My job, as a coach, is to offer you a place to talk things out and figure out what’s getting in your way, so you can trust yourself again and move forward. I call it a Return to Comfort because…

…You will know it when you feel it.

Melissa Baldino (she/her)

My Approach

Change—good or bad—can make us feel lost and uncomfortable. We can do all the right things, and life will still leave us feeling exhausted, stuck, enraged, and disconnected.

But discomfort can work like a messenger. It’s trying to get your attention long enough to ask: What is this discomfort trying to tell me? It’s an opportunity to get back to your own path—not the one others expect you to take.

My role is to partner with you in uncovering—or recovering—your internal compass, helping you navigate back to your own sense of purpose. It’s not always easy to find, but your comfort is your truth.

What is Coaching?

I view coaching as a practical conversation, full of great tools, that can get you back on track. Like a return to comfort, coaching will guide you back to where you truly belong.

Coaching is a future-focused partnership designed to let you (the client) lead. Remember, you get to decide what’s right for you.

In the method I am trained in, created by Martha Beck, coaching is defined as “a process in which we help clients connect with the inherent knowledge of their best lives and support them in creating those lives.”  

“A good life might not look at all the way we once imagined it. To find our one unique path, we often have to let go of expectations, of fears, of inherited rules, of society’s demands, of dreams manufactured for us.”

— Garance Dore

Why me?

I became a Wayfinder Life Coach after my world kept changing in my 40s. I was fired from what I thought was my dream job, rebuilt my career, experienced miscarriages and IVF, and lost my mother as I became a parent. I also navigated perimenopause and a few other challenges. All of this caused a major shift in me. Along the way, I worked with therapists, healers, and coaching master Martha Beck - and I learned a lot. As a coach, I draw on these experiences and my training to partner with others as they navigate their own unique paths.

My Resume (in Brief)

At 50, I spend much of my time looking after my 7- and 9-year-olds. Before becoming a Wayfinder Coach, I produced radio and TV for food media companies and co-founded Milk Street. I am half American, half Austrian, and currently reside in Cambridge, MA.

Book a Free Session

Free Discovery Session

A FREE half-hour session to cover:

What you are hoping to achieve through coaching?

Who am I? Are we a good fit?

Any outstanding questions and important details.

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Single Coaching Session

A one hour coaching session.

This can be scheduled after the initial Discovery Session. ($150)

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Five Session Package

5 one hour sessions that can be used within 3 months after the first appointment.

These can be scheduled after the initial Discovery Session. ($650)

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  • "From the earliest sessions with Melissa, I was able to implement meaningful changes in my life after years of stagnation. Juggling parenthood, a career in medicine, renovations, managing businesses, and caring for sick/aging family members - the pressure felt crippling. I was initially nervous that adding coaching might add to the burden, but Melissa makes the sessions feel effortless, and the progress I have made under her guidance has improved my life immensely. She efficiently zeroed in on the ways I could move toward the life I want, and I never imagined so much progress could be made with relatively little effort on my part. I am beyond grateful for Melissa’s compassion and expertise. I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t benefit from her coaching."

    Dr. Quinn C., Podiatric Physician/Surgeon

  • "I have been a consistent coach and colleague of Melissa Baldino’s for the past 15 years. Melissa embodies and embraces every important quality of human resilience, in her practice and every other aspect her life. I recommend her to you with great pleasure and without hesitation."

    Dr. Gina Higgins, Ed.D. Harvard University

    Licensed Psychologist, Harvard Medical School

    (Author, Resilient Adults: Overcoming a Cruel Past)

  • "I was in an extremely challenging and overwhelming situation – torn inside, full of doubt, and completely lost. Through Melissa, I felt truly seen and respected in my pain. She gave me stability again and again, reminded me of my worth, and helped me, step by step, to find my own way out of the crisis. In every moment, she found exactly the right words and gave me tools that I now carry with me into everyday life – tools that continue to support and guide me."

    Dr. Susanna H., Pediatrician and Pain Specialist

  • "Everything I’ve learned about working with people I’ve learned from Melissa. She has also coached me on my own objectives and goals—not just how to get what I want, but she has also helped me figure out what I want in the first place. I wouldn’t have had the success I’ve had without Melissa’s coaching."

    Annie S. - Executive Producer

  • "Melissa honors me — my idiosyncrasies, my neuroses, my attempts at navigating this often overwhelming world. And yet she can cut through all the quagmire and very astutely put me back on my path. She is practical, funny, spirited, and has a great sense of humor and taste! She will see you for who you are and then some. This is a gift."

    Jennifer C., Art Director & Photographer