As 2025 comes to a close, I’m reflecting on the growth of Just Action Advisors and all the great clients who trusted this new venture with projects this year.
This work has been a labor of love. Each day, I am reminded that there are countless organizations and individuals striving to do good in the world – and my mission is to help them do even better.
At its core, this work is about humanity. It’s about making connections, building trust, and ensuring that our actions reflect the values we hold dear. For this journey, I have gratitude for the the foundation that prepared me for this moment: my education. Both my undergraduate years at John Carroll University and my time at Case Western Reserve University School of Law were rooted in the liberal arts. I learned philosophy and ethics; critical thinking and analysis; historical and cultural context. That education trained me not just for a job, but for a workplace and a world that would evolve and change.
Launching Just Action Advisors has reaffirmed something I’ve always believed: the ability to adapt, to think critically, and to lead with empathy is what makes us all do better and grow. And in growing together we make the world a better place.
I reflected a bit more on this in an opinion article published in The Plain Dealer’s forum section and on Cleveland.com back in October. (And, shout-out to Taylor Swift for making the humanities cool again!) Check it out at this link: https://www.cleveland.com/opinion/2025/10/taylor-swift-proves-the-humanities-matter-melanie-shakarian.html
If your organization is ready to take action and elevate its impact, let’s connect. We are creative, adaptable, and smart: we can help you move from intention to implementation and take your organization to the next level. Together, we can make justice and kindness more than ideals – they can become a reality that helps your work grow and thrive.
Cheers to continuing that work in 2026!
– M. Shakarian
