Emotional health begins with you.

A professional photo of Melissa Hiatt, who has blonde wavy hair, wearing a green button-up shirt over a white top, sitting on a brown leather couch. She is smiling at the camera with a light gray background.

Melissa Hiatt, MA

CDWF, CDTLF, Strengths Communicator

Emotion is underlying everything. We've been taught to think of emotions as good or bad, but emotions aren't good or bad; emotions are data. They point us to what we care about. I was once working with an executive who came to me because he had recently blown up at one of his direct reports. He wanted me to help him be less emotional. I said, "I'm sorry, I won't be able to help you with that, but I will help you understand what you're feeling and how it's affecting what you're thinking and doing” You can't just simply change the way you think, or stop feeling what you're feeling. Emotional health requires understanding how your feelings, thoughts, and actions are connected. It requires practice and awareness.

Training:

  • Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy (1993)

  • 4 Units Clinical Pastoral Education (2013)

  • Certified Daring Way Facilitator (2014)

  • Certified Strength Communicator (2015)

  • Certified Dare to Lead Facilitator (2018)

Meaning of LEVAV

  1. inner being, mind, will, heart,

    soul, understanding

  2. as seat of courage

Levav is Hebrew for heart. In ancient times, the heart represented more than just the physical organ; it represented the inner life where emotions, reason, and will resided. Levav also means the seat of courage. Levav Leadership Consulting facilitates courageous cultures by paying attention to the inner life of leaders.

Illustration of a human heart with artistic coloring and stylized chambers.
Logo for Levav Leadership Consulting. A photo of a 3-legged stool, which represents emotional health.

Emotional health is comparable to a three-legged stool with three separate legs needed in order to stand. This is the inspiration for my logo. The three components of emotional health are feelings, thoughts, and behavior. Recognizing the interplay of these elements is vital. This work begins with you. The more you understand what you’re feeling, thinking, and doing and how they are connected, the more you will understand others.