wings to fly above the clouds
my name is melinda paige messer mockovak. i go by lindy.
Hi, I’m Lindy. When I introduce myself, people hear “Wendy” or “Windy,” not “Lindy.” Once they hear it, they ask, “Is Lindy short for something?” And so begins the story about my name.
In the sixth grade, my crush would sing the 1960’s song “Windy.” I yearned to have stormy eyes, and wings to fly above the clouds.
I find writing the “about you” page or a biography the most difficult of writing tasks. How do we capture who we are, what we’ve done, what we love, what makes us beat, in a few paragraphs?
I like bulleted lists, so here we go:
My formal name is Melinda Paige Messer Mockovak (pronounced Muh-Koh’-Vak). In my baby book, my parents wrote “Dr. Melinda Mockovak” has a nice ring to it. They called me Lindy from day one. “Paige” happen to be the name of one of my best friends from growing up. “Messer” is my mom’s maiden name, which means “knife” in German. Mockovak is Slovak. Apparently it had a lot more consonants when the family came through Ellis Island.
My family immigrated to the U.S. from Slovakia, Ireland, Poland, Germany in the early 20th century. Most of my family found employment and worked in hat factories in Danbury, CT until hat factories closed when President John F. Kennedy stopped wearing hats.
My parents are the first from their family to go to college.
I am originally from Alexandria, VA near Mount Vernon Estate, George Washington’s home saved by the Mount Vernon Ladies Association, one of first national historic preservation organization. My parents live in the home where I grew up. As an adult, I’ve moved every 2 - 4 years to a new apartment. I cherish my “home base,” full of love and stability.
I am the middle child of three girls. I am an empath who feels deeply and a thinker, who is increasingly trying live in and listen to body...I love any type of movement, from yoga to running to hiking to dancing. Being outside makes my soul come alive. I am a Pisces.
Reading at a bar with a book, striking up a conversation with whomever sits next to me, makes the world feel magical and small. I love old, expansive trees, the ones that bring you back to that scene in Shawshank Redemption; bright red/orange nail polish brings me joy, as does sending real cards, letters, postcards.
I am a social impact strategist who has spent 20 years of my career advising companies on developing, implementing, and communicating corporate/brand impact strategies, programs, and partnerships. There’s many chapters to this part of my life, involving working in the private, nonprofit, and public sectors to launching my own consulting services last year, LPM Impact. These chapters led me to DC, to New York City, to graduate school, to living and working in Kenya and Rwanda, and finally from Brooklyn to San Francisco, nearly seven years ago.
I have lived through bouts of depression since I was 20, and more recently, the rapid-heart beating, all-consuming nature of anxiety.
I am 42 years old, never-been-married, without kids. I am an aunt, who adores being an aunt. And while my path is not where I thought it would go, my choices have led me to the place where I stand today, with such deep gratitude and love, grief and regret.
More than anything, I believe in the expansiveness of the heart.
If you’re curious what I look like today, here you go. Growing up, my friends and I would hold our camera looking at us to take “Lindy” pictures, the precursor to the modern day selfie. I’d stand in line at CVS to pick up a roll of developed film, flip through the glossy pages, hopeful for 1 - 2 good pictures. At some point, the shy part of me started to dominate, and I hated seeing pictures of myself.
This is a picture after a recent hair cut. Nearly five years ago, I met my amazing hair stylist, Caitlin for the first time. I was going through a breakup, so we cut it all off. It’s taken me five years to get it where it is today.
My hair is wavy at times, coarse, frizzy, and a bit wild. Some days I straighten her, some days I don’t. She looks and feels different every day, a lot like me.
Thank you for being here.
love, lindy