Exploring Life & Business with Melanie Grace, C.Ht of Dignity Hypnotherapy

Today we’d like to introduce you to Melanie Grace, C.Ht.

Hi Melanie, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
I always say my life has been a collision of contradictions — beauty and brutality, joy and heartbreak, divine protection and unthinkable danger — all tangled together in ways I never asked for, but somehow needed. Altadena and Pasadena shaped me long before I knew I’d spend my life helping others rewrite the stories they’ve been surviving for far too long.

I gave birth to my children at Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena. Back then, being a good wife and mother was everything — story time songs, chasing toddlers through the library, shaking tambourines as the kids marched around like little bundles of joy and chaos. Christmas Tree Lane became a sacred tradition, even in the years when the lights blinked crooked or the decorations fell apart.

We were a normal foothill family. We cheered with our friends from lawn chairs at Saturday-morning flag football games. We brought snacks to tee-ball practices. We laughed as the boys wandered off mid-play to get a hug or run the wrong direction. Life felt simple, safe, even ordinary.

And then life whispered, not so fast.

I remembered the first trauma I experienced was about age six when the local hobo tried to abduct me. It shook me and fractured my soul and my entire sense of safety. I held it inside and told no one until I was in my 40’s. I had a pretty healthy family of origin but was just too scared to let my fear out. Oh the things we carry!

There was the morning I walked outside to see my brand-new Mazda Protege — custom rims gleaming — sitting on cinder blocks in my own driveway. There was the first of several times we were pulled over for DWB. Years later we would hear the Sheriff speeding down the street and knowing exactly where he was headed because Rodney King had moved onto our block.

And then there were the private, invisible traumas — the ones no one saw. There was the day I planned to end my life at 19, shattered and manic due to an overseas assault by a trusted “clergy” predator who had ingratiated himself into our family, but I was too afraid and ashamed to tell anyone about it. I carefully selected a serrated knife and placed it on the table. A decision made. And then — out of nowhere — a knock on the door. A bunch of college friends who had never just “dropped by” showed up, unannounced, like it was the most normal thing in the world. They made me laugh so hard I lived to see another day.
Providence.

There was the car accident — the airborne, upside-down, glass-in-my-mouth, metal-crunching crash that should have ended my life. The voice that told me, “You’re not going to die. Just brace yourself.” The fact that I crawled out of that wreck on my own two shaking legs in purple stirrup pants and Vans. (Hey, it was the early 90’s.) That wasn’t luck. That was mercy. Providence. There were the years of hyper-vigilance, the C-PTSD and depression diagnosis, the therapy, the nights I was scared of pretty much everything because trauma changes the nervous system. It rewires your instincts. It made me aware — painfully, then eventually, powerfully — that my life had a pattern. That the same God who kept saving me would soon start using me.

The marriage that looked holy on Sundays but was painful every other day. The nights I reached for comfort and instead was met with blame, a damn exorcism ritual instead of the simple comfort of a much needed hug, or a blanket thrown at me with the force only former football player could pitch. That’s when I learned what it feels like when the shoulder you want to lean on becomes the shoulder that pushes you away. You just stop asking. You endure. You survive. You carry on.

Nothing, though, prepared me for the night a colleague — someone I trusted — assaulted me while I was working late. He was a friend until he wasn’t. His eyes went black. His body became a weapon. I fought — God, I fought — but he was an elite athlete, and he nearly strangled me to death.

And then the quiet aftermath. Shaking. Traumatized. I drove myself home. I cried as I showered. I put on pajamas. I read my children their favorite bedtime stories and recited our bedtime prayers. And I cried myself to sleep beside a husband I could not tell, because he would have blamed me. That second death — being blamed after being violated — is its own kind of darkness.

The next morning, I packed lunches, drove my kids to school, rear-ended a car because I couldn’t focus, and went to work like it was just another day. Survival becomes a skill set when life leaves you no other choice. (Nearly 1 in 3 women and 1 in 6 men will experience sexual assault in their lifetime — most of it unreported. Most survivors show up the next day. You’re not alone if this has been your story.)

I know suffering. Not theoretically. Viscerally.

But I also know the miracles. The interventions so precise and timely you can only call them Divine. The times God literally saved me from death more than once. Being shove in the center of my chest back onto the curb because I didn’t see the double-decker bus in Trafalgar Square and no one was around. The moments when I felt I couldn’t go on, and a knock on the door, a voice, a whisper, or an instinct nudged me forward instead.

I fell in love in Altadena. I married there. I miscarried there. I screamed for three hours during hard labor at Huntington Memorial because the epidural numbed only my feet, but brought two beautiful children home. My marriage remained long past it’s expiration date. Love without safety isn’t love — it’s endurance. It’s surviving while on constant alert.

And then there was my mother, my anchor. In her final months, cancer stole everything but her sweetness. Caregiving broke me open, tested my faith yet grew my capacity for love, and taught me how grief and joy can exist in the same heartbeat. I held her hand as she took her last breath, hours after whispering, “Mommy, I think I’m pregnant.” Nine months later, I brought her tiny “twin” into the world. Even grief births miracles.

And through all the fires, the assaults, the car flips, the losses, the sudden deaths, the neighbors saved, the divine interventions, the whispers of intuition that always arrived just in time, I realized my life wasn’t happening to me. It was happening for me. Every trauma taught me what it feels like to lose yourself. Every miracle taught me what it takes to find your way back, wiser, calmer and stronger.

That is why I became a hypnotherapist. Not to “heal” anyone — no human can do that but to address the issues we don’t deal with that hover below the surface that sabotages the real person we want to become. I became one because I am gifted, educated, and refined by fire. I use what I’ve learned clinically, educationally and intuitively to help others release the beliefs, trauma, and stress that keep them trapped in old stories. I help them reclaim clarity, confidence, peace, release weight, calm the ever present anxiety and recover the parts of themselves that got lost along the way. I help people become elite in sports and in the workplace.

I walk beside my clients — not above them, but as someone who has been through the fire too. I know what it’s like to smile on the outside and collapse on the inside. I know what it’s like to rebuild when everything falls apart. I know what it’s like to emerge — not just standing — but transformed.

If something inside you whispers, “I need that…” — you do. Our bodies and mind is always talking to us. Your next chapter doesn’t have to be written alone. Master your thoughts. Transform your reality. And may you feel carried through your own dark night of the soul — all the way to the other side of the light of joy.

Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
When people meet me now — as The Mental Makeover Therapist™ — they often assume I’ve always done this work or, because I smile and laugh a lot, assume I have lived an easy and privileged life. The truth is, I pivoted into this field later in life, after raising children, surviving trauma, navigating loss, leaving an unhealthy marriage, and rebuilding my life from the ground up. My greatest obstacles weren’t just the traumas I lived through… They were the stories I told myself about who I was allowed to become.

I had to change the mental narrative running through my head, 24/7. I battled fear. I battled doubt and shame. I was rejected for not being dark enough and teased for being too light. I was criticized for speaking up and criticized for being an introvert. I battled debilitating physical injuries and the fear of mind-numbing biopsies. I battled poverty. And I stayed on the brink of homelessness, climbing up and out with broken nails and bleeding fingertips. Just paychecks away from becoming the same people I used to serve in my career on Skid Row for many years.

I battled the voice that said, “You’re too old to start over. And you’re too fat!” You see, I have no memory of my tall, gruff, grandfather calling me by my birth name, ever. He always said, “Hey Fattie!” to get my attention. My gym teacher in junior high called me names. So even when I was 124 lbs, I thought I was fat.

I battled the exhaustion that comes from carrying a lifetime of heavy experiences in silence. But the same experiences that nearly broke me ended up becoming my greatest sources of wisdom, maturity, compassion, and discernment — the very qualities that make me exceptionally insightful with my clients today. I battled. I rested. Been humbled and confronted. And I am winning – every single day because I don’t quit. I know I am worthy and worth the fight for joy. I am really happy!

When I finally stepped into my calling, I didn’t do it halfway. I became highly educated in my field and graduated with high honors and a 4.2 GPA in clinical hypnotherapy. At the same time, I also earned advanced certifications in: Love, Sex & Intimacy, Healing the Inner Child, Biofeedback (Levels 1 & 2), Child Hypnosis, Hoarding, Smoking/Vaping Cessation, Hypnosis & the Loss of a Beloved Pet, Driving Anxiety & Social Phobias, Cultivating Mindfulness (Mind-Body Approach), Transpersonal Psychosynthesis and Handwriting Analysis.

Starting this career later in life wasn’t a setback — it was my superpower. My age gave me grounding. My experiences gave me depth. My faith gave me purpose. And my education gave me precision. Today, I help clients create internal congruency — where their beliefs, behaviors, emotions, and identity finally match the life they want to live. My work isn’t just about change; it’s about alignment with a fulfilling life and Divine purpose. And I’m grateful for every obstacle that prepared me for this calling. Otherwise, I would not be who I am and becoming, today.

Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about Dignity Hypnotherapy?
What I Do

At Dignity Hypnotherapy, I specialize in clinical hypnotherapy that transcends the ordinary. My approach is rooted in deeply compassionate, trauma-informed work: helping clients let go of limiting beliefs, release emotional burdens, and cultivate mental clarity. Using advanced techniques, I guide people through stress, past trauma, driving anxiety, social phobias, and more, all while aligning their subconscious with their highest purpose. With certifications in areas like inner‑child healing, mindfulness, and biofeedback, I partner with clients to create meaningful, lasting change — not just surface-level improvement, but a profound transformation of neuroplastic rewiring of the brain and well-being of the soul.

Client Takeaway

If you’ve ever felt like your story is too messy, too heavy, too shameful or too painful — but still know there’s a better version of yourself waiting to emerge — I’m here to walk beside you. With empathy born from my own journey, I help you release the old mental patterns, heal your inner turbulence, and step into a life that aligns deeply with your purpose. You don’t have to survive anymore. Together, we can co-create mental freedom, clarity, and transformation so powerful you’ll recognize the person you were always meant to be.

Are there any important lessons you’ve learned that you can share with us?
Life has a way of teaching lessons you never expected — sometimes beautiful, sometimes brutal. And the truth is, I’ve learned more from the moments that shook me to my core than from the ones that felt comfortable or safe.

I’ve learned that survival is not just a matter of physical endurance — it’s a matter of the mind. It’s the quiet, determined whisper that says, I am still here. I will still choose life. I will still choose love. That whisper carries you through the darkest nights, the moments when your body is exhausted, your soul is raw, and your heart is aching.

I’ve learned that pain is not a permanent sentence. It is a doorway — sometimes narrow, sometimes jagged — leading to deeper understanding, resilience, and compassion. Every trial I’ve faced has expanded my capacity to hold space for others. It’s why I can sit with someone’s grief or fear without judgment, and why I can offer tools that don’t just mask pain, but help release it.

I’ve learned that joy is not a reward for perfection. It is available, even in the middle of chaos, even when life seems unbearable. Sometimes joy is small — a laugh with your child, a warm breeze, a moment of silence that reminds you that you are alive. Sometimes it arrives in waves — sweeping, unstoppable, reminding you that life has a way of restoring what’s been lost.

I’ve learned that asking for help is a sign of strength, not weakness. Leaning into community, into support, into Divine guidance, can make all the difference. Even the strongest among us cannot navigate life entirely alone. Those moments of reaching out are often when we discover how vast our resilience truly is.

I’ve learned that forgiveness — for others and for ourselves — is not about condoning wrongs or forgetting pain. It’s about releasing the weight that holds you back, so you can move forward unencumbered. Every time I’ve let go of blame, bitterness, or shame, I’ve felt a little lighter, a little freer, and more able to step into my purpose.

I’ve learned that faith is not just believing in a higher power; it’s trusting the timing, the unseen, and the subtle nudges that guide us — even when we don’t understand. Miracles often come disguised as ordinary events, chance encounters, or whispers of intuition that we must choose to follow.

We haven’t all been dealt good hands — God knows mine was rough. But those hands have taught me lessons and developed shrewd skillsets I never would have acquired had I been dealt a royal flush. Life is about playing the deck differently. Watch, observe, fold, bluff, and then go all in. Always bet on yourself. You are both the House and the Contender. You eventually win if you stay in the game.

Finally, I’ve learned that life is meant to be lived fully, boldly, authentically, courageously and with laughter. If you’re afraid, try anyway. We are all works in progress, evolving with every challenge we face, every mistake we learn from, every apology we extend, every love we embrace, and every dream we dare to pursue.

If there is one lesson I hope my story conveys, it’s this: You are stronger than you feel, wiser than you think, and loved more deeply than you realize. Your past does not define you. Your suffering does not imprison you. Your next chapter is waiting — full of possibility, hope, and the kind of transformation that only comes when you step fully into your courage, your faith, and your truth. God needed you to be born.

Life may bend you. Life may challenge you. Life may even break you — make you feel as if you’re hemorrhaging from the inside. But if you allow yourself to be present, to listen, to learn, and to move forward, it will also lift you, guide you, and illuminate your path in ways you could never have imagined.

And that, my friend, is the greatest lesson of all.

Pricing:

• From $50 for group sessions to $300+ for concierge services

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.DignityHypnotherapy.com
• Instagram: @DignityHypno
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/melaniegraceworldwide/
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/melaniegracetakethelead/
• Youtube: @DignityHypno
• Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/dignity-hypnotherapy-san-dimas