Melissa Fors Shackelford, MBA, Principal Marketing & Growth Consultant, Author and Speaker, Shackelford Strategies

What’s your current role?

I’ve been a health care marketing leader for nearly two decades. And what started as a side business has become my full-time role. I’m a fractional Chief Marketing Officer and marketing and growth consultant working with small to mid-sized companies in health care, behavioral health and health tech.

When did you join the Women’s Health Leadership TRUST and what roles have you held within the TRUST?

I’ve been a member off and on since about 2011. I started to get more involved about 6 or 7 years ago when I was seeking more connection and wanted to build my professional network in health care.

I’m currently a Board Member and on the Membership & Marketing Committee and Governance Committee. I was formerly Chair of the Membership & Marketing Committee. I was also a TRUST Leadership Award Winner in 2020.

What has been your favorite part of the TRUST?

The incredible women I’ve met through the TRUST have truly been the highlight for me. Early on, people said I’d form real friendships here, and honestly, I was skeptical. But they were right. I’ve built not just a meaningful professional network, but lasting personal friendships with fellow TRUST members. It’s been more than I expected, and deeply rewarding.

What is the best career advice you’ve received?

The best advice I’ve received—and something I often return to—is to stay rooted in your values and trust them to guide your decisions. That clarity has been a throughline in my career and a central theme in my book, Harnessing Purpose. The book explores how personal purpose isn’t just a feel-good concept; it’s a practical filter. When your work aligns with what you believe in, you perform better and you feel better. I’ve learned that if a role or organization consistently doesn’t align with your core values, it’s worth asking whether you need to stay or step away. That kind of self-honesty has shaped some of my most important choices.

What was a pivotal moment in your career that significantly influenced your leadership style?

There was a moment in my career when the values I held didn’t line up with the reality of the organization I was part of. It wasn’t dramatic, but it was defining. That disconnect led me to walk away and was one of those moments where clarity outweighs comfort. It taught me that purpose-driven leadership isn’t just about inspiring others; it’s about making decisions that reflect what you believe, even when they’re hard. That experience reshaped how I lead, mentor and think about impact—not just in marketing, but in organizational culture.

How do you approach mentoring others?

I approach mentoring as a two-way conversation, seeking for both of us to learn from each other and to create a safe space. For many women, especially in leadership, the pressure to meet every expectation can be overwhelming. I try to ensure we can be honest about what matters most—what we value, what we’re building and what we’re willing to walk away from.

Whether I’m mentoring a rising leader or advising an executive, my focus is on helping them lead with intention. That might mean navigating career inflection points, setting boundaries that reflect their values or simply saying out loud what they already know to be true. I believe as a mentor you don’t need to have all the answers, you need to be prepared to ask the kind of questions that bring you back to your purpose.

How do you advocate for inclusion, diversity, equity and access (IDEA) within your organization or in the broader health care community?

As a health care marketing leader, I’ve grown to see it as my responsibility to ensure that health care messaging reflects the diverse experiences of the people it’s meant to serve. That means challenging stigma, using inclusive language and making accessibility a priority across platforms.

I also advocate by mentoring underrepresented voices in the field, pushing for more diversity in decision-making spaces, and asking key questions like: Who is missing from this room? Who is missing from this story? Inclusion isn’t just about representation; it’s about building trust, and that starts with how we communicate.

Words of wisdom to live by?

“I try hard to hold fast to the truth that a full and thankful heart cannot entertain great conceits. When brimming with gratitude, one’s heartbeat must surely result in outgoing love, the finest emotion that we can ever know.”  Grapevine, 1962