Melissa Francis is an accomplished actor, journalist and television star. An acknowledged expert in finance, technology and consumer products, she is also a best-selling author, wife, mother of two, and anchor of her own daily television show entitled, appropriately enough, Money with Melissa Francis on FOX Business Network.

Before she could walk or talk, child star Missy Francis appeared in a Johnson & Johnson Baby Shampoo commercial and launched a career of nonstop television roles and commercials, progressing to a pre-teen, primetime gig on Little House on the Prairie (as Cassandra Cooper Ingalls.) This, coupled with the influence of her fiercely dedicated stage mother and a father who flatly expected excellence in all of her endeavors, proved to be a potent recipe for a life filled with continuing achievements.

Athletic, scholarly and driven, Melissa pursued equestrian show jumping and attended acting auditions while endlessly working in film and TV. She eventually enrolled at Harvard University, where she became captain of the Polo team and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.

After graduation, Melissa began her career as a business journalist eventually joining CNBC as co-anchor of Power Lunch and The Call, followed by her current anchor post at Fox Business Network as the host of Money With Melissa Francis. On the show, she skillfully debates and debunks the business stories of the day with a confident assurance that makes her interviews as engaging as they are entertaining. Clearly, Melissa is in command of the subjects that she discusses and shares her views with a conviction befitting her lifetime of business experience, Harvard education and success.

Q & A
Health Beauty Life Publisher Patrick Dockry caught up with Melissa on the set of her show to talk about her unstoppable career path, her struggles and successes as a child actress, and her incandescent desire to achieve.