Moving 'Ever Forward' with Singer-Songwriter Monique McCall

A genuine soul infused with compassion, devotion and grace, Monique McCall is a mother, singer/songwriter, model, philanthropist and most recently an author. She performed the National Anthem as well as an original release at the Palm Beach Power List presented by Schneps Media’s Dan’s Papers Palm Beach, an event that honored distinguished individuals who have made indelible contributions to the community. A sequel to the event, the Manhattan Power List was held at Bryant Park Grill, once again featuring McCall’s moving renditions.

Over the last couple of years McCall has debuted a feel-good single “Feel Like Florida” and released her popular, patriotic country song “No Better Place,” and has been climbing the charts through collaborations with Grammy Award-winning producers.

Here we catch up with McCall as she shares her messages of faith, inspiration and love.

A Chat with Monique McCall

You just released a new song “God’s Not Through With You.” What was the inspiration for the song? And what is the message you are trying to convey?

I’m sure you remember the story of Apollo 14 and the astronaut Edgar Mitchell who was on that mission. I met his wife is Anita K. Mitchell 14 years ago and we’ve been friends ever since. She called me a few years back and asked if I could go to lunch. She told me she was writing a memoir and asked if I could write a song to go with the book. I asked her what the book was going to be about, and she said space exploration. I told her that is your husband’s story, not yours.  I asked her what her message was that she wanted to share with her readers. She said “I want everyone to know that it’s not what happens to you, it’s how you react.  And when things get hard, just remember, God’s not through with you yet.”

Anita’s book is called “You Don’t Look Like an Astronaut’s Wife,” and I wrote the song “God’s Not Through with You” to share Anita’s life story and message through song. Anita has been an incredible mentor.

Among the many roles you have in life – you also call yourself a survivor. What obstacles have you overcome, and how did get through them?

My father saw the world in a very different way than I do, and I learned a lot of lessons from that. Fast forward, I ended up marrying someone who saw the world from a very negative perspective, with a lot of control and manipulation. It was one of the hardest relationships of my life. But I took the good and left the rest. “Ever Forward” as my dad used to say. Definitely a journey, it is still a journey. I still have to deal with it on a regular basis because we have a child together. But I make it work. I just keep putting love into the world because love is always the answer.

You have a podcast called Living and Loving. What’s the scope of the programming?

I started the podcast during Covid, when the pandemic kept me secluded. The message is we’re all here to just “live” and “love.” I actually met my husband TJ Nelligan during a podcast! He was a guest on the show, and he was there to talk about his special needs son who passed away at the age of 19. It was actually music that brought us together. TJ had written a book called “Live Like Sean,” which lets readers see the world through the eyes of Sean. I wound up writing a song called “2nd Chance,” a soundtrack for the audiobook and a tribute to Sean. TJ and I were married in 2022.

Tell us about you new children’s book “Before My Eyes,” which is due out this summer. How did it come about?

The name of the book is “Before My Eyes,” which was inspired by a lullaby of the same that I wrote for my older daughter, who is now 24. The whole goal of this book is to encourage tuck-in time with your kids. It’s such an important time of the day, when kids get to share their thoughts about their day. It’s not just for young kids – we should be doing this even through high school.

In the book I talk about “heavenly hugs,” which are messages from the universe. My hope is that children will get off their phones and start focusing on the world around them and assimilate with numbers, birds, butterflies, and other divine signs and objects. Throughout the book you can find heavenly hugs along with their meaning. I actually carry around a jar of wooden heavenly hugs in my purse and if I intuitively feel someone needs a hug, I give them one. Often times I get a hug back – it’s a really incredible experience!