About
Melissa Schenker
As a college student, I had an epiphany: People who are unhappy at work bring that unhappiness home, spreading it to those around them.
I realized that if I could help people improve their work lives, I could make a meaningful impact in the world.
Once that idea took hold, I was hooked. Supporting people to create more satisfying work lives has been the central theme of my professional life ever since.
Professional Credentials
Work & Clients
At first, I focused on improving workplaces, but I soon realized that I am far more effective when engaging in deep conversations with people about where they’ve been and where they want to go.
Since shifting to focus on supporting individual clients, I’ve helped people change jobs and careers, redefine their relationship to their work, retool relationships at work, launch new endeavors, approach retirement and navigate life with renewed capacity and wisdom.
Clients tell me that working with me can seem like therapy but with a strong focus on work and its place in life. It’s different from therapy in that there is more attention placed on practical matters and daily life, while drawing out and addressing hidden issues that hold people back. While many clients initially come to me with work-related issues, our conversations cover a wide spectrum and often delve deeply into personal growth—because work is just one piece of a full life. Many clients are referred by therapists because my approach complements traditional therapy. It’s also well-suited for individuals who meditate or practice mindfulness, offering a space to explore purpose, deepen emotional awareness, and grow the capacity for a more fulfilling life through embodied self-awareness.
I launched Work/Life in 1996, and since then have helped hundreds of clients retool their lives and their work. I’ve seen clients transform a job they hated into one they loved, leave toxic workplaces, process bad experiences, and find relief from anxiety, procrastination and overwhelm.
Education & Training
I’ve crafted my education and training into a coaching practice that draws on my ability to see the big picture and to navigate a person through the details to create a future based in authenticity and aligned with one’s essence. I’m interested in systems, in how humans work, and how systems and humans interact and impact each other.
I’ve worked in the public and private sectors and have been on boards in the nonprofit world. I hold a degree in Economics from the University of Texas at Austin and an MBA from MIT’s Sloan School of Management. I also completed a yearlong leadership program focused on the complexities of public policy, during which I was exposed to a diverse range of experiences—from working with a union and a government agency to collaborating on political campaigns, including doing research for a presidential candidate.
Specializations
A core interest that has shaped my skill set is exploring how large scale traumatic events shape individual lives. My father, a Holocaust survivor who arrived in the U.S. at age 19 (after the end of the war), inspired a lifelong curiosity in me about the impact of trauma on families and communities. This exploration has led me to study the nature of trauma, emotional regulation, and the healing process—both experientially and academically.
Through these interests, I developed a niche expertise in the practical aspects of living and working with narcissists (early theorists posited that narcissism was due to a form of developmental trauma; more recent science indicates it’s in the genes). Along with therapist Tina Moody, I co-wrote a book called Sweet Relief From the Everyday Narcissist, a guide for those on the receiving end of narcissistic behavior. At the time, most literature on narcissism focused on the narcissist themselves. We wanted to create a resource that was accessible and practical for anyone navigating such relationships. Today, our insights still resonate, as neuroscience and trauma research continue to expand our understanding of narcissism.
I’ve been fortunate to train with some of the most intriguing teachers of our time. Since getting an MBA, all my training has been focused on our embodied emotional landscape and neuroscience. My early training in Hakomi Therapy with Ron Kurtz – a body centered Loving Kindness based approach – shaped my ability to listen deeply. Next, I trained with Dick Schwartz as he began to introduce Internal Family Systems (IFS) ideas, learning techniques for helping clients resolve internal conflicts. I’ve also explored Interpersonal Neurobiology, an interdisciplinary approach to understanding relationships and the mind, pioneered by Dan Siegel.
In parallel, I’ve maintained a meditation practice influenced by the teachings of Thich Nhat Hanh, Zen Buddhism, and Tibetan Buddhism. I’m currently training with Thomas Hübl to facilitate healing of individual, ancestral, and collective trauma, and studying with Loch Kelly to become a teacher of awake awareness rooted in the Tibetan Dzogchen tradition. I’m also participating in a training offered by MIT Professor Otto Scharmer called, “Leading from the Emerging Future.” Some of the sources of my training are linked below.
This diverse range of influences informs my holistic approach to coaching, allowing me to help clients not only address professional challenges but also cultivate a greater sense of well-being and resilience in all areas of life.
Certifications
Training and certification in a unified somatic approach to EMDR therapy to address and repair the psychological and physiological effects of trauma. When brought together these two cutting-edge modalities help process traumatic memories and reduce emotional distress, while reconnecting with the body and restoring a sense of safety and agency. In fact, according to Trauma expert Bessel van der Kolk, Somatic Therapy and EMDR Therapy are considered the best approaches for the treatment of trauma.
Timeless Wisdom Training (TWT) is a 2-year process designed to help you build relational capacities and learn practical skills, methods, and frameworks that you can apply in your professional field of expertise and bring into your daily life.
As clinical treatment, IFS has been rated effective for improving general functioning and well-being. In addition, it has been rated promising for improving each of phobia, panic, and generalized anxiety disorders and symptoms; physical health conditions and symptoms; personal resilience/self-concept; and depression and depressive symptoms.
Daniel J. Siegel, M.D. is a pioneer in the field called interpersonal neurobiology (The Developing Mind, 1999) which seeks the similar patterns that arise from separate approaches to knowledge. This interdisciplinary approach invites all branches of science and other ways of knowing Dr Dan Siegel – Interpersonal Neurobiology to come together and find the common principles from within their often disparate approaches to understanding human experience.