About
Melissa Parsons
Recovering perfectionist, people pleaser, and control enthusiast
When I think back to the person that I was before 2018, I don't even recognize her. In the very best way possible, so much of my life has changed since then. Why? It sounds simple, but that doesn’t mean it was easy: I changed the way I think.
My name is Melissa Parsons. I’ve struggled with my weight for my entire adult life. The irony is, otherwise, I’ve gone through life with virtual ease. I’ve been very successful in my career as a pediatrician in Columbus, Ohio for the past 20 years. Prior to that, I was in the honors college at my undergraduate university and was salutatorian of my high school class. I was a perfectionist who had not only succeeded but excelled, in nearly every aspect of my life. I married my incredible husband Jon in 1999 after finishing medical school and have enjoyed a wonderful partnership raising our almost-grown sons together. I have a circle of lifelong friends and a caring family, all of whom would probably describe me as strong, confident, and – let’s be honest – a bit irreverent. Few people would describe me as someone who didn’t have it all figured out.
That is what you would see on the outside, but looking in, the problem – as I saw it – was that I made a living as a scientist and medical doctor, yet I hadn’t yet figured out how to optimize my own body and health. I approached weight loss entirely scientifically and scoffed at anything having to do with weight management solutions that existed outside of traditional medicine. One question consumed me: If I’m such a good doctor, why aren’t I at a healthy weight?
Like so many people, I had tried it all (or so I thought). As with any diet that does not involve changing the way you think, the diets I tried would work while I was actively on them and then stop working as soon as I was “done” with them. DUH! It wasn’t until I found life coaching in December of 2017 by listening to a podcast by Katrina Ubell, M.D., that my life changed. Shortly after finding her podcast, I took the leap and joined her coaching group as a student, which is the first time I invested in my life through coaching. It was the best decision I ever made. I decided to go all-in on myself and be open to approaching weight loss through thought work and a tool called “The Thought Model,” developed and championed by one of my mentors and founder of The Life Coach School, Brooke Castillo. It turned out that after all my experience as a dieter and physician, The Thought Model and coaching had been the missing pieces for me. Having a coach is like having a best friend who called me out on my ridiculousness in as loving a way possible. My investment in coaching resulted in finally getting rid of 50 pounds of excess baggage on my body. The most amazing part? I’ve now gained some of the weight back, and I truly love my body, just as it is, for the first time in 49 years.
My coaching story didn’t end there, though. Once I realized that working with a weight loss coach was so un-fucking-believable and changed my most important relationship (the one I have with myself) for the better, I decided that I never wanted to be without a coach in other areas of my life too. I hired another coach to work on my next most important relationship: my (already-great) marriage. In doing so, I learned that something doesn’t have to be “broken” to improve it beyond measure. I hired Maggie Reyes as a marriage coach, and Jon and I have a stronger bond than we could have ever imagined. He is my sexy bestie!
With a new relationship with myself and my body and the marriage of my dreams, I knew I could apply coaching principles centered around The Thought Model to up-level any aspect of my life. I began making very conscious choices to change virtually everything that I didn’t enjoy about my life. This is not to say that my life is better than anyone else’s; it is only to say that I am curating it to be exactly what I want, based on my thoughts that generate my feelings on a daily basis. These feelings help me take action to create the exact results I want.
Having been a doctor for more than 20 years, it’s in my nature to want to help and heal, so the next logical step for me was to enroll in The Life Coach School’s Coach Certification Program and start my coaching program that incorporates all of the tools and experience I have, together with the compassion and sauciness with which I’m associated. What does this mean for you? You have the opportunity to be a part of a coaching program unlike any other. If you’re ready to go all-in on yourself, the way I was at the end of 2017, I’m beyond excited to guide you on that path. So what do you say… are you ready?
Because I believe that the very best investment I can ever make is in my brain - the investment with the highest return, always - I have taken my coaching practice to an even deeper and more advanced level by becoming a certified Advanced Deep Dive Coach under the tutelage of the amazing Bev Aron in spring 2022, and am participating now in a year-long trauma certification called "Nurturing the Heart with the Brain in Mind" with the incredible Bonnie Badenoch. It is one of my values to be a life-long learner, and I don't see this changing anytime soon!
I have a podcast called "Your Favorite You". I love to share my thoughts with all of you on a weekly basis in a podcast format. Listening to the podcast, which is available on every podcast platform, is a great way to see that I am the coach you want to work with. Please take a listen if you have not already!