From Guest Experience Manager with Cirque du Soleil to Ghostwriter, meet Carolene Méli

Today’s guest is Carolene Méli, a ghostwriter for live entertainment executives and whose career has been anything but predictable. She started out studying nutrition, but what followed was a 20-year adventure in the live entertainment world. Carolene spent 11 of those years as the Guest Experience Manager of VIP Experiences at Cirque du Soleil, traveling to 17 countries, managing six different shows, and creating magical behind-the-scenes moments for audiences across the globe. Then—like so many of us—the pandemic flipped everything upside down. Carolene gets real about what it was like to lose a job she loved, face the uncertainty of solopreneurship, and navigate the deeply humbling moment of asking her parents for financial help. But her story doesn’t stop there. With the help of therapy, community, and a ghostwriting mastermind, she found her footing again—this time, by helping top-tier execs in entertainment shape their personal brand and voice on LinkedIn. If you’ve ever had to rebuild, reroute, or reinvent yourself completely, this one’s for you. Carolene’s story is packed with honesty, courage, and the kind of hope you might need to hear right now. Episode Takeaways Carolene Méli unique career journey from nutrition to ghostwriting Her 11-year experience with Cirque du Soleil and the leadership and storytelling skills she developed The impact of the pandemic on her career and the pivot to solopreneurship The emotional and financial challenges that come with starting over—especially asking for help The role of therapy in her healing and professional rebirth How community and collaboration (like a ghostwriting mastermind) helped her grow Lessons in resilience, reinvention, and letting go of "shoulds" Why personal branding matters, especially for execs in creative industries Connect with Carolene LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolenemeli/

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🎵 Music Credits

 

Season 1: Intro & outro music by Audionautix.com

Season 2: Original music by yours truly, Jenny Dempsey, recorded in my home studio

 

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