Location
Topics
- Adversity
- Breast Cancer
- Breast Cancer Survivor
- Cancer Support
- Cancer Survivor
- Change
- Diversity
- Inspiration
- Motivation
- Nurses Appreciation
- Overcoming Obstacles
- Patient Education
- Race Literacy
- Worksite Wellness
Event Types
Share
Praise
Melanie delivered the opening keynote for the National Consortium of Breast Centers' Interdisciplinary Breast Center Conference, addressing an audience of nurses, physicians, radiology technologists, and breast center administrators:
“Melanie displayed a level of sensitivity and creativity in her keynote address that set the stage for our entire conference — evidenced by the standing ovation she received. Her ability to share her journey as a breast cancer survivor was not only inspiring but reinforced for our attendees the importance of sharing knowledge so we function seamlessly as a medical team. She equated her relationship with her healthcare providers as a 'medical marriage,' painting a picture of how profoundly the care we provide can impact a patient's experience. Melanie's personal story, advocacy, and public speaking skills are evident — she is an eloquent storyteller whose wit and grace connect instantly with an audience. She is also a very gracious individual and a great pleasure to work with.” — Kristie Bobolis, MD, Immediate Past President, National Consortium of Breast Centers
Transformational Breast Cancer Survivor Speaker
Melanie Nix and I got to meet in person when she visited Portland on a personal trip, and she is every bit as warm and welcoming off stage as her story suggests she is on it. She is gracious, professional, and easy to talk with — the kind of person who makes you feel instantly at ease. One of my clients booked Melanie not once but twice, which tells you everything you need to know about the impact she has on a room. Her themes of transformation and resilience, combined with her perspective as a fifth-generation breast cancer survivor, make her a powerful and important voice — and a particularly strong fit for audiences seeking a speaker who speaks authentically to the African American breast cancer experience.
About Melanie
Melanie A. Nix is a triple negative breast cancer survivor. From caregiver to patient, from breastfeeding to breast cancer, cancer can change your life in an instant. Melanie has endured a life changing cancer “instant” in every decade of her life beginning at age eight with her mother’s breast cancer diagnosis, her mother’s recurrences and ultimate death and Melanie’s own triple negative breast cancer diagnosis at 38 when her son was four years old and her daughter was 19 months old. A carrier of the BRCA1 genetic mutation, she is a fifth-generation breast cancer patient.
Melanie’s five-generation family history with breast cancer and her perspective navigating the disease as a Black woman make her a particularly powerful and resonant voice for African American audiences, while her message of resilience and transformation speaks to anyone facing adversity.
Once inhibited by her surgical and treatment scars, she now proudly wears her scars as symbols of fortitude. Melanie is a transformational speaker and resilience coach. A masterful storyteller, her candor and wit are hallmarks of her timeless messages about survival and reconstruction. Melanie has written for different publications and been profiled by NBC Nightly News and OZY and earned invitations to the Obama White House and Biden Vice President’s Residence.
She is the chief visionary of Diagnosis to Destiny and co-founder of the Breast Cancer Comfort Site. Guided by her manifesto, she shares her transformational and empowering lessons for achieving dreams after a cancer diagnosis. A movie and music lover, some of her top stress relievers, she is easily transported by uplifting lyrics, a soul stirring monologue or comforted by the humor of an irreverent comedy. She is a celebrator of life who loves to travel and enjoys the serenity of water. Running is a core part of her daily routine, she has run several distance races post cancer, and she considers restorative naps an imperative.
She serves as Chair of the Georgetown Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center Community Advisory Board and is a Thelma D. Jones Breast Cancer Fund board member. Melanie holds a Master of Business Administration from the Robert H. Smith School of Business – University of Maryland, College Park and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Virginia. She resides with her husband, Raymond; son, Carter; and daughter, Kennedy.
Signature Keynotes:
Giving Yourself Permission to Change
Audience: Breast cancer survivors at any stage of survival (newly diagnosed, active treatment, completed treatment, metastatic). Additional audience includes co-survivors, caregivers, medical professionals, mental health professionals, spiritual care and wellness professionals.
Synopsis: In this keynote presentation, Melanie describes how breast cancer left her literally and figuratively, bald, naked, and powerless. She shares how, through her survival experience, she accepted and welcomed change as she redefined her life and her new normal. Breast cancer invades and disrupts life. We, as breast cancer survivors, must give ourselves permission to change which allows us to rebuild our lives and define our new normal. This keynote is focused on survivorship and quality of life.
Objective: Provide personal breast cancer survivor experiences for inspiration, hope and motivation. Find comfort in unapologetic living in the new normal.
Takeaways:
- We must get naked – strip away the ugly residue of breast cancer’s invasion and fully assess our lives as survivors.
- We must reacquaint ourselves with our power.
- We must get dressed again with faith and confidence.
Call to Action: Make decisions on our terms. Embrace our change while living fully and un-apologetically in our new normal.
We Are Real Superheroes
Audience: Breast cancer survivors at any stage of survival (newly diagnosed, active treatment, completed treatment, metastatic). Additional audience includes co-survivors, caregivers, medical professionals, mental health professionals, spiritual care and wellness professionals.
Synopsis: In this keynote presentation, Melanie describes navigating the valleys and peaks of survivorship and discovering her superpowers. We, as breast cancer survivors, are on a superheroes’ journey. We can discover our superpowers in our hospital bed, on the operating table, in chemo lounge or at various points and places along our superheroes’ journey. This keynote is focused on survivorship and quality of life.
Objective: Provide personal breast cancer survivor experiences for inspiration, hope and motivation. Identify our superpowers.
Takeaways:
- After diagnosis there is a transformation and during this period, we tap into our powers moving from incapacitating fear to fighting breast cancer with an unrelenting determination.
- The powers we possess can defy rational thought – powers we may never have known existed but are REAL and our powers are extraordinary.
- We have powers to face the seemingly insurmountable.
Call to Action: Tap into our superpowers to move through survival with a new understanding of all that we are capable of as breast cancer survivors.
Booking Information
Speaker fee: Available upon request Based in: Maryland — available to travel nationally Format: Keynote (30–60 minutes + Q&A) | Available in person and virtually
If Melanie sounds like the right fit for your breast cancer awareness or survivor event, corporate ERG, or conference — or if you’d like to talk through whether she is — I’d love to hear from you. Reach out and let’s find the right match together.
Check Melanie’s Availability — barbara@speakwellbeing.com | 503-699-5031, or fill out the “Request Speaker Info” form on this page.
