
Melanie Espeland
Top Expert
🏆 Top Coach Award |🎯1000+ Clients |📰Featured in Forbes |💼Ex-McKinsey

Columbia Business School

McKinsey & Company
Successful clients at




31.7k
Expert mins
914
Followers
Available Tuesday
Starting at 5:00 PM UTC

[NOTE for MBA Applicants: please contact me directly for availability the week of 8/31.] I’ve coached 1,000+ applicants and professionals to achieve standout results across their academic, professional, and personal lives. My work has been featured in Forbes, NBC, TEDx, and more. I’m proud to be recognized as one of Leland’s Top Coaches of 2026. Drop me a line to get started.
Questions?
You can start chatting with Melanie before you get started.
Customer favorite
In the top 10% of Life Coaching experts on Leland
🏆 RECIPIENT OF LELAND TOP COACH AWARD 2026 🏆 🚀I’ve coached 1,000+ applicants and professionals to achieve standout results across their academic, professional, and personal lives. My work has been featured in Forbes, NBC, TEDx, and more. Whether you’re looking to navigate the competitive MBA admissions process, enhance your leadership capabilities, or discover your life’s purpose, I'll empower you to unlock your full potential across all areas of your life. With over 19 years of experience (as of 2026), I bring a powerful and unique blend of strategic business insight, coaching, and holistic healing arts to help you achieve your most ambitious goals. On Leland, I'm best known for my MBA admissions results, and I also work across executive coaching, life coaching, and healing arts. My Leland services include: 🎓 MBA & Masters Admissions: As a Columbia MBA alumna and MBA Admissions Interviewer, I have successfully helped 200+ applicants gain spots at top-tier schools like Columbia, Stanford, Harvard, and more. I have proven results at every MBA M7 school and multiple Top 25 programs. Additionally, I've helped many achieve admissions to joint-degree programs (such a JD/MBA, MPP/MBA) and other business, technology, or finance-adjacent programs (such as Masters in Computer Science). Let me show you the path to unlocking your best application. 🌿Mental Health & Wellness: As an ICF certified Coach and Healer trained in Somatics, Reiki/Energy, Tarot, and more, I've helped hundreds of clients achieve more happiness, passion, and peace. Let's find your flow. 🌱 Life Coaching: I'll help you to create meaningful change in your personal life by helping you overcome mental blocks, build confidence, and align with your true potential. Together, we will focus on self-discovery, mindset transformation, and purpose-driven living. 💼 Executive & Career Coaching: I harness my McKinsey toolkit and coaching methodologies to enable you to make powerful decisions, achieve your next career move, enhance your executive presence, and drive success. I've helped clients gain jobs at places like BCG, Amazon, Google, LVMH, and more. 🎤Communication & Public Speaking: As a former Voice Actor with CESD Talent Agency and McKinsey consultant, I know all the do's and don'ts of communication. I even have a TEDx Talk on Executive Presence. Additionally, I'm the creator of the proprietary Espeland Method™ for building executive presence. ****** 📺Recognition: I have been featured in Forbes, NBC, ABC, CBS, Business Insider, TEDx, and more. I've worked with prominent corporate clients including Google, Meta, IBM, and Morgan Stanley; as well as individuals such as business leaders, influencers, and Olympic athletes.
Melanie also coaches for MBA, Master’s Programs, Management Consulting, Career Coaching, Mental Health & Wellness, Executive Coaching, and Communication & Public Speaking. View all.
Work with Melanie
Melanie’s Life Coaching Qualifications
Coaches professionally
Experience level: Executive
100+ people coached for Life Coaching
Open to working with clients outside the U.S.
Melanie has helped clients get into these companies:
🏆 RECIPIENT OF LELAND TOP COACH AWARD 2026 🏆 ✨I'm a PCC Certified Life Coach and Healer, tying together the rigor of the executive world with the flow of the spiritual. My rich blend of skills and a multi-hyphenate background including executive coaching, somatics, breathwork, meditation, reiki (energy healing), tarot reading, and natural intuitive abilities allow me to be an excellent coach, with an eye for detail and heart in my clients’ unique stories. ✨MY LIFE COACHING SPECIALITIES: • Authentic Awakening - finding your purpose, your life path, or your authenticity • Transformation Coach - creating the transformation you're seeking for a happier, more meaningful, or more peaceful life experience • Healing Arts / Metaphysical - explore your healing trajectory through modalities such as somatics, energy work, meditation, and tarot to exit the matrix and improve your life experience ✨WHO YOU ARE: • I proudly work with everyone—regardless of your race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual preference, religion, or anything else ✨WHAT BENEFITS CAN YOU EXPECT: • Exiting the Matrix • Discovering Your Purpose • Knowing Your Authentic Code • Better Work-Life Balance • Increased Earning Potential and Promotions • Clarity and Direction • Improved Confidence • Actionable Strategies
Melanie can help with:
Communication Skills
Goal Setting
Mindfulness
Personal Growth
Resilience
Self-Reflection
Stress Management
Time Management
Work-Life Balance
Why do I coach?
✨Coaching and mentoring is my calling! I’m incredibly grateful to have built a career as a professional coach. 💼 I am ICF-Certified at the PCC level, and have completed a variety of additional certification and enrichment programs in coaching and storytelling. My journey has allowed me to blend my passion for helping others with my deep expertise, and every day I’m inspired to help clients achieve their personal and professional dreams. 🙏
Work Experience

MBA Admissions Interviewer
Columbia Business School
2020 - Present
Admissions Committee
Member of the MBA Alumni Ambassador Program, interviewing candidates for CBS.

Senior Lead, Strategy & Innovation
Macy's
2019 - 2020
Interviewer

Consultant
McKinsey & Company
2016 - 2018

Executive Coach & Life Coach
Espeland Enterprises
2015 - Present
Hiring Manager

Admissions Coach
Espeland Enterprises
2015 - Present

Fashionista
Various Fashion Houses
2007 - 2015
Hiring Manager
Education

London Business School
MBA, Study Abroad
2016 - 2016

Columbia Business School
MBA
2015 - 2017

Cornell University
BS
2004 - 2007
5.0 average review
85 reviews
Overall rating
Melanie has helped clients get into these companies:
Articles

MBA Recommendation Letter Guide: Examples, Templates, and Writing Tips (2025)
Oct 23, 2025
Learn how to craft a strong MBA recommendation letter with expert examples, templates, and tips to impress top business schools in 2025.

How to Accelerate Your MBA Application – From an Expert Coach
Jul 29, 2025
Business school applications are long and complicated - here's how to get ahead and prepare yourself for admission success, from a professional MBA admissions consultant and M7 alumna.

Is an MBA Worth It? Pros, Cons, and How to Decide
Jul 23, 2025
Considering an MBA? This expert-backed guide breaks down the key pros and cons to help you decide if an MBA is the right move for your career, goals, and personal growth.

What the Columbia Business School Admissions Committee Looks for in MBA Applicants
Jun 17, 2025
Everything you need to know about what the CBS admissions committee is looking for in high-potential MBA applicants, from a professional MBA coach and Columbia alumna.
![Columbia MBA Essays: Tips & Examples (From a CBS AdCom) [2025]](https://cdn.sanity.io/images/anl9abaw/production/8b097ee711310f4f3bf382a8db3c99c16f5266b8-6000x4000.jpg?w=3840&q=75&fit=clip&auto=format)
Columbia MBA Essays: Tips & Examples (From a CBS AdCom) [2025]
Jun 17, 2025
Coach Melanie E. walks you through each Columbia Business School essay prompt for the 2023-2024 cycle, breaking down what adcoms are looking for and offering expert advice on how to nail your responses.

An Expert Coach's Top Tips for Non-Traditional MBA Applicants
Jun 17, 2025
Join Coach Melanie E., and discover how to leverage your diverse experiences, career paths, and skill sets to craft a compelling application that showcases your true potential to business schools.
Melanie also coaches for MBA, Master’s Programs, Management Consulting, Career Coaching, Mental Health & Wellness, Executive Coaching, and Communication & Public Speaking. View all.