Transition Coach & Grief Educator

Today is a new opportunity to give yourself the support you need to move forward.

Hi there. I'm Melissa. I’m most at home in nature — a self-proclaimed travel junkie, tree-hugger, animal lover, yogi, and aspiring vegan. I love exploring the beaches and trails of my adopted hometown of Solana Beach with my husband, Bill, and our dog, Zoe.

I'm certified in the Grief Recovery Method, David Kessler's Grief Educator program, and Sacred Crossing's Death Doula program. I'm also an ICF-certified leadership and transitions coach (PCC), and I'm honored to have worked with so many wonderful clients along the way. (You can learn more about my professional experience by connecting with me on LinkedIn.)

Perhaps more importantly, my specialties through lived experience include:

• Loss of my amazing stepson Connor to fentanyl poisoning in June 2023
• Loss of parents to terminal illness (my dad and father-in-law, both named John)
• Loss by violence (cousin, her husband, and two children in murder-suicide)
• Pregnancy loss (x2)
• Loss of soul dog Sawyer at 16 by euthanasia (such an excruciating decision)

I'm glad you found me, but also am so sorry you are here.

Empathy is my superpower, and I'm most fulfilled when I'm able to help someone feel seen and heard.

My guiding principle is simple:

Grief is not a problem to be fixed.

It is a reality of life and the price of deep love. It needs to be witnessed.