Empowering You to Feel Well, Move Well, and Live With Real Energy
You don’t have to live exhausted, inflamed, or out of rhythm with your own body.I help women, athletes, and high-performing professionals understand their physiology, prevent burnout, and build sustainable energy through functional nutrition, nervous system support, and recovery-focused lifestyle design.
HI! I’M MELI
MScN, CNS, LDN, Dip. IOPN, CPT
Functional Wellness & Performance Nutritionist · Integrative Resilience Practitioner · Movement Educator
I’m a trauma-aware functional nutritionist and movement educator dedicated to helping people rebuild energy capacity, not just manage symptoms. I blend science, somatic awareness, and practical strategy so you can understand what your body is telling you and respond with clarity, rather than confusion.
My approach is rooted in systems thinking:
How do we support your metabolism, hormones, nervous system, and recovery in a way that makes everyday life feel doable again?
That’s the question that guides everything I create.
For over 20 years, I’ve worked across fitness, performance, corporate wellness, and clinical nutrition, supporting driven individuals who want to feel strong, capable, and connected to themselves again.
Beyond Nutrition: My Life in Movement
Before I was a clinician, I was a movement educator.
I’ve taught 600+ classes and workshops, led programs for major fitness brands, choreographed for global events, and coached athletes across ages and levels.
Movement is still one of my core tools for regulation, connection, and performance, whether in the dance studio or on the field.
Certifications and Licenses
Why I Do This Work:
I’ve spent more than two decades in the fitness and wellness world helping people push, perform, and achieve, but I've also seen how easily drive can turn into exhaustion, burnout, and feeling disconnected from one's own body. Many women, athletes, and high performers don’t need more discipline; they need support, recovery, and a system that honors their physiology.
I do this work because I believe in prevention, not crisis management. I believe women deserve better guidance through hormonal changes. I believe athletes deserve support beyond training plans. And I believe anyone can rebuild their energy, clarity, and confidence when they understand how their body truly works.
My Approach to Health
My work blends functional nutrition, movement science, and nervous system regulation into one cohesive system designed around you. Instead of isolated fixes or cookie-cutter plans, I examine how your hormones, metabolism, digestion, stress response, and lifestyle interact and develop strategies that support your entire physiology.
I use functional labs, metabolic markers, movement patterns, and stress-load insights to understand what your body needs today and what it will need in the future. From there, we create a preventative, personalized roadmap that includes nutrition, recovery, supplementation, and habits that support long-term health and resilience.
This approach helps you feel better now while building the energy, clarity, and longevity you want for years to come.
My Core Focus Areas
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WOMEN'S METABOLIC & HORMONAL OPTIMIZATION
Support for pre-, peri-, and post-menopause to improve metabolism, energy, mood, glucose balance, thyroid/adrenal function, inflammation, and longevity.
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PERFORMANCE NUTRITION FOR ACTIVE BODIES
Fueling, recovery, movement strategy, and stress-load management for athletes, active women, and high performers.
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STRESS, FATIGUE & THE BIOLOGY OF TRAUMA
Gut-brain support, resilience-building, chronic fatigue, burnout, nervous system dysregulation, and integrative recovery.
Projects
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Performance Nutrition & Athlete Programming
From Savannah Clovers FC to SCAD Athletics and youth development programs, Meli provides performance nutrition education and fueling workshops to help athletes understand how to train, eat, and recover with purpose.
Her work bridges science and real-world practice empowering the next generation of athletes to build strength, resilience, and confidence through proper nutrition and stress regulation. -
![A smiling woman in a blue tank top pointing to the word 'BOLD' on her shirt, with a blue background and text including her name 'Melissa Kirkwood' and the title 'Bold Trainer'.]()
Bold: Wellness for Active Aging
Featuring on-demand and live movement classes, functional nutrition support, and practical resources for longevity, like healthy eating blogs and podcast episodes designed to keep you strong, energized, and empowered through every stage of life.
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Zumba®
For over 8 years, I led choreography creation, on-demand video content, and instructor trainings for Zumba®, including presenting at the world’s largest fitness conference. I helped bring over 600+ routines to life, impacting more than 5,000 ZIN™ members worldwide.
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Corporate Wellness Programming
Led fitness classes, healthy lifestyle talks, workshops, and on-demand education for companies like Google, Apple, Amazon, Kaiser Permanente, SCAD, and more. Focused on energizing teams, boosting productivity, and creating a culture of well-being in the workplace.
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![Woman performing a plank exercise with a dumbbell on her shoulder and a medicine ball under her foot in a gym with red lighting.]()
Fitness Coach & Educator
Over 19 years of experience coaching for top fitness brands like Equinox, Crunch, 24 Hour Fitness, Uforia Studios, and Orangetheory. Roles have spanned from instructor to program designer and manager, blending movement science with real-world experience to lead impactful, high-energy classes.
Fun Things About Me
Mom to Blueberry the Havanese
Introvert who teaches movement like an extrovert
Deeply inspired by rhythm, physiology, and human potential
The happiest when creating, learning, or helping someone feel like themselves again
