Michelle Millis Chappel *84 Combines Psychology and Creativity to Rethink Success

By Hannah Floyd '27

Published Oct. 21, 2026

8 min read

The Book: In The Power of Authenticity (Books That Save Lives), psychologist and accomplished career coach Michelle Millis Chappel *84 draws on psychology, creative exercises, and her extensive coaching experience to help readers identify their strengths and build more fulfilling personal and professional lives. She argues that most of us suffer from “Suppressed Superpower Syndrome,” where the pressure to conform can lead people to overlook their natural talents and lose sight of the pursuits that give their lives purpose and meaning. Combining psychological research with Jungian shadow work, music, and superhero stories, Chappel offers practical strategies for overcoming self-doubt, exploring creative potential, and finding work that aligns with individual interests and abilities. Blending self-reflection with actual courses of action and exercises, The Power of Authenticity invites readers to reconsider conventional ideas of success and imagine new possibilities for their lives and work.

The Author: Michelle Millis Chappel *84 is a psychologist, musician, author, and career coach. She obtained her Ph.D. in cognitive psychology from Princeton before teaching cognition, creativity, and neuroscience at the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she was named the “Most Inspirational Professor.” After leaving academia to pursue music, she won 17 Billboard International Songwriting contests, and her songs appeared on ABC, HBO, and Showtime. She later founded Creativity Rock Star Consulting, through which she leads innovation workshops and coaching programs. Her work focuses on helping people recognize their strengths, develop their creative potential, and find greater purpose in their professional and personal lives.

Excerpt:

Introduction

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Once upon a time, I was an accomplished but restless professor who rediscovered a calling she had forgotten for 24 years. How did I finally reconnect with my true heart’s desire? How did I go from being a professor to becoming a rock star and successful coach and consultant? I will tell you. But it ain’t pretty.

Growing up in Georgia, I felt like something was missing from my life, but I couldn’t put my finger on it. I was musically inclined as a girl, but no one seemed to care, so I forgot all about it. Trapped inside an abusive home, I escaped by winning scholarships to universities in other states. I studied even though I got good grades and was well-liked at school. I went on to earn my doctorate in cognitive psychology at Princeton and specialized in visual perception, studying how people interpret what they see.

I took a job as a psychology professor and thought I had it all. I was successful in my field, doing what I was “supposed” to do. I got terrific teaching evaluations and published research in the best journals. I even received standing ovations in class for my lectures. But I wasn’t happy. I couldn’t see myself teaching introductory psychology classes for the rest of my life. I didn’t know it yet, but academics wasn’t the right path for me. Something deep inside whispered, “You are meant for more.”

I started playing the guitar to unwind from work, a hobby I’d dabbled in during my teens. Late in the evenings, when I felt wiped-out from grading papers, I would rejuvenate myself by writing “little songs.” I dreamed of singing them in a cafe someday. One weekend, I worked up the courage to perform my fledgling tunes at an open mic. I got so nervous I forgot my own lyrics, but people smiled and applauded anyway. They told me they could relate to my words, but I felt alone in the spotlight. My songs exposed intimate truths about my life that I wasn’t ready to face. Teaching psychology seemed so much safer.

I loved inspiring my students to think for themselves. They used to line up outside my office to ask me what they should major in, or where they should go to graduate school. It turned out I was offering radically different advice from their parents and other professors. One of our department’s brightest seniors came to my office in tears. My colleague across the hall had told her to go to the best graduate school she could, even though it meant moving to the East Coast and leaving her fiancé behind. A miserable electrical engineering major told me his father wouldn’t let him major in psychology because there was no money in it.

My advice was simple. I always told my students to follow their hearts.

One afternoon, as I watched yet another relieved face disappear out my office door, I realized I wasn’t following my own heart. I felt deeply empty, despite my success. What did I truly want to be when I grew up? I instantly saw myself on stage with teased hair and a black leather jacket. A rock ’n’ roll star.

“Ridiculous,” a voice that sounded a lot like my mother’s screamed inside my head. For one, it would mean I had wasted four years getting my Ph.D. in psychology. For another, I was too old. How could I change now? Wasn’t it too late? I couldn’t stop thinking about how happy my students appeared whenever I gave them permission to be their true selves. Within a year, I joined a rock band and began performing at all the cool nightclubs in town. Several of my students attended my shows, and my band grew a following.

At first it served as a fun, stress-release side project, an opportunity to let my alter ego shine. But one afternoon, while I was watching Bill Moyers interview Joseph Campbell about the hero’s journey, the message sunk in deeper: “Follow your bliss.” I’d only written a handful of songs, but I knew if I didn’t reach for my dreams then, I never would. Despite being called “crazy” by my mom and several academic colleagues, I ditched my solid teaching position to pursue music full-time.

Fast forward to five years later: I found myself living in South Africa with a debut CD distributed through Teal Trutone Music (Gallo and Universal Records), and a top 10 radio single at the same time Nelson Mandela was elected president. The first time I spotted my CD in a local record store in the bin in front of Cher, I ran out of the mall, suffering from a full-blown anxiety attack. I didn’t feel worthy of my success, but I hung in there. A few months later, I did a concert tour around South Africa, and audiences sang my songs along with me. Looking back, it seems fitting that their favorite tune was “Hero.”

As some things went right for me, others fell apart. I was diagnosed with an incurable disease (I’m healed now). My marriage and band disintegrated. Rescuing my childhood love of singing meant pulling out other hidden areas of my psyche. To become the person I truly was meant to be, I was forced to deal with the trauma of child abuse, and ultimately learn how to forgive those who had hurt me. It was a dark time. Watching Nelson Mandela forgive the atrocities of apartheid helped me let go of my own difficult past.

While I was on tour in South Africa, a radio DJ asked me if I’d ever go back to teaching. I laughed it off at the time, but once I returned to California I realized that I did want to teach again. Only I wanted to teach people how to find gifts they didn’t know they had, and honor their authentic paths in this world. This turned out to be the secret ingredient to finding our true calling that other experts were missing. I combined the artist and scientist in me and used both sides of my brain to do this work. I found myself evolving along with my students as I taught the cornerstone Creativity and Self-Actualization and Reinventing Yourself workshops on which this book is based. For the first time in my life, I felt a deep sense of purpose and happiness.

Since then, I’ve helped thousands of people rock their lives and careers using their newfound abilities. A Silicon Valley technical writer found she had a penchant for storytelling and became a successful Hollywood writer/director/producer. An unemployed mother discovered her knack for fashion and landed a job as a buyer for a trendy children’s boutique. A directionless high school graduate and former football star used his strength and team-playing abilities to save lives as a firefighter.

Now it’s your turn.

I noticed that when I referred to my clients’ unique talents as their “superpowers,” they improved their lives more quickly. So I’m taking Joseph Campbell’s teachings one step further, and leading you through a “superhero’s journey” to help you find your greatest gifts and own your authentic power. In this book, I will guide you to understand your origin story, awaken your dormant superpowers, overcome your personal kryptonite, and succeed in work and life as your true self. I weave in key concepts, like the “shadow,” “ego,” and “persona” from psychiatrist Carl Jung, to help catalyze your transformation. This new approach empowers all of us to heal ourselves and our world using our natural strengths.

I can’t wait to take you on this life-changing journey. A great shift is happening on our planet right now, and you have an important role to play in it. Superheroes like Superman and Spider-Man aren’t going to save the day this time, but that’s okay, because you have your own superpowers; you just don’t know it yet. If you feel worried about the state of the world or overwhelmed by personal and professional challenges, don’t give up hope. Discovering your purpose can uplift your spirits and ease anxiety and depression, revealing wonderful possibilities for your life that you can’t see right now.

The tools and strategies in this book have been road-tested with my clients and will show you how to develop the psychological resilience to thrive in these difficult times. I describe how I changed my life using these principles to help you recover your lost passions and run the rapids on the way to your true heart’s desire. By chronicling the ups and downs of my unfolding journey from childhood trauma to professor to rock star to superpower whisperer, I will show you how to answer your unique calling and persist through inevitable setbacks to create the life you were meant to lead.

Review

“Michelle Chappel’s simple and practical lessons will unleash creativity in all areas of your life. I would not only recommend this book to people who want to find more purpose and happiness in their lives and work, but to business leaders who want to give their companies a competitive edge by igniting innovation.” — Jon Cordon, author of The Energy Bus