Unstoppable Worth: Fitness, Mindset, and Life Lessons with Fitness Pro and Podcaster Melissa Vogel
What does it really take to reclaim your health, vitality, and self-worth while navigating the chaos of life?
In this empowering episode of The EmPOWERed Half Hour, Becca Powers sits down with Melissa Vogel, fitness coach and mindset mentor, for an honest and uplifting conversation about overcoming self-doubt, building consistent habits, and learning to value yourself.
Melissa shares her personal journey of transformation—post-pregnancy, facing emotional overwhelm, and discovering a method that balances accountability, mindset, and real-life challenges.
She explains how fitness can shift from punishment to nourishment, and how even small, consistent actions like walking, strength training, and proper nutrition can create profound change.
Learning Your Worth
Why understanding your value is the ultimate foundation for unstoppable momentum.
Consistency Over Perfection
How small, simple lifestyle changes done consistently create the biggest impact.
The Power of Accountability
Support and guidance help women show up for themselves, even when life gets messy.
Mindset Shifts for Transformation
Treat “failed months” as information, not shame, to make smarter, more sustainable decisions.
Redefining Strength
Practical changes in thinking that reshape how we approach health, fitness, and life challenges.
Key Moments You Won't Want to Miss:
- Melissa’s raw story of sobbing on the floor post-pregnancy and finding the turning point that led to her coaching career.
- The discussion on moving from punishment to self-love in fitness.
- How simple, consistent habits like protein intake, walking, and working out four times a week can change everything.
- The powerful reminder that self-worth is the ultimate game-changer for achieving goals.
- Becca and Melissa’s playful and relatable moments showing the real-life struggles behind transformation.
Empowering Thoughts to Take With You:
- “Once you see your worth, you become unstoppable. Woo. Nothing. Nothing can get in your way at all.” – Melissa Vogel
- “Accountability and support along that way of learning it is really important.” – Melissa Vogel
- “All of that and that new way of thinking just right there will be a game changer.” – Melissa Vogel
- Old Becca would have, well, not been working out, I would've been doing my yoga two or three times a week, but that's just really like for my own sanity. Right.” – Becca Powers
- “ Lifestyle changes don't have to be hard. They just need to be consistent. ” – Becca Powers
About Melissa
Melissa Vogel is a dynamic fitness coach, podcast host, and motivational leader dedicated to helping people transform their lives through health, fitness, and mindset. As the creator of the Bomb Life brand, Melissa empowers women and men to unlock their full potential with effective workout programs, nutritional guidance, and a no-nonsense approach to self-improvement.
With a background in personal training and years of experience transforming her own life and body, Melissa inspires her clients to push past limits and achieve their goals, whether at home or in the gym. She is also the host of the Bomb Mom Podcast, where she tackles topics ranging from fitness to personal growth, inviting listeners into her world of fun, family, and fierce determination.
When she’s not coaching, podcasting, or creating engaging online content, Melissa is cycling, hiking, and inspiring her VIP community to live life boldly and unapologetically. She resides in California with her family and loves connecting with others who are ready to take charge of their health and embrace the Bomb Mom lifestyle.
Connect with Melissa Vogel
Power Links
- Join Becca in her Facebook Community - The Dragonfly Effect, Where High-Performing Professionals Chase Big Dreams: https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1C4z83krsn/
- Purchase Becca’s Book - A Return to Radiance, The POWER Method to Ignite Your Soul and Unleash Your Potential: https://www.beccapowers.com/a-return-to-radiance
- Invite Becca to Speak: https://www.beccapowers.com/keynotes
- Grab Becca’s Free EBook, The High Performer’s Path, The 8 Forces of Potential for Mindset Mastery: https://www.beccapowers.com/
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We Want to Hear From You!
What part of Bill’s story reminded you that failure isn’t the end unless you give up? Did his honesty about loss, healing, and asking for help inspire you to see your own journey differently?
Share with us—are you ready to release the weight of carrying it all alone and open yourself up to support, healing, and the comeback that’s waiting for you?
Becca Powers: Welcome to another episode of The EmPOWERed Half Hour, and I am bringing you MyFitness Health and Lifestyle coach Mel Vogel. Mel, thank you for joining the show.
Melissa Vogel: Oh my God, thank you so much for having me on.
Becca Powers: I say mine because we met in podcasting land and I fell in love with her and was like, can you kick my ass? I wanna hire you. I need to stop sitting 10 to 12 hours a day. We'll get into all of that. She said, sure, I'd love to kick your ass. And she has. It's been great.
Melissa Vogel: It's been so fun to watch you on this journey. You have no idea.
Becca Powers: I also want you to know that she's the podcast host of the Bomb Life Podcast. Please do tune in—listeners, I love her, and I want to share my love for Mel with you. Aw, so funny story: we actually recorded a long time ago.
Melissa Vogel: It was a long time ago now, wasn't it?
Becca Powers: I hadn't even started working with you yet, so I think it was like February, and here we are recording in August. Out of all the podcasts I’ve recorded over the last three years—around a hundred episodes—this is the only one that never uploaded.
Melissa Vogel: Yeah, I think we're both like, no, we need to trust the process. This is how it was meant to be.
Becca Powers: Now I'm so excited to interview you because I have witnessed the transformation.
Melissa Vogel: I still can't get over your photos from yesterday or two days ago.
Becca Powers: It's really incredible. Audience, I've only been working with Mel for five months. I literally hired her and said, I just care about health and vitality. I can tell you're into all that stuff, you’ll hold me accountable, and I just need to start moving. I am sitting 10 to 12 hours a day. I work two full-time jobs. I'm a mom of four. You started shaking your head like, yeah, you need some help.
The comical part: she asked how much weight I wanted to lose. I said, I don’t care about losing weight; I just want to get moving again. Fast forward, I’m down 13–14 pounds. Significant enough that I've had to buy new clothes, and my side-by-sides show the progress.
Melissa Vogel: Many people either go in wanting to lose a specific amount or just to clean up and change. Either way, you get results mentally, physically, and emotionally in ways you didn't expect. People often don’t think about the identity shift that happens with transformation.
Becca Powers: What kind of magic words are you saying to me? That was really cool. But let’s orient the audience: tell them a bit about your background.
Melissa Vogel: Believe it or not, my background is in social work—not exercise science. I love that path. I started teaching fitness classes at 15. They told me not to share my age because my classes were packed. I became certified and loved helping people feel empowered. Corporate clients would say, "This is my only time to move my body," and they’d leave feeling like they could rule the world.
This background in social work combined with fitness is perfect because most trainers miss the mindset piece. Reprogramming habits and behavior is key.
How Mindset Shapes Lasting Transformation
Becca Powers: As an A-type personality, we’ve had to do a lot of mindset work. Even being a coach, I know I'm in a shame cycle.
Melissa Vogel: Coaches need coaches. Doctors need doctors. Trainers need trainers. High achievers often keep pushing while parts of themselves are stuck, worrying about how they look on Zoom or what outfit to wear. You need someone to see that and guide you.
Becca Powers: I’m naturally curvy. I don’t want to lose that.
Melissa Vogel: Exactly. We enhance it. People pay for what you naturally have.
Becca Powers: It sounds like your passion was born from seeing results early on. But how did you become the coach you are today?
Melissa Vogel: Motherhood, my career, failing, and hitting rock bottom. I couldn’t get any lower. Everyone has rock-bottom moments, but those who thrive learn from them. After having three kids, losing myself, I knew what to eat and how to work out, but my body and life had changed so much. Trying to fit old solutions into new challenges doesn’t work. We changed—physically, mentally, emotionally, hormonally.
Becca Powers: I played soccer competitively, and you reminded me, don’t do that to yourself. She’s still in there, but life has changed with kids and perimenopause.
Simple Consistency, Lasting Change
Melissa Vogel: And we have to take all of that into consideration when we're doing this. If we don’t, and we’re just like, “Nope, I just need to work out more. I need to eat, and you need to tell me what to do,” there’s so much missing.
Becca Powers: When I played competitively, this is what I was doing when I was 20 years old. Well, guess what, I’m 46.
Melissa Vogel: Completely different life, different body. After my last baby, probably when she was like one, I thought, okay, this is it. I’m gonna do it now. I did P90X, Insanity, just killing myself, planks, mountain climbers… my stomach at that point was so big. At that moment, I was like, “What? What is that?” Then, “Oh my God, that is my stomach, stomach. What?” I just lost it. I was crying. I just sat there and was like, “Who am I? This is just my life now. I don’t know who I am. This is what I’m gonna be.” I was sobbing, gave myself a pity party, then thought, “What are you gonna do with this? You are not alone. So many other women have had this same exact experience and they don’t know what to do. They’re not trainers or coaches, and it still happened to you.” That was the breaking moment where I said, “I am going to figure this out because this is not a death sentence to me and my body and my mind. I’m gonna figure this out.” That’s how I created my one-on-one coaching and program.
But I literally trained myself for seven years before I even launched anything. I learned what mindset pieces have to work, and what type of accountability someone really needs to change the path they’re on.
Becca Powers: That’s why I love working with you. Even though we probably Voxer five to ten minutes a day, it’s just enough to keep my head in the game. When I have a meltdown, you’re there for me.
Melissa Vogel: That’s okay. But we think, “No, I’m a mom, I’m a CEO, I run this, I should have my shit together.” No, we don’t. None of us do. Some of us need handholding and repetitive daily support. I tell my clients, it’s gonna seem stupid sometimes. Like, “Hey, good morning, what’s your game plan today?” And some are like, “I don’t have a game plan yet.” I say, “You will. One day you will. Your brain is making new connections, learning a new pattern. That’s what changes. It’s hard to do on your own.”
Becca Powers: It’s so hard to do on your own. I wouldn’t be where I am without you. The physical side? I’m losing weight. But what I came to you for was vitality and energy. My joint pain’s gone. My energy is up. My mood, for the most part, is stabilized.
Melissa Vogel: That’s life.
Becca Powers: And, guess what? Old Becca wouldn’t have been working out. I’d be doing yoga two or three times a week just for sanity. I’d have Skittles and sweet tarts. My habits would have stayed the same, potentially doubled down because of stress.
Melissa Vogel: People get overwhelmed. That’s why I coach. Baby steps. One thing at a time. Walking, high protein, working out a few times a week—simple things make the difference.
Becca Powers: Electrolytes.
Melissa Vogel: Exactly. Simple things. People think they need a big game plan or cool workouts. Just put the basics on repeat. One month, two months, three months—it compounds. We live in an instant gratification world, but consistency wins.
Becca Powers: It’s not even nice to your body to rush it. Supporting my nervous system this way encourages softness and healing. It feels like I’m loving myself. Not punishment, but nourishment.
Melissa Vogel: Spot on. Workout shouldn’t be punishment. So many women tie exercise to guilt—“I did this, now I have to do that.” Then, you lose the love for yourself.
Mindset, Worth, and Sustainable Transformation
Melissa Vogel: We don’t look at exercise as, “Oh my God, I get to.” My mom has Parkinson’s disease, and over the last 10, almost 20 years, I’ve watched her deteriorate. Seeing that, I think, I am so lucky to be able to do what I do. My mom would give anything to physically be able to do what I can do. When you shift that mindset, you realize, yeah, I can find an hour to go to the gym. You could lose that in an instant, and then you’d give anything to have it back.
Becca Powers: That’s a really healthy way to look at it. Most of us are healthy and able, yet we still find excuses. I’m happy I found my way back to health and vitality—I feel so much better.
Melissa Vogel: You totally deserve it. You’re worth it. You’re amazing at what you do, and your body and muscle deserve to match that power. Seeing that worth come out in all areas of life is the best part of being a trainer. Yes, there will be bad days, because life isn’t perfect. Kids get sick, life throws curveballs. But seeing your worth level up in all areas is the coolest thing.
Becca Powers: And that ties into instant gratification, like you were saying. Transformation isn’t an overnight event—it’s constant reconditioning. Most people need about two years to fully embody change and new habits.
Melissa Vogel: Even shifting decades of programming—like someone in their 40s—is miraculous in two years. Changing mindset, identity, habits, and separating fact from fiction takes time.
Becca Powers: Absolutely. So now that you’ve been doing this a while, what’s an “aha” or lesson learned that you think would impact the audience most?
Melissa Vogel: Lesson learned… so many. I train men and women differently. You have to guide people because what they say they want doesn’t always match what they’re willing to do. Someone might say, “I want the body, the bikini, to weigh this much,” but they’re not willing to do the work. That mismatch is okay; guidance helps them align desire with effort.
Becca Powers: How do you handle that in practice?
Melissa Vogel: I ask people on a scale of 1 to 10, how hard can I be on you? Some say 7, 8, or 9. I take it down two notches—reality hits, and they can’t do the work as hard as they thought. Without guidance, shame and guilt can paralyze a woman.
Becca Powers: Shame and guilt are the lowest emotional vibrations—it’s bad news and not worth it. That’s one reason I focused on health and vitality rather than weight loss. I knew traditional diets just triggered cycles of weight gain, shame, and guilt.
Melissa Vogel: You’ve been open from the start. Being open to success, failure, learning, and getting it wrong some days is key. That mindset is a game changer. Failed months aren’t wasted; they’re data. We examine what didn’t work—why you gained two pounds this month—and adjust. That’s a new way of thinking. Other programs don’t teach that—they just reset points or macros without reflection.
Becca Powers: There’s always this feeling of starting over. It doesn’t feel like building habitual lifestyle change.
Melissa Vogel: Exactly. No two clients are alike; it requires attention to lifestyle, habits, and individualized coaching.
Worth, Intuition, and the Power of Accountability
Melissa Vogel: Many people might have similar jobs, but everyone’s situation is so different.
Becca Powers: And we’re wired differently in how we respond to life.
Melissa Vogel: Exactly. But everyone thinks they need the same thing. Person A is different from Person B, yet they tell me the same thing: “I just need…” And I’m like, no, you don’t. Let’s dive into your mental health, your relationship—how’s your sex life? Because that plays a role.
Becca Powers: Everything plays a role.
Melissa Vogel: Absolutely.
Becca Powers: I know we’re at 30 minutes and it’s flown by, but I have to share something comical. Mel and I have such a good rapport; we’re intuitive with each other. We almost know what the other is thinking.
Melissa Vogel: I love how you worded that.
Becca Powers: This weekend, I left my Voxer on while most notifications were silenced. I was misbehaving—eating chocolate cake—and my husband laughed, asking, “How does she always know when you’re doing something?”
Melissa Vogel: You left me on red, as the kids say.
Becca Powers: I was like, no, she knows.
Melissa Vogel: I connect with my clients on that level too. They’ll say, “I’m in the pantry crying, eating Oreos.” And I just knew. I say, put it down, back away slowly, grab some tissue, and ice packs to calm your nervous system.
Becca Powers: Oh my God, yes. Last week too, you said, “Go get the ice packs.”
Melissa Vogel: Cold brings it down for a minute, helps you process, and realize, “Oh my God, I am standing in my pantry eating marshmallows.”
Becca Powers: Exactly.
Melissa Vogel: My empowering message is this: learn your worth and value. Once you recognize it, you become unstoppable. You realize you’re worth that hour at the gym, worth saying no, better than alcohol. Nothing can get in your way. You develop a shield, and no matter what comes at you—words, situations—you’re good. People don’t spend time learning their worth, especially in fitness. They punish themselves instead of celebrating themselves.
Becca Powers: That internal message changes everything.
Melissa Vogel: Yes. Learn your worth, and you’ll hit every goal. Accountability and support are crucial along the way. You can find me everywhere as Melissa Vogel—Instagram, TikTok, my website MelissaVogelFitness.com, and the Bottom Life Podcast.
Becca Powers: It was a pleasure having you again, and I’m excited to share this beautiful conversation with the world.
Melissa Vogel: Thank you so much. You’re amazing, and it’s a blessing to have you in my circle.
Becca Powers: Same.
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