Melanie Lopes: The Wellness Founder Building a Global Breathwork Movement

Q: Is Melanie Lopes married?

Melanie Lopes is not publicly confirmed as married. She is engaged to Steven Bartlett, the British entrepreneur and host of The Diary of a CEO.

Elevate New Editorial Team3 hours agoLast Updated: July 15, 2026

Melanie Lopes is a French wellness entrepreneur, breathwork facilitator and retreat leader. She founded Bali Breathwork, a wellness platform centred on breathing, emotional release and nervous system support. Her career grew from experience in beauty, massage, fitness and body-based care. Her relationship with British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett brought wider attention, but she has also built her own brand, trained facilitators and led retreats.

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Who Is Melanie Lopes?

Melanie Lopes, also known in some media coverage as Melanie Vaz Lopes, was born in Bordeaux, France. She is French and has often been described as having French-Portuguese family roots. Her career began in beauty and body care before moving into fitness, somatic work and breathwork. She now works as a wellness educator who helps people manage stress, understand emotions and develop a stronger connection with their bodies.

Her Instagram account, @meloai, has more than 145,000 followers. She shares breathwork, personal growth, spirituality, travel and Bali Breathwork programmes.

Melanie Lopes Age and Early Life

Melanie Lopes was born in July 1992 in Bordeaux, France. She is 34 years old as of 2026. Her exact birth date is often given as 6 July 1992, though official business records confirm only her birth month and year.

melanie lopes age

Childhood and Family Background

Melanie comes from Bordeaux in south-west France. She has kept most details about her childhood, parents and siblings private. A business filing connects Laura Maria Da Rocha Espincho Lopes with the company behind Bali Breathwork. However, it does not state how Laura is related to Melanie. Presenting her as Melanie’s mother without direct proof would be inaccurate.

Melanie Lopes Ethnicity and Nationality

Melanie is French by nationality. She has also been described as French-Portuguese, which may reflect her family heritage. She has not given a detailed statement about her ethnic identity. Her Instagram biography says “God is Love”, and she often writes about faith, courage and inner growth. This does not confirm a specific church or religious group.

Melanie Lopes Education and Wellness Training

Melanie studied beauty, aesthetics and body treatments through THALGO between 2010 and 2014. Her training included CAP and Bac Pro qualifications, spa practice, anatomy, client service and wellness management. This practical education gave her a strong base in hands-on care and body awareness.

Early Work in Australia

From 2014 to 2017, Melanie worked as a wellness therapist at Door No.18, linked with Premier Health & Fitness City in Sydney, Australia. Her role involved deep tissue massage, relaxation treatments, holistic bodywork and care for VIP clients.

Fitness and Coaching Experience

Between 2018 and 2020, Melanie worked as a fitness coach with Magic Form. She also became involved in nutrition, body confidence and lifestyle coaching. Earlier projects included a raw and vegan recipe book, Booty Academy and the wellbeing business Auraya.

Melanie Lopes and Her Personal Healing Journey

Melanie has said that her path into breathwork grew from her own struggles. Her professional biography refers to an eating disorder, depression and a long effort to find healing. She travelled widely and explored therapy, bodywork and spiritual practice before reaching Bali in 2020. There she studied breathwork, somatic practice, embodiment, Reiki, hypnosis-based therapy, tantra and cacao work.

These experiences shaped her method. However, she is not a doctor, psychologist or licensed medical therapist. Her work belongs to the wellness field and should not replace medical care.

Founder of Bali Breathwork

Melanie began working as a breathwork facilitator and retreat leader in 2021. She founded Bali Breathwork in 2022. The company presents itself as a global breathwork school. It offers facilitator training, retreats, workshops, private sessions and digital tools. Its goal is to help people use breathing practices to support emotional balance, self-awareness and resilience.

The Bali Breathwork Method

Her method combines several ideas.

Conscious and Therapeutic Breathing

Participants use planned breathing patterns to release tension and focus on the present.

Somatic Practice

Somatic work focuses on physical feelings, movement and stress held in the body.

Nervous System Education

Melanie teaches ideas linked with safety, stress responses and emotional regulation.

Emotional Release

Some sessions use breath, sound, movement or reflection to release emotion.

She calls her style the “Yin of Breathwork”, reflecting a gentler and more inward approach than intense breathing methods.

Facilitator Training and Retreats

Bali Breathwork trains facilitators through in-person and online study, with a focus on skill, ethics and safe practice. Its retreats may include group breathwork, movement, reflection and rest. Melanie says she has guided thousands of people through breath-led sessions across Europe, Asia and South America. This figure comes from her own professional description and has not been independently audited.

Business Ownership and Company Structure

Bali Breathwork is connected with Sacred Movement LP, a business registered in Scotland in December 2024. Official company records name Melanie as the main controlling person. She holds at least 75 per cent of the voting rights and rights to surplus assets. She can also appoint or remove people who manage the partnership.

This makes her both the public face and a leading controller of the business. Her career has also taken her across Europe, Asia, Australia and South America. Bali remains central to her professional story, while her business activity and relationship have connected her with France, Britain and the United States. She is best described as internationally based.

Melanie Lopes on Social Media

Melanie uses @meloai as her main personal platform. Her page presents her as the founder of Bali Breathwork and offers a free daily breathwork exercise. Her posts mix wellness teaching with thoughts on discipline, courage, faith and self-worth. In July 2025, she marked her 33rd birthday with 33 lessons about love, fear, change and inner peace.

The Reclaim Her Series

In July 2026, Melanie introduced a social media series called Reclaim Her. She said she would share parts of her life that she had never discussed openly before. The opening post marked a more personal stage in her online work.

Melanie Lopes and Steven Bartlett

Melanie is engaged to Steven Bartlett, the British entrepreneur, investor and host of The Diary of a CEO. The pair first connected through Instagram in 2016. They later dated, separated and found their way back to each other. Steven travelled to Bali in 2022 to rebuild the relationship. Their reunion later became known through his live shows and media coverage.

Engagement and Marriage Status

Steven proposed on Christmas Day 2025 during a trip to Morocco. Melanie confirmed the engagement in January 2026 with a post that said, “A new chapter begins with you.” She also wrote that they had shared almost seven years together. This may include their earlier relationship, time apart and later reunion. Steven is Melanie’s fiancé, not her confirmed husband. No wedding has been announced as of July 2026.

Does Melanie Lopes Have Children?

Melanie has no publicly confirmed children. She and Steven have spoken about love, growth and their future, but they have not announced a pregnancy or birth.

Melanie Lopes Net Worth

Melanie’s personal net worth has not been disclosed. Her income may come from retreats, facilitator training, private sessions, digital programmes, events and brand work. However, the financial results of Bali Breathwork and Sacred Movement LP are not available in enough detail to calculate her wealth.

Melanie Lopes Today

Melanie continues to develop Bali Breathwork as an international wellness platform. Her work combines education, business leadership, retreats and personal storytelling. She has built her career from bodywork and fitness into a wider breathwork movement. Her main message is that healing should involve the body, emotions and nervous system, not only the mind.

At 34, she remains focused on training facilitators, expanding her brand and sharing tools that support calm, awareness and personal change. Her engagement to Steven Bartlett has brought extra attention, but her professional identity remains clear: she is the founder and driving force behind Bali Breathwork.

Final Thoughts on Melanie Lopes

Melanie’s story is one of change, travel and reinvention. She moved from beauty therapy and massage into fitness, then into breathwork and somatic education. Her life has included personal struggles, international work and the creation of a growing wellness business. She is French, linked with Portuguese heritage, engaged to Steven Bartlett and active as a global breathwork educator.

Much of her family life and personal wealth remains private. What is clear is that she has created a strong identity beyond her famous partner. Through Bali Breathwork, she has turned her own healing journey into a business that teaches others how to breathe, slow down and reconnect with themselves.

FAQs

1. Who is Melanie Lopes?

Melanie Lopes is a French wellness entrepreneur, breathwork facilitator and retreat leader. She is the founder of Bali Breathwork and is also known as the fiancée of British entrepreneur Steven Bartlett.

2. How old is Melanie Lopes?

Melanie Lopes was born in July 1992 in Bordeaux, France. She is 34 years old as of 2026.

3. Is Melanie Lopes married?

Melanie Lopes is not married. She is engaged to Steven Bartlett, the British entrepreneur and host of The Diary of a CEO. They announced their engagement in January 2026.

4. What is Melanie Lopes’s ethnicity?

Melanie Lopes is French and has been described as having French-Portuguese heritage. She was born in Bordeaux, France, but has worked in several countries during her wellness career.

5. What is Bali Breathwork?

Bali Breathwork is a wellness school founded by Melanie Lopes. It offers breathwork facilitator training, retreats, workshops and breathing tools designed to support relaxation, emotional wellbeing and personal growth.