What happens when your biggest breakdown leads to your deepest breakthrough?
In this raw and powerful episode of Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut, Mel Hopkins shares the emotional journey that followed a sudden psychiatric hospital stay and redundancy from her high-profile role at Seven West Media.
Forced to confront who she was without work, Mel began the hardest, and most important, work of her life: learning to love herself.
With honesty and insight, Mel reveals how years of high performance masked deep inner struggles. She opens up about redefining self-worth, navigating the sting of old words like “too much” or “great personality,” and how therapy helped her uncover the lifelong beliefs that had shaped her self-image.
The conversation explores identity, purpose, and what it means to work in alignment with who you really are—not just for money or titles, but from a place of authenticity.
Rowena with Mel Hopkins
Rowena and Mel reflect on the power of “doing the work,” the courage to lift the lid on pain, and the transformative freedom that comes with embracing your whole self – loud, sensitive, ambitious, and all.
Now, in a new chapter of her career and life, Mel is focusing on working to live, not living to work. She’s discovering joy in consulting, reconnecting with her power, and building a life that supports, not suppresses, her wellbeing.
“Imagine the impact I could have,” she says, “if I fully loved and respected myself.”
Her story is a brave reminder: growth is messy, healing is ongoing, but becoming your full self is the greatest success of all.
My three favourite quotes from Mel’s story are:
“The universe gives you gifts even though at times it doesn’t feel like it.”
“There is no such thing as perfection, even though I strive for it.”
“What I am is just enough for me.”
You can listen to the whole chat here:
Tune in to discover how you can turn your own inner turmoil into newfound self-belief, deep acceptance and powerful transformation.
The world doesn’t need more stories of success; it needs honest conversations about hard challenges, vulnerability, and proof that trials can ultimately become triumphs.
That’s why the Uncomfortable Growth® Uncut podcast was born. It’s a reminder that struggle and success are intrinsically linked, that growth is rarely easy, and that the moments we feel most uncomfortable are where our greatest breakthroughs lie