Judith Harkham Semas
Freelance Writer...Editor...Author

(Published in New Perspectives, a University of California magazine, this is a profile of Dr. Michelle Millis—cat-lover, ivy league psych professor, inspirational consultant, international rock singer/songwriter, and would-be author.)

By Judith Harkham Semas

Dr. Michelle Millis and cats -- the link is inescapable. First there's her photo on her most recent music CD, INFINITY + 1, released under her stage name, Michelle Chappel. With those to-die-for cheekbones, oversized almond eyes, and upturned smiling lips, her features exude more than a hint of Eartha Kitt, the internationally famous beauty who played Catwoman to Adam West's Batman on the campy 1970s TV hit series of the same name.

Then there are her two Persian-mix cats, Ollie and Izzy, whose feline penchant for pleasing themselves underscores the message of her UC Santa Cruz Extension class "The Art of Living."

And let's not forget her multiple reincarnations. Cats may have nine lives, but 10 minutes with Dr. Michelle Millis will convince you she has even more -- at least in the sense of reinventing her creative self and successfully refocusing her talents.

As a child she dreamed of being a nurse. But as an adult? The mind boggles. She has taught psychology at Princeton University, where she earned a Ph.D. in cognitive psychology. She was a professor at Santa Clara University, where she received the highest teaching ratings every year...and at UC Santa Cruz, where students honored her with their award for Most Inspirational Professor of Psychology. She's been a consultant, too, for Interval, a Bay Area think tank.

Since 1990 Millis has been writing and performing contemporary rock music, proving she can succeed in that intensely competitive field, as well. She has garnered a dozen outstanding achievement awards in BILLBOARD MAGAZINE'S International Song Contests. Her self-named 1994 debut CD produced an original Top 10 hit in South Africa, where her popularity has helped fuel her growing acclaim. Said to have a "vocal quality that is one part Tori Amos and one part Alanis Morissette," her music resonates with fans the world over and with reviewers "from local tabloids to cyberspace."

"The reason my 'Art of Living' course works is that I live my own advice," Millis says. During her years as a university professor, she was published in the best journals in her field. She saw herself as a hard-core academician, she says, but felt empty inside.

"Students would come to me for advice about their career or their choice of graduate school, and I would encourage them to follow their hearts," she recalls. "One day it hit me that I was ignoring my own advice and neglecting a huge part of myself." Not long after that pivotal insight, she quit teaching full-time to develop her artistic talents.

"That's what my class is about," she says, "helping people discover what they love...helping them learn what is really true to them and how to go after it -- whatever 'it' is."

Millis maintains that American family and social structure usually rewards us for meeting the needs of the group, rather than those of ourselves. "In families, we tend to take on certain roles that work for the family unit, but not necessarily for us as individuals," she explains. "We get boxed into certain roles -- the responsible one, the social one, the smart one, the quiet one -- roles that are often not appropriate to our truest, deepest selves."

In education, the pattern is similar. "In school, we're rewarded for imitation, rather than for original thought," she says, "because as soon as you put your own unique spin on something, you're risking your grade."

It's not that obeying unspoken rules and fulfilling role expectations are bad things to do. After all, these behaviors help us function well in groups. It's just that we need to find a balance, Millis stresses; we need to be true to ourselves as well as to our groups.

Through a variety of class exercises, Millis helps her students unpeel the role layers they've built up over many years. She leads students into learning what's underneath, with sometimes surprising results. "I've had an attorney discover he's really a poet," she says "and a poet discover he's really a businessman."

Dottie Carpenter of Cupertino, widow and grandmother, enrolled in Millis' class to explore new options and new life directions after having been a homemaker for most of her life.. "When I saw the title of Michelle's class, I thought 'That's just wonderful'," Carpenter says. "And, of course, it was wonderful because SHE'S wonderful." Having gained encouragement and a hefty dose of enthusiasm from the class, Carpenter has returned to her roots as a college English major and happily begun writing again.

Bob Nielsen, a Salinas attorney, poet and photographer, takes UCSC Extension humanities courses to keep his perspective fresh and expand his horizons. "Michelle's class helped me refocus," he says. "She was a catalyst for most of the class -- some students were inspired toward change...others toward growth...and still others felt a reaffirmation of what they're already doing."

According to Millis, most people's lives involve placing small limits on themselves. "I help undo those limits," she says. "My classes become supportive groups early on. It's not unusual for the class to want to continue meeting with me even after the scheduled end, they enjoy our group so much."

But her class isn't only about finding your dream -- it's also about acting on it. By the end of the second class, all the students leave with at least one "baby step" they can take right away to change their lives, along with an individual plan to help them breathe life into their fantasies.

Millis' own plan is a work in progress. She's already taken steps toward yet another of her "cat-lives": This time it's as an author. Look for her first book, tentatively titled "The Ruby Slippers: A Step-by-Step Guide to Living Your Dreams," late next year. After that? Who knows!!