Melissa A. Fabello, PhD, is an educator whose work centers on the politics of wellness, with a special focus on sex, relationships, and bodies. Her goal is to help her audiences explore what it means to be in right relationship with ourselves and with others, through a liberatory social justice lens.
Melissa is a licensed educator with two degrees in Education, which deeply informs her work as a facilitator and speaker. In the form of workshops and speeches at various universities, organizations, and conferences – including Harvard and Oxford – Melissa educates students and professionals in a hands-on, dynamic atmosphere. Her energetic presentations are created around participant-centered learning objectives, which means that whether she’s unpacking how pop music normalizes dating violence or how gender-based body myths interrupt authentic expressions of sexuality, her audiences leave not only with knowledge, but with tangible skill sets.
Melissa earned her PhD in Human Sexuality Studies at Widener University, where her dissertation research explored how women with eating disorders make meaning of their experiences with sensual touch. The results of her work can be found in her groundbreaking book, Appetite, published by Routledge. Melissa also holds an M.Ed. in Human Sexuality and a B.S. in English Education from Boston University.
Her words and work have been featured on the BBC, MSNBC, Good Morning America! and in SELF, BuzzFeed, Bon Appetit, TIME Magazine, and The New Yorker, among others. With work recently named “smart” by Bon Appétit and “the future of health media” by Healthline, Melissa brings a fresh, political perspective to discussions on wellness.
