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Unwrap You with Coach Melody owner Melody McClellan has worked with the Illinois Small Business Development Center (SBDC) for the Metro East at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville and Director Jo Ann DiMaggio May since 2015 to grow her passion for health and wellness.

Based in O'Fallon, Illinois, Coach Melody’s goal is to educate and improve health outcomes. She creates and implements corporate wellness programs, develops personalized workshops, facilitates challenges and workshops, and is a dynamic speaker. Her programs engage all ages in a variety of topics related to health and wellness.

Since founding Unwrap You, LLC in 2013, Coach Melody has transformed well over 3,000 lives, including adults and youth.

The SBDC has assisted Coach Melody with business strategy, refining her niche market, and making valuable connections.

“I absolutely love working with Jo Ann,” McClellan said. “She is extremely responsive and always makes herself available to offer guidance and support. She follows through.”

“Coach Melody is a true inspiration and is driven to help others reach their goals,” said DiMaggio May.  “She incorporates her teachings into how she approaches her business every day. She is highly motivated and works hard to make her business grow. I look forward to seeing what 2020 and the future brings for Unwrap You with Coach Melody.”

Unwrap You places a focus on wellness for companies, youth and individuals. She creates and implements programs focusing on educating, changing mindset and behaviors, and allowing people to stress less and live a more practical way.

“Individual’s lives will not change without lifestyle change,” McClellan said.

The workplace wellness program focuses on decreasing stress and boosting employee engagement, both of which studies have shown to help companies. The youth division focuses on empowering sixth grade to college age students and educating them on nutrition, self-care, body image and other valuable skills to help build positive self-esteem.  

Furthermore, she has recently incorporated her work into local school districts, corporations and universities.

Coach Melody has more than 18 years of experience in the health field, with specific focuses on weight management, obesity, cholesterol and diabetes. She has seen people suffer and always wanted to do more by giving individuals a plan focusing on lifestyle changes and not just medication.

Using herself as an example, Coach Melody practices what she teaches. As a dedicated employee a few years ago, she was stressed and failed to take enough time for herself. Now, she encourages people to make themselves a priority, starting with 30 minutes daily.  

Her goal is to help people manage life situations by stressing less, learning their triggers and understanding how to boost energy.

Coach Melody is a published author of Unwrap the New You Interactive Wellness Journal and Ohhmazing Wellness. In October, she traveled to Washington, D.C. to launch her third collaborative book, Releasing the Superwoman Mentality.

Coach Melody gives back through her annual Family Fun 3K Walk to Fight Childhood Obesity. Last September was the third annual event that focused on the entire family and community. The idea came to her in 2014 after going to Missouri for walks and not seeing events on the Illinois side. She set a goal to change the narrative and it is now growing annually.

She also recently taught Nutrition 101 to a community health system in St. Louis, instructing more than 300 individuals on how to prepare for the holidays.

Coach Melody also offers an online program, the 21-Day shape up, on her website. The course focuses on learning practical ways to create lifestyle change and alter health outcomes.

In addition, through her interactive wellness journal, she gives clients the blueprint to success by helping them build a wellness plan based on goals and accountability. Clients are able to journal, track their weight and eating habits, and are provided with daily motivations, including meditation and mindfulness.

Coach Melody is accepting participants for her 2020 New Decade New You 21-Day Challenge. The program begins Saturday, Jan. 4, and spaces are limited.

As 2020 nears, Coach Melody looks forward to growth and opportunity as people will begin taking the New Year to focus on themselves. She plans to build a larger online presence, travel more and spread wellness around the world.

For more information, visit unwrapyou.com, Facebook, Instagram @coachmelody, LinkedIn and YouTube at Coach Melody.

The Illinois SBDC for the Metro East assists start-up ventures like Unwrap You with Coach Melody as well as existing businesses headquartered in the nine-county region of Calhoun, Jersey, Madison, Bond, Clinton, St. Clair, Washington, Monroe and Randolph. It is funded in part through a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Small Business Administration, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and SIUE as a service to Illinois small businesses.

By aiding entrepreneurs and companies in defining their path to success, the SBDC network positively impacts the Metro East by strengthening the business community, creating and retaining new jobs and encouraging new investment. It enhances the region’s economic interests by providing one-stop assistance to individuals by means of counseling, training, research and advocacy for new ventures and existing small businesses. When appropriate, the SBDC strives to affiliate its ties to the region to support the goals and objectives of both the SIUE School of Business and the University at large.

To learn about the SBDC, contact theIL SBDC for the Metro East at SIUE at 618-650-2929.

Photo: Unwrap You with Coach Melody owner Melody McClellan.