Testimonials

  • “Chocolate mindfulness…that was a new one for me! And wow! What a way to pause, reflect and share. Not only was it a yummy experience, Melissa’s energy is perfect.”

    Meghan Callan
    Director of Resource Development
    Connected Communities

  • "Your thoughtful guidance made the experience both enjoyable and insightful for everyone involved. It was a unique and engaging way to help us focus on being present and mindful, and I’ve received such positive feedback from the team! Your approach made the session accessible and memorable, and I’m sure the lessons we learned will stay with us long after the chocolate has been enjoyed!"

    April M. Hill
    Chief People Officer
    East House Corporation

  • "On behalf on the NAMI Team, thank you so much for an engaging and amazing presentation."

    Kyle Carter
    Executive Director
    National Alliance on Mental Illness - Philadelphia

  • "I love Chocolate Mindfulness. I feel like it helped everyone feel connected. It was so amazing to have you, Melissa. Thank you for your warmth and your time."

    Beth McHenry
    Human Resources Director
    The Lake House on Canandaigua

  • "Having Melissa Mueller-Douglas, LMSW lead our end-of-year gratitude session with our ESL DEI Program Team and Employee Resource Group leads was something special. We had a full hour to exhale, learn about each other, and talk about what gratitude means for us. Many thanks to Melissa for an excellent experience with Chocolate Mindfulness -- highly recommend for team building and a great way to show appreciation for your teams and colleagues."

    Sydney Bell
    Manager, DEI
    ESL Federal Credit Union

  • "MYRetreat hosts wonderful events. Their workshops are not just gatherings; they are opportunities to center, focus, and steady your mind. The atmosphere they create is conducive to growth, reflection, and meaningful connections. I highly recommend."

    Lydia Palmer
    Alliance Advisory Group
    Financial Representative

  • "MYRetreat is on a mission to impact 1 million people through chocolate. How amazing is that?! It's a beautiful testament to how you can create space to impact people in a unique way. We celebrated and recognized our community by gifting our Game Changers this time and space for everyone to recognize themselves."

    Vanessa Peralta-Mitchell
    Owner at VCPM Inc.

  • "Melissa delivers white glove service and excellent chocolate paired with engaging mindful practices in an approachable way. We hosted one of our virtual sharpen the saw events, an RIT Executive MBA alumni event, that closed with a meditation aligned with the panel discussion on self-advocacy, and delicious Eldora Chocolate was shipped to all attendees. If you’re looking for a true virtual bonding activity, MYRetreat will deliver!"

    Jancy Nightingale-Burch
    Asst. Dir. of Marketing, Executive Ed.
    RIT (Rochester Institute of Technology)

  • "We have been very intentional about the health of our staff who spend so much time serving others, often they do not take care of themselves, and their mental health may be affected or they get burned out. We wanted to do Chocolate Mindfulness to give staff an opportunity for self-care and to bring our team together. This is exactly what happened, and we were able to put ourselves first, reflect and bond as a team. The feedback from our team was all positive, even when there was some initial hesitancy. Overall it was a great and much needed experience."

    Mubarak Bashir, VP (Youth and Community Services) Action for a Better Community

  • "As a fully remote team, it's often challenging to find ways to connect meaningfully. Not only did the Wellness Workshop give us an opportunity to practice mindfulness, it gave us a moment of connection with each other. The chocolate was delicious and receiving it in the mail was a pleasant surprise to my team. Highly recommend, especially to remote teams!"

    Khadesha Okwudili
    CEO, Founder of Agapé

  • "Thank you so much for leading the workshop. It was one of our highest attended, and we had great feedback. Thank you for helping us achieve what we wanted to."

    Asini Wijewardane
    Director, Counselor Success at Uwill

  • "Everyone kept raving about how much they loved and appreciated the Chocolate Mindfulness Workshop. The experience brought so much to our day of training. Deep gratitude for creating the space to build community."

    Jennifer Kern
    Managing Senior Vice President, Spitfire

  • "Chocolate Mindfulness was such a wonderful addition to our Women’s Wellness Weekend at YMCA Camp Cory. It provided a high quality option for the participants that engaged them in a different approach to wellness. Many of our options during that time tend to focus around physical activity and we loved being able to focus on wellness in a different way. Melissa is so engaging!"

    Blake Van Horn
    Camp Director, YMCA OF GREATER ROCHESTER -CAMP CORY

  • "I can’t imagine what organization wouldn’t benefit from your workshop. It was to the point, clearly stated, inspiring, encouraging and relaxing. The experience made me look at things from different perspectives. Thank you for the wide range of support you offered. You’ve changed my perspective in many ways since your workshop. I hope we can give back ten fold."

    Director Of Operations
    National Alliance on Mental Illness - Philadelphia

  • "Thank you for an amazing session with my Stupski team today. I was moved to tears during the body scan as I realized how long it's been since I expressed and acknowledged gratitude to my body for all it's done. You helped remind me how important mindfulness is and how much it used to help bolster me during the first year or so of the pandemic."

    Matthew Nagato
    Deputy Communications Director
    Stupski Foundation

  • “I appreciated the camaraderie and community of the intimate group and am grateful for the time we had together. I’ve downloaded the MYRetreat App and will share it with others.”

    Lauren Adler
    Member, Fine Chocolate Industry Association (FCIA)

  • "Our faculty and staff provided very positive feedback about the Chocolate Mindfulness workshop. They particularly enjoyed being able to share this activity with other faculty and staff as a fun group experience, and the staff were appreciative that our department offered this supportive opportunity for their workplace wellness."

    Stephanie Robert, Ph.D., M.S.W.
    Director, University of Wisconsin
    Sandra Rosenbaum School of Social Work

  • I really wanted to celebrate school staff. It’s my passion project. Mel and I did something for School Superintendents Appreciation. It was one of the most powerful sessions we’ve had. We celebrated a participant and she opened up during the guided imagery and acknowledged her amazingness.

    Natasha Green, PMP
    CEO & Founder, WeIntervene

  • “Melissa, you are a calming presence that is much needed in the chocolate industry. Your mindfulness comes from you first and it is genuine to who you are with your background as an LMSW. We should all be grateful you are bringing grounded tasting events after all this world has been through.”

    Sophia Contreras Rea
    Projet Chocolat

  • “I look at Melissa as an emotional chiropractor. She comes in helping people to get an adjustment, to bring them back center, helping them to see through visualization. You can get all of the coaching in the world, a lot of talking and critical thinking, but sometimes you just need Chocolate Mindfulness.”

    Sharitta F. Gross, EdD.
    ELLA Consulting

  • "The Wellness Workshop was like hitting the reset button, giving us permission to prioritize ourselves. Definitely feeling the feelings but being able to say, this is the time I am going to be intentional about prioritizing me."

    Celia McIntosh, RN
    President, Black Nurses Association (Rochester, NY)

  • "Seeing everyone get grounded first thing was a new way for us to start meetings and retreats, and I think it made people more relaxed and open throughout the rest of the afternoon."

    Claire Callahan
    Director of Communications, Stupski Foundation

  • "My experience with MYRetreat taught me to take a moment out between work or at home to really focus on how I'm feeling and to remember to be grateful."

    Ann Petrie
    CEO (former), Ronald McDonald House
    of Eastern Wisconsin

  • “I highly recommend this experience. My team appreciated the time we spent with Melissa. We now have tools for self care and ways to make space to care for others."

    Aqua Porter, Executive Director
    Rochester Monroe Anti-Poverty Initiative

  • "My favorite moment was connecting body awareness to savoring chocolate. Great reminder of the importance of slowing down to appreciate small moments."

    Vicki Abadesco 

    Co-Founder, Soul Shoppe

  • “It felt good to stop, to feel, to relax, and it didn’t take that much time.”

    Yvette Conyers, DNP, MS, RN, FNP-C, CTN-B, CFCN, CFCS
    Clinical Associate Professor,
    The George Washington University School of Nursing

  • “Such unforgettable experience! I was able to talk to my soul, heart and body. Highly recommended.”

    Amanee Albaram, School Head of Operations
    Westfall Academy

  • "Melissa had great engagement with our audience, and I could see they were engaged, too. Her personality, presentation, and content work well to demonstrate to her audience the value of using mindfulness to enhance focus and reduce stress."

    Certified Mentor & National Advisory Council Member
    SCORE Greater Phoenix

  • "We did team building with MYRetreat, something we all needed. Melissa was instrumental in our staff retreat, offering a nice experience to relax, and find ways to relieve stress. It wonderfully assisted staff and myself with self awareness."

    Phyllis Lukenbill, VP of Operations & Facilities YWCA Rochester & Monroe County

  • "I hosted a virtual Chocolate Mindfulness Retreat for my work alumni group, as a way to express my gratitude for them and put action towards our shared values of rest, joy, and justice. We left the hour more connected by this shared experience."

    Lindsay Haldeman
    Consultant
    Independent Contractor