15. Be grateful for what you have

Community Good with Marney Andes

Melissa Carpenter, a seasoned HR leader, began experiencing a left-hand tremor and other symptoms at only 37 years old and just two years later, was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Not only a recent inductee into the Lincoln East High School Athletic Hall of Fame for gymnastics, but Melissa is also far from the typical demographics of Parkinson’s patients; men over the age of 50 years old.

What you’ll learn is that Melissa is navigating her Parkinson’s journey like her professional journey, with curiosity, courageous leadership, and above all, extreme gratitude.

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Questions to Ask Yourself:

1. How can the practice of gratitude help you develop a more positive outlook on life, even in the face of challenging or uncertain circumstances?

2. Think of a challenge you faced recently. How can practicing gratitude for what you do have, rather than the challenge, help you navigate a better solution?

3. In what ways might gratitude be used as a tool for self-reflection and personal growth?

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About Melissa Carpenter:

Melissa Carpenter has a strong passion for the "human" part of Human Resources. A strategic HR leader, she’s developed and facilitated leadership programs that help managers focus on courageous leadership, exploring and leading themselves and their teams through complex issues.

She has been on her journey with Parkinson’s since 2014 and continues exploring ways to support herself as well as spread awareness throughout the community.

Her daughter Olivia joined her when she facilitated her first Facebook live in 2019, inciting several great questions and community support around Parkinson’s. She continues to spread awareness about the disease, especially during Parkinson’s awareness month in April.

Melissa’s been approved for DBS surgery which is deep, brain stimulation, a type of therapy to help control symptoms on a more consistent basis, as well as help decrease the use of medications like dyskinesia, which I discussed in the podcast, it will hopefully give me a better quality of life. I meet with my neurosurgeon next week and hopefully, from there, we will schedule the surgery.

She resides in Lincoln, Nebraska with her husband Kris and two children, Caden (14 years old) and Olivia (11 years old).

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Connect with Melissa:

LinkedIn: Melissa Carpenter