"She passed away on Valentine's Day. And because that was a Tuesday, we had our call with Tess that morning. I gave her the name of the funeral director and she coordinated everything. I didn't have to do anything for that. She handled me with kid gloves, and I felt such peace."
— Dr. Melissa Lockwood, Founder
The Challenge
Dr. Melissa Lockwood, founder of Heartland Foot and Ankle Associates, opened her podiatry practice in 2008 with a mission to offer both advanced treatment and a warm, family-first atmosphere. As the only female podiatrist in the area, she was determined to give every patient — from toddlers to great-grandparents — her full personal attention. But as the practice grew alongside her family, the competing demands became impossible to manage alone.
The breaking point came when Melissa found herself simultaneously trying to plan a work trip, schedule her children's flu shots, and make sense of a calendar that had spiraled out of control. Despite priding herself on organization, she felt she was failing the obligations she had committed to.
"It was such this overwhelming feeling of dread opening my email, and I have all these obligations that I wasn't meeting because I didn't have enough hands, ears and eyes."
Her husband Scott, who co-managed the practice, shared her frustration. Together, they recognized they needed someone who could not just assist them, but proactively manage them. After discovering BELAY through entrepreneurial podcasts and a Dave Ramsey mastermind group, Melissa decided it was time to act. "I really like to be as hands-on as I can be, [and] I was failing so I needed to do something," she says.
The Solution
Melissa was matched with BELAY Virtual Assistant Tess Presnal, and they began with a clear, focused 30-day project: fix the calendar and email so that Melissa no longer felt overwhelmed. The solution was immediate and decisive — Melissa handed over full ownership of her calendar, with all scheduling requests routed through Tess.
"We literally took my calendar away from me. I am not in charge of my calendar. If you need to change or schedule something with me, everything gets CC'd through Tess."
Even at just 10 hours a week, the relief was felt across the entire team. Tess also tackled a backlog of long-deferred tasks, including organizing five years' worth of Christmas card contacts into a digital format — a project Melissa had never had the bandwidth to complete on her own.
As the engagement deepened, Tess took on HR manual updates, practice process documentation, and full coordination of team travel and conference logistics. Melissa and Scott had been clear from the start about the kind of support they needed: someone who would manage them, not just assist them. "We definitely needed somebody who was gonna be a little bit more managerial toward us," Melissa explains. "Taking that initiative to be like, 'I'm noticing your Tuesday looks insane. Can I suggest we take this off? I'll reschedule it.'"
"It was such this overwhelming feeling of dread opening my email, and I have all these obligations that I wasn't meeting because I didn't have enough hands, ears and eyes."
— Dr. Melissa Lockwood, FounderThe Impact
The results of Melissa's partnership with BELAY extended far beyond a cleaner inbox. On one of the most difficult days of her life — when her mother passed away on Valentine's Day — Tess stepped in without hesitation, coordinating all funeral arrangements and booking hotel rooms for the family.
"I gave her the name of the funeral director and she coordinated everything. I didn't have to do anything for that. She handled me with kid gloves, and I felt such peace."
The experience cemented just how deeply trusted Tess had become — not just in the practice, but in the family's life. "Our whole family jokes, 'Well, God bless Tess,'" Melissa recalls. "I cannot say enough about that, about her and the engagement we've had with BELAY."
Operationally, the practice is now more resilient than ever. HR manuals and protocols have been fully updated, team travel is seamlessly coordinated, and when Melissa and Scott travel out of the country for two weeks, staff feel confident turning to Tess for guidance. "Empowering everyone to be able to manage [the practice] without me physically being there has been a great step forward for everyone," Melissa says. The transformation from overwhelmed founder to empowered leader — made possible by just 10 hours of support per week — stands as a testament to what the right virtual assistant can do.