ABOUT MELINDA
Photo by Chris Tyre
As featured in the International Business Times and USA Today, I am a professional creativity, mindfulness, and leadership / career coach, consultant, educator, and facilitator based in Austin, Texas. I am the founder of Austin Writing Coach and co-founder of Syncreate, which offers creativity coaching, consulting, workshops, and retreats designed to enhance creativity in life and work, and to foster communication, collaboration, and community. I'm a professor of Creativity, Innovation & Leadership within the Humanistic Psychology program at Saybrook University, and I'm the host and creator of
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity.
I am also affiliated with Coaching4Good, where I offer executive/leadership, creativity, and career coaching to individuals and organizations. If you are looking to enhance your current professional path, make a career transition, develop your leadership skills, or infuse more creativity into your organization, please contact me to schedule an initial consultation!
I am the author of two books: A Mindful Approach to Team Creativity and Collaboration: Creating a Culture of Innovation, drawing on insights from my doctoral research and my experiences working with organizational leaders and teams, published in 2020 from Palgrave Macmillan, and the co-author of the Silver Nautilus Award winning Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities, published in 2021 from Mandorla Books.
I did my undergraduate work at Vassar College, focusing on cognitive science and music, and graduated with a B.A. in Biopsychology. I also have a Master's degree in Religious Studies from Indiana University, and a Master's degree in Performance Studies from New York University's Tisch School for the Arts. I've taught college-level courses in academic writing, composition, and creative non-fiction at Tulane University in New Orleans, and have worked in academic writing centers at Tulane, Texas State University, and St. Edward’s University. From 2009-2013, I taught religious studies courses as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Religion, and Humanities at Austin Community College. I completed my Ph.D. in Psychology with a Specialization in Creativity Studies at Saybrook University in 2018. I am also certified as a coach with the International Coach Federation.
Coaching and teaching are my callings, along with championing creativity. I've discovered in the coaching paradigm a way to evoke profound transformation. For me, coaching involves a holistic and a spiritual dimension that focuses on the whole person to foster resilience, connection, creativity, authenticity, and empowerment. My approach to coaching draws on the principles of positive and humanistic psychology, as well as my experience and training as an educator, musician, and performer. I draw upon broad-based expertise in writing, public speaking, and the expressive arts, as well as extensive experience withteaching/training, curriculum development, content strategy, consciousness and spirituality studies, and life coaching. I enjoy working in close collaboration with clients to enhance their creativity and develop their confidence. My major strengths include a deep intuition and ability to hold space for clients, a talent for nurturing creative energy, and insight into both the visionary aspects and the details of a given project.
My own writing and creative practices are informed by a lifelong love of learning, by an emphasis on journey and process, and by my involvement and training in Buddhist meditation practice and the contemplative arts. I bring a commitment to mindfulness, deep listening, and engaged collaboration to my coaching work. I am also a musician (classically trained singer, songwriter, and bass player) and I offer vocal coaching in conjunction with my other coaching services. I am also a practitioner and teacher of mindfulness meditation and contemplative arts, as well as a musician and photographer.
The Syncreate Podcast: Empowering Creativity.
I am also affiliated with Coaching4Good, where I offer executive/leadership, creativity, and career coaching to individuals and organizations. If you are looking to enhance your current professional path, make a career transition, develop your leadership skills, or infuse more creativity into your organization, please contact me to schedule an initial consultation!
I am the author of two books: A Mindful Approach to Team Creativity and Collaboration: Creating a Culture of Innovation, drawing on insights from my doctoral research and my experiences working with organizational leaders and teams, published in 2020 from Palgrave Macmillan, and the co-author of the Silver Nautilus Award winning Syncreate: A Guide to Navigating the Creative Process for Individuals, Teams, and Communities, published in 2021 from Mandorla Books.
I did my undergraduate work at Vassar College, focusing on cognitive science and music, and graduated with a B.A. in Biopsychology. I also have a Master's degree in Religious Studies from Indiana University, and a Master's degree in Performance Studies from New York University's Tisch School for the Arts. I've taught college-level courses in academic writing, composition, and creative non-fiction at Tulane University in New Orleans, and have worked in academic writing centers at Tulane, Texas State University, and St. Edward’s University. From 2009-2013, I taught religious studies courses as an Adjunct Assistant Professor in the Department of Philosophy, Religion, and Humanities at Austin Community College. I completed my Ph.D. in Psychology with a Specialization in Creativity Studies at Saybrook University in 2018. I am also certified as a coach with the International Coach Federation.
Coaching and teaching are my callings, along with championing creativity. I've discovered in the coaching paradigm a way to evoke profound transformation. For me, coaching involves a holistic and a spiritual dimension that focuses on the whole person to foster resilience, connection, creativity, authenticity, and empowerment. My approach to coaching draws on the principles of positive and humanistic psychology, as well as my experience and training as an educator, musician, and performer. I draw upon broad-based expertise in writing, public speaking, and the expressive arts, as well as extensive experience withteaching/training, curriculum development, content strategy, consciousness and spirituality studies, and life coaching. I enjoy working in close collaboration with clients to enhance their creativity and develop their confidence. My major strengths include a deep intuition and ability to hold space for clients, a talent for nurturing creative energy, and insight into both the visionary aspects and the details of a given project.
My own writing and creative practices are informed by a lifelong love of learning, by an emphasis on journey and process, and by my involvement and training in Buddhist meditation practice and the contemplative arts. I bring a commitment to mindfulness, deep listening, and engaged collaboration to my coaching work. I am also a musician (classically trained singer, songwriter, and bass player) and I offer vocal coaching in conjunction with my other coaching services. I am also a practitioner and teacher of mindfulness meditation and contemplative arts, as well as a musician and photographer.
Academic Research
I completed my Ph.D. in Psychology, specializing in Creativity Studies, at Saybrook University in 2018. My research interests focus on the power of creativity and the arts to enhance insight, collaboration, and innovation. Specifically, my dissertation research explored how mindfulness and contemplative arts may be used to facilitate creativity and collaboration among teams in organizational contexts.
My full dissertation is available through ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. If you aren't able to access it there, please get in touch and I would be happy to send you a copy.
See below for my dissertation abstract and research overviews from recent conference presentations.
© 2018 Melinda Rothouse
All rights reserved
My full dissertation is available through ProQuest Dissertations & Theses. If you aren't able to access it there, please get in touch and I would be happy to send you a copy.
See below for my dissertation abstract and research overviews from recent conference presentations.
© 2018 Melinda Rothouse
All rights reserved
All content and images © 2012-2025 Melinda Rothouse
All rights reserved
All rights reserved