Today we’d like to introduce you to Mel Stine.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
Our story didn’t begin with a single moment—it was shaped over more than 15 years of lived experience, hard lessons, and a deep commitment to doing things differently.
I entered the mental health field in 2009 with a clear purpose: to help others the way I had once been helped as a child. That calling was strong, but the environments I encountered were not. Over the years, I worked in four different agencies and repeatedly faced experiences that were misaligned with my values—unethical practices, systems that harmed more than helped, and cultures that left both clients and clinicians depleted. Those experiences created real work trauma and ultimately pushed me away from providing therapy, even though my heart for the work never fully left.
Instead of walking away from service, I redirected my energy. I immersed myself in mission work and began building businesses out of necessity—to create a sustainable income—but quickly discovered I was building far more than that. I founded ML Kepley Associates, where I began creating websites, developing marketing materials, and delivering presentations to train staff. One opportunity led to another, including rewriting the security manual for Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Through this work, I uncovered a powerful strength: designing systems, processes, and operations that help people and organizations function better.
Operations became my sweet spot—alongside connecting with people and helping ideas grow. I supported the expansion of a cleaning company, helping increase revenue sixfold in under two years. That experience led my sister and me to start our own cleaning company in Virginia, which we continue to operate today. Along the way, I helped a friend redesign a school’s website. The more I learned about the children being served and the mission behind the work, the more invested I became—eventually stepping in as part owner and helping lead the school from a distance.
Then, everything came full circle.
After providing business consulting for a mental health agency, my passion for therapy was reignited—this time with clarity, boundaries, and a vision grounded in integrity. I realized it was time to build what I had always hoped existed. Not just another practice, but a legacy.
Together, Aryan and I founded Calm and Focused Therapy with a commitment to ethical, personalized, and human-centered care. We believe that quality treatment starts not only with how clients are cared for, but with how clinicians are supported. From the beginning, we prioritized autonomy, work–life balance, and reducing unnecessary administrative burdens so therapists can focus on what they do best—using their skills and passions to help others—while we support them behind the scenes.
In less than a year, that vision has grown beyond what we imagined. We are opening a second location and have begun offering continuing education trainings for mental health professionals, expanding our impact beyond the therapy room.
And we’re just getting started.
Our long-term dreams are rooted in community and inclusion. We envision an all-inclusive school with integrated services for children, designed to ease the overwhelming burden many families face—especially those with children with special needs. We also dream of opening a café that provides a supportive work program for youth aging out of foster care, helping them gain skills, confidence, and pathways to employment beyond the café. That space would also intentionally employ individuals with special needs, fostering leadership, dignity, and mutual support.
The sky truly is the limit. Our hope is to continue weaving Raleigh, Garner, and Clayton together into a community that serves everyone—side by side, with compassion, intention, and purpose.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It has absolutely not been a smooth road—but it has been one worth traveling.
In fact, the longer I’ve been at Calm and Focused Therapy, the more clearly I’ve been able to see just how much my past work experiences shaped me. Some of that clarity has been affirming. Some of it has been painful. All of it has been formative.
I remember working for a local auction company early on, where integrity was inconsistent at best. While I grew to care about the owners on a personal level, it became clear that money was always the primary driver. The disconnect between their priorities and my values was impossible to ignore, and it was one of the first times I learned how heavy it feels to work in a place where alignment is missing.
Another challenge, occurring in a day treatment facility, I saw that misalignment show up in even more troubling ways. I was asked to serve children whose needs were not appropriate for the setting—not because it was clinically sound, but because reimbursement depended on attendance. There were moments when I was instructed to drive the facility’s van, picking children up from school, and count the drive itself as a “therapy hour.” Those experiences stayed with me and quietly reshaped my understanding of what happens when systems prioritize payment over people.
Along the way, there were also deeply personal struggles. More than once, I poured my heart and energy into someone else’s business—becoming not just a team member, but a trusted confidant, a problem-solver, and often a personal emotional support for the owner. I formed close relationships that felt mutual and meaningful, only to experience betrayal or profound disappointment when those relationships shifted or ended. That kind of loss leaves marks you don’t always recognize right away.
And then there’s the paradox of operations work. When you’re truly effective, you eventually work yourself out of a role. You build systems that function well without you. You streamline processes, reduce costs, and help organizations become sustainable—until your services are no longer needed. While that’s a professional success, it can also come with a quiet grief, especially when you’ve invested so much of yourself into the work and the people behind it.
Every one of those experiences carried heartache. But they also carried lessons and clarity, pointing me in the direction I’ve found myself now.
They taught me—again and again—that passion matters more than profit. That values are not negotiable. That people should never be reduced to line items or revenue streams. And they ultimately shaped the foundation of Calm and Focused Therapy in ways I couldn’t have designed any other way.
Because when passion and purpose lead, and profit follows ethically and responsibly, there is no greater success—and no greater legacy.
We’ve been impressed with Calm and Focused Therapy, but for folks who might not be as familiar, what can you share with them about what you do and what sets you apart from others?
At its core, Calm and Focused Therapy was built to be the practice we once searched for and couldn’t find. Our mission is to guide individuals towards peace of mind through discovering their own calm and ability to focus. We are a values-driven mental health organization grounded in ethical care, thoughtful systems, and deep respect for both clients and clinicians. Everything we do is shaped by the belief that healing happens best when people feel seen, supported, and never rushed or reduced to a diagnosis.
We provide individualized, evidence-based mental health therapy for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families. While our clinicians bring a wide range of specialties and modalities, what we are most known for is tailored care. We do not believe in one-size-fits-all treatment. Instead, we take the time to understand each person’s story, strengths, needs, and goals, and we build treatment around the whole individual—not just symptoms. Our work often includes anxiety, trauma, life transitions, relationship challenges, neurodivergence, and stress related to modern life’s constant demands.
What truly sets Calm and Focused Therapy apart is that our care model is just as intentional internally as it is externally. We believe that ethical, high-quality therapy cannot exist in environments where clinicians are burned out, overworked, or buried in administrative tasks. We have designed our practice to protect autonomy, work-life balance, and professional creativity for our therapists—because when clinicians are supported, clients receive better care. That commitment is not a talking point; it is built into our structure, policies, and daily operations.
From a brand perspective, what we are most proud of is our integrity. We do not chase growth at the expense of values. We do not prioritize volume over quality. Every expansion, partnership, and offering is measured against one question: Does this genuinely serve people well? That mindset has allowed us to grow thoughtfully—opening an additional location, expanding services, and providing continuing education and training for other mental health professionals—without losing the heart of who we are.
We want readers to know that Calm and Focused Therapy is more than a therapy practice. It is a long-term commitment to community, inclusion, and sustainable healing. Our vision extends beyond the therapy room—to integrated schools, workforce programs, and spaces that support children, families, and underserved populations in practical, meaningful ways. We are building something designed to last, to evolve, and to serve with intention.
Above all, we want people to know this: if you walk through our doors—whether as a client, a clinician, or a collaborator—you matter. Your story matters. And we are deeply committed to creating spaces where calm is possible, focus is restored, and people are empowered to live more intentional, fulfilling lives.
Can you tell us more about what you were like growing up?
Growing up, I was quiet—but never disconnected. I was the kind of person who could move between groups easily, fitting in everywhere and nowhere at the same time. I wasn’t drawn to surface-level conversation and never felt particularly comfortable with small talk, but I deeply valued real connection. I’ve always been more interested in understanding people than impressing them, more drawn to depth than attention.
Sports were never my strongest suit, but softball held a special place for me. I loved the rhythm of the game and, even more, the sense of camaraderie it created. Being part of a team—showing up, supporting one another, working toward something shared—mattered far more to me than winning or standing out. That sense of collective purpose stayed with me long after the games ended.
Creativity was another constant thread. I’ve always been drawn to art and to finding ways to create—whether through visual expression, problem-solving, or building something meaningful from scratch. I’ve always needed to stay busy, but not in a chaotic way. I gravitated toward work and projects that felt productive, grounding, and purposeful—things that allowed creativity and structure to coexist.
Looking back, those early traits make a lot of sense now. A quiet observer who values depth, a team-oriented thinker who thrives on connection, and a creative mind that finds meaning in building systems and spaces where people can grow. Those qualities didn’t fade with time—they became the foundation for everything that came next.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.calmandfocusedtherapy.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/calmaf_therapy/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalmAFtherapy/
- LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/company/calm-and-focused-therapy
