ABOUT MELANIE

Melanie Ryan is author and founder of The Golden Shadow Method, owner of Ancient Wisdom Today, and Bodhi Books. Melanie is a psychotherapist, Tibetan Buddhist teacher, and metaphysician who serves her local community and beyond. She specializes in helping others find their life purpose and the meaning of the challenges they face. Her philosophy is to use all life experiences as fuel for awakening. Melanie Ryan is an international teacher and writes books that elevate human consciousness. 

For over three decades, Melanie has studied with indigenous elders and spiritual masters throughout North America, South America, Central America, Europe, and the Far East. Her training includes vinyasa yoga, reiki, past-life regression therapy, naturopathic and Tibetan medicine, Jungian psychology, shamanic healing, fire ceremony, vision questing, and Asklepian dream healing. 

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Melanie Ryan is an authorized Buddhist teacher in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition of Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche by the Shambhala Meditation Center of New York (2017). She continues her studies in Vajrayana Buddhism and Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan medicine) with Dr. Nida Chenagtsang. She has a master’s degree in metaphysics from Delphi University (2026) and began her career earning a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Hartford (1992) and a dual master’s degree in clinical social work and clinical research from Fordham University (1995). Over the decades, Melanie has studied with many well respected master teachers; Dr. Marizelle Arce, Edward Tick, Ph.D, David Nichtern, Derek Kolleeny, Andrew Holecek, Dr. M. Prisco, and Tenzin Wangyal Rinpoche of the Bön tradition. 

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Disillusioned by the limitations of the modern U.S. healthcare system, Melanie founded The Center for Health and Healing (2012), an award-winning holistic health center that served the Hudson Valley region of New York for nearly a decade. Just prior to the 2020 pandemic lockdown, she closed the center and devoted herself to homeschooling her son and writing books. In 2020, she published The Golden Shadow Method, a path of awakening one’s full human potential. The method integrates depth psychology, Tibetan Buddhism, metaphysics, indigenous teachings, and natural healing. Melanie continues to teach and develop advanced programs that dive deeper into the nature of reality and the secrets in the unconscious. These programs are called The Secrets of the Golden Shadow, and the first volume will be published in 2026. Melanie teaches online courses, domestic and international retreats, and serves on faculty at the world-renowned Omega Institute in Rhinebeck, New York.

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Today, Melanie Ryan and her husband, Andy Steigmeier, live in the mountains of northern Georgia near the Cherokee National Forest, where they lead retreats, workshops, and educational programs for children and adults. They devote their work to Justin Bodhi Steigmeier and the benefit of all beings. 

In 2027, they will be featured in the documentary Tragical, A Journey from Tragic to Magic, which is part of a docu-series called Remembering the Soul.