About Me

My name is Melissa Roske, and I am a New York University-certified life and personal coach. Like many coaches, my road to coaching has been far from linear (is life ever linear?).

Upon graduation from Skidmore College, in 1986, with a B.A. in English, I pursued a successful and rewarding career as a magazine editor and journalist, in New York and in Europe - in Brussels, London, and Munich - where I lived with my husband, Henry.

In 1993, after editing the advice pages for J17 magazine, Britain’s leading young women’s weekly, I was offered the chance to write my own column, “Ask Melissa.” My advice column, which helped teenage girls with their dating, romance and relationship problems, as well as with dilemmas concerning family and friends, quickly earned a loyal following. 

As my popularity as an advice columnist grew, I was given the opportunity to grant television, newspaper and radio interviews to the British media, including The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Mail, The Daily Express and the BBC. It was a heady experience, to say the least!

Looking to enrich my role as an advice columnist, I decided to explore other avenues as well – including my present role as a weekly online relationships advisor for TheSite.org, a London-based advice and information website. My advice, on everything from revving up a lackluster relationship to spotting a cheating spouse, has appeared in Britain and across the world.

Volunteerism also plays an essential role in my life. In London I served as a volunteer counselor for ChildLine, Britain’s only free and confidential counseling and resource center for abused and troubled children. After completing ChildLine’s intensive training program, I honed my skills as a telephone counselor. Lending a listening ear to kids whose voices weren’t heard was one of the most rewarding experiences of my life.

Upon returning with my husband to New York, in 1998, I knew that I wanted to continue on the path of service. But how, and in what capacity? I found the answer in coaching. Coaching seemed particularly attractive to me, because it begins with the premise that the client is creative, resourceful and whole, and that the client holds the key to her own success. What could be better than that?

After careful consideration of all the coaching programs out there – and there are lots, believe me – I chose the first-rate, comprehensive program at New York University and began my training to become a coach. So here I am.

On a personal note, I have been married to Henry Roske, a corporate lawyer originally from Hamburg, Germany, for the last 14 years, and I’m the proud mom of a sparkling seven-year-old daughter, Chloe.  I am also a dedicated reader, an avid runner (I participate each year in the 10K Race to Deliver, benefiting the food-delivery organization God’s Love We Deliver) and, with my husband and daughter, a keen adventurer and traveler.

As a coach, it is my greatest hope to help bring joy, fulfillment, and untold happiness to my clients’ lives, through a carefully chartered course of powerful self-questioning, measurable goal attainment and inner-exploration.

Please join me on this exciting journey.  I will be with you every step of the way.

All the best,