One regular Monday afternoon, Melissa found herself in a meeting with a manager from a top IT company. Little did she know, it would turn into a lesson on sales. Although short, Melissa found this to be the easiest conversation that she had had, and it taught her an invaluable lesson on the importance of relaxing, connecting and understanding. Thus began Melissa’s journey to becoming a passionate advocate for the art of sales. Some would even say transitioning from a “sales hater to a sales lover”

Melissa started her entrepreneurial journey back in 2012. She noticed that there weren’t many successful entrepreneurial role models yet, but more and more young people were taking the leap to start a business. Ambitious people who realized that the corporate world just wasn’t for them.

One person who had a huge impact on Melissa’s journey was the writer and podcaster Tim Ferris. His book motivated her to take a dive into the world of entrepreneurship, and by doing so choosing a lifestyle that would fit her needs. His podcast, The Tim Ferriss show, and the recommended books became her go-to resources.

A funny twist happened last summer in 2023 when Melissa had a classic “don't meet your idol” moment when she met Tim Ferris at a business conference in Amsterdam. In this moment it hit her that she had outgrown his view, which mostly focuses on optimizing your life, without feeling part of society as a whole.

One speaker who resonated with Melissa at this conference was Rutger Bregman. He said “there are a lot of ambitious people without ideals, and a lot of idealists without the right ambition”. Melissa realized that her mission is to help idealists in businesses acquire the essential sales skills that their not-so-idealistic counterparts wield. Her goal is clear: lets secure leads and deals, but for the right reasons!

Personal growth and development has been part of Melissa’s entrepreneurial journey since the start. She’s a bit of a “junky” when it comes to personal development. For example, she attended ISTA, which felt like a major initiation into personal power. Also family Constellations played a crucial role in breaking down hidden barriers allowing her to step into the flow of creation, thus being more capable of expressing her creativity. Melissa discovered practical benefits through truffle ceremonies and ayahuasca and additionally therapy played a pivotal role for her. Helping her clean up hidden programming and address bothersome tendencies that she no longer needed.

In the world of business coaching, there is a trend towards creating high-end offers, but Melissa questions its true value for clients, especially when dealing with companies. She believes in providing offers that meet the clients’ actual needs, placing an emphasis on quality over pricing. For her success in consultancy relies heavily on building a strong network, something that can be achieved through the simplicity of countless coffee meetings.

Her “Hippie” sales script places an importance on understanding clients and sharing perspectives before diving into the service. In doing so creating a no-nonsense, pragmatic and realistic approach.

Melissa is also a relationship coach. While being a sales coach and a relationship coach are very different they both rely heavily on effective communication. In couples coaching, Melissa navigates the balance of fostering a safe space for open dialogue for her clients to share their thoughts and feelings. While in sales coaching she adopts a more straightforward approach telling her clients exactly what they aren’t doing right. Melissa loves both roles so much, and it’s a unique juggling act, but she revels in the joy that it both brings.

Melissa brings more than 15 years of facilitation experience to her new position as a facilitator at the Trainers, Coaches and Consultants Retreat in Portugal this May. She sees a retreat where everyone is given a blank canvas to work with, enabling them to connect with their mission and vision in an honest way. Melissa promises a complete journey that combines professional insights, personal development, and strategic support. The retreat invites participants to embrace their mission.

Outside of Melissa’s professional life, she shares her world with her 4-year-old son, who serves as her anchor teaching her patience and the art of being present. She loves all her time with him even if he is annoyingly slow at putting his shoes on or eating a sandwich right before they need to leave for school. Partnered with her son’s father for over 14 years, their living room has become a haven for guitar sessions and singing. As a family they love playing nerdy board games and embark on camper adventures year round.

Melissa is also a huge bookworm enjoying both non-fictional reads in the morning and fiction. A recent read of Melissa’s has been The Signature of All Things by Elisabeth Gilbert that left her in awe with its sheer beauty

Melissa’s legacy is to accelerate the transitions that we as society, especially organizations need to make. This involves coaching consultants and trainers in the fields of innovation, sustainability, and organizational change on how to be smart in sales. She wants to provide people the tools they need to make a lasting impression and successfully navigate the business world.