Hi! I'm Melani and it's nice to meet you!

For as long as I can remember, I have been interested in learning about people, understanding their cultures and their perspectives. This curiosity takes me back to my childhood, when my thirst for knowledge often led me to ask so many questions that I occasionally exasperated my parents!

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That curiosity has continued throughout my life and has taken me in many directions.

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Much of my professional journey has been grounded in nutrition and healthcare. As a Registered Dietitian, I have spent more than 25 years working in healthcare and helping people understand how food and nutrition can support health and wellbeing. My clinical experience taught me something that has remained important throughout my career: work with the person first. A diagnosis, challenge or circumstance is only one part of someone's story.

 

Over the years, my work expanded beyond individual clinical care into research, education, leadership, strategy, quality improvement and system-level work. I have worked with individuals, teams and organizations and have had opportunities to bring people together, develop practical solutions, navigate complexity and help translate ideas into meaningful action.

 

My MBA added another perspective to this work, strengthening my interest in organizations, leadership and how thoughtful ideas can be translated into sustainable change.

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Leadership and community have also been recurring threads throughout my life. Through professional roles, volunteer leadership, teaching, facilitation and community involvement, I have seen how much our relationships and environments can influence whether people feel supported, connected and able to contribute.

 

Expanding My Understanding of Nourishment

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Nutrition remains an important part of that understanding, but I have come to see nourishment as something broader than food alone. My learning and experiences have included Reiki and shamanism, as well as a longstanding interest in nature, creativity, music, reflection and different ways of understanding our relationships with ourselves, one another and the world around us.

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These different experiences do not give me all the answers. They have given me more questions and a deep appreciation for the value of continuing to learn, listen and remain curious.

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Bringing It Together

 

Altraim Solutions brings these different parts of my experience and curiosity together.

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I don't believe nourishment belongs to only one discipline or area of life. I am interested in exploring what helps people, communities and organizations to be nourished and sustained, what may get in the way, and how we can contribute to creating more nourishing environments for ourselves and one another.

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I bring evidence, professional and lived experience, reflection and practical wisdom to that exploration. I also remain a learner. Altraim will continue to evolve as I learn, listen, write, ask questions and put ideas into practice.

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A Little More About Me

 

In addition to my professional work, I am a wife, mom, daughter, sister, gardener, lover of nature and lifelong student of life.

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Music has also been an important part of my life. I have played and taught organ and piano, participated in and led choirs, studied voice and enjoyed many forms of dance. Creativity, music and the arts continue to influence how I experience and think about nourishment.

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I enjoy connecting with people, learning from them and sharing what I have learned in return. I find nourishment in nature, gardening, music, meaningful conversations, curiosity, learning and many of the ordinary moments of everyday life.

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My experiences—past, present and those still to come—continue to shape the work of Altraim Solutions.

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I look forward to learning, exploring and sharing with you.