Listen to the interview here!
Melissa Varone
Toni Reece: Hi there. This is Toni Reece. Welcome to the Get Inspired! Project for Berks County Living Magazine. Today I have the lovely Melissa Varone in front of me. Welcome to the Get Inspired! Project, Melissa.
Melissa Varone: Thank you, Toni, for having me.
Toni: Melissa, tell us a little bit about yourself.
Melissa: I am the Assistant Vice President of Marketing and Communications for the Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The Chamber is Greater Reading’s leading resource for businesses. We also are committed to helping the community’s transformation. My real passion is helping businesses prosper and thrive, and then also my volunteer work at the GoggleWorks for the Arts Festival of Reading, which is October 5th and 6th this year.
Toni: Welcome to the Get Inspired! Project. Let’s go into the Project. What does inspiration mean to you?
Melissa: I would say inspiration means to me a number of things. It can be a change of thinking, a change in perspective, a change in emotion. It’s really that ‘ah-ha’ moment where your thoughts are crystallized, and it just can take on a whole new meaning. It’s really about … it’s very emotional to me.
Toni: So it’s something that creates that “Ahhh … here we go!”
Melissa: Yes. Exactly. It can be anything. It can be at work or when I’m helping my nieces, and they’re inspired as well, which I think you foster. Inspiration is fostered through one another.
Toni: Tell me an example of the last time you were inspired. Let’s pick yesterday. Were you inspired yesterday?
Melissa: Of course. I think every single day, every single moment of your life you’re inspired. Yesterday, I have to think about it, because it was a vacation day.
Toni: I know. That’s a different kind of inspiration, isn’t it?
Melissa: Different kind of inspiration, yes, because I actually was inspired by the progress that I made through the weekend with spending time with my niece, spending time with my mother, and spending time with my husband.
Toni: See that? That’s awesome. So, when you are inspired and you either apply that to your volunteer work or at the Chamber, how do you put that type of emotion and that type of inspiration into practice? Can you give me an example of that?
Melissa: I think actions speak louder than words. I always try to have a very high energy level, and I think that’s how I use, if you want to frame inspiration, it’s more about actions, for me, and emotion. I’m working on the sponsorship committee for the GoggleWorks, so yes, you get a rejection, but you just have to put a smile back on your face and go after another corporation to see if they’ll help with the sponsorship. Same thing with the Chamber. We’re all over the place, but we really keep a high energy level, and I think that really shows that we’re there to support those businesses in the community – but it’s more about our actions.
Toni: That crystallized moment turns into the high energy for you?
Melissa: Absolutely.
Toni: I would imagine it’s very difficult to stay at that high level of energy. How do you stay inspired then in order to stay there?
Melissa: Because of all the success that’s happening in our community. You have one small success story, and that just fuels you for the next. It makes you want to work harder. I’m in touch with a lot of our members, so I think that really fuels my energy level, because you can't be a downer. You have to be up for your members. I really see that as that activity level, that connectivity of being with our members so much that that’s really what gets me going.
Toni: Have you had an ‘ah-ha’ moment in your work?
Melissa: Several. I actually left the Chamber and went to work for a corporation, and that big ‘ah-ha’ moment was I wasn’t getting out of it what I got with working at the Chamber, so I actually came back to the Chamber.
Toni: That was a huge change, then.
Melissa: It was. All great experiences, but that was my ‘ah-ha’ moment that I wanted to be part of our community.
Toni: And there lies the seed of inspiration for you.
Melissa: Yes, absolutely.
Toni: Who in Berks County inspires you?
Melissa: There are too many people to even … I couldn’t even pick one person, so I’m going to keep it close to my heart and say my husband inspires me to work harder, my father inspires me to stand up for myself, my mother inspires me to be caring and kind, and my sisters inspire me to be good listeners and to be a great friend, so that’s close to my heart.
Toni: That’s fantastic. Do you put all of that inspiration that you gain from them into your work?
Melissa: Absolutely.
Toni: I’ve never heard it quite said like that. That was very eloquent. I like that.
Melissa: Thank you.
Toni: What would you like your legacy to be?
Melissa: That I’m all those things that I just said, but I think most importantly would be that people can take away that they’ve learned something from me. For example, my nieces and nephews, that I’ve helped them to get through a different stage of their life, or that I’ve made an impact on someone’s life –that would be important to me.
Toni: I would imagine with the volunteer work that you’re doing, and also the community involvement and coming back to the Chamber that you most likely are living that legacy right now.
Melissa: I hope so. I really do.
Toni: Absolutely. Melissa, thank you so much for being part of the Get Inspired! Project.
Melissa: Thank you, Toni. This was a pleasure. Thank you so much for having me.
Toni: You’re welcome.
