This one’s for the grandmas who quietly carry our history. In this episode, I share a tender memory of discovering a pink Mead notebook my Grandma Donna saved for decades—a notebook filled with poems and stories I wrote as a little girl.

It’s not just about nostalgia. It’s about remembering the child I was, the dreams I had, and the quiet proof that I’ve always been a writer.

I reflect on the power of holding on to our younger selves, how memory works when childhood trauma is part of the story, and how sometimes what we need most is someone who thought we were worth saving.

📘 Follow along as I start reading these poems aloud in upcoming fireside episodes.

💬 Got something you wrote as a kid? I’d love to hear what it meant to you.

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📧 Let’s connect: mel@hustlebydesign.io

👉🏼👉🏼Help keep the confessions coming! If you love Little Book of Confessions, you can support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/melissamay

Every coffee fuels more raw, unfiltered stories.

In this heartfelt episode, Melissa opens up about the decade she spent with her dog Charlie—how he helped her break through anxiety, move across the country, and feel unconditional love for the first time. She reflects on the deep connection between pets and our healing, the unexpected friendship that blossomed through dog walks, and the recent loss of Magic, Charlie’s canine companion. This is a love story—between a girl and her dog, between grief and growth, and the four-legged angels that teach us how to live.

🎙️ Subscribe to Little Book of Confessions with Melissa May
📺 YouTube: @melissamay.me-podcast
📲 TikTok: @melissamay.me

📧 Let’s connect: mel@hustlebydesign.io

👉🏼👉🏼Help keep the confessions coming! If you love Little Book of Confessions, you can support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/melissamay

Every coffee fuels more raw, unfiltered stories.

Trigger warning: This episode includes discussion of suicidal ideation and may be difficult for some listeners.

Today, I crack open a box of handwritten memories — little notebooks I used to pass around, filled with secrets, affirmations, confessions, and anonymous truths. What started as a quirky project with skeleton keys and handmade envelopes turns into a raw reflection on my past, my strength, and a moment that nearly changed everything. This one is about survival, connection, and remembering that even the most fragile-seeming words can hold power.

🗝️ Have a story, memory, or quote that changed you? DM me or drop a comment. You’re never as alone as you think.

🎙️ Subscribe to Little Book of Confessions with Melissa May
📺 YouTube: @melissamay.me-podcast
📲 TikTok: @melissamay.me

📧 Let’s connect: mel@hustlebydesign.io

👉🏼👉🏼Help keep the confessions coming! If you love Little Book of Confessions, you can support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/melissamay

Every coffee fuels more raw, unfiltered stories.

⚠️ Trigger Warning: This episode discusses eating disorders.
If this topic feels too heavy right now, please take care of yourself and skip as needed.

In this episode of Little Book of Confessions, I open up about my own struggles with disordered eating and the girl I met at 17 who changed me forever. She was 19, beautiful, brilliant — and in pain. Her letters, quotes, and poems still live in my journal, and I read them here today because her voice — and the voices of so many — deserve to be remembered.

This one’s for anyone who has struggled with food, control, or feeling like they were too much or not enough.
And for anyone who still believes hope is possible — even in the darkest seasons.

🎙️ Subscribe to Little Book of Confessions with Melissa May
📺 YouTube: @melissamay.me-podcast
📲 TikTok: @melissamay.me

📧 Let’s connect: mel@hustlebydesign.io

👉🏼👉🏼Help keep the confessions coming! If you love Little Book of Confessions, you can support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/melissamay

Every coffee fuels more raw, unfiltered stories.

K-dramas always hit me right in the heart — not just for the drama, but for the way they stir something in my memory. In this episode of Little Book of Confessions, I share stories about my Korean grandmother, Marie — how she escaped North Korea as a child, built a life in the U.S., and shaped who I am in ways I’m still discovering.

This is a story about food, culture, memory, grief, and a goodbye I never got to say. It’s for anyone who's straddled multiple cultures, felt the weight of family secrets, or longed for a deeper connection to their heritage.

🎙️ Subscribe to Little Book of Confessions with Melissa May
📺 YouTube: @melissamay.me-podcast
📲 TikTok: @melissamay.me

📧 Let’s connect: mel@hustlebydesign.io

👉🏼👉🏼Help keep the confessions coming! If you love Little Book of Confessions, you can support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/melissamay

Every coffee fuels more raw, unfiltered stories.

In this episode of Little Book of Confessions with Melissa May, I open up about something that used to make me feel ashamed: not having a college degree. From working three jobs and enrolling in community college at 17, to becoming a successful professional and starting multiple businesses — this is my story of grit, survival, and redefining success on my own terms.

This episode is for anyone who's ever felt behind, out of place, or like the odds were stacked against them. You are not your resume. You are your story — and it’s worth being proud of.

🎙️ Subscribe to Little Book of Confessions with Melissa May
📺 YouTube: @melissamay.me-podcast
📲 TikTok: @melissamay.me

📧 Let’s connect: mel@hustlebydesign.io

👉🏼👉🏼Help keep the confessions coming! If you love Little Book of Confessions, you can support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/melissamay

Every coffee fuels more raw, unfiltered stories.

A simple quote, scribbled in one of my little bar journals, stayed with me:
“There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.” — J.R.R. Tolkien

In this episode of Little Book of Confessions, I reflect on what that quote means today — in a world that often feels heavy, dark, and divided. From the fear of eroding rights to the weight of invisible identities, I talk about the tension between anxiety and hope, despair and resilience. This is an episode about survival, belief, and planting seeds of empathy in a world that needs them.

🎙️ Subscribe to Little Book of Confessions with Melissa May
📺 YouTube: @melissamay.me-podcast
📲 TikTok: @melissamay.me

📧 Let’s connect: mel@hustlebydesign.io

👉🏼👉🏼Help keep the confessions coming! If you love Little Book of Confessions, you can support the show here: https://buymeacoffee.com/melissamay

Every coffee fuels more raw, unfiltered stories.