Melanie spent years battling binge eating disorder. In her book, Missing Peace, she shares her healing and the missing pieces that brought her peace. Today we have her for a bit of Q&A fun!
KOI: How did the idea for The Missing Peace come about – what was your key driving force – why is this important to you?
Melanie: I spent three years of my life in the late nineties, battling binge eating disorder. After I healed, I began uncovering many of the things I was doing and thinking to fuel the fire of the disorder. I witness these very same disfunctional behaviors in so many individuals today (with or without an eating disorder), and was driven at a soul-level, to share what I discovered. To share the missing pieces which brought me peace.
KOI: What was your mission at the outset?
Melanie: To help just one person make peace with their food, body, and health.
KOI: What services/products do you offer?
Melanie:
Private coaching.
Online programs.
Employee well-being programs.
KOI: How did you come up with the name?
Melanie: Missing Peace literally flashed before my eyes when I was having lunch with a dear friend - her name is Heather Lentz. 😊 I didn't know what those two words meant, but it had to be important because I felt an energetic shift within. I wrote it down on a napkin and then later that week it hit me: this is the name of the book that I must write. It was a gift from above and part of my mission in this lifetime.
KOI: One is 1 thing you want your readers to take away?
Melanie: That the ultimate power to restore harmony with their food, body, and health, lies within. It always has, and always will!
KOI: Why should people read your book?
Melanie: Maybe they shouldn't. It's not for everyone, I'll say that much. It's for those individuals who are tired of the uphill battle with food. Those who can't bear to try another diet will really get something out of my book; however if you are looking for the next health book or meal plan...Missing Peace isn't for you.
KOI: Who has influenced you most when it comes to how you approach your work?
Melanie: I am a huge fan of the late Dr. Wayne Dyer. Another heavy influencer is Eckhart Tolle, who wrote the Power of Now. But I think the most powerful book I've ever read, which shifted the way I live my life and how I see myself and my power (which you equally have), is The Impersonal Life, by Joseph Benner.
KOI: What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success to, and why?
Melanie: I am a triple-A personality who LOVES creating rituals in my life. The most important rituals occur within the first 60 minutes after I wake up. They are 100% responsible for my mindset and how I show up in the world. I've been doing these for the past nine years (told you I was triple-A :))
They are:
11 minutes of meditation.
Writing in my journal.
Keeping a gratitude and "good things" journal: I write 3 things I'm grateful for today and 3 good things that happened yesterday.
Reading for about 20 minutes from an uplifting book.
Drinking 24 ounces of water with a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice.
Taking my supplements.
KOI: Where can our followers purchase your book?
Melanie: Right here
KOI: Can our followers find you on social media? If so - where?
Melanie: I'm big on Facebook- they can friend me (I have nothing to hide 😀) or go to my public page: MissingPeaceBook
KOI: JUST FOR FUN
1. If you could only eat one item for every meal for the rest of your life, what would it be? I know this is going to sound totally geeky, but I would choose greens. My body literally craves them! A close second (equally geeky) is roasted Brussels sprouts with sea salt.
2. If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which would you pick?
Insight Meditation Timer; Podcast; Music app.
3. What book are you reading now?
I'm actually reading four:
Tao: The Watercourse Way by Alan Watts
Life and Teachings of the Masters of the Far East by Baird Spalding
Change Your Thoughts-Change Your Life: Living the Wisdom of the Tao by Wayne Dyer
A Course in Miracles