Community Highlights: Meet Melanie Bourassa of Movement By Melanie

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Bourassa.

Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My story begins in 9th grade as a shy girl who lacked the self confidence to walk home from high school by herself.

My friend tells me that she can’t walk home with me tomorrow because she is going to a meeting to learn about the new Athletic Training program. Rather than risk the utter embarrassment of a teenager walking alone, I accompany my friend to the meeting. Then, since I hadn’t learned the word “no” yet, I signed up to become an Athletic Trainer!

Thus sparked the next 3 years where I was catapulted into the world of rehabilitating injured athletes, anatomy classes, and spending my weekends in physical therapy clinics. Athletic Training became my LIFE.

In college I studied the sciences and became immersed in the outdoor culture. I became a rock climbing instructor, wilderness guide, and yoga teacher.

Teaching yoga and fitness became a side hustle until the recession when everything changed. The job market vanished for entry level employees such as myself, leaving me to wonder, “what should I do NOW?”

I took an inventory of my passions and started making a plan on how I could turn yoga and fitness into a career. I went back to school, started collecting certifications, and began taking on personal training clients. I never looked back.

Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I believe in the proverb, “Fall seven times, stand up eight”. I have failed A LOT. I’ve poured my heart and soul into programs that haven’t sold. I’ve moved cities and had to rebuild my business from scratch. I have suffered uncertainty and self-doubt. However, every time I failed I treated it as a learning opportunity and tried something different until I reached success.

The biggest struggle in my career was the pandemic (of course). That was not a good time to be working in a gym! Yet, while many people were spending lockdown binging netflix, I was teaching myself how to build an online fitness business. I got on Zoom, I created an app, and I said YES to every opportunity to put myself out there on the internet. Even after the gym went back to “normal”, my online programs continued to be a major part of my business!

Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Movement By Melanie?
My company is called Movement by Melanie and we focus on creating an active lifestyle based on movement and mindfulness. Lifting weights is important. So is going on a walk in nature. So is stretching. So is meditating. It’s all connected.

I want people to integrate fitness into their daily lives. If someone asks you to do a strenuous activity tomorrow, I want your body to be ready for it. That means we work on correcting muscular imbalances, rehabilitating injuries, and continuing to push your body one teeny step at a time.

Nothing makes me happier than a client in her 70s talking about being the only one of her friends who can crawl on the ground with her grandkids. Or another client who is planning to spend his 80th birthday climbing mountains. My clients range from age 15-83, each with their own specialized program set to reach their own unique goals.

Training online has given me the opportunity to work with clients whose busy schedules don’t allow them to meet in person, as well as clients in other states and countries!

For in-person training, I conduct the majority of my business at Bay Club Carmel Valley (come find me and say hi!). I am one of the coach-level Personal Trainers and I teach yoga and meditation classes. I also run a book club… at a gym. I call it “exercising your mind”. 😉

For online training, I have an app where you can follow videos of exercises in a program that is specifically designed for YOU. We meet over the phone or Zoom and discuss your current fitness level and what goals you want to reach. Then I create the program for you. You log-on and poof! There’s your workout! The specialized programs allow for limitless in-app communication with me.

Also, every season I launch an online program that is open to everyone! This summer I’m launching a “Summer Shred” weight-lifting program on the app, with includes 4 weight-training workouts per week designed to make you feel and look strong for the summer. This fall I’m launching a 20-day Meditation Challenge. Keep a lookout for these programs and the future ones!

Visit me at movementbymelanie.com to find out more!

Do you any memories from childhood that you can share with us?
I was 3 months old the first time I went camping. Although my “memory” of that trip comes from photographs, it’s a glimpse into my childhood. Weekends and summers spent hiking, camping, and exploring the great outdoors. I believe those experiences led me on the path to become the hiker, climber, rower, paddler, and explorer I am today! This year I’m doing a 52 Hike Challenge. That’s 52 unique hikes (no repeats!) and I’m stoked!

Contact Info:

• Website: movementbymelanie.com
• Instagram: instagram.com/movementbymelanie
• Youtube: www.youtube.com/@movementbymelanie

Image Credits
Laura Costa Photography