Melissa Petro is a writer, educator, and secular Buddhist whose work explores shame resilience, authenticity, and the transformative power of storytelling. She is the author of Shame on You: How to Be a Woman in the Age of Mortification, a prescriptive memoir that examines how shame is weaponized against women—and how self-compassion, community, and creativity can set us free.
A longtime teacher of writing and self-inquiry, Melissa has led workshops and retreats at venues across the world, helping participants access their voices and rewrite limiting narratives through mindfulness-based creative practices. Her teaching draws from trauma theory, feminist thought, and the craft of personal narrative.
Melissa’s essays have appeared in New York Magazine, The Guardian, The Nation, and TIME, among many others. She holds a master’s degree from The New School and a master’s in education from Fordham University.