Swimsuit

What Led 2023 SI Swim Rookie Melissa Wood-Tepperberg to Start Her MWH Platform

The workout and wellness leader’s mission is to help others become the best versions of themselves.

Cara O’Bleness

Melissa Wood-Tepperberg.

Melissa Wood-Tepperberg.

Melissa Wood Tepperberg, a rookie in the 2023 SI Swimsuit Issue, is a workout and wellness leader. She launched her platform, MWH, in late ’19 with the goal of making mindful health and wellness accessible and attainable for all. Since then, the certified yoga and Pilates instructor has grown her business into a nutrition and lifestyle brand that offers workouts, meditations and more.

In May, we caught up with Wood-Tepperberg during SI Swimsuit launch events at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Fla., where she divulged exactly why she started her platform. She explains that when she was at a point in her life in which she was struggling, instead of looking outside of herself for guidance, she went within, which is when everything changed.

“I learned how to meditate, how to be with the thoughts that were coming up, and then to choose different thoughts,” she shares. “As I slowly started to do that, it helped me really connect to all of the things in my life. So I started moving in a different way. Instead of moving like I wanted to punish myself for what I ate the day before, I started moving, loving and accepting myself. You experience results that are not just physical, but the most important results are the mental [ones].”

Wood-Tepperberg says that as she experienced such a positive internal shift in her own life, she wanted to share that with others.

“So I slowly started, and that’s really how I built MWH, was through going through it myself, but also wanting to share with everyone, not just young boys and girls, [but also] men and women of all ages, that it starts with working on yourself and carving that space out for yourself first,” she says.

MWH offers different workouts for various skill levels, so whether you’re a beginner, at an intermediate level or advanced, there’s a little something for everyone. Plus, new workouts are added regularly, and Wood-Tepperberg is currently offering a “7-Day Lower Body Burn” perfect for the summer season.

“My mission is to truly help people see themselves and empower them to tap into a strength within that they didn’t think was possible—but it’s there, it’s in the depth of our soul, and we have to chip away,” Wood-Tepperberg says. “It’s the daily work. It’s not that one big life event. It’s coming back to it day after day and leaning in.”

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!

Published
Cara O’Bleness

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.