As a person, Wilda was the name of my husband’s
mother. By virtue of her name, Wilda means untamed, though I prefer to think of
her as unleashed. She was an out of the cage sort of woman who attended UCLA and
opted to join the Air Force in her early 20’s -- she was a WAC during the Second
World War. At twenty-eight, Wilda married John Lyons, a real-life OSS Agent and
they had one amazing son, my husband, Mike. Wilda had “the” life. She attended
posh events, met influential people, shook hands with Eleanor Roosevelt and the
Nixon’s, and lived in exotic places like Hong Kong and South Africa – but her
life was one similar to that of Clover in the film the
Good Shepherd. Only, she
didn’t stick around as long. Not one to be held captive by pretense, Wilda Lyons
became a single mom in the early sixties.
As a vision, Wilda!™ is my way of taking the essence of a life experience and a name, stir them together with my knowledge, skills, abilities and experiences as a single mother, career woman and entrepreneur and create an organization that helps women navigate life and career choices – hopefully without as much struggle.
As an organization, Wilda™ is just getting out of its own cage. It has been an evolution of thought and response, provoked by the requests of young professional women who ask me how to ready themselves and their families as they climb to the top. At Wilda™, our work is that of a catalyst to help women find these answers. Wilda™ is devoted to delivering career and leadership coaching, empowerment training, mentoring, retreats and workshops to women across the country … no matter what their vocation.
We are a new association, just a few women strong. We are building our website and filling it with a growing composite of resources and success stories as told by seasoned female professionals, who have overcome life and career obstacles, advanced and continue to forge the way for younger women.
I am Melissa Lyons, Wilda’s founder, and I am passionate about this organization. I have close to fifteen years experience in the human resource profession, and have spent the past three years developing my own consulting company, Right Hand Resources, LLC. Moving into career and leadership development coaching is a natural segue for me since throughout my HR career I have managed recruitment and retention functions, been closely involved with employee relations issues, performance management and training. I have coached and mentored employees, new managers and executives and know what it takes to get to the top – and how to stay there. I hold my SPHR certification, am a member of several professional organizations, have held board positions, and am an advocate for education and women’s issues. Additionally, I have a vast network of resources that span multiple industries, professions and states and know who to call when reinforcements are needed.
By following my own belief to “teach what I most want to learn”, I have found my
Authentic Vocation™ and am pursuing my life’s mission, which is to help women
advance. To read a condensed version of my life's story, please click over to
Wilda’s Bio Page.
Our Mission:
To be a catalyst for self-discovery that allows women to advance in their personal and professional lives.
Our Vision:
To live in a world where women find their Authentic Vocation™, capture their fullest potential and experience the reward of personal significance that leads to effective living.
Our Core Values:
We believe that love, acceptance and forgiveness are the three keys to achieving the greatest potential and sense of fulfillment in life, no matter what one’s pursuit.
Are you ready to get out of your cage, change your mind and change your life? Here’s how to get involved:
- Book mark our website at www.wildamania.com … that way you can keep up with what we’re doing.
- Subscribe! Membership is $120.00 annually, a bargin at only ten dollars
a month.
- Participate in our Out of the Cage calls! See our Calendar of Events for details, or email us at
mlyons@wildamania.com.
- Engage our Founder, Melissa Lyons as a speaker for your women’s group!
- Get Coached … you can read more about coaching on our Coaching Page. Or, contact Melissa Lyons for a no-cost initial consultation:
mlyons@wildamania.com
(910) 686-3905
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Join Wilda! now for an Introductory Price: 12 months for $120 |
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