:11:51] Penny Fitzgerald: Mm-hmm. Yeah. All about building relationships no matter what career you're in or what in industry. 

[00:11:58] Melissa Hampton: Right. Yeah. And I think that will [00:12:00] continue to change. I mean, I just dropped off flowers for a client closing on a property this morning, so, oh, you know, I won't be able to personally drop those things off for clients that live in Boston or Florida.

Um, but we're still, that's always top of mind, like, how are we engaging in their life? It's not just. You know, we're gonna answer these questions and manage your investments. We're really a part of their life milestones, and that's, that's really fun for me to be a part of too. 

[00:12:28] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. Oh gosh. Yeah. I, that is, um, so warm, you know, 

[00:12:35] Melissa Hampton: just thinking.

Yeah. And I'm so, you know, I mean, technology is wonderful. AI is wonderful. So, you know, I wanna provide something that they're not going to. Be getting by managing their investments on their own, on an online platform. Mm-hmm. Um, or answers that they're getting from chat GPT, you know, um, it has to be personal and um, [00:13:00] you know, we have to trust that person that's giving that advice.

So, 

[00:13:04] Penny Fitzgerald: absolutely. Oh yeah. And you know, just thinking through how to manage all of that. 'cause you know, it's, it's one thing if you have 10 clients right. mm-hmm. You're building a client base, so how do you systematize that? How do you automate that?

Yeah. So that you are reminded. Okay. Um, John and Mary are closing on their house today, and how do you. Keep track of all of that. 

[00:13:31] Melissa Hampton: Yeah, this is one of my favorite topics. So, um, when I was an employer advisor at one point I had over 600 households. And that was because it was just, the more clients the better.

I mean, that was just the process of that firm that I worked for, didn't matter if they had a dollar or $10 million. Um, we helped everyone. And so, um, after. Our life change with [00:14:00] our family circumstance. With my son, I gave away half my business right away. And what that means is it's, it's just like, it's, this is too much.

I can't truly care about. 600 households, which means over 1200 people and really get to know their families when their birthdays are, like, what their life goals are. Yeah. How are they gonna purchase this piece of land? Mm-hmm. Are they gonna retire early? So that was step one. And then when I left that firm, I minimized even more.

So currently I do only manage 40. Households. Oh, and why I say it's one of my favorite topics is because before I went independent, um, I read the book, 10 x is easier than two x. 

[00:14:44] Penny Fitzgerald: Mm-hmm. If you're an 

[00:14:45] Melissa Hampton: entrepreneur or a professional and you haven't read it, you need to buy it like right now. Um, go listen to Audible or yeah, Amazon it for same day delivery.

But, um, that really helped me understand like. How can I [00:15:00] create value to people who just need education, which is why we do workshops and we, you know, educate online. And then how do I really create a white glove service, uh, service for people that need and want those more complex strategies. Um, so that will always be my goal.

Um, yes, I probably could double capacity, but. To become a client, you need to have a need for advice, you know, and have like more complex needs. But also we have to really like each other because we're gonna spend a lot of time together, whether that be via Zoom or in person. And that connection I think is.

Really important. Um, so the second part of your question was system systematizing all of the So I love processes. I think it's probably one of my 

[00:15:53] Penny Fitzgerald: Me too, uh, stronger 

[00:15:55] Melissa Hampton: Yeah. Strengths is like figuring out how to keep things very simple. [00:16:00] Mm-hmm. You know, even with our financial plan, this is our eight week process.

Uh, we schedule those appointments. Um, I have great, like CRM technology to, to put in reminders. Um. There's, there's never an open-ended to do, if that makes sense. So, mm-hmm. After a task is accomplished, there's always a next step with every single person, whether that's a review, a phone call, um, a birthday, an anniversary, that type of thing.

So, um, yeah, I think you do have to be very structured when you're, I mean, any business owner. Absolutely. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Um, I'm also hiring a virtual assistant, which I'm really excited about. Oh, that's exciting. Yeah. Yeah. You know, we live in a smaller area, so it's hard to find people in person, um, that have like the expertise that I was looking for in an assistant.

So, um, that will be starting within a couple weeks, but I think those options are great for people too. [00:17:00] Um, eventually we may build a team, you know, um, if we reach capacity and um, we need more advisors. Great. I'm open to that. Uh, but yeah, right now a virtual assistant will step in to help with some of that, which is exciting.

[00:17:15] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah, that is very exciting. Yeah. So, so many of the women I coach,areunintentionally keeping themselves small, keeping their businesses small. Yep. Because they can only handle, you know, they want to give excellent customer service, excellent care to their people, but that mm-hmm.

Keeps them small. They just need the systems in place to be able to handle more capacity. 

[00:17:39] Melissa Hampton: To scale. Yeah, absolutely. And I think right now with all of the online marketing information and different programs out there, you can get distracted. You know what, which direction is my direction? And so that's what where I've come full circle in this year is to be like, all of that is kind of a distraction.

I need to [00:18:00] focus on advertising to my ideal client. And that's it. Because there are a lot of people that can help with everyone else. Um, so yeah, I think being direct in your marketing mm-hmm. Sometimes you have to pay more, you know, like sometimes growth is expensive and that's hiring or purchasing software, running ads, that type of thing.

But yeah, you don't want to do it. Um, fuzzy. It needs to be with, with clarity. Um, I'm working with a new coach. Her name's Julie Solomon, and, um, she talks all about, um, clarifying your message. You know? Mm-hmm. You're talking to your ideal client and otherwise you are gonna waste money, and I think that's where people get frustrated when they try and grow.

[00:18:46] Penny Fitzgerald: Right? Money and time, and you're really not serving your people, the people who need you the most, right? Because they don't, they haven't heard you, they don't know you exist. Yeah. 

[00:18:56] Melissa Hampton: Yeah, absolutely. Yeah. That messaging is 

[00:18:59] Penny Fitzgerald: important. [00:19:00] 

[00:19:00] Melissa Hampton: Yeah, absolutely. I think that's great. 

[00:19:03] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. Um, 

You mentioned something with your son. 

[00:19:09] Melissa Hampton: Yeah. So, um, he kind of ignited this whole. Life transition or life transfer from chaos and corporate to a simpler life and, and more, uh, clarity for all of us. 

[00:19:26] Penny Fitzgerald: Mm-hmm. 

[00:19:26] Melissa Hampton: So, um, I'll keep it short because I could talk for hours about this, but, um. In April of 2022, so good Friday, right before Easter, he had had the flu all week, took him into the emergency room, he had an appendectomy, went septic.

Within days. We were life-flighted to Omaha, um, and ended up being there for four months. So I literally packed a bag for an overnight stay and was gone for four months. I had started this career, [00:20:00] uh, four years prior to that. And when I started the career the way that I was compensated, um, my base salary would not have even paid for my bills.

Oh, wow. So it was like, go hard or go home, you know? Mm-hmm. I mean, I was compensated for getting new clients. Mm-hmm. And, um, that's how I was going to be paid. So. Yeah, everything else kind of got fuzzy and I was hyper-focused on growth. 

[00:20:30] Penny Fitzgerald: Mm-hmm. 

[00:20:30] Melissa Hampton: And I drank the Kool-Aid and, um, I wouldn't say that I sacrificed time with my kids, like physically, but mm-hmm.

Emotionally and mentally I was always focused on 

[00:20:41] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. 

[00:20:42] Melissa Hampton: Uh, it was survival mode, you know? Mm-hmm. How am I gonna grow so that we can pay our bills and, um. So it was going really well. I was doing the processes growing very quickly on the hamster wheel and then bam. Mm-hmm. Stops. I mean, I can't [00:21:00] really talk to clients.

I'm in the ICU all day long. Um, his alarms are going off. He was in a coma for six weeks and he wasn't, oh my 

[00:21:09] Penny Fitzgerald: God. 

[00:21:10] Melissa Hampton: Supposed to survive night one. So when we got there all the time, 

[00:21:13] Penny Fitzgerald: how old was he then? 

[00:21:15] Melissa Hampton: He was seven. 

[00:21:16] Penny Fitzgerald: Seven. Oh my goodness. Yeah. 

[00:21:19] Melissa Hampton: So when we arrived in Omaha, he was in complete organ failure. Um, and they told us he wouldn't survive the hour.

Um, but he just kept pulling through and they tried everything experimental they could think of. Um. He was in a coma for six weeks with no, no hope. Um, there was a time, this was my absolute breaking point in life. He was kept open and washed out every other day. So there was a time where they were taking him back to the OR to do a washout.

And, um, they said, you need to say goodbye. He's the sickest kid we have ever had. Oh my God. In our [00:22:00] OR, and we can't guarantee that he'll come back this time. And, um, it was like an out of body experience. Like I can, um, like I'm stuck to his bed, you know, and they're like trying to pull me off. While they're taking him down the hallway.

And I just broke. And, um, I called my priest and I was angry and I was like, why is this happening to me? Why is it happening to Kellen? Take me instead, you know, what do you want from me? What did I do? Like I was, I was just in that angry state and still trying to control the situation. 

[00:22:37] Penny Fitzgerald: Mm-hmm. 

[00:22:37] Melissa Hampton: And he said, you know, God does not punish us for our mistakes, but he allows you.

To make the decision and create what happens next. So what are you gonna do with this situation? Um, how are you going to interpret it? How is it going to affect you? And so after that, I came back and he came [00:23:00] back to the room and I met him there and he survived that wash out. And I just gave up control or most more so like gave in to, this is out of my control.

This isn't. This is no longer a worldly problem on earth. You know, this is, 

[00:23:16] Penny Fitzgerald: yeah. It's not important on Earth Up. Mm-hmm. Yep. 

[00:23:19] Melissa Hampton: Yep. What he's going to do with this situation. And so, um, I think that's really where I broke being in control of everything. Like I had been my entire life Wow. Saying I need help, like life is bigger than what I can handle.

And, um. From that moment on just started really thinking about what we want our lives to look at next. Like, it changed from fear and anger to like hope and optimism and it kind of radiated through the whole hospital. I mean, it, it was really beautiful to see all of these [00:24:00] insanely medically brained people filling the hallways to pray for him every morning.

Oh, you know, during their rounds. Wow. And our entire city stopped at lunch and the schools stopped and prayed for him. And, um, like that coming together. Even, even my son says this, like, that was so hard, but it was also so beautiful. He says, because he, he felt it too. You know, I mean. Really that, and there's a huge silver lining.

People dusted off their bibles. Um, I've had people share that it saved their marriage. It just really put life into perspective for a lot of people 'cause it was so unexpected. 

[00:24:45] Penny Fitzgerald: Wow. 

[00:24:45] Melissa Hampton: Um, so yeah, that completely changed. You know, I don't want to go back to. Managing all of this. Mm-hmm. And only thinking about work.

Now the priority is my [00:25:00] kids. You know, if work starts to take over that, nope. I take a step back and it's always about the time, which is the key, right? It's the one thing that we can't create and we can't get back. So it's everything that we do in life as a family is about our time together. Maximizing that.

[00:25:21] Penny Fitzgerald: Wow. 

[00:25:23] Melissa Hampton: So, yeah, it's been completely, completely life changing. 

[00:25:26] Penny Fitzgerald: Wow. Thank you for sharing all of that. That's so powerful. I had goosebumps Yeah. About all of it. 

[00:25:33] Melissa Hampton: Well, thank you. Yeah. It is a, it is a very. Powerful story and it's just, um, they call him, even in Omaha, the the miracle baby. They have no idea why he survived, no medical reason why he survived Uhhuh, and he's doing great.

You know, they said he would always have issues. He doesn't, all of his levels are back up to normal and so yeah, now we get to just like my priest. Told me, you know, now we get to take that [00:26:00] experience for the positive. We could, we could be angry, we could have handled it a different way. Um, but no, life, life is beautiful and we get to create it how we want.

So, 

[00:26:11] Penny Fitzgerald: yeah. 

[00:26:12] Melissa Hampton: Wow. 

[00:26:13] Penny Fitzgerald: Just, um, being, being present with each other and when you're together, having that full capacity to love each other and to be present with each other, that's just such a gift. 

[00:26:26] Melissa Hampton: Yeah. And really intense for my daughter too. She was 10, you know. Oh, wow. So, I mean, going, going through that, she was there for a lot of it, and I'm very grateful that I had my family to help too.

Mm-hmm. Um, so yeah, I mean, it will forever change how she lives her life. I, you know, wanna believe that it will change the way that those doctors and those interns. You know, treat their patients moving forward and just like keeping hope, they asked if he could do it, if they could do [00:27:00] a, a published study on his case.

I said, well sure, but what's the point? You don't know what worked. And they said just to provide hope for families. You know, if anything else. That's a pretty good 

[00:27:12] Penny Fitzgerald: point. 

[00:27:14] Melissa Hampton: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Um. So there were points where we could have, you know, called it and we didn't. We just kept saying, no, nope. It's mm-hmm.

Just keep doing what you're doing. Um, it's going to turn. So, uh, yeah, pretty powerful. And, and in that, there was a day where I called my attorney, you know, I'm making all of these life and death decisions for, for my son. And, you know, you, you have a lot of like. Growing self-awareness when you're sitting in an I-C-U-I-C-U room by yourself for weeks on end.

And so I called my attorney and I said, my estate plan has a ton of holes here. Like, let's get this fixed because [00:28:00] I mean. Your kids are taken care of. They, they have you to make those decisions, but as adults we don't. And so that kind of, you know, is where my passion for estate planning sparked as well.

And I learned a lot just being in that experience and thinking about, you know, if this were me or if I were making these decisions for a parent, um, what, what do I need to have in place, you know? To protect all of those parties involved. So Wow. That's kind of when, where that direction kind of, um, started becoming.

Mm-hmm.really important in that new business and that new life that we were going to create when Right. Left. 

[00:28:41] Penny Fitzgerald: Wow. Okay. So in the hospital, you're there four 

[00:28:46] Melissa Hampton: months. Right? Yep. Um, so he was in the ICU for three months and then, um, he had rehab for a month in a facility, so he had to learn how to walk and talk and see and eat, [00:29:00] um, all over again.

Um, I came home one time. And there were issues. So I stayed the night, repacked my bag, and then I was on the phone the entire eight hour drive back. Um, you know, saying, no, you can't do that. It, there's just always something. So if you do ever have a loved one in a medical facility, like you have to be there.

I mean, there's decisions that you have to be able to make. Um. Whether it be intubation or chest tubes or medication, you, you know, we really were his advocate. 

[00:29:36] Penny Fitzgerald: Mm-hmm. 

[00:29:36] Melissa Hampton: Um, every day, all day. So, 

[00:29:40] Penny Fitzgerald: yeah. oh God, I just can't even imagine.

Mm-hmm. It just must have been so. Taxing on you. Mm-hmm. And then to know that you're going into it from the corporate job where you're just scrambling to get new business. Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm. [00:30:00] So when you came back, how did you navigate that? 

[00:30:04] Melissa Hampton: there, there were points where the discussion would've allowed me to kind of change the way that I was doing business.

Um, my office was out of town. I'm the only parent in town, so I really needed to be here. And, um, it just didn't work out where that was going to allow me to, to be in town, uh, to move my office to town, but also to allow me to really decrease my book size and work at a different pace. With clients in a different, like quality level.

Um, so when I got back, there were a lot of those discussions.

[00:30:39] Penny Fitzgerald: Were they open to you being gone that long or were they pressuring you to do some business while you're there or to try and figure that out? 

[00:30:49] Melissa Hampton: Yeah, so I guess both. Um, yeah, you know, they're a corporation.

I completely understand it. At the end of the day, they're. Those assets were their assets. So they were doing [00:31:00] things to protect that.but to be honest, like my brain was not there.

[00:31:03] Penny Fitzgerald: No, 

[00:31:04] Melissa Hampton: no, 

[00:31:04] Penny Fitzgerald: no. 

[00:31:05] Melissa Hampton: To say it harshly, like I didn't really care. 

[00:31:08] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. 

[00:31:08] Melissa Hampton: You know, like when you're dealing with life and death or, you know, um. Those other issues and like send it to someone else. Um, for now I'm just not in a, a brain space to do that. So yeah, when I got back, there were some really good discussions and, um, I really enjoyed the people I worked with in the company I worked for.

Um, but it was just a better fit to look in a different, the independent direction so that we had more control for my family yes. But also for what clients needed. 

[00:31:40] Penny Fitzgerald: Mm-hmm. Wow. I imagine the pressure was intense, you know, coming home and realizing, okay, he's okay. Mm-hmm. You can breatheWere in a new role and having to build from, not really from scratch, but you were mm-hmm. Having to build to be able to [00:32:00] meet those bills. Holy cow. 

[00:32:03] Melissa Hampton: Right. Yeah. And I was lucky to have like, ran hard. I mean, I think that there's always blessings in life in our careers, you know, that I had that window to really build my business before this happened.

Mm-hmm. Um, and it could have been anything that life threw out me. You know, I think that like. We're allowed certain times where we get to build and then in case, yeah, we need to take a step back, you know? Um, and that was that phase in my life and I'm grateful for it. I wouldn't wanna redo it. I 

[00:32:34] Penny Fitzgerald: don't, oh my gosh.

[00:32:36] Melissa Hampton: You know, it was, it was a little rough. Um, but then, you know, luckily I did have that flexibility when we came back and it was a while. I mean, I homeschooled Kellen. And then it was still another year before I went independent, so I stayed with my firm for another year before making that leap. Um, mostly emotionally, so like a [00:33:00] lot of your entrepreneurial clients that you coach, I mean, we go through burnout too often, and so when you're trying to make a huge decision like that, uh, you know, I, I knew I needed my energy back and my focus back, so it was.

Um, a little over a year before I made that big move again. 

[00:33:19] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. Yeah. so many of the clients I work with,come from a corporate setting previously. Sure. And it's set up for men. It's a patriarchal. System that works. You know, it's a com competitive nature. It's the pie, you know, I get my piece first.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. You know, no, there's no, the abundance, the, the alignment with your soul, it's just no. You're going to work and you're putting one foot in front of the other and you're trying to do more than the next guy so that you can stay where you are or grow. Right? Yeah. Mm-hmm. That just doesn't align with us.

[00:33:57] Melissa Hampton: No, it doesn't. And it's funny you say [00:34:00] that because I've never thought about it until you were explaining this, but, um, I definitely was more when you talk about like the male, the, um, male and female side of how we operate. Mm-hmm. Um, definitely operating like in survival mode, logic, you know, I'm the breadwinner.

I'm, I'm the everything in the household. Another silver lining from Kellen's event is like, it re-triggered my emotions, you know, to Mm. To kind of like have more of that feminine side to, um, that balance, you know? 

[00:34:33] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. 

[00:34:33] Melissa Hampton: Um, kind of reignite that balance for a family and even just how I view people and how much more I care about.

People, you know? Mm-hmm. I was, I, I could get through a lot before without having a lot of emotion, and now I just care so much more deeply. Mm-hmm. Um, so it's definitely made me better at what I do, uh, for people too. 

[00:34:55] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. To reclaim that empathy and that alignment with your soul just to be [00:35:00] 

[00:35:00] Melissa Hampton: mm-hmm. 

[00:35:01] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah.

The feminine energy. Mm-hmm. 

[00:35:04] Melissa Hampton: Right. Yeah. And people want that too when they're working with professionals. You know? I think men can harness that too. I don't think it's one way or or the other. I think it's just any person being aware of that and how Yeah. How you, what you need to be in a role to best serve your 

[00:35:22] Penny Fitzgerald: clients.

Mm-hmm. Yeah. A balance. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Wow. Melissa, I didn't know this. I didn't know any of that. No, 

[00:35:32] Melissa Hampton: you didn't. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Okay. Well, you know, a lot of people probably don't, and some people you know that I know now, maybe they knew about his story or followed it on Facebook years ago, but haven't connected the dots and that's totally fine.

I've not a super. Well, until now, I haven't shared it yet. I haven't shared it publicly, um, until now. And part of that is [00:36:00] like for his, you know, confidentiality too. Someday he'll share what he wants to about what he experienced, so, 

[00:36:08] Penny Fitzgerald: yeah. Mm-hmm. And today he's, um, happy, healthy. Hundred percent. Yeah, he's doing great 

[00:36:15] Melissa Hampton: playing football for the first year.

Oh my gosh. And yeah, he's like such a sweetie. He wants to take over my business someday. Like it's just, he's so sweet and he would actually do a good job because he is very empathetic. But um, yeah, no, we're very lucky. And that's, you know, that was one reason why I really hadn't shared his story before too, because I know that we are.

Very blessed compared to other families, you know? Mm-hmm. Some, some people don't end their story with their kids surviving. Um, and I did. Um, and we did. Um, and we're very grateful for that. But, um, I really empathize with those that, you know, it's [00:37:00] not a happy ending. And how do you recover from that emotionally?

I, yeah. I dunno that that's a whole different level. 

[00:37:10] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah, absolutely. Mm-hmm. You know, I was listening to a, um, a meditation this morning and, uh, it was about, a woman who had gone through some trauma and she said, why me? Why me? Mm-hmm. And she went to her. Spiritual advisor who told her, you know, you want me to solve this for you, so I want you to go and gather a penny from every person in your village who has never had trauma, and then come back to me in a week.

And of course, there was no one that hadn't had trauma. So it just, the perspective of everyone has something that they're going through or that they've gone through. And you just don't know what their struggle is, and when you can cry together [00:38:00] or empathize together and hold each other up mm-hmm. It, it changes the way you see things.

It can change the world for the better when we see each other's pain. 

[00:38:11] Melissa Hampton: Mm-hmm. Absolutely. And make us stronger, you know, if we choose that. Mm-hmm. Yeah. I think it's, you know, it's a constant healing. I, I wish that it was right away, but even just months ago, I, um, I was speaking with a therapist and I said, I have a great life despite X, Y, Z, and oh, you know, and she pointed out and she's like, but wait, we don't, we don't do that anymore.

Like, we don't this, like, it's not time to close the chapter. It's time to close the entire book. You know? Mm. I have a great life and moving forward instead of, instead of despite mm-hmm. And holding onto because, um, there's been so much good that has come [00:39:00] from. All of the bad, so 

[00:39:02] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. Right. Yeah. And you know, thinking not about Big T trauma, but like small things that happen to us and, you know, everybody's definition of small and big is different, but Right.

But you know, like to have like a business close or to go through a career change, those are losses. Mm-hmm. But something good always comes from it and usually something way better from the thing that we go through. 

[00:39:28] Melissa Hampton: Mm-hmm. And another thing that I've accepted is you may never get the answer why? Like you just may not.

Yeah. And it may be years and maybe like 10. I mean, there have been things that 10 years later I realize, oh, that's why 

[00:39:45] Penny Fitzgerald: that 

[00:39:45] Melissa Hampton: happened. So you kind of have to let, let go of that. Like you might not be able to solve the problem or know why someone does something or why something happened, why there was that tragedy.

Um, but you can [00:40:00] control, you know, how you're going to, um, perceive it and move forward. 

[00:40:04] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. Your reaction. 

[00:40:06] Melissa Hampton: Mm-hmm. 

[00:40:07] Penny Fitzgerald: Absolutely. Wow, that's so powerful. 

[00:40:12] Melissa Hampton: Yeah, it is powerful. I know. Thank you little guy for changing our lives, you know? Yeah. Um, of course. Yeah. You just never know what mm-hmm. What's gonna happen to do that for you and your family?

[00:40:26] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. Uh, I imagine anyone listening is gonna wanna go hug their kids right now, and that's a good thing to do, 

[00:40:34] Melissa Hampton: right? Yeah. I mean, when life is noisy, you know, so we need that reset. 

[00:40:39] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. We take things for granted and yeah, just be present. Be present. Mm-hmm. Um, okay. So what have I not asked you that you would love to share with my audience?

[00:40:56] Melissa Hampton: Oh, um, 

 Well, I guess since you [00:41:00] work with a lot of entrepreneurs. Yeah. I mean, I love entrepreneurship.

My degree was in entrepreneurship and management. Nice. And, um, so it's really fulfilling to work with business owners. So that is one of my focus areas. And, um, for them to get clarity just on, you know, their, their cash flow and their tax strategies and, um. You know, there's always a place to put your money back into your business, and then there's always a place to start putting that towards your goals.

Especially like as moms, we're, we're pushing our parents, but since we're both moms pushing that, you know, to everyone else, but. When I'm working with business owners, usually it's like, but wait, we also have to take care of you. You know, and that's establishing your retirement plan. Um, that's like looking at those timelines and getting clear answers.

Um, working on your cash flow because as business owners sometimes we can be creative and messy and it takes [00:42:00] someone else to come in and, um. One thing that I do, I think better than most advisors is helping people categorize, um, their cashflow for now and re retirement. So it's a three bucket wealth strategy where I help them do a reverse reverse savings so that they have access to their funds for emergency.

For midterm, you know, lifestyle spending and then for their retirement as well. Um, so that's one thing I think I do pretty well that people very much appreciate and they can see exactly where their funds go and help and how it's helping them save money in taxes along the way. Um, but yeah, if, if they are interested, you know, starting that financial engagement, they can go to the website.

So it's hamptonwm.com and, um, we open that. Um, in January. So it's only open every so often and we accept, uh, limited clients because, like we talked [00:43:00] about, I want to get to know you at a deeper level and make sure that we're doing a good job for you. So, financial planning, um, engagement for eight weeks, and then also just having a professional and a second set of eyes, you know, meeting with you quarterly to keep you accountable for those financial goals.

So, um, yeah, I, I imagine anyone you're working with Penny and that you talk to, I would also, you know, get along very well with, so, um, always open to having the conversation too, even if it's just an educational phone call, you know, to help them get on the right steps. 

[00:43:35] Penny Fitzgerald: Nice. Great. I'll include that link in my show notes for people too so they can find it really easily and.

Okay. Connect with you. Great. Wonderful. Yeah, I feel like a lot of entrepreneurs, we, um, get, you know, our cash flow, we reinvest into mm-hmm. The next tool that we need or the, you know, as we're growing, it's really hard to keep focused on. Yeah, all those buckets, 

[00:43:59] Melissa Hampton: right? [00:44:00] Yeah, I hear all the time. You know, it's kind of interesting.

I mean, the more I make, the more I pay in taxes, that's one of 'em. Or you know, I'm trying to retire, but now I'm paying for my adult children or their college and you know, those are real issues that people need. Real answers to. Um, and you know, on top of that, establishing their estate plan, I'm gonna bug the heck out of you until you sign your document because, um, I'm really passionate about it.

So, um, yeah, I would say like a lot of times es I'm a strategist, but I'm also an accountability partner and keeping track of you throughout the year is important. 

[00:44:41] Penny Fitzgerald: Awesome. Yeah. Okay. Can I switch gears on you? Oh, yeah. Absolutely. Awesome. Okay, so I love to end my, each conversation with a discussion about cocktails 

[00:44:54] Melissa Hampton: and what's your favorite cocktail?

Oh. [00:45:00] Moscow Mule. Mm. For one because mm-hmm. I mean, the cups are really decorative and unique and it's fun to hear the history of, you know, I got this cups, you know, a a, a place or traveling. Um, but no, I love ginger, everything and Mm, the lime and it's refreshing and yes, Moscow Mule's top of my list. 

[00:45:23] Penny Fitzgerald: I love it.

Okay. Do you get into any of the, like the flavored ones where they get a little creative with different Oh yeah. Flavor profiles? 

[00:45:30] Melissa Hampton: Oh yeah. So if, um, I would say if I'm out at a restaurant, like the most creative cocktail, I'll just choose that. And hope. Hope for the best. Yeah. 

[00:45:41] Penny Fitzgerald: You can always go back to the original.

[00:45:43] Melissa Hampton: Right? Exactly. 

[00:45:44] Penny Fitzgerald: So, no, that's fun. What's yours? Oh gosh. It depends on the day. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Um, and, and the temperature, the weather and like what if you're gonna be, you know, eating something Yeah. I love a good dirty martini. Mm [00:46:00] mm-hmm. Um, I love a good old fashioned. Yeah. An Negroni. If I'm going cocktails, those are kind of my go-tos, but yeah. 

[00:46:10] Melissa Hampton: Mm-hmm. I was introduced to Aperol Spritz, um, over in Italy. That's kind of awesome. Love those. It's done well. Yeah. Uhhuh. 

[00:46:18] Penny Fitzgerald: Yeah. Yeah, absolutely. Yeah, the classic recipe, I lo, I love Aperol Spritz as well, but the classic recipe is a little bit sweet for me, so I back off on the Aperol a little bit.

Add a little more Prosecco. 'cause why not, 

[00:46:31] Melissa Hampton: right? Yeah. Why not? It more Prosecco's never going to be a problem, that's for sure. 

[00:46:38] Penny Fitzgerald: No, true. So true. Oh, 

[00:46:40] Melissa Hampton: that's fun. You should come out with like a recipe book, like a Penny's cocktail. 

[00:46:44] Penny Fitzgerald: I, you know, it's coming because it's, um, I have a sipper club where once a month, um, my. Membership gets together. I create a craft cocktail just for us and give it to them like the week [00:47:00] before so that they can get the ingredients and stuff, and then we get together and make it on Zoom together and have an hour of chi chat. I wanna come. Well, I'll send you the link. Okay. Thank you. Thanks.

It'll be so fun. Absolutely. It's, it's very fun. It's a really great group of women and yeah, we have a blast together, just sipping and chatting. Cool. 

[00:47:20] Melissa Hampton: Yeah. I love it so much. Well, thank you so much, Penny. This is great. And it's just so easy to visit with you. You're wonderful. 

[00:47:28] Penny Fitzgerald: Oh, you too, Melissa. This has been amazing.

I appreciate your time and your openness to discussing all the things. 

[00:47:36] Melissa Hampton: Yeah, no, absolutely. Anytime. And if there are things that come up that we wanna explore further, let me know. So I, I love the education part of my job, so, 

[00:47:45] Penny Fitzgerald: yeah. That's very good. Amazing. So you're, you're relaunching your, your eight week,overview in January.

[00:47:53] Melissa Hampton: Yep. Yep. So that's the Intentional Wealth Plan starting in January. Okay. And then, um, we just open that [00:48:00] when I have availability and when my other CFP has availability. So yeah, if, if they're interested, it's never too early to go on and submit, um, a consultation form. Um, and then at least I have your information.

I can let you know when the next opening is. Um, so we can get you started. Wonderful. Awesome. Good. 

[00:48:20] Penny Fitzgerald: Well, have a great rest of your day. 

[00:48:22] Melissa Hampton: All right, thanks Penny. You too. Thank you. We'll talk to you soon. I see the SIPPER club. ​