Melanie A. Nix is a triple negative breast cancer survivor. From caregiver to patient, from breastfeeding to breast cancer, cancer can change your life in an instant. Melanie has endured a life changing cancer “instant” 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 when her son was four years old and her daughter was 19 months old. A carrier of the BRCA1 genetic mutation, she is a fifth-generation breast cancer patient.

Once inhibited by her surgical and treatment scars, she now proudly wears her scars as symbols of fortitude. Melanie is a transformational speaker and resilience coach. She is the cofounder of Breast Cancer Comfort Site and Chief Visionary of Diagnosis to Destiny. A masterful storyteller, her candor and strength are hallmarks of her timeless messages about survival and reconstruction. Melanie has written for different publications and been profiled by CURE Magazine and OZY and earned invitations to the Obama White House and Biden Vice President’s Residence.

Guided by her manifesto, she shares her transformational and empowering lessons for achieving dreams and moving from Diagnosis to Destiny. A movie and music lover, some of her top stress relievers, she is easily transported by uplifting lyrics, a soul stirring monologue or comforted by the humor of an irreverent comedy. She is a celebrator of life who loves to travel and enjoys the serenity of water. She became a post cancer distance runner whose #Exercising4MyLife campaign highlights the health and wellness benefits of running and offers lessons on training and discipline. Running is a core part of her daily routine and she considers restorative naps an imperative.

She serves as Chair of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Advisory Board and is a Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund board member. Melanie holds a Master of Business Administration from the Robert H. Smith School of Business – University of Maryland, College Park and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia. She resides with her husband, Raymond; son, Carter; and daughter, Kennedy.