Meet Melanie — Asheville Body Centered Eating Disorder Therapy

Come on in, I’m Melanie.

Welcome to our little haven of courage, compassion, and curiosity (and some irreverent wit)...

I believe that each of us has a story to tell, that each of us is worthy of love, connection, fulfillment, and a fully embodied life.

What I do:

I help people in larger bodies learn how to be more present, grounded, and connected to their bodies so they can confidently navigate a world where there’s no room for them.

Drawing on my lived experiences as a fat, queer, cis woman, my professional background as a trauma-informed therapist, and my Somatic Experiencing (SE) training, I’m here to help you live a more embodied, present and connected life.

No matter where you are on your healing journey, you will learn how to deepen your inner awareness of your sensations and experiences and rediscover your connection to your body.

The more embodied we become, the more power we have to say yes to what we want and no to what doesn’t serve us. This will create a more just, liberated, joyful world for all.

My journey

As a white (Scottish, Italian, and Polish lineage) cis, queer female, I spent many years in therapy exploring, processing and healing my own relationship with my body. And while I’d made incredible strides in breaking free from diet culture and all it meant for me, I still struggled to connect to my body. I spent a large part of my life completely dissociated from my body – I often felt like my head was a balloon on a string floating around, connected somewhere to my body.

As part of my professional training, I discovered a method called Somatic Experiencing. As I studied this modality, something clicked, and I realized this was the missing piece of the puzzle.

I began using these practices to deepen my relationship with my body, and found what I was looking for: a practical, powerful way to be present, grounded, and connected to my body right now. As I experienced the joy, liberation, and beauty that comes with being able to live inside our body no matter what the world throws at us, I wanted every fat person to be able to have this experience.

And so, Embodiment Coaching was born.

This is a unique approach founded on:

My lived experiences as a fat, queer, cis woman who struggles with depression, anxiety, and chronic pain
My professional background as a trauma-informed mental health counselor and Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP)
My lifelong love of ‘sacred irreverence’ – the ability to hold deep, grounded space and spiritual inquiry while knowing that often the way through deep pain includes a good sense of humor.

Now, my greatest joy and privilege is supporting my clients on their journey towards building better relationships with their bodies as they are now and not what they might be in the future.

What I’m known for

My irreverent sense of humor and my ability to laugh at myself, and with you, in the face of pain, injustice, and disempowerment.
My ability to provide fierce accountability and deep compassion at the same time.
My willingness to push you out of your comfort zone so you can expand, without pushing you so far that you shut down.

My experience + qualifications

Qualifications

☑ BA Gender Studies
☑ MS Community Counseling
☑ Somatic Experiencing Practitioner (SEP)
Experience

☑ Program Therapist at Our Voice, serving survivors of sexual assault, Asheville, NC
Further Training

☑ Food Freedom Body Love Method
☑ Redefining Health for Professionals and Practitioners
☑ Redefining Health Yearlong Mastermind Group

“Come on over!

You are worthy of connection, fulfillment, and a fully embodied life; right here, right now, in this body.”

“Melanie is the real deal. She has a formal education but more important than that, she has lived experience. The combination of these is pure gold.”
“You really should go to Melanie because she takes a stand for people who struggle to love their body.“
“Melanie can go into the depths with you and for you. She can hold you in the hard places and make sure you come up for air feeling lighter with more resources.”