about melissa


Melissa Schwartz helps Highly Sensitive Families and Adults master their emotions, set healthy boundaries (within themselves and with others) and embrace their capacity for deep empathy.

She draws on both her extensive professional training and deep personal experience to support hundreds of highly sensitive families on 6 continents. Melissa is an author, public speaker, transformational coach, the co-founder of Leading Edge Parenting and an internationally respected expert in the field of Highly Sensitive Children. She is the co-author of “Authentic Parenting Power” and “Rico the Race Car: Rico’s Bumpy Week“.

As three time host for The Shift Networkā€™s ā€œSensitives, Intuitives and Empaths Summitā€, Melissa has taught over 250,000 people how to reparent their inner highly sensitive child, to identify (and heal) their core wounds and why trauma may be more intense for sensitive people than others.

Melissa and her family (including highly sensitive dog, Maggie, and flock of chickens) live in Southern California. She is a Stanford University alumna and a graduate of the University of Massachusetts at Amherst.

ā—ˆ VULNERABLE SHARE:

I used to hate my emotions and wished I wasn't so sensitive.

For YEARS it seemed like my emotions were feeling me.

My thoughts were runaway trains.

Old stories played on a loop.

Who I was wasn't ok, and yet it's who I was.

I was in a losing battle against myself.

I was turning to weed and wine to relax and unwind, to lubricate social interactions and to distract myself from the anxiety and discomfort I hadnā€™t yet moved through.

But then I made a really big decision. A decision that required me to be willing to do some of the hardest work of my life. I decided to become FULLY present to all my emotions, especially the uncomfortable ones Iā€™d do anything to avoid.

And my life changed.

I discovered I LOVE my emotions.

ALL of my emotions!! Even shame, regret and anger.

I learned to understand the language they speak.

My world changed in the most miraculous ways!

Things I'd dreamed of began manifesting.

I met and married my husband, became a step-mom, bought a house, adopted a puppy and chickens and published a second book.

I also became a certified Reiki practitioner, unearthed and healed old traumas in EMDR therapy and embodied self-regulating practices to take the reins of my nervous system.

I made peace with myself.

I befriended my emotions.

I stepped into my power.

Sometimes growing into who-weā€™re-meant-to-be comes with criticism and judgement, even from those who claim to love us most. But that's no reason to hold ourselves backā€” caring what other people think can be paralyzing and stop us from being our most authentic selves.

In the depths of my soul I know we came to this earth school to move through the discomforts and self-imposed barriers that keep us small.

Are you tired of playing small?

Do you want to live your big, audacious life?

I'm here to love and support you on this journey as you befriend yourself and your emotions.

XO, Melissa