When Melissa Lawson won Nashville Star on NBC in late 2008, she thought her twenty-year trek to overnight success had finally arrived. Melissa realized a major milestone in her music career, a personal dream with her husband of 13 years, five healthy boys (ages 4-11), and a victory in her battle against obesity by losing 100 pounds.
Her single “What If it all Goes Right” allows those who missed her dramatic win to hear for themselves the voice that millions of audience voters found so appealing and perfectly captures the go-for-it spirit that infuses Melissa’s life and career. The song shot straight to the number one slot on the iTunes Country Charts, climbing ahead of hits by Carrie Underwood, Toby Keith, and Sugarland. She then sang at the Bejing, China Summer Olympics and immediately hit the road headlining the popular Nashville Star Tour, and began working on her debut album for Warner Brothers. However, Melissa’s dreams soon fell flat into a “real” reality and she discovered success was just as hard to keep as it had been to achieve.
Her record label decided not to complete the album and her career stalled. Challenges at home were piling up, and Melissa began to feel stressed, overwhelmed and frustrated. “I was crushed…I felt like everything we had worked for was over,” Melissa explained. “My marriage was falling apart, our financial picture was a mess, my music career was at a halt, and my kids were out of control.”
With a derailed music career, and her family on the verge of collapse, Melissa turned to Prayer. Something she had depended on implicitly during the 3 month sequestering from her family and the outside world during Nashville Star.
In August 2009, Melissa learned that a new television show, Breakthrough with Tony Robbins (which aired July 2010 on NBC), was in development. The show was seeking ordinary people hoping to achieve something extraordinary in their personal and professional lives, and each of the show’s participants would have the opportunity to be coached by internationally acclaimed author/speaker Tony Robbins. Melissa applied and within 24-hours, she and her family received an invitation to join the show. “I KNEW God was at work. There was no doubt in my mind, he had sent Tony to help us.” She says.
In the weeks that followed, the family endured tasks and emotional challenges, including a trek back into the 1800’s with the entire family, that would “break” almost anyone, but Melissa knew they desperately needed the guidance to once again find their balance. Melissa and her husband, Rick, gave immediate attention to their life, health, and finances. With Christ at the center of their family, it did not take long for the most important matters—their marriage and family to benefit from the experience.
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