Melanie Peña, FMCHC, MPH

WHO I AMI’m a California Bay Area native, public health career professional. I worked for decades in the area of reproductive and maternal health and justice internationally. I became intrigued about functional “root cause” medicine through my own health journey, interest in nutrition, and as a “food is medicine” enthusiast. I have been in the health and wellness space for decades and have previously worked as a massage therapist, volunteer birth doula, and health educator. I seek balance through family time, yoga, hiking, biking, swimming, paddling, roller skating and a good power walk. I love to conjure meals and cook with friends, and geek out on batch cooking. I enjoy mixing aromatherapy potions, drying herbs harvested from my garden, and playing with my cats.WHAT I OFFERSpend some quality time with yourself (and me!) to explore and advance your vision for health. I accompany you on self-discovery and goal-setting with mindful exploration and conversation. We can work on any priority health issues across the life span and topics that affect our health (career, parenting, caregiving, stress in general). We will have 5 meetings online weekly or biweekly, and you decide what to focus on in between sessions. My mission is to support you to gain insight and confidence to pursue and attain your health goals.WHAT HEALTH COACHES DO AND WHAT THEY DON’T DOHealth coaches work with clients to evaluate their health priorities and take actions toward change; determine first steps, short- and long-term goals; explore and address challenges to reaching goals; and support the iterative process that strengthens self-efficacy. Coaches can share evidence-based information and resources and offer tools for self-reflection as related to lifestyle and behavior change (such as food, movement, sleep). Health coaches do not provide nutritional counseling, medical advice, or provide psychological counseling or therapy.