Good Neighbor Podcast: Pittsburgh
Bringing together local businesses and neighbors of Pittsburgh. Good Neighbor Podcast hosted by Leila Carter helps residents discover and connect with your local business owners in and around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
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Good Neighbor Podcast: Pittsburgh
E102: Event Planning Mastery and Building a Thriving Consultation Firm with Melissa Migliaro
What makes Melissa Migliaro with Migliaro Consulting and Event Specialists a good neighbor?
Looking for the invisible force that makes wellness programs land and events actually work? We sat down with consultant and event specialist Melissa Migliaro to unpack the relationship-first approach behind corporate wellness, nonprofit partnerships, and conferences that feel seamless for guests and meaningful for teams. Melissa blends strategy and curation, bringing registered dietitians, physical therapists, licensed counselors, and standout speakers to companies that want real outcomes, not just calendar filler.
Melissa’s path started in a concert hall. With undergrad and graduate degrees in French horn performance, she learned discipline, listening, and stagecraft-skills that now underpin her consulting. When a small business role led her into events, she discovered the joy of connecting people to outcomes and built a network of experts she trusts. Today, she supports HR leaders with wellness days and lunch and learns, amplifies nonprofits like Special Olympics Three Rivers and Cancer Bridges, and steps in as the behind-the-scenes coordinator who keeps plans coherent and human.
We dig into common myths about “event planners” versus “event coordinators,” explore the underrated power of follow-through and cadence, and talk about why curated wellness programming is more effective than one-off sessions. Melissa also shares how word-of-mouth referrals sustain her business, why she prefers to let clients take the spotlight, and what a future podcast could do to bring her expert network to a wider audience. Beyond work, she finds balance in running 35–40 miles a week, strength training with Allegheny Health Network’s sports performance team, and slowing down with yoga.
If you care about corporate wellness strategy, memorable events, or nonprofit impact, this conversation offers practical ideas you can use right away. Subscribe for more local business stories, share this with a colleague who runs HR or events, and leave a quick review to help others find the show.
To learn more about Migliaro Consulting and Event Specialists go to:
https://migliaroconsulting.com/
Migliaro Consulting and Event Specialists
(412)523-3547
This is the Good Neighbor Podcast, the place where local businesses and neighbors come together. Here's your host, Lila Carter.
SPEAKER_02:Welcome to the Good Neighbor Podcast. Are you in need of a business consultant or event coordinator? One might be closer than you think. Today I have the pleasure of introducing your good neighbor, Melissa Migliaro, with Migliaro Consulting and Event Specialist.
SPEAKER_01:Melissa, how's it going? Happy Monday to you and everyone on the show with us. I'm doing well.
SPEAKER_02:How about you? Very well. I'm so happy that it's Thanksgiving this week.
SPEAKER_01:How about you? Same. I think everybody tuning in, maybe they're gonna listen to us on Thursday with some turkey and stuffing, but I think everybody is ready to give some gratitude and just slow down this week.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. Some much needed rest as we enter into this holiday season. We're all so excited to learn about you and your business. So please tell us more about your company.
SPEAKER_01:Wonderful. Yeah, and thanks so much for having us. I say us because a lot of my business, um, which I'll talk about half of my business really is corporate wellness. Um, I like to say us because my corporate wellness programs are not possible without my amazing partner. So I've spent the last 10 years building some really amazing relationships with, I call them experts in their field, and they truly are, whether it's a dietitian or a physical therapist or even a licensed counselor. Um I build those trusted relationships and I really lean on them when it comes time for me to put them in front of the right audience for a company based on their employee needs. Um, and oftentimes with those corporate wellness programs, there's events. So that's sort of where I then lean into, you know, weaving in my event core coordination and my event support for people, um, being that behind the scenes, that middleman that's helping set up uh lunch and learns, wellness days, anything you can think of underneath the wellness umbrella. And naturally with that event coordination, um, I've I've sort of dipped my hands into other events here in Pittsburgh and then across the country, helping with even some national conference support for local nonprofits and large nonprofits. So that's half of my business, the the event land and the the wellness land.
SPEAKER_02:Very nice. Yeah, are there any nonprofits locally that you'd like to shout out real quick?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, but I'd love to give some spotlight to I spent a lot of time with the Special Olympics here, the Three Rivers region. They're doing phenomenal work, and and uh they're a national nonprofit as well. Um, one that is local to the Pittsburgh community is Cancer Bridges, and they offer free programming, free grief counseling, free workshops for anyone with cancer, which um unfortunately we all know someone with cancer or um someone in your family or if you know someone. Uh so I I tend to um you know preach those to quite often. Um, but there's Pittsburgh is not um not short of nonprofits, that's for sure. We are a giving city. Um, so it's it's really easy for me to pull the the mission of those nonprofits into my wellness programs and and then support them with their events as well.
SPEAKER_02:Excellent. Yeah, we actually had Stephanie Sarani on the show from Cancer Bridges, and um my partner and I went to their light up gala this past weekend. So that was just such a treat for us, and what a beautiful event.
SPEAKER_01:Yes. Well, I'm sorry I missed you because I was there too. So it was beautiful, and um I'm glad you were there. Thank you for supporting the the event and the cause.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, it was so gorgeous and and such a lovely night to just commemorate everyone and their efforts there. So, how did you get into the event and consulting business initially, Melissa? Could you share some of that story?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, and maybe this the listeners will appreciate. Um, you know, when when I always answer this question, it's kind of a wild ride. You're on a roller coaster, but you actually don't know where it's gonna dump you off. Um, so I have a very unique background. Um, I studied music. My undergrad and graduate degrees are both in music performance. I studied French Horn, which uh led me from where I was raised in Georgia, and then I landed here in Pittsburgh after undergrad in Cincinnati. And, you know, uh the life of a musician is a hard one, right? You're either freelancing and you know, trying to make it to a major symphony, and you maybe you do, maybe you don't, but life kind of dumped me into the event space just by accident, um, even in the entrepreneur world by accident, um, was working for a small business, helping them um get new customers. And the way that I was doing that was setting up events for them. And that was uh what I ended up finding joy in, which is making relationships and connecting people. So, you know, that's the the very short story of the long version of how I landed here, but the relationships um I always tell people that it's the best marketing is relationship building. So um that's that's kind of how I built my business too, is just on relationships.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. I feel like event planning, you have to be like a great connector and constantly be thinking about and kind of podcasting, I guess, is like this a little bit too. Like who in your Rolo decks can meet the needs of the person in front of you, right? That's right.
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, it's almost it's almost who you know, but not in the in the deviant sense or not in the um like the New York City who you know. Um it really is just partnering with the right people at the right time. And and I would say it's give it's giving back because if you're if you're giving more to the people around you, you just by by nature, you get back what you need. So give first and then you receive.
SPEAKER_02:Absolutely. And so are there any myths or you know, maybe misconceptions in your industry that you'd like to discuss today?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, I actually love that question because uh, you know, over the years and even today, right? I'm 10 years into my business. Um, we often talk about do I want to be known as an event coordinator? Do I want to be known as an event planner? And we really haven't landed on what I should be called, but uh I'm not necessarily an event planner. And an event coordinator doesn't mean I might know, might need to know where the chairs go or the tables, but that's when I lean on those those series event planners. So I think it's a myth that if someone's worried about getting into this field and thinking they don't have event planning in the background, you don't it's a myth. You don't need it. You can learn some of those skills as you go, and if you don't know something, you just lean into the experts when it comes to to events from small to large.
SPEAKER_02:Excellent. Yeah, it's really so many different skills that add up to being a good event planner. Are there any specific skills that you feel like you really hone in on during your work?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, this the the skill of being organized and and staying consistent with communicating with partners or or any sort of community relationships, I think are my one of my top five valuable uh skill sets, if you will. Um if you if you don't have that discipline of consistency and the follow-through, it's pretty much hard to do anything in life. Uh, but when it comes to events or building relationships, that is where I think you can shine, is just leaning into that consistency over and over and over again. So I I'm pretty good at that. Some some people say I'm I'm like a gnat, like a nag, but I think they mean it in an endearing way, where I never give up, you know.
SPEAKER_02:Yeah, there's a thin line between being persistent and annoying, you know. But yeah, it's it's trying to master that. That's really where you're able to address people's needs and also stay on the top of mind in business. So who are your target customers here with your business and how are you currently attracting them to the firm?
SPEAKER_01:Yeah, well, thankfully, um, most of my work comes from word of mouth, which is it's it's a true blessing. Um, I feel to know somebody's been been helped by my support or helped by my services. And when they're out having coffee in the community, they hear someone else might need event support or even consulting services, which is the other half of my business. And then from there, it's just a simple introduction. So I would say anyone that's looking for someone to be behind the scenes if they're planning an event or um, you know, whether it's the the Cancer Bridges light up night or anything like that, that is that is a great referral for me. And someone that even if I don't sign up as a client, I'm I can help them. I can always help somebody here in in the area. And the same is true with the corporate wellness. That's easy. Most companies these days do have a wellness program and they're looking to enhance it. So I can bring all of these amazing speakers and partners to the table to help them. So um I like to be that behind the scenes. I'm actually an extrovert, but when it comes to work, I I tend to like to be behind the scenes and let that HR person take credit for what they're giving their employees and you know, let those other people take credit for the event that they're possibly planning.
SPEAKER_02:Sure. And so as you're thinking about your helping hands reaching even farther past the community into different spheres of influence, have you ever thought about perhaps doing your own podcast?
SPEAKER_01:Well, actually, I have, and it was probably about two years ago, and I can't tell you why it never took off. Um, so maybe the stars are aligning as we're on this podcast now. But um, the reason that it had come to mind is because, you know, when I lay my head down at night, I realize how fortunate I am to meet all of these amazing people, whether it's someone like Stephanie from Cancer Bridges or these local nonprofits, but all of the speakers that I or have met over the years, um I want to share them more with people. And um, I thought maybe a podcast is the is the way to go, right? Like I shouldn't hog them to just the corporate world, right? When when I get a speaker in front of uh a corporate group, I kind of want the whole world to hear them because they're that good, right? Like I'm putting the the best speakers in front of these groups. So um, so yeah, we did we did toss that around. Some of my my partners were interested too. So maybe that's where you and I should have coffee and chat.
SPEAKER_02:Very cool. Yeah, that's how I feel often having people on the podcast. I feel like we're attracting some of the best talent in Pittsburgh on this podcast. And I'm just so fortunate to have these conversations with these people who are really moving the needle for our city. So outside of work, what do you do for fun, Melissa?
SPEAKER_01:Well, I don't know if people consider this fun, but there might be a small group of runners listening to your show that would think running is fun. So my husband and I are pretty avid runners. Uh, we try to log about 35 to 40 miles a week. Um, and then if I can find time, I like to lift on the side just for injury prevention. Um, I work with a great group who's also one of my corporate partners. The the group Allegheny Health Network has a sports performance division, and anyone can participate. Um, so I try to lift there. Um, I dip into Yoga Six, who's also a corporate partner, um, you know, just to pretend like I'm flexible, right? But just to just to slow everything down, right? You go from from the highs of running to um slowing down with yoga. Um, and I love to eat. I'm not a good cook. I wish I was, and I get to learn from all these experts when they're around, but um I do, I just love to eat. I love food and running. So it's kind of a good combo. Definitely a good combo.
SPEAKER_02:So, Melissa, please tell our listeners one thing that they should remember about Migliaro consulting and event specialists.
SPEAKER_01:It's all about the relationships. It doesn't matter what business you're in, it's all about the relationships. And I hope that at the at the end of my career, whenever that is, maybe it's never, um, with my business. I hope people remember um that I built it because of good relationships. And I think that's so important. Again, it doesn't matter what industry you're in with some, yeah, you have to have a website and you have to have social, but it really is about relationships. So I hope that when people think about Migliara consulting, they think she's really great at connecting. They're really great at connecting. Those people she brings to the table are really great at connecting and giving back.
SPEAKER_02:And how can our listeners learn more about Migliaro Consulting and Event Specialists?
SPEAKER_01:You can definitely find us on social, which we could probably include in the notes, um, Instagram and Facebook, and our website, Migliaro Consulting.com. Um, and always, always happy to answer emails too. So we can make sure that's in the show notes too. But I always say you can't you can't go wrong with a cup of coffee, right? I always love to sit down with someone, listen over a cup of coffee, and I never I never walk away without an opportunity to help them. Um, sometimes I work with them. If not, I'm still helping them.
SPEAKER_02:Excellent. Well, Melissa, I really appreciate your time today and having you as a guest on the show. We wish you and your business the best moving forward. Thank you. You as well.
SPEAKER_01:Thanks for having me.
SPEAKER_00:Thank you for listening to the Good Neighbor Podcast. To nominate your favorite local businesses to be featured on the show, go to gnppittsburgh.com. That's gnppittsburgh.com or call four one two five six one nine nine five six.