Meet Melanie

Melanie A. Nix, triple negative breast cancer survivor, uses her endowments as a storyteller, coach, and celebrator to bring joy and fulfillment to the lives of everyone she touches.  The chief visionary of Diagnosis to Destiny, she shares lessons she learned surviving cancer that can pave the road from diagnosis to destiny.

Transformational Speaker and Resilience Coach 

Storyteller

Melanie is a multimedia storyteller who uses a variety of media to share her uplifting and inspiring story as well as deliver illuminating messages.  On stage, she is the quintessential storyteller whose candor and strength are hallmarks of her timeless messages about managing change, reconstruction, and resilience.  Behind the lens, she captures stories of hope and advocacy.  On paper, her pen and her pad paved the road to healing as she penned her manifesto, Soul of a Survivor.  She is the cofounder of Breast Cancer Comfort Site.  In addition to her dedicated social media following, she has been profiled by several media outlets including CURE Magazine and earned invitations to the Obama White House and Biden Vice President’s Residence.

A carrier of the BRCA1 genetic mutation and fifth generation cancer patient, as a health advocate she weaves her story throughout her advocacy, has been a spokesperson for international advocacy organizations, and is a member of health councils and boards.  Her late mother was her first and most consequential cancer survivor role model and health advocate.  She polished her public speaking skills during her 15+ year corporate career and holds an MBA from the Robert H. Smith School of Business – University of Maryland, College Park and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia.

Coach

A corporate sabbatical, cancer diagnosis and subsequent layoff after a return to corporate were the seismic events that provided Melanie with a license…to live on her own terms and would ultimately ignite her resilience coaching.  Moving forward, she became a post cancer distance runner whose #Exercising4MyLife campaign highlights the health and wellness benefits of running.  A fan of pushing boundaries, she promotes a healthy balance between living for the moment and preparing for the future.

Celebrator

Melanie has endured a life changing cancer experience in every decade of her life beginning at age eight with her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, her mother’s recurrences and ultimate death and Melanie’s own triple negative breast cancer diagnosis at 38. She appreciates every moment and is a celebrator of life and milestones big and small.  A movie and music lover, she enjoys travel and appreciates the serenity of being oceanside.  Melanie resides in the Washington, DC area with her favorite celebration crew, husband, Raymond: son, Carter; and daughter, Kennedy.  Blessed with a fun-loving family and over a decade of survival, she continues to buck conformity and live unapologetically with lots of champagne toasts…because she can!

Speaking and Media Highlights

Videos and Public Service Announcements

Television

Radio

  • WURD Philadelphia
  • WQUE New Orleans
  • WYLD New Orleans
  • Black Radio Network
  • KKVI Texas
  • News Mississippi Network
  • American Urban Radio Network
  • SiriusXM
  • WTOP Radio
  • African Views Radio
  • Extraordinary Life Radio

Magazines/New sites/Periodicals/Medical Journals and Reports

Publications and Creative Works

Health and Wellness Advocacy

Fitness Highlights - #EXERCISING4MYLIFE Campaign

Learn more about #EXERCISING4MYLIFE.

Distance Running

  • Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile Run – 2016 and 2018
  • Army Ten Miler – 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021
  • Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon – 2014

Walking

  • 2015 and 2014 Ukrop’s Monument Avenue 10k fundraiser for Virginia Commonwealth University Massey Cancer Center

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