Melissa helps purpose-driven leaders to experience more joy and balance in their lives and health while developing their capacity to lead and succeed as executives and entrepreneurs. Melissa believes each of us has the power to create a healthy, joyful, purpose-driven life. For most of us, there’s a gap between our current experience of life and our highest aspirations. When we are supported and open to exploring this gap, new resources and possibilities emerge.​

 

Melissa began her coaching journey when a leadership program she was part of offered an ICF coach certification program. What she thought would be a new set of tools to enhance her work as a director in a non-profit organization turned out to be the inspiration for a career pivot into professional coaching. Melissa owned a yoga studio with a couple of her friends at the time and began offering wellness coaching to her yoga & meditation students. As she built her private coaching practice, Melissa was intuitively drawn to coach women to live their life’s purpose and thrive through a combination of wellness and leadership coaching. When Melissa’s sister, Amy (also on Annie’s coaching team!), introduced her to Tara Mohr’s book, she found that Tara’s Playing Big tools really resonated with her clients and accelerated their progress in powerful ways. 

 

Melissa is an International Coach Federation Certified Coach, as well as a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach. In addition to her work with Annie Ricci’s Coaching team, Melissa's practice includes health & wellness coaching, executive & leadership coaching, and peer advisory groups for health and wellness entrepreneurs. From her prior career in non-profit leadership, Melissa has 20 years experience in organizational development, community engagement, and education program management.

 

Melissa's approach is empathetic and action-oriented. Friends and strangers alike are drawn to her ability to lovingly listen to and accept them for exactly who they are, while challenging them to become more of who they are meant to be. Her clients often say that her zest for life, joyful presence, and infectious laughter help them feel at ease, with a sense that something wonderful is about to happen.​

 

Find out more about Melissa at www.illuminateguidance.com

 

Melissa’s Clients’ Kind Words:

 

If you are looking for a coach who stands right there on your side, who believes in you, and who challenges you to be all you can be, then Melissa is the coach for you. She combines strong intuition, years of her own study, and a high level of coaching skills. Melissa has a natural sense for how to balance curiosity and openness with holding you to what you want to create. I hired her to help me with a major life transition and I not only value every session, but my transition has more life and fire than I could have imagined before.

​Gina K.

 

​I had never done anything like this before I sat down with Melissa. I came to her coaching practice at a time in my life where I felt like so much was out of my control. Through our sessions, she helped me to break down my frustrations to their core issues and from there build out actionable steps to move forward. Sometimes things can seem so large and amorphous. Melissa helped me to realize that, when you have the courage to look the issues in the face and answer the difficult questions, you really have the power to write your own story.

Anna D. 

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Melissa is such a warm and wise presence.  When I started working with her, I felt I needed to sharpen my focus and break through chronic obstacles. She asked clarifying questions, helped me vision my desired outcomes, and develop strategies for measuring and accounting for subtle shifts and improvements in my overall function. Now, rather than bringing my “b game” to my work and my life, I am bringing my “A game”, resulting in a much better sense of personal clarity, health and work focus. All this, in a fun accepting, and nurturant coaching relationship.  I highly recommend Melissa’s coaching; everyone I know loves her, and she is widely recognized for her special talent. 

Joy S.