Mel Bee Podcast

You don’t have to give up your dreams when life becomes challenging.  As if moving from the East Coast to the West Coast wasn’t hard enough, Rona Graf ended up as a single mother raising her son while pivoting from stable work in an unfulfilling school system to building what has become one of the most recognized interior design firms in the highly competitive market of Orange County, California. Risk taker?  No doubt.  And after finding love again, she has taken on the additional role of stepmom. To this day Rona remains the Owner and Principal Designer at Grace Blu in Newport Beach.  Balancing family, work, risk, and ambition is not easy but by “thinking outside the box” as Rona would say, you can make anything happen. Taking it to the next level, Rona started her own podcast “Click with Rona” where she exposes those defining click moments that change everything.  Mel Bee and Rona talk about some of their own “click” moments in this hilariously entertaining podcast.

Arriving in Denver at just four years old, Brandon grew up at the intersection of two worlds. His hardworking immigrant family embraced all the classic American experiences while holding tight to the best parts of their Mexican roots. Alongside his siblings, Brandon helped evolve a new kind of family culture—one that honored unity, loyalty, and hard work, but left behind the old traditions of machismo and rigid control.Still, some classic Latino traits refused to be left behind. His whole family has joked about being fashionably late to anything with a start time. Brandon treats getting dressed like he’s preparing for a photo shoot, and if you’re his girl, expect to be shown off. Add in the fact that he’s the ultimate guys’ guy—who loves his dog, is obsessed with baseball, addicted to snowboarding, and fully fluent in millennial Colorado culture (craft beer and mountain adventures)—and you get a stereotype-breaking immigrant story with just the right amount of stereotype sprinkled back in.In this episode, BrandOn America, we explore how Brandon’s upbringing reshaped expectations, challenged assumptions, and created a fresh, funny, and authentic vision of what it really means to be both Mexican and American today.

When tragedy strikes, it is always more important to focus on the good than to dwell on the bad. While the bad may need some attention to make meaningful changes, it can also glorify the aggressor and give more bad people a reason to commit evil acts. When it comes to public shootings and especially school shootings, it is exceptionally important that you do not give the shooter any recognition to help prevent future atrocities. On September 10, 2025, a school shooting occurred at Evergreen High School in Colorado only a few short miles from Mel Bee’s house, and thank God the two shooting victims survived. So rather than talk about the shooter and giving him a platform, Mel Bee is focusing on the discovery of a rising star whose talent made him go viral. Judah Alexander is a student at Evergreen High School and is also a musician. When he wrote a song about the shooting, he immediately went viral and brought a positive outcome to an otherwise horrifying event. His talent, his personality, and his support system are truly remarkable, and Mel Bee takes you through what it is like to find the good in a tragedy with Judah’s incredible story of going viral in the most unexpected way. Together they shine the light on good and take it away from the evil. Judah is an incredible young man, and this amazing story is only the beginning for what looks to be a very promising career as he is discovered from the most unlikely of events. www.JudahAlexanderMusic.com

From a very young age, Colie always knew she was an artist but sometimes life has different plans for you. After growing up in the suburbs of San Francisco and landing at CU Boulder to study Art, Colie took a break from her passion. Eventually finding a new passion for teaching school-age children, she fell into a routine common for so many of us until the pandemic hit. After rediscovering her passion through the downtime, she decided it was time to chase her dream of becoming a full-time artist. Energized and excited, she started down a path most would say might be impossible to make a living at until people realized how much talent she had. Now featured in some of the most exclusive galleries in the world including in Aspen, CO, she is making people smile with her vibrant paintings of Ski Girls, Cars, and even Superheroes. She continues to push herself in new directions, finding new styles and methods to create custom artwork people fall in love with. Colie went from student artist, to teacher, to full-time artist with her paintings and never looked back. She is a true inspiration to people fighting mainstream fears about chasing a living vs. chasing your dream. Who says you can’t have both? Check her out at www.ColieTaylorArt.com.

Most people don't even know that Boudoir refers to a private dressing room for women, but they sure are quick to judge boudoir photography, often referring to it as explicit or even erotic. And while it is a woman's right to take explicit or erotic photos, most boudoir photography is very tasteful and less about sexualizing the body as much as it is a celebration of yourself, exactly as you are. In fact not all women do it for a partner, but for themselves. When I decided to get photos for myself, I came across Ashley Kidder and I took the leap of faith. After such a positive experience, I just had to interview her. Join me as I hang out with Ashley, a former public school teacher turned boudoir photographer. Watch Ashley's reactions to our on-the-street interviews about her, learn with me as she takes us through the process of empowering women with her artistic approach to photography, and listen to her share with us what it is like dating in Denver. If you're in Denver, book your appointment. You won't regret it! AshleyKidderBoudoir.com

I know a lot of fishermen so I know a fishing story when I hear one. But if he didn't still hold the record for the largest brown trout ever caught on a fly in North America (once the world record), I would say Joe Butler is telling another fishing story. He survived the mob in Chicago, served our country, became a world famous record-holding fisherman, guided A-list celebrities on private fishing trips, been featured on TV including ESPN many times, wrote books, been a featured speaker, and has even encountered Big Foot! He shares a little about his relationship with enemy villagers in Vietnam and how that changed his perspective on pre-judging people. He is definitely not your average Joe and takes us on wild ride through an incredible life of unconventional choices leading to his awesome journey.

Let's go friends! What is Breaking Stereotypes? Who is Mel Bee? Why are you even doing this? And what is this dang podcast really about? Join me as I jump on the Mic with Mike as my husband asks me exactly what we're all doing here. Hang with us for a few and get to know me and the show. Then get ready for an inspiring, enlightening, and sometimes shocking podcast!

What would you think if you saw Max drumming in a Denver park? You're already judging him, aren't you? Join me on this hilarious journey as we take some fun pictures of Max to a local brewery for some on-the-street interviews asking people to freely guess details about him from his pictures alone. Max has a huge personality and is dedicated to health & wellness as he brings a completely innovative and fun approach to improving mental health, community, leadership, and most importantly... mindfulness! Check him out @ www.rhythmetrix.com