Episode #160: Melissa Mercado

Melissa Mercado is the Tactical Manager and Practice Planner General Manager at TeamBuildr. Mercado joined TeamBuildr in 2024 first as a tactical manager before taking on additional responsibilities as the practice planner general manager in 2025. Prior to her current position, Mercado was a strength and conditioning coach at the School of Infantry-East for the Marine Combat Instructor Course and Headquarters and Support Battalion in Camp Lejeune, NC. She was in this role from 2022-2024 and spent the early part of 2022 as a strength coach at Wounded Warrior Battalion-East. Mercado began her coaching career as an intern coach at her alma mater, Radford University. She served in that role from 2017-2018 while also gaining additional experience as an intern at Virginia Commonwealth University in summer of 2018 and Clemson University the fall of 2018. From there she transitoned into the tactical field as a Fitness Specialist at Marine Corps Base Quantico, where she played a key role in the Force Fitness Instructor Course, developing the curriculum and instructing future FFI’s and FFIT’s.

Outside of work, Mercado enjoys sunrise runs, discovering new coffee shops, lifting heavy things, walking her dog Wyatt, and cheering on the Pittsburgh Steelers and Clemson Tigers.