My Story

Hey there and thank you for visiting my page! I am Melissa Powell, but you can call me Mel. Over the last few years, I have become a Wellness Junkie, but let me share that I did not start out that way. Growing up outside Buffalo, land of chicken wings, pizza and beer healthy living was not a part a value impressed upon me. Also, due to the fact that I was 5'8" and only weighed 118 lbs until around the age 25, working out and eating healthy did not seem necessary. 

As I approached 30, being able to pig out on a burger and fries at 3:00 am every weekend without gaining any weight became a distant memory. At this time in my life, I also found myself very unhappily married. The drinking and unhealthy eating habits just got worse and I got to around 165-170 lbs. While, I realize this is not by any means obese, it was significantly more than I was used to weighing. The marriage got worse and so did my self esteem. Final, at age 38 the marriage ended... and let's just say I did not turn to healthy habits to cope. I was on a destructive path, and did not care. I dropped down to 125 lbs due to stress, alcohol and lack of self control. 

After a few months, I decided enough was enough and I started reading personal development books, saw a therapist and pretty much own my bullshit and made some changes. I stopped dating men who treated me exactly as my ex had, and started visualizing the partner I wanted and the person I needed to be for them. Well.. it worked, and in May of 2017 I met my husband Brandon. The story of how we met is quite adorable, I am sure I will share at some point. I continued to working on myself, started getting serious about my health and fitness. 

                                  In addition to my wellness journey, I have been an educator for over 20 years. In May of 2022, I got to a point where I was fed up with the direction the education system was moving and I knew I could not continue in my current role at my current school. I looked for other opportunities within my district, but nothing felt right. So, I made a rash decision to apply for a leave of absence for the 22-23 school year. I had no job or plan, but I knew I had to take the leap of faith. I found a job that I LOVE and finally felt like I was making a difference and doing what was best for kids again. Fast forward to March 2024, after two years on leave, I had to make a final decision, go back to the district, resign or retire.

WELL... I spoke to my retirement specialist multiple times, as well as an FRS adviser and decided it was time to retire. With some finagling and 2 days back at the district to get my retirement account in order, I officially retired on August 8th, 2024. I have built a thriving tutoring business  over the last 2 years and I have been able to help parents navigate the MTSS system and get IEPS in place. I am hear from all those teachers and parents and kiddos out there trying to make the best of a system that, in my opinion, is very broken.