In Your Power

CHAPTER 1From Out of Your Power to In Your Power

“It is never too late to be who you might have been.”

—George Eliot, pen name of English author Mary Ann Evans

Early in my career, I had tickets to a rock concert in Washington, DC, one of those blockbuster lineups with all your favorite musicians. As the stands were starting to fill, I noticed a cluster of people in the row ahead of mine, and to my surprise I recognized one of them. It was Tipper Gore, wife of then Vice President Al Gore. She was a strong advocate for policies to improve the lives of women and children, and I thought we might have synergy in our missions. Without a moment's hesitation, I marched over to her, reached out to shake her hand, and said, “Hi! I'm Dr. Sharon Melnick. I do psychology research at Harvard Medical School on how parents who grew up in difficult circumstances can have resilience and confidence to break intergenerational cycles …”

Tipper's interest was piqued, and we chatted about our work and about her daughters. Suddenly, she turned to her Chief of Staff and said, “Melissa, could you get Dr. Melnick's contact information? We want to invite her to the White House to share the policy implications of her research.”

On the flight home, I thought about how fortunate I am that from early in my life, starting at about age five, I have known what work I wanted to do in the world. I wanted to help people turn their private suffering into powerful service and make the contribution they're here ...