Dr. Melanie McNally, LLC

10/12/2025

I wish I could fully explain what it is I love about mushing. Part of it is the lifestyle: how the mushers are living a life according to their own passion and values and have no interest in what the rest of the world thinks about them. They’re not getting famous or rich, and many of them live completely off the grid. That alone makes it attractive to me.

Another part is the connection with the dogs: the mushers are so attuned and compassionate towards their dogs, it would shock many people. The dogs always come first, and the mushers know each of their dogs’ unique personalities better than most parents know their own children.

I also love the connection to nature. So much of the lifestyle involves being outdoors. As one musher told me, “there’s no such thing as bad weather, just bad gear.”

And another part that I love is how there are so many bad ass women who mush. The sport is filled with women and they are hard-core. They’ll talk about losing their favorite blade on the trail, ask you how many pounds your hammer can nail, and rip out a fence post with their bare hands. They know how to handle themselves in any situation, don’t mince words, and make demands unapologetically. The world needs more women like this.

The dry land mushing event was filled with people on scooters, bikes, ATVs, and rigs specially designed for this. I volunteered as a handler and got to hold back dogs on the line who were amped up and ready to go until it was time to let them loose. I also was able to meet up with Captain’s old team and fill them in on how he’s doing as a retired sled dog. And while I doubt I will ever be on any sort of rig attached to a dog, I sure love being an outsider looking in.

10/06/2025

I’ve been too busy to do much writing lately, but I couldn’t resist getting this one in print.

10/01/2025

RIP Jane Goodall. You showed the world how to lead with integrity, the importance of having a purpose, and how we all have a part to play in the well-being of the planet. All creatures, large and small, thank you.

09/26/2025

I’ve been intentionally spending less time online and more time on my health and in-person connections. My recent trip to Austin reminded me how grounding that choice can be. Three days filled with meals and mocktails with friends, coffees with clients, and an annual summit with a circle of women entrepreneurs and founders I’ve known for years. Connections so meaningful that I cried the moment I saw them.

I didn’t capture a single photo of these moments. The only images I brought back are from an early morning walk on my last day, when I came across three abandoned dogs in urgent need of help. What followed was a spontaneous rescue effort that pulled strangers together into a team-neighbors, passersby, and even a 12-year-old girl who gently led the dogs to safety until the rescue group arrived.

That morning reminded me how quickly people can unite when there is a clear need right in front of them. It also reminded me of the importance of focusing on what’s truly important in the world. Helping all living creatures in need. The dogs are now in foster care, receiving the medical attention and love they need before being adopted. If you’d like to support the rescue, You can find them online at jackjackspack.org.

09/26/2025

08/30/2025

The last few weeks up north have been bliss. Just us, the animals, and the perfectly changing weather. Oh and there’s been some berry picking and baby bear s**t hand measuring as well.

08/21/2025

We have a hyperactive dog named Bambi, and I often joke about writing a children’s book called Bambi Ruins Everything. In the story, Bambi tears through a little girl’s life—shredding her favorite toys, scaring her friends away with his jumping and barking, and creating chaos in every room.

But by the end, the girl realizes that Bambi never ruined anything. He made her more flexible, more resilient, and more capable of loving even in the mess.

That’s how growth often shows up. It feels inconvenient, disruptive, and overwhelming in the moment. But over time, we see how it strengthens us in ways we never expected.

That’s the work of coaching, too. Creating space for the mess and helping you recognize how much capacity you already have.

If you’ve been craving a reset, I’m offering TRAIL Reset sessions—a chance to recalibrate how you’re leading yourself right now. Just click the link in my bio.

08/20/2025

Over coffee last week, I was telling a friend about the years I lived in San Francisco in my twenties. Until then, I thought life followed a set trajectory, and if you missed the right boxes along the way you’d failed. But San Francisco cracked that belief wide open. I saw people living in every possible way, building lives that didn’t look like anyone else’s map, and it changed how I understood possibility.

As we talked, my friend pointed out how much I carried that lesson forward—splitting time between two places I love, traveling in my RV, creating a way of living that reflects what matters to me instead of a script handed down.

That conversation reminded me why I coach. Perspective shifts like these are what open people up to their own choices, to ways of leading themselves that feel alive and true. Sometimes it only takes one new angle, one conversation, for the rules you thought were fixed to loosen, and for a different version of your life to come into view.

08/19/2025

When my client "Sarah" downloaded the TRAIL™ Superguide, she was in the middle of what looked like success from the outside—her business was growing, her kids were thriving, and she was the one everyone leaned on. Inside, though, she felt brittle. She woke up every morning already carrying the weight of the day, and by the time she got home at night, she had nothing left for herself.

She had tried all the usual routes: therapy, journaling, productivity tools. None of them addressed the exhaustion she felt in her body, or the constant pressure to keep performing. The Superguide gave her something different. It showed her how to return to her own presence, one pillar at a time—Trust in her own decisions, Regulation of her nervous system, Attunement to what she actually needed, Intentional Rest that didn’t leave her guilty, and Leadership that felt steady rather than strained.

Within weeks, she noticed the shift. She stopped reacting from urgency and started moving with more clarity. She delegated with confidence instead of hesitation. She even found herself breathing differently in the middle of a packed day. The Superguide became less of a resource she skimmed and more of a compass she carried.

If you’ve been wondering how to step off the cycle of holding it all together while quietly running on empty, the TRAIL™ Superguide can be your first step back to steadiness.

Download here →

You’re holding it together on the outside.But on the inside, you’re exhausted. The TRAIL™ Superguide is your way back when the weight of holding it all together feels too heavy and the whisper inside says, I can’t keep doing this. It’s the steady reset that helps you lead yourself with cal...

08/16/2025

With school starting for many and clients needing to take a week off to adjust, I have some openings in my schedule next week! If you've been struggling with an issue, let's talk.

My TRAIL Reset sessions are designed to be a one-and-done recalibration—90 minutes to help you get clear, calm, and back in alignment with what matters most. You’ll leave with practical tools from the TRAIL™ framework (Trust, Regulation, Attunement, Intentional Rest, Leadership) that you can put into action immediately.

I have 2 spots available next week for women or teens who want to reset before fall gets busier.

08/14/2025

Most parents I work with aren’t “helicopters.” They’re exhausted.

Because they’re holding the entire system together—schedules, homework, missing water bottles, emotional meltdowns—and wondering why their brilliant kid still can’t follow through.

It’s not a motivation problem. It’s a systems and executive functioning problem.

And you don’t have to solve it alone.

This fall, I’m launching The Executive Function Trail—a 10-month group experience for families who want to build steadier routines, shared responsibility, and self-leadership (for both parents and teens).

🧠 Monthly parent coaching calls
🎯 Monthly skills-based sessions for tweens/teens
⚙️ Optional private coaching add-ons
🌲 Grounded in the TRAIL™ Framework (Trust, Regulation, Attunement, Intentional Rest, Leadership)

Early bird pricing ends August 15 and we start in September.

If this school year needs a reset, I’d love to walk the trail with you. Book a free consult below so we can see if this group is a good fit for you and your family.

This free consultation is to discuss your needs (or the needs of your adolescent) so we can decide if coaching is the right fit.

08/10/2025

Words cannot begin to describe how incredible this year’s American Psychological Association’s annual conference has been. Truly mind blowing. From learning more about the research on menopause to hearing the top leaders in our country talk about using psychology to navigate political toxic polarization and civil discourse to deep dives into the good and bad of AI. And I didn’t even mention getting to connect with colleagues from around the globe and meeting both the editor-in-chief and the CEO of the APA. This has truly been the best professional conference I’ve ever attended. I will be thinking about it and going over all the pages of notes that I took and reshaping my coaching practice in the weeks and months to come.

I need to add how much I love this profession. The APA makes clear that as psychologists, we need to speak up for marginalized communities, we need to use our skills to make this world better for everyone, we need to be inclusive in every possible way, and we need to stand up for what’s right, even if it’s inconvenient or uncomfortable. I am so grateful to be part of a profession that values integrity above all else.