Episode 117: Melissa Marquis, MS, RN & Her Book, Invisible: A Nurse-Turned-Patient’s Resource to Living Well with Autoimmune Disease

ABOUT MELISSA

Melissa Marquis is a nurse, author and emergency management specialist. She has decades of experience in both the Nursing and emergency management/public health fields. Beginning in 2008, she began noticing seemingly random symptoms, out of character for her. She quickly began her quest for answers. Utilizing her medical experience and connections, she sought care with numerous specialists. After almost 13 years, 5 rheumatologists, and numerous tests and procedures later- it was confirmed her symptoms were largely related to systemic sclerosis (scleroderma). Since then, Melissa has been a passionate advocate for patients within the autoimmune disease community, specifically scleroderma. After recognizing the lack of information available for patients who undergo years of visits and tests with limited or no answers, Melissa curated a resource book to share her experiences and lessons learned in navigating this challenging spectrum of illnesses. In her debut as an author, Melissa presents Invisible: A Nurse-Turned-Patient’s Resource to Living Well with Autoimmune Disease which provides a broad-brush Stroke of Education about, and living with, autoimmune disease. She wisely incorporates topics such as symptoms, testing, doctor’s visits, and then shifts into her experiences as the patient.

CONVERSATION HIGHLIGHTS

• Dealing with the predictably unpredictable.
• Understanding triggers and taking actions for readiness.
• Knowing what’s coming but not really preparing yourself.
• Melissa’s Super Powers: (1) Being a Good Listener & (2) Identifying What’s Needed and Stepping In.
• Leadership and doing the hard things.

• You DO have something to say!
• How to be a good self-advocate.
• The importance of faith and God in Melissa’s life and journey.

• “Your disease is not who you are at your core as a person.”
• How our need for Therapy evolves with our life’s experiences.
• Knowing what the right mix of self-care looks like for you.
• The scariest thing to face in life.

The MAIN QUESTION underlying my conversation with Melissa is, If you were to write a book, what would you write about and share with others of your own life and lessons?

FIND MELISSA

• Website: westhartford.org/living_here/town_departments/health_district/index.php
• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/melissamarquis
• Buy The Book

LinkedIn – Full Podcast Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/episode-117-melissa-marquis-ms-rn-her-book-invisible-john-m–pb2ff/

CHAPTERS

00:00 – The Book Leads Podcast – Melissa Marquis

00:53 – Introduction & Bio

03:36 – How did your path into your career begin, and what did it look like up until now?

08:40 – Who are you today? Can you provide more information about your work?

11:25 – How Melissa prioritizes self-care when it comes to all her work vs. her living with Scleroderma.

15:43 – Where Melissa was in her career and life when she began noticing symptoms.

25:14 – The origins of who Melissa is as a caregiver in life.

27:12 – How does the work you’re doing today reconcile to who you were as a child?

28:23 – What’s your super power?

29:25 – What does leadership mean to you?

31:48 – Can you introduce us to the book we’re discussing?

46:24 – Can you provide a general overview of the book?

01:07:12 – How have you evolved as a result of writing this book?

01:10:58 – What’s next for your writing?

01:12:43- What book has inspired you?

01:14:19 – What are you up to these days? (A way for guests to share and market their projects and work.)

This series has become my Masterclass In Humanity. I’d love for you to join me and see what you take away from these conversations.

Learn more about The Book Leads and listen to past episodes:

• Watch on YouTube
• Listen on Spotify
• Listen on Apple Podcasts
• Read About The Book Leads – Blog Post

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John M. Jaramillo Leadership Performance Coach

John M. Jaramillo is founder and leadership performance coach and consultant at Coach It Out, LLC.

In that capacity he helps clients throughout the organizational hierarchy break through to their next level of leadership performance and effectiveness. Clients realize just how much more of their abilities, experiences, and goals they can bring to the table. His professional experience in the public and private, profit and non-profit sectors allows him to transfer lessons across business industries, organizational structures, and leadership needs.

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