Mel was born into an extremely violent home. Her father was physically abusive towards not only her mother but also to Mel and her sister as well.
Despite her mum eventually leaving her father when she was around 12, Mel was firmly trapped in a cycle of violence.
At High School, Mel found herself the victim of bullying, but also at times an instigator of it.
This continued into her romantic relationships too, where she found herself in several abusive relationships.
That was until, at the age of 18, when she met (as she describes him) ‘one of the good guys’ who introduced her to martial arts, which changed the course of her life.
Mel is now the founder and CEO of the KYUP! Project, a revolutionary self-worth and self-protection program created to break the cycle of violence against women and children.
She has worked with more than 10,000 students and young women around the country and is on a mission to change the devastating statistic that 40% of women over the age of 15 have been affected by domestic or family violence.
Get the full show notes for the episode here.
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