‘Go and do’: Spiritual experience with late father inspires book by St. George woman

ST. GEORGE —A book written and published by a St. George real estate agent was inspired by words her father spoke to her after he died and ultimately pushed her to fearlessly pursue her dreams and live with no regrets. 

Malissa Kelsch stands with her family in a photo that features her father, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Malissa Kelsch, St. George News
Portrait of Melissa Kelsch, back right, with her mother Sally Ann Osness, sister Nancy and father Roger, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Malissa Kelsch, St. George News

From being a teacher to following in her family’s footsteps, realtor Malissa Kelsch not only was born and raised in St. George but has a deep-rooted heritage that goes back to the original 300 families who first settled in the greater St. George area, she told St. George News.

Her grandmother was the first woman broker in the area, and she sat alongside six men in the industry. Her father also was a real estate agent in the ’70s who helped establish Bloomington and Panorama Park. In 2001, her father died in a car crash, exactly one month before the Sept. 11 terror attacks.

With a degree in education, Kelsch said she first became a teacher. In 2006, with a goal to work for herself, she decided to become a third-generation real estate agent and has been a full-time realtor since. 

A spiritual experience

Aside from coming from a lineage of realtors, Kelsch and her family also consider themselves “rock hounds” and use rock tumblers to refine their stones. One memorable day, Kelsch said she was in her kitchen looking at some rocks to see if it was time to change out the grit when she felt her father’s undeniable presence.

She said his distinct voice called her by name and said, “Malissa, if I knew what I know now, I would not be afraid. Do not be afraid. Go and do.” 

A younger Malissa Kelsch plays with her dad, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Malissa Kelsch, St. George News
A younger Malissa Kelsch plays with her dad, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Malissa Kelsch, St. George News

“He also made an analogy that life is like a rock tumbler,” Kelsch said. “We have these beautiful colors we come to Earth with, these bodies, and we have these jagged edges. Through life’s grit, we can shape ourselves. We can choose the grit with the people we allow in our lives that help shape us. We can also choose directions to help shape those jagged edges.” 

After that sacred experience, Kelsch said she felt as if she was supposed to share her story with as many people as possible but wasn’t quite sure how. She began by sharing her story in different youth groups and other instances where the opportunity presented itself. 

Two years ago, Kelsch, herself, was in a car crash. She said the first thing she thought was, “What if I had died? What would I regret?”

She said she had toyed with the idea of writing a book but had been putting it off, telling herself she would do it someday. The car crash made her realize nothing was going to push her into doing something; she had to take action and make it happen herself. At that moment, she decided she would do whatever it took to ensure she wrote and published her book.

As a first step, she hired a professional editor with whom she then met every other week for a year in an effort to get the book completed.

“That was an interesting concept, too, for me to invest in myself,” she said. “While I had invested in my business in the past, I never thought about putting money into myself to get better.” 

Malissa Kelsch smiles with her book "Life Tumbled," at Barnes and Noble, St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Malissa Kelsch, St. George News
Malissa Kelsch smiles with her book “Life Tumbled,” at Barnes and Noble, St. George, Utah, date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Malissa Kelsch, St. George News

Kelsch officially published her book, “Life Tumbled,” last year. The title was inspired by the spiritual experience with her father and his analogy of life to rocks, with experiences that shape one’s identity.

Written specifically to help youth, the book focuses on the hardest part of life – the transition between childhood and adulthood, she said, and includes money management and relationships. Her goal is to help youth recognize the thought processes they have and reassure them they are not alone.

While it was exciting to finally have the book published, Kelsch said it was also nerve-wracking to be so open and vulnerable. She included many personal stories within the book and even felt the need to pray about some of them before officially including them.

She has continued to work as a full-time real estate agent alongside the production and publication. With many more ideas, she said she would like to publish another book.  But for now, she’s enjoying the learning process of it all, including what she would do differently with her next book’s release.

“Life is a learning process,” Kelsch said. “The whole point is not waiting around until something is perfect to do it. Just go do, then tweak and go do, tweak and go do. Failure is when we stop and accept defeat. Disappointments happen; it’s how we react to them and use them to our advantage.”

Kelsch said people almost always reach up to do better, but it’s also important to have a hand down to help others pull themselves up, adding that it’s OK to accept help and important to give back to others.

One of the mindsets she said she had to overcome was the belief that she could only be one thing.

“It’s not true,” Kelsch said. “I can be a teacher and a real estate agent and anything else I want to be. I wear many hats. I’m a mom and a business owner. We can all be more than one thing in this life.”

Malissa Kelsch poses with Tami Walker, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Malissa Kelsch, St. George News
Malissa Kelsch poses with Tami Walker, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Malissa Kelsch, St. George News

Tami Walker, who is both a friend and client of Kelsch, said she has used Kelschs’ realtor services to sell three homes and purchase two. She’s never had any reason not to trust her professional knowledge along with her instincts and intuition.

Walker described Kelsch as kind and the type of person to drop what she’s doing to help meet someone’s needs – something she has been a recipient of on many occasions. She said she can’t say enough about her and how easy she makes it to be both her friend and client at the same time.

“Malissa has so much to offer and this is seen in the book she recently wrote, ‘Life Tumbled,'” Walker said. “She is a great storyteller and has a unique way of applying her personal life stories into life lessons that are retainable, as well as applicable to any age.”

Ashley Veater told St. George News that Kelsch has been a role model in her life since she was 12 years old and was also good friends with her daughter, Makenzie, in high school.

The Kelsch family opened their home to Veater and she lived with them for just over a year. Prior to living with the Kelsch family, Veater said she felt confined by her lack of ability to set boundaries. She said Malissa Kelsch taught her many wonderful skills during this time, including cooking, cleaning and being part of a harmonized family. They also had many deep conversations about life and passion.

Malissa Kelsch poses with Ashley Veater, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashley Stevens, St. George News
Malissa Kelsch poses with Ashley Veater, location and date unspecified | Photo courtesy of Ashley Veater, St. George News

“She’s a very talented woman with so many ideas of how to add goodness to the world,” Veater said. “Right now I can confidently say that I am successfully accomplishing my dreams and goals. Much of that success can be attributed to Malissa’s friendship and role in my life.”

Veater said Kelsch’s book offers insight into much of what she learned while living in her home. Each chapter dives into how to take the mundane task of adulting into management adventures. When the book was first published, she was fortunate enough to include remarks of praise for the opening statement.

“‘Life Tumbled” offers great insight to help others, specifically young women, discover their potential and individuality,” she said. “It inspires the reader to seek within themselves and question the depth of their existence. Within the pages, the seeker will be provided with helpful tools, information and questions to encourage their curiosity and take advantage of their life right now.

Walker said that the author’s willingness to share vulnerable experiences allows for a relatable conversation to take place. And even though Kelsch belongs to one specific religion, Walker said she is quick to include any young women in need of guidance and love, no matter their background. The book is written from a genuine perspective of love – and where there is love, there is God, because God is love.

“No matter what season of life you are in, do not pass up this book. It is well worth your time,” Veater said.

The book, “Life Tumbled, How Christian Young Women Can Feel Confident, Find Love, Make a Living, Grow Spiritually, and Survive Life’s Grit” is available for checkout at libraries and can be purchased at Barnes and Noble, Target and on Amazon. An audio version of the book is available on Audible

To connect with Kelsch, find her on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, or LinkedIn.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2022, all rights reserved.

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