I Love You More Than Coffee | Melissa Face on Parenting, Grief & Resilience

For 19 years, Melissa Face carried grief she was afraid to feel. After losing her younger sister, she chose anger over sadness—because anger felt productive, and sadness felt like drowning. Then came a health crisis, bilateral pulmonary emboli, and another wake-up call to embrace every moment. Now a teacher of gifted students, a mother of two, and author of "I Love You More Than Coffee," Melissa shares how loss shaped her parenting, why she celebrates everything, and what she learned about vulnerability during the pandemic. This conversation explores teaching gifted children, the importance of communication, and the quiet power of letting yourself feel. Melissa also reveals her coffee obsession, her love for Vermont, and why she refuses to apologize for being a present, celebrating mom.

Keywords: Melissa Face, I Love You More Than Coffee, parenting, grief, gifted education, teacher, author, pandemic parenting, resilience, coffee, loss, every soul has a story


0:00 - Intro & Welcome
1:55 - Melissa joins the call
3:00 - Teaching gifted students
5:30 - Pandemic teaching challenges
7:45 - Kids and remote learning
9:15 - Skeletor the skeleton student
11:00 - Melissa's writing journey
13:30 - Grief, loss, and parenting
17:45 - Health crisis: pulmonary emboli
20:30 - Pandemic reflections
23:00 - Social media and control
25:15 - Coffee obsession
28:00 - Vermont, writing, and sanctuary
32:30 - Wine, chocolate, and life's pleasures
35:00 - Closing reflections
39:53 - Outro

Book: I Love You More Than Coffee by Melissa FaceDara Levan / Every Soul Has a Story:
• https://www.instagram.com/dara.levan/
• Website: daralevan.com
https://www.amazon.com/Love-You-More-Than-Coffee/dp/1645430863


QUOTES:

"It was easier for me to be angry than to be sad. That was my defense mechanism. Anger is also more productive than sadness."

– Melissa Face


"Anger is like a fiery emotion, right? There's like this fuel, almost like a rocket ship. Sadness, it's like a wet horse blanket."

– Dara Levan