Sometimes you want to be there for someone, but you don’t have the words. Great news! Science has proven that a 20-second hug has positive physiological changes. I had the pleasure and delight to connect with Melinda Lee Schmitt this week. She is a renegade light worker who spent a year hugging people in her community and then went on a coast-to-coast tour hugging. She proves that each person is in fact, a vibrant being of light and you can change the world with your presence. You can feel her love and light as she speaks. I hope you enjoy this episode as much as I did producing it for you. From my heart to yours!

Episode Transcript

Julie Hilsen: 

Hello dear friends and welcome to Life of Love where we gather each week to explore

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

So it is. Beautiful intention. ⁓

Julie Hilsen: 

Thank you. So guys, this is exciting. I have a fellow hugger on the show. Anyone who

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Thank you so much for having me here, Julie. I’m so happy to be here and I’m excited

Julie Hilsen: 

Yeah.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

So how did you connect with the people you were gonna spend time with?

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

It was really about… It started with knowing that the thing that brought us together

Julie Hilsen: 

Okay.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

And I let kind of like you do with this podcast, the conversations just be as organic

Julie Hilsen: 

Wow. So I bet, and how long did it take you for that? I’m just curious how, cause I

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

It was a month.

Julie Hilsen: 

And so you would drive to the next place where you had like a confirmation. Is that how

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah. Yes. And there

Julie Hilsen: 

And you were by yourself. didn’t bring your dog or… Oh, yeah, I bet you listen to a

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

by myself. It was great. I loved it.

Julie Hilsen: 

And

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Not on the cross country trip, just because

Julie Hilsen: 

Okay. I think is that awkward?

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

So I was kind of surprised. I actually expected more than that because it’s weird and

Julie Hilsen: 

good. hmm.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

No, it’s definitely more of a read the energy. I’m a very sensitive person, so I pick

Julie Hilsen: 

Well, so you weren’t into Reiki or any of this.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

That’s just a very natural state of being for me is being really sensitive like that.

Julie Hilsen: 

you

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

and she went in and she went in for the full hug. And by the time I pulled away, she

Julie Hilsen: 

⁓ this beautiful. It’s beautiful. Yeah, because you can and then at the length of the

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

Yeah, because you’re being held, you’re being seen, and you’re in that moment of the

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

It’s a it’s a very divine gesture. Wow. No man, no wonder you became a lot more aware

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah,

Julie Hilsen: 

I love that. you, and this is a little bit of a squirrel comment, but I’ve noticed like

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Mm-hmm.

Julie Hilsen: 

You know what I’m talking about? I think

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

haven’t noticed that in particular with my boys. I mean, my boys were one in four when

Julie Hilsen: 

Mm-hmm. And they say your hands go to your heart. That meridian. I love that. So

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah. Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

I love that. I love that you have that insight because you’ve spent so much time in the

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

I get curious. So I like that. And I did, I did. That’s how I got through COVID was

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah, right. Exactly.

Julie Hilsen: 

right, it gives us, we did learn a lot about how we’re going to spend our time and

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah. Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

I try to send them love because to me that’s being scared and they’re shut off and they

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Mm-hmm.

Julie Hilsen: 

I couldn’t agree more. Revolutionary is a great word for it. And I often think about,

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah,

Julie Hilsen: 

Mm-hmm. Yeah, that’s powerful. And yeah, well, in, right, the boundaries too.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

It’s powerful and hard. It’s not easy.

Julie Hilsen: 

you had a deeper calling was it was did you pray and God said you need to hug or was

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

It honestly, it came because I had been talking again, back when my husband and I were

Julie Hilsen: 

Hehehehe. Hehehehe.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

Yeah, I

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Julie Hilsen: 

monkey hug. I saved it.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

And then how did you, did anyone ever take advantage and try to like make the hug

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yes. Yes. Yes. And there was one moment where, there was one moment in particular that

Julie Hilsen: 

So you had to set boundaries.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

do the right thing, especially as women, I had a tendency to people please as it was to

Julie Hilsen: 

Mm, yes. Mm-hmm.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

And so ⁓ it was actually a really good lesson for me. And I did have a coach that I

Julie Hilsen: 

Mm-hmm. yeah.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.

Julie Hilsen: 

my mom letting strange men hold me in their lap. I was like, I look back at it now I’m

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

It’s something that needs to be heard and then also parents need to know, you know,

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

it’s okay that your kid

Julie Hilsen: 

Yeah.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah, yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

But I didn’t I didn’t say no, I just started bawling like my I didn’t even

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

So funny. Right. Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

have the word no, I was just like, this early everything in my being was like, this man

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

You’re worthy because you’re worthy, not because you made someone feel better. If you

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yep. And that’s

Julie Hilsen: 

Nice. And is that is did that segue into your position now and what you’re you were

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

congratulations. You needed that fortification. Like that’s really, really important.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Thanks. Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

you know, that that’s a good one. Because so many times we’re like, I don’t want to

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

So for me, feel like our, I call her the inner rebel, but really she is my inner being.

Julie Hilsen: 

Bye.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yep.

Julie Hilsen: 

I’m not participating. And that’s a rebel move.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah. Yeah. And that can be the most powerful thing.

Julie Hilsen: 

Well, this has been so delightful and I’m really happy what came forward today

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

One of the things that I love sharing is when we are following our inner rebel, our

Julie Hilsen: 

And I would love to, if you’re okay, I’d like to emphasize that because it’s so

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Mm-hmm. Yes.

Julie Hilsen: 

our authentic signature. So I am 100, 200 million times percent supporting your mission

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yeah.

Julie Hilsen: 

and amplifying. Dear Holy Spirit, please amplify that for everyone to hear it that

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Yes.

Julie Hilsen: 

So it is.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

So it is.

Julie Hilsen: 

Thank you so much. It’s been so fun. Thank you.

Melinda Lee Schmitt: 

Thank