Michelle Lin was born and raised in Massachusetts. Her parents were Taiwanese immigrants. She graduated from Andover High School and Tufts University. As a teenager, Michelle began training traditional Chinese martial arts (Shaolin Long Fist & Shaolin White Crane) at Yang's Martial Arts Association (YMAA) in Andover, MA. In 2013, she began a full-time training program at the YMAA Retreat Center (Miranda, CA) under renowned teacher and author, Dr. Yang, Jwing-Ming. She also began studying Yang-style Taijiquan (Tai Chi).

In 2015, Jina Jay Casting discovered her YouTube channel and invited her to audition for a role in "Assassin's Creed." Michelle earned the role of "Lin" and employed her martial arts background for the production.