About

Are you a humanitarian System Changer?

  • Do you care deeply about the well-being of those affected by conflicts and disasters?
  • Do you also care about the well-being of your colleagues, your team, and yourself?
  • Are you interested in work-related chronic stressors like poor management, unhealthy organizational cultures, and dysfunctional systems?
  • Do you want to work in ways that are in alignment with values like compassion with accountability, and solidarity with equity?
  • Are you open to sharing knowledge, learning from peers, collaborating on solutions, and having fun?

If so, welcome! You’re in the right place.

Hi, I'm Melissa.


I'm most known for helping humanitarian women prevent burnout through peer support and cross-sector collaboration, so they can serve well 🌍 and live well 💖 without sacrificing their well-being.

My beliefs:

I believe that humanitarian work is meaningful and important 🌱, and that we can make a greater impact while feeling balanced and fulfilled.

I believe burnout is preventable 🔄, and with the right peer support, we can feel confident and appreciated at work, and do our best without sacrificing ourselves.

I believe that humanitarian women face unique obstacles and are at higher risk of burnout 🔥, but when they come together to support each other, they create systems of change that promote fair treatment, belonging, and safety for everyone they work with.

I believe everyone deserves to feel motivated, supported, and valued, even in the face of the toughest global challenges 🌪️.

I believe that by creating environments where we are listened to, valued, and treated fairly, we can model a new way of working that sustains both our well-being 🌿 and the impact we make in the world 🌟.

 Why do I care so much?

I burned out myself. 🔥

Luckily, a bunch of women helped me recover 🛠️ and realize it is preventable 🚫.

Everyone needs—and can have—peer support 🌐.

My backstory:

Since 2001, I’ve been building coalitions across sectors, starting with support for Afghan refugee returns. However, after working on major initiatives like the “Less Paper, More Aid” campaign and the “Grand Bargain” on humanitarian financing, I experienced burnout in 2018.

During my five-month hiatus, I grappled with feelings of failure as a colleague, wife, and mother.

Thankfully, a supportive group of women helped me recover and taught me how to prevent burnout from recurring.

Since then, I’ve spoken with hundreds of women in the humanitarian sector facing similar struggles or knowing someone who is. I’m inspired by those who are making positive changes but frustrated when their efforts “sunset” due to a lack of funding or political support. These women deserve visibility, respect, and resources to support the workforce.

I have a passion for facilitation and have experimented extensively in various settings (e.g., governmental, UN, INGO, national NGO, Red Cross, and academic) using different techniques to make peer support, accountability, experiential learning, and collective action enjoyable.

I’ve co-authored reports such as Working Well, Leading Well, Governing Well, and Funding Well, shared insights on the Embodying Change podcast, and led discussions at AidEx, HNPW, CHS Alliance, and the Humanitarian Human Resources conference, among others.

In February 2024, after a decade in donor and NGO roles, I founded Facilitating the Future, LLC to focus on my purpose: ending humanitarian burnout.

I believe we can create a path that puts the "human" back into the humanitarian. Together, we’ll transition from feeling lost, lonely and low-impact to feeling guided, connected, and respected. 

Less burnout. More solidarity.

10
next years with a workforce perspective
10
years with an NGO perspective
10
years with a donor perspective
2002
Started working for a donor

for refugee protection, assistance and durable solutions

2012
Began working for an NGO coalition

for principled and effective humanitarian action

2018
Experienced burnout

and stopped working for 5 months

2019
Co-created an initiative

anchored in Commitment Eight of the Core Humanitarian Standard (to support humanitarians to work effectively and treat them fairly and equitably)

2024
Founded a company

dedicated to supporting the humanitarian workforce, starting with you, through The Solidarity Experiment

Why wait? Your next step starts here.

Connect with women who understand your struggles, explore practical tools for well-being, and contribute to a future where the humanitarian workforce thrives.

Join us in creating a happier humanitarian workforce—starting with you.

Join us