One of Melissa Blake’s many selfies
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On the podcast this week.
Journalist and disability rights advocate Melissa Blake, who went viral in 2020 with her #mybestselfie campaign, discusses persisting through fear since she was a little girl.
On this week’s podcast
I met Melissa Blake about a decade ago through an online writers’ group. In 2019, she wrote an op-ed for CNN and was mocked by trolls for her appearance, with one saying she should be banned from posting photos of herself. Then Melissa clapped back in the best possible way: she posted more selfies, and in 2020 posted one every day for 366 days under #MyBestSelfie. The hashtag went viral and she became a social media star.
My image of Melissa was of a fearless warrior, so when I invited her to be a guest on my podcast, I told her I wasn’t sure she had any good fear stories to share. It turns out, just like the rest of us, she’s been doing things she’s afraid of her whole life.
Born with Freeman-Sheldon Syndrome, a genetic bone and muscular disorder, she had more than 26 surgeries as a child and faced ableism at every turn. That didn’t stop Melissa from becoming a national journalist, with bylines in The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal. She’s also the author of the 2024 book, Beautiful People: My Thirteen Truths About Disability.
In this episode, Melissa talks about starting college convinced she couldn’t do it, the parents who cheered her on, being afraid to interview people as a young journalist and the surprising thing she’s afraid to do next.
Melissa’s 2019 tweet that went viral
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Coming up on the podcast
In November 2025, Rev. Dr. Phillippa Phaneuf stood before her congregation at North Chili United Methodist Church in Rochester, NY and announced she was transitioning.
In the livestreamed announcement that went viral, Phaneuf said, “I’m affirming and saying to all of you that I am transgender. And so, the best way to put this is that I’m not becoming a woman, I’m giving up pretending to be a man.”
She wasn’t afraid to tell her congregation. There was only one person she was afraid to tell.
Phillippa Phaneuf
Nahid Salimi in Cascais Portugal
Nahid Salimi loved school. Growing up in Afghanistan, she worked hard and took real pride in doing well.
Then, in 2021, when Nahid was 15, the Taliban took over and banned girls from getting an education.
Nahid refused to stop learning. She bought a cell phone from her brother and taught herself English on YouTube, even though being caught could have brought the Taliban down on her. That was only the beginning of her fight for an education. Surprisingly, retaliation from the Taliban wasn’t her biggest fear.
Get caught up on previous episodes…
Lorenz Hemicker
As a child growing up in Germany, Lorenz Hemicker heard that his grandfather had done “distinguished service” in World War II.
Decades later, Lorenz set out to learn the whole truth.
Ben Stone
In 2019, he woke up from surgery and thought it was 2024. Then his mother started looking like his cat.
Leeann Bongiorno
She feared she would live the rest of her life in pain. Then one doctor said six words.
Sasha Karelsky
She Checked His Location…and Her Whole Life Changed
Zero Experience, Huge Deals: How Miguel Olave Just Went For It
Cory Young
What Would You Do If a Stranger Tried to Set You on Fire?
Abigail Washington
How Can You Think Outside the Box When You’re in the Box?
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Special thanks to Kim Ledgerwood, Hannah Verdant, Laine Seaton and my kids for their support and hard work in making Bodacious Tenacity a reality.
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