Something is wrong with how we're living.
Not in a dramatic, catastrophic way — in the quiet, everyday way. We're busier than ever and lonelier than ever. We scroll through hundreds of faces a day and still go to bed feeling unseen. Six years after a pandemic that was supposed to remind us what matters, we're still waiting to feel connected again.
I'm Melissa. I'm a documentary filmmaker, mindfulness mentor, and someone who spent 20 years building other people's stories while quietly losing the thread of my own. Then the Los Angeles fires happened. I spent three weeks volunteering at the KTOWN YMCA, helping develop a care package program for displaced families — and I watched something extraordinary unfold. Strangers showed up for strangers. The city remembered itself.
That experience cracked something open in me. Around the same time, I sent an email to 150 friends and colleagues — something I'd never done before — and simply asked: can anyone host me for a week? I needed to get out of LA, out of my own head, out of the creative claustrophobia that had been building for years.
The response floored me. Offers poured in from across the country. People I hadn't heard from in years reached out. And in every conversation, I heard the same thing underneath their words: I'm lonely. I miss real connection. I don't know how to build community anymore.
So I decided to go find it. All of it. By car, across America, for six months.
The Reset Tour is a cross-country journey through intimate dinner gatherings — 10 to 12 people at a time, in homes and borrowed spaces, sharing a meal and a conversation that starts with one question: What does community look like in your life right now?
Everyone brings a dish that means something to them. Everyone gets a seat at the table. And what unfolds — every single time — is proof of something I believe deeply: we are so much more alike than we are different. The table just makes it visible.
Eight dinners in. Hundreds of miles driven. Dozens of strangers who are no longer strangers. And a growing archive of stories, recipes, and human moments that I'm shaping into a podcast and a book.
This crowdfunder helps cover the real costs of the road: gas, lodging, dinner ingredients, local photographers who document each gathering, and the audio recording that captures every conversation. Your support keeps the tour moving and the table set.
If you've ever sat around a table and felt, just for a moment, that everything was going to be okay — you already know what this is about.
Come to the table. Or help us get there.
Perks
You’re part of the journey now. Thank you for helping bring The Reset Tour to life!
You’ll receive:
-
A heartfelt thank-you email from Melissa
Snail mail is sacred. Get a handwritten postcard from the road, mailed from a surprise city along the tour, featuring a short mindfulness reflection or quote from that week’s dinner.
You’ll receive:
-
Handwritten postcard from a surprise location
Be part of the conversation — even from afar. You’ll receive two exclusive digital recipe cards from a community dinner.
Ever wonder what songs soundtrack a mindful road trip? Get Melissa’s Spotify road trip playlist + her favorite mindfulness podcasts, audiobooks, and creative inspiration from the journey — with a short voice memo introducing the list straight from the car.
You’ll receive:
-
Spotify playlist link
-
Melissa’s podcast & book recs
-
Voice memo from the road
A digital care package for your own reset. This downloadable kit blends mindfulness, creativity, and a few road-inspired treasures.
You’ll receive:
-
30 Day Mindfulness Calendar
-
2 digital recipe cards from the tour
-
1 guided meditation (audio)
Bring a little piece of the journey home. You’ll receive a limited-edition magnet from one of the tour’s stops, inspired by that city’s local charm and community spirit.
You’ll receive:
-
1 Reset Tour magnet (city-specific)
-
Everything from The Reset Kit tier
Pull up a seat at the table — from wherever you are. You'll receive a video shoutout from guests at one of our community dinners.
You’ll receive:
-
Your name honored at a community dinner captured on video
-
A handwritten recipe card from that event
-
A digital photo of your “table”
-
A personal shoutout on Melissa’s Instagram Stories
A truly personal thank-you from the road. Melissa will hop on FaceTime or Zoom to share stories, reflections, and lessons from the tour — just for you.
You’ll receive:
-
20-minute personal call from Melissa while on tour
-
Everything from The Dinner Guest tier
Be part of the backbone that brings this project to life. You’ll be acknowledged as an official supporter of The Reset Tour on the website and Substack.
You’ll receive:
-
Sponsor acknowledgment online (social, website, Substack)
-
Personalized video message from Melissa
-
Handcrafted gift box: postcard, magnet, recipe cards and a few surprises
Join Melissa for a private dinner (in-person or virtual) after the tour — a night of gratitude, storytelling, and shared reflection on the journey’s impact.
You’ll receive:
-
Private in-person or or virtual dinner with Melissa
- The Reset Kit & The Playlist Club
-
Handcrafted gift box: postcard, magnet, recipe cards and a few surprises
-
Acknowledgment in The Reset Tour book + on the website
Highlights
See all activity25Activity
You’re part of the journey now. Thank you for helping bring The Reset Tour to life!
You’ll receive:
-
A heartfelt thank-you email from Melissa
Snail mail is sacred. Get a handwritten postcard from the road, mailed from a surprise city along the tour, featuring a short mindfulness reflection or quote from that week’s dinner.
You’ll receive:
-
Handwritten postcard from a surprise location
Be part of the conversation — even from afar. You’ll receive two exclusive digital recipe cards from a community dinner.
Ever wonder what songs soundtrack a mindful road trip? Get Melissa’s Spotify road trip playlist + her favorite mindfulness podcasts, audiobooks, and creative inspiration from the journey — with a short voice memo introducing the list straight from the car.
You’ll receive:
-
Spotify playlist link
-
Melissa’s podcast & book recs
-
Voice memo from the road
A digital care package for your own reset. This downloadable kit blends mindfulness, creativity, and a few road-inspired treasures.
You’ll receive:
-
30 Day Mindfulness Calendar
-
2 digital recipe cards from the tour
-
1 guided meditation (audio)
Bring a little piece of the journey home. You’ll receive a limited-edition magnet from one of the tour’s stops, inspired by that city’s local charm and community spirit.
You’ll receive:
-
1 Reset Tour magnet (city-specific)
-
Everything from The Reset Kit tier
Pull up a seat at the table — from wherever you are. You'll receive a video shoutout from guests at one of our community dinners.
You’ll receive:
-
Your name honored at a community dinner captured on video
-
A handwritten recipe card from that event
-
A digital photo of your “table”
-
A personal shoutout on Melissa’s Instagram Stories
A truly personal thank-you from the road. Melissa will hop on FaceTime or Zoom to share stories, reflections, and lessons from the tour — just for you.
You’ll receive:
-
20-minute personal call from Melissa while on tour
-
Everything from The Dinner Guest tier
Be part of the backbone that brings this project to life. You’ll be acknowledged as an official supporter of The Reset Tour on the website and Substack.
You’ll receive:
-
Sponsor acknowledgment online (social, website, Substack)
-
Personalized video message from Melissa
-
Handcrafted gift box: postcard, magnet, recipe cards and a few surprises
Join Melissa for a private dinner (in-person or virtual) after the tour — a night of gratitude, storytelling, and shared reflection on the journey’s impact.
You’ll receive:
-
Private in-person or or virtual dinner with Melissa
- The Reset Kit & The Playlist Club
-
Handcrafted gift box: postcard, magnet, recipe cards and a few surprises
-
Acknowledgment in The Reset Tour book + on the website
