Wait, You Studied Chinese? - Malena Stevens

What does a county clerk do when she’s not being a county clerk? In Melina Stevens’ case, quite a bit.

This week, Max and Lauren sit down with Melina to talk about the road from California’s Central Valley to Summit County, with stops at BYU, a semester studying in China, and nine years working as a victim advocate with the Park City Police Department. A move to Florida that never happened somehow turned into a life in Park City. As these things tend to do.

We get into the work of showing up for people on their worst days, why she decided to run for office, what it’s like to raise a kid while working in government, and why travel has become such an important part of her life.

And then the conversation goes somewhere a little different: perfectionism, the expectations we inherit, and learning to build a life that feels like your own.

There’s some local government in here. There’s also China, Southern Italy, a sailing trip across the Mediterranean, and a pretty great answer to where she hopes to be in ten years.

Turns out the person behind the public role is usually the more interesting story.