Let's talk.
No bots. No contact forms that disappear into the ether. Just me, on the other end of an actual email address, reading every message that comes in.
Hi. I'm Melissa — the whole team, the founder, the one writing this sentence. If you send an email to Root & Rise, it comes to me. If you DM me on Instagram, it comes to me. There is no assistant, no VA filtering messages, no "support team" I'm going to forward you to.
That's the good news and the bad news.
The good news: you get the real person. The bad news: the real person also has a son, husband, two dogs, a full-time job, and occasionally runs out of clean socks. So let me tell you what I actually answer well, and how fast.
"I'm a parent and I have a question."
This is my favorite kind of email. No question is too small — "is my kid actually sensory?" and "will the Sprout work for a 9-year-old?" and "I just needed to tell someone about the meltdown we had at Target today" all land in the same inbox and get the same warm reply.
Reach me at: [email protected]
Response time: Within 2 business days, usually faster. If you haven't heard back by day 3, it went to spam — please resend.
"I'm a professional — podcast, speaking, press, or affiliate marketing."
Yes to most of these, honestly. I love talking about the framework I built, the 167 hours parents spend with their kids outside the clinic, and why "behavior is data" needs to replace "behavior is a problem" in how we talk about sensory kids. Especially interested in parent-facing podcasts, OT profession conversations, and anything at the intersection of faith and parenting.
Reach me at: [email protected] (subject line: "Podcast / Speaking / Press" — it helps me triage)
Response time: Within 3 business days. Please include timeline and format details upfront.
"I just want to follow along."
No pressure, no inbox commitment. Instagram is where I show up most days — the meltdown reframes, the behind-the-scenes moments, the occasional reel where I'm hiding in my car because the children have found me.
Find me on Instagram: [@rootandrisesensory]
Get the free teaser video: 90 seconds that changes how you see every hard moment.
Before You Write: A Few Gentle Things
What I answer well:
- Questions about which Root & Rise offer is right for your family
- Questions about how the framework applies to your specific kid
- Podcast, speaking, and collaboration requests
- "I'm stuck and I don't know where to start" — that's literally my job
- Feedback on the courses, the website, typos you spotted (please, tell me about the typos)
What I can't do over email:
- Diagnose your child or tell you whether something is "sensory" versus another clinical concern — that's a clinician's job, and I'll happily help you find one
- Provide occupational therapy services or clinical recommendations — I'm a Sensory Educator, which is a different lane by design
- Give in-depth personalized guidance for free — that's what the Taproot Intensive is for, and it's the best $1,600 some of these parents will ever spend.
What helps me reply faster:
- A clear subject line (even a bad one — "help" works better than no subject at all)
- Your child's age and the one or two hardest moments in your day
- What you've already tried
Office Hours
(the honest version)
I check email Monday through Friday between roughly 7am and 6pm Mountain Time. On weekends I'm usually with my family — which means your email will absolutely still be read, but probably not on Saturday. If you're in active crisis with your child and need immediate support, Root & Rise is not the right resource — please reach out to a local therapist, your pediatrician, or if you're in the US, text or call 988 for mental health support.
