How Reading Changes Everything - From Burnout to Breakthrough with Melissa Taylor | Ep 6

What if the key to becoming a better educator, writer, or leader isn’t finding the perfect path—but learning how to trust your own curiosity?

In this inspiring episode of Human Skills Training, Chris sits down with award-winning teacher–turned-entrepreneur Melissa Taylor to explore how identity, creativity, and emotional resilience shape the way we learn and work. Melissa shares her unconventional journey from the classroom to building Imagination Soup, a six-figure book-review and literacy platform, and how she used her strengths, intuition, and “brain candy” approach to create a career aligned with her values.

Together, they dive into the emotional side of reading, the power of choice in literacy, why teaching is an art (not a script), and how embracing the beginner mindset—sometimes literally getting dragged by a horse—can transform our confidence and brain.

This conversation reframes literacy not as an academic skill, but as a human experience that builds empathy, attention, reflection, and identity. It’s a reminder that stories don’t just develop readers—they develop people.

💡 Key Takeaways:
✅ Why knowing your why is essential for navigating big life and career pivots
✅ How reading changes the brain, strengthens empathy, and shapes identity
✅ Why literacy choice matters more than “the right book”
✅ How reflection deepens learning—for kids and adults
✅ Why teaching is an art, and prescriptive curriculums miss what matters
✅ How starting as a beginner strengthens confidence and neuroplasticity
✅ The surprising overlap between publishing, entrepreneurship, and the classroom
✅ Why attention is declining—and what we can do about it

If you’ve ever felt stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure of your next chapter—this episode will remind you that there is always room to reinvent, realign, and keep moving forward.

Chapters:
00:00 – Welcome & meeting Melissa Taylor
03:40 – Leaving teaching & discovering strengths through entrepreneurship
06:09 – Holding onto purpose: knowing your why through big pivots
07:47 – Reading 200 books a month & how Melissa curates for kids
12:00 – Why book choice matters: building identity through reading
16:48 – What teacher prep programs don’t teach—and what new educators need
20:14 – Growth mindset, being a beginner & the emotional side of learning
27:22 – How reading builds empathy, attention, and lifelong reflection