After a career in human resources administration, Melissa Crook was inspired to create the Embracing Layers network to empower women to prioritize self-care. Photo contributed

For Melissa Crook, creator and host of the of award-winning “F.E.E.L. Podcast,” guiding women through emotional wellness, self-discovery, mental health and personal empowerment isn’t just professional work — it’s also a personal journey.

The F.E.E.L. (Finding Empowerment Embracing Layers) Podcast is part of Crook’s Embracing Layers network dedicated to encouraging women of all ages to prioritize self-care in their lives without feeling guilty or selfish. 

Along with the podcast, the network also has a blog, panel discussions, a newsletter and a radio show.

Crook said that the podcast should have more than 160 episodes published by the end of this season, with two episodes published each week.

The podcast has 232 subscribers and the network’s social media platforms have 1,466 followers. It is available on Spotify, Apple and embracinglayers.com.

 

The Embracing Layers network has also published a book, “Embracing Layers Unapologetically” by feature writer Jessica Garrison with contributions from Crook. The book explores lessons from the F.E.E.L. Podcast.

The podcast hit its four-year anniversary in early July. Crook founded the podcast after “hitting the wall” due to not prioritizing her own health and wellness, which is something she sees many women of all ages and demographics do.

“We meet women where they are with whatever medium feels most authentic to them — whether it’s a book, a podcast, an online course or a one-on-one session with me,” Crook said.

In her podcast, Crook introduces guests by their character traits and not by their jobs because she wants women to reengage with who they are and see their value rather than their role in the workplace.

Crook comes from a background in human resources administration, and then took about 10 years off of work to take care of her children.

 

Eventually, she started working in the nonprofit space in Chicago, specifically in anti-human trafficking. The family then moved to New York, and she worked with Herstory, a writers network that uses memoirs to shed light on areas that need support and recognition.

“Without that experience, I don’t know if I would have ended up going the route I did with this [Embracing Layers Network]. It really opened my eyes to the power of stories and how different each of our stories are,” Crook said.

The family lived in Texas before moving to Fresno after her husband Brady Crook got a job at Fresno State as vice president of university advancement about two years ago.

Crook’s online course and speeches also cover how self-care and personal empowerment can help women business owners in their work life.

She is scheduled to speak at a Better Business Bureau event in August, where she will speak on how embracing layers and knowing their value can allow women in business to operate from a place of empowerment and see their life as a series of choices.

This will also lead them to a curiosity about the people they are leading in the workplace, Crook said.

“You’re going to want to make sure that your employees are well and are feeling valued and heard,” Crook said. “The work really starts with you.”

She encourages women to start caring about themselves, which will empower them to support other women.

While women will still compete for professional opportunities, the competition doesn’t have to be destructive and can be done in a supportive way, Crook added.

Crook said women setting personal boundaries for themselves will make it easier to set them in their work life — and to teach their employees how to do it.

“If your workers know that you care about them, they are willing to go that extra mile for you,” Crook said.