ABOUT MELISSA
Why i coach
"I coach because performance without self-awareness eventually breaks down.
I’ve lived the cycle of discipline turning into rigidity, effort turning into burnout, and success losing its meaning. I know what it’s like when the tools that once worked no longer produce the same results.
My work is about helping people refine how they operate, not abandon what made them successful. Coaching creates the space to see more clearly, choose more deliberately, and lead with strength rather than force."
The full story
Melissa Simmons is the founder of Luminology and a high-performance coach who works with professionals and executives committed to meaningful, sustainable improvement in how they think, lead, and perform.
Her work sits at the intersection of leadership, behavior change, and embodied performance. Melissa helps high achievers move beyond brute force and rigid thinking toward clarity, resilience, and disciplined execution that actually lasts.
With over two decades of experience in leadership, coaching, and performance development, Melissa brings both strategic insight and lived experience to her work. She understands what it takes to operate at a high level and what happens when the very traits that once drove success begin to limit growth.
Her perspective
Melissa’s approach is shaped by service, discipline, and a deep respect for complexity.
She served eight years as a commissioned officer in the United States Marine Corps, where she learned firsthand what real leadership requires: responsibility, presence, and the ability to make decisions under pressure. During her service, she deployed overseas, earned an MBA at the Naval Postgraduate School, graduated as an Honor Graduate from the Marine Corps Supply School, and served as an aide-de-camp to a two-star General.
After transitioning out of the military, Melissa experienced what many high performers do: success on paper alongside burnout, rigidity, and diminishing returns. She served in various roles including project manager, two-time COO, founder, and entrepreneur. She found herself working harder without increasing results. The skills that once drove achievement no longer worked the same way. That period reshaped her understanding of performance, leadership, and growth.
Today, her work centers on helping clients evolve beyond outdated patterns without losing their edge.
How she works
Melissa’s coaching is strategic, practical, and deeply personalized. She works with a limited number of
clients in private engagements focused on:
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Sustainable behavior change
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Emotional regulation and decision-making under pressure
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Leadership presence and professional identity
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Translating insight into real-world action
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Building capacity without burnout
Her process integrates professional coaching assessments, reflective inquiry, and disciplined accountability, informed by years of working with leaders, entrepreneurs, and high-performing individuals.
Movement plays a central role in her work. Melissa believes physical training is not separate from leadership development, but one of the most effective laboratories for self-awareness, resilience, and regulation. For select clients, she integrates personal training into the coaching engagement to support energy, focus, and nervous system health.
Education & credentials
Melissa holds advanced degrees in leadership and business, grounding her work in both theory and application:
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M.S., Leadership & Change, St. Edward’s University
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MBA, Naval Postgraduate School
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B.A., Cultural Anthropology, University of Michigan
She is a trained Executive Coach through the Center for Executive Coaching and maintains extensive credentials in movement, strength, and performance training.
Beyond the work
Melissa is known for doing hard things, not as a badge of honor, but as a way to stay honest and grounded. She has completed a double marathon trail race, rowed one million meters on a Concept2 erg, and maintains a disciplined, minimalist approach to life and work.
She values simplicity, clarity, and intentional choice. Stoicism, minimalism, and movement inform both her personal philosophy and her coaching practice.
Her mission
Melissa’s work is rooted in one belief: there is always a choice.
Even in moments of pressure, uncertainty, or constraint, there is a way forward. Her role is to help high performers see those choices clearly, refine how they operate, and lead with strength and purpose rather than habit or force.