Melissa Holman graduated from ACHS in 2018 with a Certificate in Aromatherapy. After doing aromatherapy consultations for two years under the business name Aromatic Remedies, she is now expanding her repertoire with holistic health and life coaching! Melissa lives in Guam and is currently the only aromatherapist living on the island, to the best of her knowledge.
Melissa's new business, Lemon Balm Coaching, will still include aromatherapy but also so much more.
"I’m rebranding into Lemon Balm Coaching and the Aromatic Remedies website is going to fade away next year," she says. Her new website will have a tab specifically for aromatic consultations, and clients will also receive a box of blends when they sign on with Melissa. "I’m very excited because I’ve come up with some proprietary blends for my coaching clients," Melissa says.
Discovering aromatherapy
Melissa's mother was a certified aromatherapist back in the 1990s through a mail correspondence program, and this exposed her to the concept of aromatherapy at a young age.
However, it wasn't until more recently that she became increasingly interested. Around the time that multi-level marketing companies began to sell essential oils and became popular where Melissa was living, she wanted to learn more. "Because of my mom’s training, I knew that what they were telling me wasn’t 100 percent," she says.
Online education experience
Melissa describes her experience choosing ACHS: "Throughout the years I had tried to go back to college many times and every time I tried to go back to school the door was slammed shut in my face. When I found ACHS, I just enquired and it was like the door swung wide open for me to walk through. And that’s the first time I’ve had that experience with secondary education."
Melissa explains that the last time she went to college was when she was in the military, and at that point, it was all in-person learning. Going back to college in her mid-40's, she says that one of her fears was going back to school after such a long time away.
However, once Melissa explained her situation to the professors and support staff at ACHS, she says they were "very accommodating and everyone really made it possible for my transition back into school to go very smoothly."
What's in a name?
Through her business Aromatic Remedies, Melissa offered aromatherapy consultations but always found herself diving deeper in her sessions. She realized that she wanted to help clients find the root cause of their problems and work with them on an ongoing basis to create positive habits. So, she decided to expand her business into Lemon Balm Coaching.
The botanical name for Lemon Balm is Melissa Officinalis, which is part of the reason that Melissa chose this name for her coaching business. The other reason, she says, is because of the properties of this amazing plant. "It’s really beautiful for antidepressant properties, hypotensive, sedative, tonic, and it’s great for the heart especially during times of bereavement," she says.
What does a health coach do?
Melissa explains that health and life coaches focus on habit change:
"We all think we can do it and we all manage to do it for a short period of time, and then we fall back into our old patterns. So the reason I think it’s super beneficial to work for a coach is number one, that coach is holding a space for you. The coach is holding that safe space for you and offering assistance or advice when you need it, and they do it in a way that is non-judgemental. So you know the information you’re receiving is coming from a place of genuine care."
Melissa's new website for Lemon Balm Coaching just launched this week, and you can explore it by clicking here. You can also follow Lemon Balm Coaching on Instagram and Facebook and YouTube.
Disclosure of Material Connection: I am the social media coordinator for the American College of Healthcare Sciences, the Institution that publishes this blog. However, all opinions are my own. This blog may contain affiliate links. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
This article is for informational purposes only. It is not intended to treat, diagnose, cure, or prevent disease. This article has not been reviewed by the FDA. Always consult with your primary care physician or naturopathic doctor before making any significant changes to your health and wellness routine.
About American College of Healthcare Sciences
American College founded in 1978, is a fully online accredited institute of higher education specializing in holistic health. Based in Portland, OR; our goal is to make research-driven and science-based holistic health education taught by industry-leading experts accessible to anyone anywhere while still giving students a hands-on experiential learning experience like a traditional college and a strong sense of community, school pride and student bond.
This commitment to our students and graduates reflects in our current survey results that reflect 98% of our students would recommend ACHS to a friend or family member.
We believe education is the most powerful tool for changing an individual and the world around us.
When a person enrolls as ACHS, it is vitally important that they graduate with tools they need to forge their own holistic and sustainable missions, build up their communities confidently and changing the face of healthcare with knowledge.
