I have never felt so safe to be my most imperfect, raw, and authentic self than I have in my sessions with Mel. In the beginning of our time together, I used to CRINGE watching and hearing myself speak in our session recordings. Now I find so much beauty in my confusion, my stutters, my inability to always find the right words: my humanity. Our deep connection has led me to so many breakthroughs and epiphanies. She’s not only gifted me with the space to be brave enough to share my process with her wholeheartedly, but she’s inspired me to be even more open to being able to create that space for myself. There are dreams buried inside of me that have been dying to come out. Unwritten stories that have been so resistant of touching the page and being brought into existence. Thank you for helping me resurrect the parts of myself that I didn’t even realize had died. Thank you for always reminding me to be gentle with myself. Thank you for always giving me a soft place to land. - Valerie Roxas (1:1 mentorship client)
“I used to allow my thoughts to drive me and I can now take a step back and let it sit. I am able to give myself grace, accept how i’m feeling, and from there know how to proceed. I felt so supported and seen. Mel and I flowed well together and because it never felt forceful, I was able to express myself more fully. She never told me what to do or how to think, she always guided me to find the answers for myself, and not what she perceived them to be. I feel empowered to think for myself and trust myself more deeply. It was so easy to open up to her, to trust her and allow her to guide me. I felt like I could totally be my whole self, I didn’t ever have to be performative.” - Marianne Ameneses (1:1 mentorship client)
“I was intentional in seeking AAPI women to work with in my own healing journey. I was seeking mentors that looked like me and could understand the narrative of being a daughter of immigrants/refugees. Mel was such an important expander, someone who has things that you want to manifest (materialistic or characteristic). Mel’s compassion, tenderness and softness is something that I really wanted to embody and not be ashamed of. I felt so seen. Mel does a great job at creating a safe space for me to be brave and not be judged. A space to come as I am, with all the complexities of who I am, and really be me. Mel made it a responsibility and duty to create a bi-directional space to feel equal. There was no hierarchy of power.” - Frances Fu (1:1 mentorship client)
“Mel brings humor into a process that sometimes feels daunting. It’s scary to commit to and face yourself, and just do the work, but to have someone like Mel that’s gone through it herself and is kind and compassionate is a blessing. When womxn of color step into their power there is no stopping us. Invest in yourself, in your community and love yourself for who you are.” - Deborah Rumbo (1:1 mentorship client)
“I reached out to Mel because I wanted to hone in and learn more about myself, in the emotional sense. Mel helped me gain a better understanding of myself and my emotions. I am a very sensitive person and love to cry- and I am now able to accept myself for who I am. She made me realize that I can use this deep sensitivity to its potential and connect with myself and others on a deep level. I felt so supported and seen. Mel was able to help me work through what I thought were negative thoughts, to help me understand myself better and eventually in a more positive light. Because I was able to better understand myself, my current relationships have improved and I know that it will help future generations as well as helping to heal past generational trauma. What I really loved about the mentorship program was that our Filipino culture was incorporated and infused-ex: lighting guava leaves, connecting with healed ancestors, writing down and discussing dreams. I have to admit that I am still in the infant stages of learning about my culture and heritage, but this has been a great stepping stone in wanting to heal ancestral trauma as well as helping future generations.” - Jasmine Agito (1:1 mentorship client)
“Mel helped me to open up more and not be afraid to speak my truth in order to step into my highest self. She always listened without judgement. I am able to sit with myself and my thoughts and enjoy my own company. I learned what my own boundaries are. I learned how to be ok with saying no. Mel was there for me and so supportive the entire time. I was really closed off before and more of a listener, but now im able to have genuine conversations and allow myself to open up, and in doing so others open up to me more as well. I am able to be more present. I always thought more in the future and not being in the moment or being grateful for what I had currently. I never learned about my ancestors before and Mel helped me see the gifts that our ancestors have given us. If you’re thinking about working with Mel, just do it! It is so worth it. Trust yourself in choosing this and in being supported.” - Nikki Concepcion (1:1 mentorship client)
“In working with Mel, I feel like I am returning to who I used to be, and feeling grounded in who I am deep down under all the conditioning. Mel is able to practice her culture even without living on the homeland which is hard for many of us. She found a way to bridge modern life and ancestral power. I felt like I internalized and inherited a lot of the self hatred of being Filipina from the generation before me because of colonization. I resonated with Mel and the call that she felt in connecting to our culture as Filipina’s, in its purest form. It’s also helped intergenerationally- in healing my mom’s idea of being Filipina as well. I appreciated the energy she brought to each session. She provided an environment that felt safe and grounded. I never felt like she was pretending to have all the answers. She trusted that I knew the answers but just needed the guidance. When I decided to invest in this program, Mel actually helped me move through blockages that were keeping me from asking for a raise. In working with her, I was able to stand in my power and now I am making the most money I’ve ever made in my life. Mel helped me honor my needs and boundaries both in work and in my personal life.” - Chloe Babauta (1:1 mentorship client)
“Melissa Barayang is not only beautiful on the outside but so beautiful on the inside. I had a session, but was delaying and putting it on the back burner as I tend to do when it comes to my own mental health. When speaking to her I had no idea what to expect, but went in with an open heart. We had some deep rooted conversations and I was able to be in tune with my younger self, like I never imagined before. Groundbreaking session! Thank you so much Melissa! I will be sure to book my next session soon! If you are hesitating, don’t! Just sign up!” - Marissa Ayala (1:1 client)
This group offering was heaven-sent to me on my budding healing journey. I had felt called to join due to the strong, loving presence of my paternal grandmother, as well as a general deep longing to understand more of where I/we come from. Immediately upon joining the container and sharing space with Mel and the group, I felt an incredibly powerful synergy being unearthed. The connection was between me and each person who answered the call to join the container, and also so clearly between the spirit world and earth realm. Mel's sweet, intentional package came in handy immediately as I began to spill my thoughts and feelings into the journals through drawings and notes from the evening of the opening ceremony until long after the container closed. This offering softened my heart toward masculine ancestors, having me face and heal wounds around the masculine while illuminating the wholeness of my ancestral lineage's experience. I also felt the emerging gifts within me become unlocked and unveiled through a more profound understanding of my/our ancestral history from the Philippines; and through shared storytelling, gentle guided meditations, and invocations. My life continues to shift even months later and I could not be more grateful to Mel and her ancestors for paving the way for many of us to have the courage to reclaim our true birthrights of an authentic and insatiably joyful, restful, purposeful life. Thank you.- Katrina Alaia (group program client)
As I was just starting on my journey in connecting with my ancestors, I knew I needed some guidance because I didn’t know what it looked like going forward. When I found my way to Dahan Dahan (Where We Come From), I knew it was my next step. It turned out to be exactly what I needed and wanted. But what I found through 3 months of weekly gatherings with beautiful kapwa on a similar path, was that my journey doesn’t have to look any certain way. Everyone’s path, pace and relationship to everything around us is so different. The key was having the space and wonderful guidance (so mindfully created by Mel) to be able to listen and connect, first and foremost, with myself, in order to hear/see/feel/sense the messages I am meant to receive, and in order to truly honor my softness and strength. It was an indescribable experience and although our container is complete, I still feel like Mel will always be there, rooting for me in spirit. I hope to join a future container one day soon! - Victoria Ingram (group program client)
Prior to Dahan Dahan, I felt so lost and disconnected from myself. Moving through life just as a ghost, a shell of a body. Through this beautiful container that we built, I was taken on a journey filled with so much sisterhood, love, ease, and tenderness. I left this program a more embodied and powerful woman, rooted in knowing and tending to my inner child, and filled with the strength and wisdom passed down from all the women who have come before me. Dahan Dahan will change you in ways you didn’t know you needed, brushing off the dust of all these beautiful parts of yourself that have laid dormant for too long. & now I have been awakened! - Mariah Manibusan (group program client)
I worked with Mel in a 1:1 mentorship for 4 months and witnessed deep spiritual expansion and healing. I sought out support at a time where I was feeling a lack of joy and probably depression, and wanted to get back my excitement for creativity and community gatherings. And she helped guide me back to remembering my most aligned self, it's surreal to look back at journal prompts of the person I was at the start of working together. I was led to exciting poetry workshops, inspired to enroll in a photography course, reconnected with old friends, claimed ownership of my higher job title, and stepped up into new passion projects.
I appreciated that Mel was available in between sessions through a texting app for additional encouragement and guidance. I also had access to our recorded sessions for future reference along with pre-recorded meditations as another tool to add to my practice. She was receptive to my learning style and curated intuitive, spirit-expanding journal prompts and questions to work through. Every ritual or question is always an optional invitation, but the work I put in really determined the change I aimed for. Healing and spiritual expansion had challenging, charged emotions, but Mel was such a grounding rock to lean on and was an incredible mirror to reflect back observations of my growth. Mel has a wonderful balance in our sessions of profound revelations with light-hearted fun, as if we've known each other for a while. I always felt comfortable, safe, and brave to open up with any inquiries that came up. I'm grateful that she reminded me at the end of our time working together that I don't need anyone or anything else for my healing practice — I always have my most aligned self and healed, elevated ancestors within me. I just need to listen within. - Isabel Bagsik (1:1 mentorship client)