Melissa Furman

CEO, MAF Health Coaching; Founder, Second Youth Wellness Method; Co-Founder & Event Organizer, Tulsa VegFest; Co-Fndr/Pres PBGC

Melissa Furman is the CEO of MAF Health Coaching, Founder of the Second Youth Wellness Method, is the Co-Founder and event organizer of Tulsa VegFest and the Co-Founder and President of the non-profit organization Plant-Based Green Country. She has a Communication Studies degree from the University of Kansas, earned the Plant-Based Nutrition Certificate from the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies and eCornell as well as the plant-based cooking certificate from the Rouxbe culinary school. She earned her Master Certified Health Coach certification from the Dr. Sears Wellness Institute. Melissa is a life-long learner with a compassionate entrepreneurial spirit and a heart for spreading the message of the plant-based lifestyle to help others achieve better health.

Melissa grew up in the kitchen cooking with her mom and aunt, preparing family recipes and creating new favorites. Food has always being a strong focus in her life, and when she was introduced to the film Forks Over Knives in 2015, she became even more focused on the power food has on health. Furthering her food-as-medicine knowledge base with writings by pioneers like Ornish, Campbell, Esselstyn & Greger, she quickly became deeply convinced of the health impact of nutrition, so she purged her kitchen of unhealthy foods and changed her eating habits. In under 3 months, Melissa lost 6 inches and a few pounds and gained tons of energy — all evidence of chronic inflammation she didn’t know she had.

In 2017, Melissa attended a VegFest out of state and left that day knowing she had to bring this type of event to the city where she lived, Tulsa, Oklahoma. With the help of six plant-based friends, she co-founded a non-profit organization in order to create Tulsa Vegfest and improve health in Northeastern Oklahoma.

In 2019, the first Tulsa VegFest was held which hosted nearly 5000 people, many of whom kept asking “how?” They believed the science the festival speakers conveyed, but they didn’t know how to implement this new eating pattern in their lives. That day changed the trajectory of Melissa’s life. Wanting to help people integrate the plant-based diet into their unique lives, she sought formal education by earning certificates in plant-based nutrition, plant-based cooking and health coaching. Melissa, who now lives in Houston, TX, privately coaches clients virtually and in person, and operates the Second Youth Wellness Method, a self-paced 12-week digital program that helps women in their second half of life shed pounds, restore energy and feel great by developing healthy habits and using plant-based nutrition.
Melissa has always lived an active lifestyle. She is an accomplished equestrian of over 35 years, and earned her second degree black belt in TaeKwonDo as an adult while training with her husband and two children. When she isn’t coaching clients or working on Tulsa VegFest, Melissa can be found at the barn riding her horse, walking her dog or gardening.

Melissa can be found at www.mafhealth.com, on Instagram & Facebook at @mafhealthcoach. Melissa’s free community Facebook group is called Everyday Food Confidence for Women Over 40. Tulsa VegFest information can be found at www.tulsavegfest.org or on Instagram & Facebook at @tulsavegfest.