In this deeply personal episode of Life, Rewritten, Iām joined by two dear friends and fellow dancers, Melinda Parkhurst and Janella Ferguson, for a heartfelt conversation about our mothers ā the lives they lived, the ways they shaped us, and how their loss became a powerful threshold in our own becoming.
What begins with stories of dance and friendship gently unfolds into an exploration of legacy, identity, and the quiet truths grief reveals. Together, we reflect on how our mothers' stories live on in our gestures, our creative paths, and the way we move through the world. Along the way, we talk about joy, caregiving, community, and the tender, sometimes disorienting realization of becoming the matriarchs ourselves. This is a conversation about loss, yes ā but also about love, reinvention, and what it means to carry forward what matters most.
About Janella Ferguson
Janella Ferguson is a nonprofit leader and emerging wellness advocate. With over twenty years of experience in partnership development and fundraising, she has dedicated her career to advancing the missions of domestic and international organizations, driven by a deep commitment to equity and impact.
But behind the nonprofit work is a woman actively reshaping her life through movement, mindset, and continuous learning. For much of her life, Janella lived with extra weight and little consistent movement until she discovered dance, found empowerment through a supportive personal trainer, and eventually embraced running. These experiences brought her joy, strength, and a renewed sense of purpose.
After the loss of her mother and the gradual return of weight, Janella faced a powerful reckoning with her own health. That moment sparked a deeper reflection on wellness: what it truly means, who it serves, and why so many women ā especially in midlife ā either lack access to good information or feel left out of the conversation entirely.
āMovement is medicineā is now a mantra she lives by, but it wasnāt always that way.
With over a decade of dance experience and countless miles logged as a dedicated runner, Janella has found that her most meaningful transformation didnāt come from medals or milestones but from mindset. By changing her relationship with food, embracing consistency, and learning to speak to herself with more compassion, she continues to grow stronger both physically and mentally.
Health and wellness werenāt accessible to her mother, due to a failed healthcare system and the cultural and structural barriers that so many women face. Today, Janella is determined to change that narrative ā not as a health expert, but as someone on the journey herself, sharing what sheās learning in a real, relatable, and accessible way.
Follow her story on Instagram at @janellamoves.
About Melinda Parkhurst
Melinda Parkhurst is an ICF (International Coaching Federation) ACC Certified Professional Career Coach, mixed-media artist, and photographer.
With a B.S. in information systems and working in business operations for several decades across various industries, she began shifting her focus to a more holistic, creative, and spiritual path. She earned an M.A. in Transpersonal Psychology with a concentration in Creativity and pursued a professional coaching certification.
Specializing in supporting women throughout their personal and professional journeys, Melinda's coaching practice draws on her extensive work experience and training. She is passionate about pro bono coaching work with emerging leaders and creatives in non-profits as well as mentoring interns and recruiting new team members in her full-time role in HR and business operations.
She is also the author of Stories of Myself: Your journey of self-discovery through storytelling, mindfulness, movement, and creativity practices. You will often find her digging in the dirt in her garden, covered in paint spatters in her studio, or taking in her surroundings through her camera lens.
Check out Melindaās website and follow her on Instagram.
