Dr. Melanie McNally, LLC

Dr. Melanie McNally, LLC Clinical Psychologist and Brain Coach | White House Panelist | Author

A whole Lotta snow in the UP! Buried propane tanks, buried compost bins, but warm and cozy animals inside.
03/16/2026

A whole Lotta snow in the UP! Buried propane tanks, buried compost bins, but warm and cozy animals inside.

The epic blizzard has just begun in the UP and like Sean said, I enjoy preparing for it as much as the blizzard itself. ...
03/15/2026

The epic blizzard has just begun in the UP and like Sean said, I enjoy preparing for it as much as the blizzard itself. We missed the last one and then had to play catch up for 3 days afterwards. But we’re so ready for this one: stocked firewood and groceries and spare gas for the blowers. The only thing that isn’t up to par is our propane tank. It’s a bit lower than I would like since our generator goes through quite a bit if we lose power, which is very likely with the predicted winds of 60+mph. But we’re actively conserving propane now by using the wood stove for heat and heating our water on it as well. We’ll keep the furnace low for as long as possible and do minimal cooking with the oven.

The snow is really picking up now and it’s time to blow. Locals are having fun on the empty snowmobile trails and soon we’ll put on the snow shoes and go exploring. I ❤️ this so much!

When I talk about the connection between mushing and emotional intelligence, a lot of people look at me with confusion. ...
03/12/2026

When I talk about the connection between mushing and emotional intelligence, a lot of people look at me with confusion. But anyone who has spent time with mushers immediately gets it. These are people who are so self-aware that they trust themselves enough to recognize when something is off. They have to be able to self-regulate so well that they don’t cause chaos when they are surrounded by a pack of eager and excited dogs. And they have to be incredibly tuned in to their dogs and the trail conditions ahead so that they can protect the team from danger. It’s actually pretty remarkable. We can learn a lot from them.

Thinking of all the emotional intelligence going on at the Iditarod right now. (This picture is Sean and I with Captain’s musher Tom before he did a 200 mile race in the UP just a few weeks ago.)

I’ve had the opportunity to watch mushers lead their teams through the most unpredictable trails and shifting conditions...
03/12/2026

I’ve had the opportunity to watch mushers lead their teams through the most unpredictable trails and shifting conditions. One thing I’ve noticed over and over is that the best leaders share the same qualities. They are consistent, manage themselves well, and genuinely care for their team.

The mushers I admire lead with trust, steadiness, and a deep investment in their team’s well-being. And whether you’re leading a dog sled team, company, classroom, or family, those same qualities are what make people want to follow you.

Do any of these come naturally to you?

Burnout builds slowly in the gap between what you’re giving and what you’re allowing yourself to receive. The women I wo...
03/11/2026

Burnout builds slowly in the gap between what you’re giving and what you’re allowing yourself to receive.

The women I work with are some of the most capable, high-achieving people I know. They’ve built careers, familiars, and lives that require an enormous amount of stamina and emotional range. They also have a tendency to think that since they can do hard things well, they should also be able to keep doing them indefinitely without rest, boundaries, or ever putting themselves first.

This belief is the starting line of the burnout cycle.

The standard of success gets defined as excelling in every domain all at once. There are no boundaries, because there is always more to do. And everything that makes you who you are gets sidelined because there isn’t any time.

One day, you look up and realize you’ve lost the person you were before.

So how do you get out? It starts with building something more sustainable.

Maybe you can relate to this story… Jane is up late in her office scrolling through tomorrow’s packed calendar. As the C...
03/10/2026

Maybe you can relate to this story… Jane is up late in her office scrolling through tomorrow’s packed calendar. As the CEO of a fast-growing startup and a mother of two, her life is a relentless spring between boardrooms and bedtimes.

Lately, she feels an unsettling hollowness. The passion that once fueled her 90-hour workweeks has given way to chronic exhaustion and a creeping sense that she no longer recognizes the woman in the mirror.

Does her story sound familiar at all?

This story echoes the experiences of many high-achieving women I know. They are lauded as superstars, but behind closed doors, they battle emotional fatigue and a fading sense of self.

If this is you, I can help. Click the link in my bio to learn more about coaching. Together, we can map out a new definition of success, find your purpose and passion, develop a plan to recover, and set a new path.

As my calendar continues to fill up with people wanting psych testing done, I’ve noticed that there are a fair amount of...
03/05/2026

As my calendar continues to fill up with people wanting psych testing done, I’ve noticed that there are a fair amount of people wanting evaluations for possible ADHD or Autism who are sometimes really bummed to not get the diagnosis after their testing is done.

If this is something you’ve experienced, I wanted to take a moment and share what I share with them. You see, it’s very possible to have qualities of neurodivergence without meeting the diagnostic criteria.

Many people struggle with things like difficulty focusing, executive function, emotional sensitivity, masking, and social anxiety without meeting the criteria for ADHD or Autism. The cause of these “symptoms” can come from things like chronic stress, poor sleep, trauma, or even the environment you grew up in.

Not everything is a diagnosis, and sometimes not getting one requires you to look deeper into what you’re experiencing to find new answers.

PS: Remember, all content here is for educational purposes only.

Last year, I realized I was handing off problems I was capable of solving myself to someone else, all because I didn’t t...
03/04/2026

Last year, I realized I was handing off problems I was capable of solving myself to someone else, all because I didn’t trust in my ability to solve them. I see this a lot in the women I work with, too. They often see their self-trust is gone when they:

• Defer to others even when the problem is uniquely theirs to solve
• Second-guess themselves after they’ve decided something
• Feel competent on the outside but hollow on the inside
• Move through their day with efficiency but without conviction

There are spaces on the internet that will tell you to force your way through it, but that’s not how true self-trust is built. Instead, it starts with slowing down long enough to realize you already have what you need.

Asking for help isn’t a bad thing. There is purpose behind collaboration, getting an outside perspective, and searching ...
03/03/2026

Asking for help isn’t a bad thing. There is purpose behind collaboration, getting an outside perspective, and searching for trusted advice. However…

Last year, I caught myself doing something different. I handed over a problem that was unique to me, my life, and well within my abilities to solve over to someone I thought was better equipped to figure it out than I was.

When I reflected on it later, I realized it wasn’t delegating the problem as much as it was abandoning myself.

There really is a subtle difference here. Delegation comes from a place of genuine need, whereas self-abandonment comes from not trusting yourself enough to stay in the room with your problem long enough to solve it.

If you’re constantly reaching outside for help making decisions, it might be worth slowing down and asking: Have I given myself enough time to figure this out first?

is in the books! It’s so incredible to watch these dogs and mushers living their best lives 🐕🛷 Sean and I had a blast w...
03/01/2026

is in the books! It’s so incredible to watch these dogs and mushers living their best lives 🐕🛷 Sean and I had a blast watching the race from start to finish. The checkpoint in Copper Harbor was such a quintessential Keweenaw peninsula experience that it could have been staged: snow coming down, snowmobiles parked everywhere, and dog teams getting fed after their first 2 legs of the race were done.

Our own dogs loved the Airbnb off the snowmobile trail and were able to walk part of the race course long after the teams were done. I wonder if Captain remembers his old life?

The last video and accompanying screenshot are my favorite: a bagged dog enjoying the ride and thinking we’re all there to cheer him on 💗

The women I work with are deeply capable. They’ve built lives that require stamina, emotional range, and logistical mast...
02/27/2026

The women I work with are deeply capable. They’ve built lives that require stamina, emotional range, and logistical mastery. They have the ability to make hard things look effortless.

And because they’ve learned how to hold so much for so long, from their careers to their homes, they start to believe they shouldn’t need space or clarity themselves. So, they stop asking for it.

That’s when the inner voice that once felt clear starts to blur because they find themselves so exhausted.

Does this feel familiar? When did you last make a decision and feel fully confident it was yours?

Leadership gets talked about like it’s just a title. Many people assume it only counts if there’s an organization chart ...
02/26/2026

Leadership gets talked about like it’s just a title. Many people assume it only counts if there’s an organization chart with your name at the top, a house full of kids, or a business with employees.

But I watched the dog-sled races, or mushing, every winter for the past 6 years, and it’s a masterclass on leadership. They read their team, stay steady when the trial shifts, and the dogs feel when a musher is calm and unsteady. It’s leadership in action, but likely isn’t the first thing you picture when you think of a leader.

And sure, you’re probably not leading a pack of dogs, and you might not even be leading a bunch of employees, but you’re leading more than you realize. Every time you have a conversation or handle hard moments, there are people quietly watching how you show up.

How would you define leadership?

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