MeChelle Callen understands the challenge firsthand. Here's her personal story:

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“Belonging at work and in my career has been a 30-year journey of highs and lows.  Early in my career I was told by my leader to leave my personal life in the imaginary basket at the employee entrance and pick it up on my way home.  I hid those aspects of my life that I didn’t feel would lead to acceptance at work - personal struggles with health, mindset, family challenges, and even sexual orientation.   I spent a lot of time and energy “passing” for something I wasn’t, and that is time I could have spent being creative, productive, happy, and healthy."

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She didn't "fit the mold"...

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“I first remember feeling like I didn’t belong in school. I grew up in a small town in northeast Indiana where the general expectation was to graduate from high school, get married, have a few kids, and live in the same town for the rest of my life.  I didn’t fit the mold – I wasn’t a cheerleader, an athlete, or a member of the marching band.  I was the speech team – literally a team of one; and my parents drove me all over the state to complete. 

 

Not belonging included bullying that finally got so bad my family picked us up and moved us out so I might find a place to belong.  In Muncie, Indiana and at Muncie Northside High School I finally belonged - and I count my two years there amongst the very best of all my education!"

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She struggled to find her way...

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"From high school I headed off to Ball State University and the transition was hard. I found myself asking the question again - do I belong here? 

 

No one in my family had ever gone to college so I didn’t have anyone to prepare me for the college experience. Finding my way was difficult, and after one academic year, Ball State let me know that  my grades weren't high enough to continue.  I returned home to a factory job for six months and then petitioned my way back into BSU - and I finally found a community of students where I belonged."

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...And she finally found freedom!

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MeChelle began living her authentic life, and now she’s passionate about the work she does today through her consulting organization, Equitable HR. She knows how to help organizations and teams find their way to a more productive and engaging environment where each person is valued. 

 

With more than three decades of human resource and EIAB experience in non-for-profit management, healthcare, commercial real estate, and financial services, MeChelle works with organizations to enhance their culture and create a more inclusive workplace where their team members feel they belong and can reach their potential. Those teams make up organizations who achieve greater productivity and profitability. 

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