Melanie "Mel" Salvatore-August is a seasoned yoga and meditation teacher trainer, an author, and the founder of the MelWell method/studio and the Fierce Kindness Organization. She is currently a lead yoga teacher trainer at the Gaja Collective (formerly Chopra), MelWell and The Yoga School 300Hr Program.

Mel is a 500-hour certified yoga and meditation instructor (E-RYT 500) and a Yoga Alliance Continuing Education Provider (YACEP) with over 20 yrs yoga teaching experience. She previously served as a teacher trainer for YogaWorks for over 14 years, training many teachers globally. She now operates her own platform, MelWell, which offers classes, teacher training, and retreats, focusing on an inclusive, practical, and joyful approach to wellness.

She has authored several books on the integration of yoga and mindfulness into everyday life, including:
Fierce Kindness: Be a Positive Force for Change
Kitchen Yoga: Simple Home Practices to Transform Mind, Body & Life
Yoga to Support Immunity: A Mind Body Breathing Guide to Whole Health (an Indie Book Award Finalist)

Before her career in wellness, she was a classically trained actor, comedy writer, and theatre producer, a background that influences her warm and engaging teaching style.

Her philosophy emphasizes "fierce kindness," the power of choice, and finding moments for self-care and presence within ordinary daily activities, such as in the kitchen (hence "Kitchen Yoga"). Promoting transformation through joy and kindness.