We recently had the chance to connect with Melba Payan and have shared our conversation below.
Melba , it’s always a pleasure to learn from you and your journey. Let’s start with a bit of a warmup: What makes you lose track of time—and find yourself again?
For me, it’s rolling out my mat in the quiet of the morning, letting each breath slow me down and guide me back home to myself. It’s dancing barefoot in my living room, moving without thought or judgment, feeling every beat ripple through my body and shake loose the tension I didn’t even realize I was holding. It’s getting completely lost in a book. It’s wandering somewhere unfamiliar, letting the streets, the landscapes, and the unexpected encounters remind me just how vast and full of possibility life really is. These are the moments that quietly anchor me, that pull me back to center, and remind me of who I truly am
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m a Somatic Success Coach, retreat leader, and yoga instructor, and I help high-achieving women create a life that feels as good as it looks on paper. I guide them to reconnect with their bodies, their intuition, and their inner wisdom so they can move through life with more ease, confidence, and presence. My work is all about creating space for women to release the constant pressure to do more, achieve more, and perform, and instead tune into what truly nourishes them—body, mind, and soul. Through coaching, intentional retreats, and yoga, I guide women to step out of stress and overwhelm and step into their own power, reclaiming their energy and rediscovering joy, clarity, and purpose. What makes my approach unique is that it combines practical success strategies, mindset tools, and deep somatic awareness, so transformation is not just something you think about; it is something you feel, experience, and embody. I also create intentional experiences and communities where women can explore their inner landscapes, honor their growth, and celebrate their evolution. Everything I do is designed to help women remember that they are already whole, capable, and deserving of a life that lights them up from the inside out.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What part of you has served its purpose and must now be released?
The part of me that was always trying to prove myself to everyone else has run its course. For years, I measured my worth by what I did, how I performed, and whether others approved. I can still feel the weight of it, the tightness in my chest that kept me running even when I was exhausted. Lately, I’m letting that go. I’m learning to trust my own instincts, listen to what my body and heart truly need, and make choices that feel right for me instead of anyone else. It doesn’t mean I’ve stopped taking action or striving, because moving forward is still important. But now I do it from a place of alignment and curiosity rather than a need to prove myself. I’m choosing presence, peace, and joy over constant striving and external approval.
What did suffering teach you that success never could?
What a great question. Suffering has taught me lessons that success never could. It taught me resilience, the kind that comes from facing challenges I did not choose and learning to keep moving even when everything inside me wanted to stop. It taught me radical self-acceptance, to rewrite the old stories I have carried about myself, release judgment, and embrace who I truly am. And it taught me radical responsibility, showing me that I am the creator of my own life. What I choose to focus on is what expands. I have learned to choose healing, to move forward, and to intentionally become a better version of myself. Suffering has shown me how to step fully into my own power, to trust myself, and to live with presence, purpose, and intention. Success can bring achievement, but suffering teaches you how to endure, evolve, and show up as your truest self.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What important truth do very few people agree with you on?
One important truth I hold that very few people seem to agree with me on is that your energy is what truly makes you beautiful, not what you do on the outside. It is not the clothes you wear, the makeup you put on, or the achievements you list that define your presence. It is the way you carry yourself, the way you show up in your life, and the authenticity and vitality you bring into a room. When your energy is aligned, grounded, and full, everything else simply reflects it. True beauty comes from the inside, from the life you live and the light you bring to it.
Okay, we’ve made it essentially to the end. One last question before you go. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
I love this question too because this is something I learned deeply through my yoga practice. If I laid down my name, my roles, and my possessions, what would remain is the essence of me, my awareness, my breath, my curiosity, and the quiet knowing of who I am at my core. What would remain is the self that is infinite and changeless, a self that is not trying to do or achieve. It is a self full of love, unity, peace, connection, hope, joy, honesty, freedom, courage, strength, resilience, worthiness, enoughness, and happiness. What would remain is the part of me that has witnessed life’s highs and lows, that has learned, grown, and healed. It is the part that feels, loves, and creates without needing recognition or validation. Stripped of everything else, what remains is the truth of me, whole and enough just as I am.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.melbaamalieyoga.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/melbaamalieyoga
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melbaamalieyoga
Image Credits
Katya Vilchyk Photography
Good Studio Co.
