“As a coach myself, I've worked with and been trained by over 20 other coaches. Melinda is easily one of the best and most talented I've had the privilege of working with.”

I started working with Melinda right after leaving an 8 year relationship with my ex-fiance, and it was the hardest thing I've ever done. It was like mourning an actual death. Working with Melinda was a core support system that carried me through the toughest moments of my grief. Melinda has a gift for holding space and reverence for grief to unfold in its own divine way. She trusted me to find my own answers, even in the darkest moments where I felt utterly lost, she never lost faith in my own inner wisdom and greatness. As a coach myself, I've worked with and been trained by over 20 other coaches. Melinda is easily one of the best and most talented I've had the privilege of working with. I truly don't know what I would have done without her gentle guidance and fierce compassion. She helped me see that there is nothing to do with grief except honor it, say "yes" to it, and lovingly witness it. It's unearthed a new level of intimacy in my relationship with myself, and something I now bring even more deeply to my own clients. I will always recommend to her anyone and everyone experiencing grief.

Ivy M., New York & Mexico City

“[Melinda] is gifted in helping me recognize the things that hold me back from achieving my greatest potential and helping me envision things I never thought possible for myself.”

It’s been a little over a year now since I’ve been working with my life coach, Melinda. Melinda sees who I really am, witnesses me on my journey, and helps me transform my strengths into ways of being. She is gifted in helping me recognize the things that hold me back from achieving my greatest potential and helping me envision things I never thought possible for myself. Through working with her, I’ve gained a much deeper understanding of who I am and have become so much clearer on what I want to manifest in my life. Without being able to articulate that integral knowledge for myself, I wouldn’t have been able to take deliberate steps towards making my dreams a reality. One of the things she helped me with early on was strengthening the relationships important to me, which was essential to my overall success because I had the support of everyone I wanted around me, especially through the challenges I inevitably faced.

Since working with Melinda in the last year, I have achieved three major milestones. First, I co-founded a tech company with 4 incredible people I admire, to do the design work I love that helps people. Second, co-founding that company created an opportunity for me to work remotely so I could finally move back home to Hawaii to be with my family while still being able to purse my career. At one point in my life I thought I wouldn’t be able to return home until I retire. She coached me through two extremely difficult transitions in my life while I was pushing to achieve those milestones: exiting the previous company I was working for and healing after a divorce from a toxic relationship. Third, I became very intentional with a vision of the person I want to become in a new relationship and the kind of person I would like to become my partner. Then I met the man of my dreams just a couple of months later and we created a beautiful relationship together.

I feel like I’m reaching my potential regularly but am still making incremental improvements along the way. I believe that investing in increasing my inner awareness so that I can live deliberately and move intentionally towards my life’s purpose is the most important thing I ever started doing for myself.

Mahalo Melinda for being my mirror, my witness, and my guide.

Diana K., Hawaii & New York

Melinda served as my coach for 6 months and she is phenomenal.  What makes Melinda phenomenal is her ability to ask questions which allowed me to go deeper and really get to the source of an issue and then find a solution.  One of the ways she embodies coaching is her nonjudgmental and loving approach. Throughout the coaching relationship it was apparent she was co-partnering with me and served as an advocate for my continued success. Melinda brings a thoughtful and intentional presence to coaching, and I’m grateful for the experience of having worked with her. 

Beverly B., California 

“I don’t know that I’d be standing or that I would be able to navigate my loss with any form of grace if it were not for Melinda’s grief coaching.”

This group [Rising] has given me a safe space to evolve and be true to myself on this crazy, emotional rollercoaster. As a coach, I am a huge proponent of working with other coaches because we can’t see ourselves, but I’m also highly sensitive about whom I choose to work with. Not all coaches walk the walk. I’m happy to say that Melinda definitely does.

Diana B., Hawaii

“There is a magic that is created on calls with her, I can't explain it. I am forever changed by this woman.” 

I never understood the true power of a coaching/client relationship until I started working with Melinda. I came to Melinda because I wanted 1:1 support as I was building my own coaching business. I thought it would be great to have someone to hold me through the sticky situations that naturally come up as a coach. But our relationship became so much more about my coaching. In our work together, I got to see all the places in my life that were controlled by my scared inner child. Melinda gave that little girl space to be seen, to play, and space to grow up-- to become a woman. Melinda helped me cultivate a deep, mutually respectful relationship with money. She helped me connect with my inner artist. In our time together, I made so much art! I created events, I built a community, and I wrote and performed a one-woman show. She helped me connect with my desire for love and partnership. 

My time with Melinda is something I will always cherish. Every session was a true gift. She stood with me, guided me, asked the most enlightening questions and allowed my soul to speak in every session. There is a magic that is created on calls with her, I can't explain it. 

I am forever changed by this woman. 

Paige W., California

“To anyone looking to their journeying of healing around grief, I would say to 100000% percent reach out to Melinda for her services. Melinda’s intentionality in how she holds her grief sessions is so kind, beautiful, and unique.”

Before our work together, my grief was like water in an ocean I had no idea how to swim in. It was like I was drowning in it, the grief of my mom’s tragic passing had engulfed my life and I couldn’t find a way to get to the surface and breath. Every time I opened my eyes under the water, instead of seeing the beautiful amazing mother I grew up with, all I could see where images of her with the cancer that ended her life. All I could see was the immense pain she endured. It was horrible and I couldn’t escape it. 

I learned so much during this experience. I’ve learned that my grief is like a new relationship I have that I need to work at to ensure it’s healthy and not overtaking my life. Being aware and intentional about allowing my grief in and letting it guide me in how I may need to show up in a particular moment to heal has been in invaluable. 

Additionally, going into this experience, my grief was making me show up from a place of anger and learning that anger stems from many other emotions I am feeling has helped me in acknowledging the true emotions that are fueling my anger. This knowledge lets me show up better for my family and was exactly what I needed. 

Another tool that helped in re-shaping and re-envisioning my grief, is to be intentional in how I speak to and of my mom. The focus on gratitude to her has provided me the shift I deeply yearned for in my grief journey: to be able to focus on all the wonderful and amazing memories I have of my mom, rather than the negative ones focused on how her life ended. To reflect and provide gratitude to her for the ways her being shows up in my life today, especially around how I raise my kids, is a beautiful thing. It’s a tool I use everyday and it has helped immensely with my grief. 

Now, my grief is still like water in an ocean but I have a surfboard and I am riding the waves instead of drowning in them. My grief for my mom will always be a part of me but now I have the tools to help me stay afloat and live in harmony with my grief rather than being suffocated by it. Of course, there are times I get wiped out and the grief feels so much more immense - like when my babies do something new and I would love to show her but I am quickly reminded that she is no longer here. Those moments will come and go but, because of this experience, I know how to meet those moments and provide space for my grief. I was surprised by all the memories and thoughts that came up during my sessions when I allowed my grief in. Many things that I never have shared with anyone else. Having the opportunity to have my raw emotions and grief be witnessed was very healing and took a huge weight off of me. 

Also, having the opportunity to share so much about the woman my mom was, was so grounding and I just really loved being able to share her with someone who never met her.

To anyone looking to their journeying of healing around grief, I would say to 100000% percent reach out to Melinda for her services. Melinda’s intentionality  in how she holds her grief sessions is so kind, beautiful, and unique. She holds your memories and thoughts with so much care and understands the nuances of how grief shows up in our lives. She is able to weave a path to allow your grief to show up in whatever way it needs to for your healing. I’ve learned that having someone to witness your grief is so important and I am so grateful to Melinda for the space she creates for us to grieve in a truly life-changing way. 

What I would also say is that this work is really important and also really fucking hard. I sometimes would dread going to my sessions because they require you to open yourself to feeling your grief. The emotional labor it takes to meet your grief and pain head on is immense. You have to be in a space where you are ready and willing to allow yourself to feel what you need to because that is what will make this healing experience worth it. Although I dreaded attending sessions sometimes, at the end of them, I felt so much lighter and I learned how to grieve well. 

I have so much gratitude to you for nurturing the space for me to learn to grieve my mother well. I don’t think there are enough words to express how much this has affected my life. Thank you thank you thank you for allowing me to share my beautiful mom with you. I hope you know how this was possible only because of the beautiful way you show up and created space for me. Anyone who comes to you in their grief journey will be very lucky.

Magaly S., Washington

“I can honestly say that I’m in such a better place emotionally, spiritually, mentally. She took me to another level.”

Lester N., Texas

“I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to provide such empowerment, wisdom, understanding, dedication, and sincerity in such a journey.”

While one may use the saying “starting a new chapter in my life”, I can say I’m starting a new book and it’s so much better than what it was.  I have been gifted with a truly new lifestyle that entails a greater understanding of myself, a clear career path I’m excited for, living by my own standards, a better relationship with money, self-kindness, hope, and the feeling of there being so much possibility and potential for me.  These aspects were earned through sincere work on my part and Melinda’s. 

I have been quite a perfectionist, trying to be the very best role in any relationship I have... best daughter, worker, fiancé, or person.  To do so I acted in the way I was “supposed” to even if it was at the expense of myself. Ultimately, I have been granted a better perspective that helps me to recognize these moments as they happen, understand why I act in this way, stop the pattern, and extend self-kindness instead.  

I can definitely say that before going into this, I had my doubts wondering if it was worth investing in, feeling discomfort at the thought of even challenging my fears, and making myself vulnerable to another person.  However, I am truly grateful and glad to have chosen to accept Melinda’s help in making a difference in my life.  I couldn’t have asked for a better partner to provide such empowerment, wisdom, understanding, dedication, and sincerity in such a journey. I hope this reaches whoever maybe reading this well and wish you the very best.

Former Client Has Chosen to Stay Anonymous, Hawaii

“Melinda’s work with me has been life changing.”

Melinda’s work with me has been life changing. That may sound like a dramatic overstatement, but when I look back and see how far I’ve come since beginning coaching with her, things have changed in all spaces for the better. There are several important things to consider when you are being coached, and that begins with asking yourself how to improve upon your existing life and how to get out of your way so you can enjoy life for all it has to offer. Melinda definitely did a great job in helping me realize my self-imposed boundaries and moving them out of the way for truly transformative change in my life. I can attest to the fact that, she will work with you, no matter what your goal is and help you realize what you can do to achieve it. Melinda consistently looked at her own approaches to coaching and working with us in our partnership as well, and that desire to innovate and work to meet me at my level truly worked and made our partnership thrive. I highly recommend her coaching services.

Aman M., Oregon

“She [Melinda] is the passenger that guides, supports and empowers you on the road you take in your life journey.”

What I loved about my sessions with Melinda was that she allows you to be the driver in the sessions, and she is the passenger that guides, supports and empowers you on the road you take in your life journey. During my coaching sessions, I focused on four personal goals, and especially on my goal for wellbeing. By being able to feel good about myself, it helped me focus on the rest of my goals. Focusing on my own needs in my life is something that I needed to learn and practice. I learned to accept myself the way I am, to recognize that it’s okay to be wrong, to give myself permission to dream big, and to find the courage let my voice to be heard in my relationships.

One of the biggest take-aways from my sessions with Melinda was to understand my personal struggles and find ways to deal with them, so I can enjoy the present and be able to accomplish my life goals. Melinda, I am very grateful that you appeared in my life at the moment when I most needed someone to guide me to a brighter and happier path. Because of your encouragement and knowledge, I am able to find my own pathways in life. It was worth having Melinda as my coach, because without her help I would not have the tools that I now have to face the difficulties that arise in the future. You go girl, you have not only helped me to change but you are changing the world. Gracias.

Elpidia N., Nebraska

“Have you ever met someone and they’ve had such a deep impact on your life that you can’t quite find the words to describe it? That's what working with Melinda for this past year has been like.”

Melinda is a phenomenal coach to work with because of the space she holds for her clients. There isn’t anywhere she isn’t willing to explore with you while making you feel so seen, heard, and safe to lay everything out on the table to look at. She coached me around some really heavy topics and together we created lightness and ease around them. (Something I previously thought was impossible).

When I started working with her, there were many pieces of me that I kept hidden from even the closest people in my life or didn’t prioritize because of things like shame and fear of judgment. She partnered with me to create shifts in my life that has me living more authentically, fully expressed, and empowered to choose how life goes and make it so. From our time together, I’ve learned what loving myself first truly means and looks like so that I’m not just saying it, but living it too. 

Bri V., California

“You give people the greatest gift of their lives.”

You give people the greatest gift of their lives. There is no greater gift than empowering someone to love themselves and live authentically. You stared at life's greatest beauties and struggles alongside me. Working with you was the best chance I took.

When I first began working with Melinda I felt lost and directionless. Working with her helped me see my own worth, observe patterns of mine that limit my own happiness and best of all, she helped me fall in love with life again. I walked away knowing I have the power to give myself exactly what I want and marvel at life's beauty, while doing so. She holds space for folks who need to feel it all. I can't overemphasize how rare of a gift that is and how I truly believe that her line of work rewards folks with life's most beautiful lessons. She digs deep with her clients, having the bravery to bear witness to them facinh their deepest fears. She is truly an expert in her craft.

Hannah N., Oregon

My life would not be the same without being coached my Melinda Chinen.  I've experienced such an amazing transformation with 6 months of her coaching sessions.  She forced me to face my vulnerability while discovering my strengths.  Melinda guided me in finding the gifts that resided in my soul.  She helped me conquer a lot of fears and helped me understand the obstacles I allowed to control me.  After quite a lot of tears and breakthroughs, I felt my worth didn't have to depend on achievements.  My worth wasn't defined by what I did, but I was worthy just by being ME.  I highly recommend anyone who wants to experience more fulfillment in life to invest in Melinda.  You will not regret it and you will discover that you have everything it takes to achieve your dreams!

Karen G., Hawaii

“I can't recommend her enough.”

I came to Melinda during a transitional period in my life where I needed to take control and grow. She helped me work through a rough period as well as make and achieve goals related to money, my personal life, and a side business. Really, she empowered me to get out of my own way, to be uncomfortable and push myself towards who I want to be. I can't recommend her enough. She really has helped me grow these last 10 months and my self-commitment is on a path that I hope continues the rest of my life.

Jenee N., California

“I created a strong foundation of self-trust and a wealth of confidence in my ability to cope with new stress, anxiety, and the distress of my loved ones.”

[In the span of time I worked with Melinda], I created a strong foundation of self-trust and a wealth of confidence in my ability to cope with new stress, anxiety, and the distress of my loved ones. It is easier to ignore these problems, but this is nearly impossible when the problem is so intimately tied to you. It was so important for me to understand my role in my loved one’s life, and that's why I found through self-realization, and talking with my significant other. I was not their savior, I was their partner. Life coaching taught me to recognize when I was not being myself (when I was acting out of my survival mechanism), and to instead channel my essence when dealing with my problems. In doing so, I have realized that when I rely on or dip into my survival mechanisms, I ask questions I do not need the answer to, I miscommunicate my feelings, and I react poorly to the behavior of others. I’ve learned to trust my essence and will continue to explore it.

I will give myself much more credit for coming this far. I will focus less on the “have-nots” and more on the “haves”. I will continue to explore my own essence and find out what can be done when I just trust myself. I will be careful not to lean on anything I’ve learned as a crutch. I am walking away with a renewed sense of self-confidence, attunement to my own needs, and  a larger sense of trust in my own abilities!

Tyler Y., Hawaii

Wow I wish I could find enough words to accurately describe my experience with Melinda. Her kind, creative, and honest soul were always so quick to call me out on my bullshit from a place of so much love and compassion. I could tell she wanted me to grow just as much as I did. I struggled heavy with my own confidence and owning up to my own power and every week she helped me chip away at old patterns and beliefs I had about myself and the world so that I could stop being afraid to be as vulnerable with the world as I was in sessions with her. She fostered a place where I could learn to trust myself again and from that space was able to create and implement routines, structures, and schedules which started to balance out different assets of my life. Continuously overwhelmed by the many parts of myself and the desires that seem to exist in many different realms, the structures I created helped to recognize that ALL of those parts of me are worthy and valid places to be and now I find that I have not just the recognition of the value I see in all of those parts, but am finding the time to explore them all intentionally without overwhelm and feelings of "not enough-ness". I am grateful for the tools, insight, reflections, connection, and deep love that I gained from this experience to aid me as I continue navigating through this tricky life thing. If you're looking to move past perfectionism and people pleasing and learn how to love yourself and recognize the gifts you inherently have to offer into the world without apology... 15/10 recommend Melinda as your gal!

Sky S., California

“You are a blessing and I can say that you helped save my life.”

Melinda,

I can’t believe it has been 6 months since we started this journey. Time flies. But when I look back at all my journal entries, I see struggle and despair turn into more hope and happiness. I was in the drive through to Taco Time when I got a text from our mutual friend. She sent me a screenshot of your Facebook post about how life-coaching has changed your life and you wanted to do the same for others. I was desperate for change, desperate to get out of the cyclical thinking of death and hopelessness. I grabbed my taco time and headed home. Just before turning onto my street, I saw a body covered with a white sheet in the middle of the road surrounded by no one but the cops 12 feet away. I couldn’t eat my dinner, I had tears in my eyes thinking that would be me soon. With no one around me, but death.

But God didn’t give up on me. He sent me you, an angel, a light, to show me that I am worth living. I decided to take a leap of faith in myself and finances to face my demons, my laziness, my irresponsibility, my unlovable parts of myself by talking to you every week about them and learning to accept them. It wasn’t easy. I often felt resistance before talking to you. It’s hard to talk about the self-sabotage that is holding me back from my dreams. But as hard as it was, you gave me a safe space to speak them out and face them. You helped me surface my blocks and go beyond them each week with a more healed version of myself.

The biggest gift you’ve given me is a stronger mind — a more disciplined mind. And I thank you so much. I now I have the tools to go forward to manifest my dreams.

You are a blessing and I can say that you helped save my life. It’s hard for me to express love, but I love you sister.
Thank you for taking on my energy during our coaching sessions and transmuting it to light.

Tae M., Washington