On March 5, 2025, the HI-Hub Incubator welcomed Melina Gerosa Bellows, a seasoned author and media executive, for an engaging Master Class entitled “Joy Ride: How Happiness Can Drive Success in Your Career and Life.” Bellows opened the session by asking a simple yet profound question: How do you spend your time? She encouraged attendees to reflect on their daily routines and emphasized that no matter how busy life gets, there should always be room for fun. Having written five books on the subject, she reinforced the idea that fun is not a luxury but a necessity, describing it as a combination of hedonic engagement and liberation - a break from the grind that keeps people energized and fulfilled. Fun, she argued, is not just about leisure but about cultivating a mindset that leads to greater creativity, productivity, and happiness. In fact, research has shown that happy employees are 13% more productive, proving that fun and work are not mutually exclusive but rather essential partners.
Bellows then shared her career journey, detailing the steps that led her to success and the lessons she learned along the way. A graduate of Boston College in 1987, she began her career in an entry-level role at Premiere Magazine. Her work ethic and positive attitude quickly set her apart, earning her a recommendation for a position at Entertainment Weekly when it first launched. She stressed the importance of attitude in professional growth, explaining that simply showing up, doing the work, and not complaining can open unexpected doors. Later, at Ladies’ Home Journal, she frequently interviewed Oprah, who left her with a lasting piece of wisdom: “Anytime something doesn’t go your way, ask what this will teach me.” This philosophy of learning from setbacks became a guiding principle throughout Bellows’ career.
One of the defining moments of her journey came when she transitioned from writing about celebrities to working in a completely new field - children’s publishing at National Geographic. Given just one year to transform an unprofitable magazine into a success, Bellows approached the challenge with urgency and innovation. She built a strong team by helping individuals identify and harness their superpowers, fostering a culture of belonging, and ensuring that every team member felt valued. She changed the magazine’s mission, rebranded it from World to National Geographic Kids, and doubled its circulation from 600,000 to 1.4 million. When her boss resisted the name change, she remained persistent, recognizing the importance of understanding leadership’s communication style and motivations.
After the success of National Geographic Kids, Bellows experimented with new projects, including launching a teen magazine, which ultimately did not succeed. However, she didn’t let failure deter her and pivoted her focus to Little Kids, a preschool magazine. Though she couldn’t offer her team higher salaries, she found that autonomy and purpose were just as powerful as monetary incentives—people wanted to work on something they believed in. This project became another major success, reinforcing her belief that people thrive when they feel empowered. Later, she expanded into book publishing, applying the same principles of fun, collaboration, and resilience that had guided her magazine work.
Despite her many achievements, Bellows also faced professional setbacks. After years of growth and transformation at National Geographic, she was eventually let go due to shifts within the organization. However, rather than viewing this as a failure, she saw it as an opportunity to reinvent herself. She pivoted to writing, sharing her experiences, and building her own ventures, always ensuring that fun remained a central part of her journey.
Throughout the session, Bellows shared her business success playbook, which includes managing one’s career with intention, embracing difficulties as learning opportunities, leveraging personal strengths, fostering collaboration and belonging, understanding leadership dynamics, and always doubling down on what works. She emphasized that fun should serve as a guiding force—helping individuals make better decisions, stay motivated, and ultimately, lead more fulfilling lives.
Bellows closed the session with a powerful reminder: never stay in a place where you aren’t having fun. She encouraged attendees to know themselves, embrace challenges, and create environments where they and those around them can thrive. This Master Class served as an inspiring testament to the idea that fun and success are not opposing forces but rather essential ingredients for a meaningful career and life.