Reflections from the road
Three years ago my book “The MELT Method,” published by Harper One, hit the bookstands. Although I knew the information I was about to share was virtually unknown to the general public, I had this belief that the simplicity of the Method and my desire to simplify profound, cutting-edge human science would be taken in by anyone who was curious about living a better life. However, what transpired was beyond any expectations I set out for myself during the two years it took me to write the book and the decade it took to develop the Method in the first place.
When it was all said and done, I set out my goals to the universe, set to paper a plan that would entail a year-long, self-funded book tour. Little do many people know, if you aren’t a well-known author or celebrity, even with a big publishing house’s name on the book, no one is advancing money for anything related to promoting the book. That’s up to the author. So I took my assets from teacher trainings and my own bank account and set out on my first national tour. I embarked on a multi-city tour, and taught over 150 Intro classes across the country in 2013 but only went to two bookstores to share the Method in that way.
What I discovered the first time around
Over the course of that year, I MELTed over 5,000 people (not fitness people) regular, general public type people—the Average Joe. For me, it was a bit of a shock to see just how poorly much of America was managing their health. I figured people who were proactive, relatively healthy and were already exercising and leading a healthy lifestyle would walk into these rooms to experience MELT. That didn’t happen. Instead, my first national media segment on “The Dr. Oz Show,” just one week into my first book tour, would bring people of all ages and health conditions into the room. People came with walkers, crutches, canes, IVs, oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, as well as people with a wide array of issues from diabetes to cancer and Parkinson’s. The obesity issue was widespread in the remote cities I visited and the word “Supersize Me” took on new meaning to me.
My takeaways and course of action
This experience forever changed me. I returned home from the tour even more passionate to help others learn about MELT and how to harness their connective tissue system and restore neurological balance. I basically went back to the drawing board and decided to change the design of my MELT body roller to help regular people use it with greater ease. Who knew that would transform so much about the Method and how to actually “do” MELT? The roller needed to be smaller in circumference because too many people struggled to get their hips up on the roller to release their back—a critical element to learn to do as so many people suffer with chronic low-back pain.
It took me the past two years to perfect a new roller. My instructors were patient and helpful as the eyes and ears of MELT, trying each new iteration and telling me what was wrong and what was right about the roller. Despite those challenges a bigger one was about to fall upon me: The book needed to be updated. So last year Debbie Karch and I embarked on a 30,000 word change to the manuscript. We added new instructions to each move, new photos, a new forward, and… the most exciting addition, a research study using MELT on low back pain.
Last year, New Jersey Institute of Technology embarked on a post-graduate research paper and thesis project using MELT to reduce low back pain. You can check it out here. Beyond reducing pain symptoms, which are hard to measure because pain (in and of itself) is subjective, we were able to measure the thickness of the connective tissue or fascia that supports the low back. The results were quite profound as MELT was able to reduce thickened fascial structures by over 30 percent in participants—and we don’t even touch the low back in MELT. One part of my Method is we never MELT the spaces, we only compress the masses of the body.
The 2016 book tour
So the past month has been full of travel. I’ve done everything from bookstore signings to local news interviews, and national media. I’ve met many people, some that have MELTed with an instructor, some that tried MELT on their own and many had heard about it and came to a book signing to meet me and try the techniques for themselves. It’s quite an honor and privilege to present at bookstores as many have told me “only famous people do book signings here, it’s very prestigious.” Despite there being no fame or fortune in my pursuits to help others get out of chronic pain, I feel blessed to have the opportunity to share my knowledge and learning with so many curious people. That feels like winning the lottery.
From Chicago and Michigan, to Seattle, Portland, Denver, and Phoenix, I’m excited to continue this travel and add to it instructor trainings, events, and more book signings to promote the amazing MELT Instructors and our community—and the new MELT paperback edition of the book. Make sure you check out my calendar of events and I hope to share with you the secrets to living a pain-free life… at any age.