Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Edelen, MBA.
Hi Michelle, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I am a proud native of Southeast Raleigh. I grew up playing outside with my friends; attending and serving in church; and doing all the normal things children do.
My father was the 2nd black fireman hired in the City of Raleigh and the first to make to retirement. My mother was a long-time Wake County Public Schools educator. I have one brother who earned his pilots license as a teenager.
I graduated from Enloe Magnet High School, North Carolina State University with a BA in both Economics and Business Management and Meredith College with an MBA.
Ministry has always been a major part of my life. My husband, Pastor Tim Edelen and I pastor Fountain of Living Waters Church “Where faith flows freely and lives are transformed by the Word.
Take a drink from the Fountain—and never thirst again.” We are located in southeast Raleigh. We preach and teach the word so the people can learn more about Christ and how they can apply what they learn to their everyday lives.
I have worked in banking, telecom and state government. My career path hasn’t been straight forward. I have a broad range of experience and that is what makes me the entrepreneur I am today.
I am CEO of Excellence In All, LLC which is a professional speaking, workshop facilitation and coaching business.
Throughout my career, I watched so many people never understand that they had all they needed inside them. It is put there when you’re created. I’ve seen colleagues struggle with self-doubt, self-limiting beliefs, and they consistently find ways to shrink and dim their light.
As a Director and Chief, I always found myself coaching my teams to a place of excellence. I spent as much time coaching and addressing mindset as I did meeting the technical requirements of the job.
I learned at an early age that I was a speaker. My earliest recollection of public speaking was at 6 years old. I was a Brownie scout and I was selected to speak on behalf of my troop. I remember all attention and eyes on me and I loved it. I found it to be exhilarating to command the room. Did I have nerves? Yes! But, the thrill of speaking overrode the nerves and I found my voice.
Although my report card always said, Michelle is too talkative, my parents encouraged me to never stop talking.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
My journey has been anything but easy. I’ve experienced race, sex, socioeconomic and other types of discrimination. I have been the “only one” more times than I can even remember. The only black. The only woman. The only person from southeast Raleigh. The only non-engineer.
As an entrepreneur, I’ve had to work hard to break into what some say is a crowded field. I don’t believe the world of professional speaking and speaker coaching is crowded at all, if you properly differentiate yourself.
I also don’t subscribe to the notion of scarcity. I believe there is more than enough available to me. I ask God for opportunity and then for him to bless me as I work the opportunities. I don’t focus on whether the journey is easy or hard. I focus on who’s walking with me on the journey.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
Excellence In All was born out of a desire to help people wake up the excellence inside them. I believe everyone has excellence inside them but life can pile on top of it. When that happens, one must find ways to remove the pile and tap into their inner-excellence.
Through transformational speaking, I lead people on a journey to own and activate their inner-excellence. I speak in both ministry and corporate settings. I’ve spoken at church conferences as well as for associations, chambers, and Fortune 500 corporations. I believe in setting goals for my speaking. That’s exactly what I did in October 2024. Setting that goal resulted in my talk for TEDxApexWomen reaching 200K+ views in just one year.
I also coach speakers to prepare for the stage. Whether the stage is the school PTA meeting or the corporate board room, preparation is key. Becoming a confident, empowered, and poised speaker is important for many people. The speakers I coach have landed on major speaking platforms because they followed my strategies and they put in the work.
I have definitely found my entrepreneurial passion as a professional speaker and speaker coach.
Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
My favorite childhood memory is our 3-week family vacation to Toronto Canada. My parents got the bright idea to take a roadtrip in the family station wagon from Raleigh, NC to Toronto Canada. I remember stopping in various states as we made our way there. My most vivid memory is trying to order breakfast at a diner in Toronto where everyone spoke French. My mother had an English to French translation paperback book. She found the word for bacon. The waitress understood and invited her into the kitchen. She pointed out the foods we wanted. I watched as the waitress walked toward our table with a blue box of Tony the Tiger Kellogg’s Corn Flakes. Pure Joy!!!
Contact Info:
- Website: https://michelleedelen.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/michellejonesedelen/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/michelle.j.edelen
- LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelleedelen-speaker-coach/
