We’re continuing our Women’s Month spotlight series with another incredible member of the Coda community.
Throughout March, we’re highlighting women who are building thoughtful systems, solving real problems, and generously sharing what they’ve learned along the way.
Next up, we’re excited to introduce @Melanie_Teh — a builder who first discovered Coda while exploring alternatives and quickly realized just how deep the platform can go. In this spotlight, she shares how her work evolved from simple one-off docs into full business operating systems, the Coda features that sparked some of her biggest “aha” moments, and even the surprisingly detailed system she built to track her candle collection.
Let’s get into it.
1. What drew you to Coda, and how has your use of it changed over time?
I was feeling disenchanted with Airtable at the time and was looking for an alternative, which coincided with the launch of Coda 4.0 and its native AI.
Because Coda has such a high ceiling, it takes time to truly understand and use it to its full potential. What really drew me in and made me want to persevere was the genuine care the “Codans” showed for both their users and the product. I had shared a review of Coda in an Airtable forum, and Bill French later brought some of my points into an internal meeting with the Codans. Knowing that my feedback had been heard and carried into those conversations left a real impression on me.
That impression only deepened when I joined a welcome call for new users migrating from Airtable, led by Noah Silverstein. There were only a few of us on the call, and he stayed until every question had been answered, well past the original end time!
Over time, my use of Coda has evolved from single-purpose, one-off docs into building full operating systems.
2. What’s a doc or project you’re really proud of that you built with Coda?
I recently completed a unified business operating system for solopreneurs and SMEs, with modules spanning CRM, projects and tasks, calendar and events, financials, and reporting dashboards.
One of my favorite features was the dynamic charts and graphs (native Coda) in the dashboard, which included pop-out info bubbles that used AI to interpret the visuals and explain the insights behind them.
This build stands out to me because it reflects years of business experience and knowledge, along with countless hours spent studying, using, and building in Coda. It also represents significant iteration and growth, especially in overcoming the tech debt from earlier doc builds, to create a system that feels far more robust, intuitive, and scalable.
3. Was there a specific “aha” moment where Coda really clicked for you?
I think every Coda maker has many “aha” moments, because Coda is a bit like a fine wine 
.
As you continue on your maker journey and advance your skill set, you discover so many layers and possibilities. It’s incredible what you can achieve and build with Coda.
For me, the moments that stood out most were when I came across buttons, CFL, Packs, and the flexibility of a doc/canvas, which allowed me to create succinct UI/UX for workflows and business processes.
4. What’s a tool, habit, or ritual that keeps you grounded when things get overwhelming?
Nothing beats lighting a candle or turning on my essential oil diffuser, and playing ambient jazz music with bird and nature sounds. Ahhhhh, the serenity of sound and scent, haha.
Fun fact: I also have a Coda doc for my candle collection. It helps me keep track of them, and since there aren’t any Yankee Candle stores in Australia, I have to buy them while on holiday or order them online. By inputting the top, middle, and base notes (fragrance) of each candle into my Coda doc, I’m able to deduce whether it’s likely to be a scent I’ll enjoy or not. So far, I’d say I have a 95–97% success rate, and right now, it smells like Christmas in here: pine, balsam, cedar, and juniper 
5. When you start building something new, are you more structure-first or chaos-first?
Definitely structure-first. I’ve found that if you don’t lead with structure, it eventually ends in chaos anyway hahaha.
If it’s a simple use case or single-functionality build, then chaos-first can be okay. But in general, with the Coda Docs I build these days for partners/clients - are usually complex, all-encompassing operating systems, so I approach them with a more traditional software development framework (Agile): Scope/SOW → PRD → Schema → Epics/Stories. It’s less exciting than the chaos method, but necessary 
6. What do you do outside of work that people might not expect?
Outside of work, I’ve been sharpening my balloon-twisting skills — yes, making balloon animals! Secretly, I’d love to travel the world busking as a balloon artist… so if the Coda doc-building gigs ever stop, I do have a backup plan 
7. If you could teach a 30-minute workshop or TED Talk on anything (not work-related), what would it be?
A TED Talk on the value of data and how it changed my life.
Five years ago, I ran a personal experiment for a full year, documenting nearly everything I did in a Life OS ecosystem I built in Airtable, inspired by August Bradley’s Life OS in Notion. I tracked habits, tasks, events, activities (even 
and 
haha), routines, sleep data, health data, and daily journals. I used Siri and Google Nest devices to log activities on the go, at home, and at the office, respectively.
Doing something like that (admittedly intense and slightly absurd, LOL) really forces you to see your life from a different perspective. I was able to audit my time, analyze my actions, and compare where I thought my priorities were with what they actually were. It helped me better align my values and goals and identify how I was actually living. It became an immense period of personal growth and a profoundly life-changing experience.
8. Finish this sentence: “I build because ______.”
I build because getting to create Coda Docs for work feels like living out a dream, and I’m grateful I get to help partners and clients bring their ideas and ambitions to life, too.