Megan Stoddard is a certified life coach, who has a great passion for guiding other moms through the throes of “mom guilt”. Having started dancing at the young age of three, receiving her bachelor’s degree in dance, and performing on a professional dance company, Megan has a great love and respect for the body. She has found that through caring for and respecting her body, she has been able to achieve many incredible mental and emotional breakthroughs throughout her life. Alongside her dance career, she has also spent the last six years as a health coach, which has helped her create more beautiful connections between the mind and the body.
Having spent so much time studying her body and personal development, she has gained an incredible love for sharing her discoveries with others. She offers her services through one on one coaching sessions, digital courses, free resources on her website, and an online community. This work has given Megan so much fulfilment, and she knows that the more she shares, the more she receives back in return. Doing this work has helped Megan to show up as an even better mother to her two small daughters, and an even better wife to her husband of six years. She knows the value of taking care of her needs first, in order to create strong family bonds, and will joyfully spend the rest of her life teaching other women how to do the same thing.
It is great to have you with us, Megan! Can you tell us a little bit about your own journey and your career within the health & wellness industry?
Thank you, absolutely! Well, I have been dancing all of my life, but never really cared for actually working out. But once I graduated from college, and was no longer dancing for hours upon hours every day (which I always counted as my workout), I knew I needed some kind of physical activity. I learned pretty quickly that my mental health was tied very closely to physical activity, so having a desk job for 8-12 hours a day threw my already present depression into a scary downward spiral. I found an at-home workout program, which was the single catalyst to this whole journey!
Now almost seven years since that day, I have gone through two successful pregnancies, and hip surgery, all of which required me to take a break from exercise. But through those challenges (and many other non-physical challenges), I have learned how to rise to the occasion, and get creative with my problem-solving. That is what has given me the fuel for my career as a coach. I’m not just an “exercise junkie”; I am a huge mental health advocate.
Almost a year after finding that at-home workout program (for the curious, it’s one called Insanity), I started my coaching career through the network marketing company, Beachbody. While I am still affiliated with them, I also started my own life coaching company in 2019 to be able to have even more freedom to provide more expertise, tools, and resources for my clients who I love so much!
How are you guiding mothers to go from living in “momguilt” to a life of ease and fulfilment?
Through my one-on-one coaching services, my upcoming online course, as well as my online wellness community. I have gone through so much mom guilt myself. I overcame it through active personal development, consistent exercise, thought work, and by waking up early to a morning routine that I actually love! So I use those very same tools with my clients. What I do with each client depends on their unique situation and the thoughts that they personally are consistently experiencing.
One on one sessions is the most efficient way for me to give them positive results quickly because I am able to personally guide them through the thoughts they may not even realise they are having. I take them through a process that guides them to uncover the truths that they are currently living in, identify what they actually want to experience, and then create an action plan that will bridge the gap between the two. My upcoming online course also teaches my students how to take themselves through that process, and I share it in my online community as well!
Can you tell us about the beta testers you are currently in aid of for your upcoming course about healing our own relationship with our body?
Of course! I have been absolutely loving this process of working with them! At the time of this interview, I am still in the filming stage for my course, but my beta testers have already proven to be invaluable to this process. Each one of them filling out a form, where I asked them fairly personal questions about the current state of their relationship with their body. Every single response has moved me to tears. I know each of these beautiful women personally, and seeing how deeply their struggles run has only fueled my fire for finishing this course.
I have used their raw, honest responses to make sure that I hit their pain points throughout my course; because I know that if they are having these struggles, there are millions of other women who are going through similar, if not identical, problems. I have also used their responses to help me share my message more specifically through my website and social media.
How you are balancing the work/life strife?
I actually don’t believe in balance the way most people think of it. I look at life as an ocean to be surfed (disclaimer: I was born in raised in Idaho, and have never even touched a surfboard). Sometimes I’m going to be leaning one way, sometimes I’ll be leaning the other, sometimes I’ll be moving slowly, sometimes I’ll be speeding through on pure momentum. And sometimes I full-on wipe out and have to get up and try again.
Basically, I believe there are phases of life, phases of the year, and even phases of the day. Right now is a phase of working as much as I can to get my course out to the world. My husband is incredibly supportive and does all he can to give me time and space to work, and I’m so blessed that my girls (ages 18 months and 4 years old) are best friends who generally play together incredibly well. Whenever I have a spare moment, I am working.
But I have also learned how much peace I regain by taking time to spend very focused and intentionally with my family. We do not have phones at the dinner table, I’m not constantly checking my inbox when I’m playing with my girls, and I make sure I have quality time with my husband every day to talk about our days. I’m far from perfect at this, and I have a lot of room for improvement, but I’m very happy with the current trajectory of my progress!
What platforms are you using for marketing tools?
The main ones I use are Instagram, Facebook, Squarespace, and MailChimp. I also have Pinterest, Twitter, and TheHIVE, which are works in progress.
Do you currently use any apps or tools to help the functionality of your business practice?
I use Canva all the time, it’s one of my favourites! I use to create just about everything, like slides for my video lessons, free downloads, tools for my clients, social media posts, etc. I also use Snapseed to edit all of my photos, and occasionally Instasize for the odd-sized photo or video. For video editing, I love iMovie, Video Crop, and CutStory. I also use Tailwind to schedule my Instagram posts.
Who is the most influential female powerhouse that you admire and why?
Chalene Johnson has, without question, been the powerhouse with the most influence in my life! I was initially introduced to her through her workout program ChaLEAN Extreme. Not long after that, I learned about her podcast The Chalene Show, which I quickly became obsessed with. She has helped me overcome many mental blocks, and given me a crazy amount of tools and resources to be successful!
I admire her so much because of her dedication to having both success and thriving family life. She has shown me that I can absolutely have it all, as long as I work smarter instead of harder. Her dedication to putting her beautiful family first, and knowing when to say ‘no’ to an opportunity is such a breath of fresh air for me in the world of hustling entrepreneurs. I am so grateful and inspired by her willingness to share the lessons she has learned through her past mistakes, and I am working to follow her example.
What does #BEYOUROWN mean to you?
#BEYOUROWN means actively progressing toward our own potential. My potential is completely different than the potential of the woman reading this – but they are both infinite. We should not be wasting our time trying to be like that woman we follow on Instagram who we admire; we should be working to bring our own talents and skills into being! I think we should absolutely be vocal in our admiration of others, and celebrate what they excel at…but not at the expense of our own unique strengths.
If we all spend our time trying to be like each other, we would lose so much beauty! We are here to learn and grow, and that can’t happen if we’re constantly distracted by comparison. Growth comes through stepping into our own unique purpose!
What does 2020 look like for you?
2020 looks like a year of exciting growth! By the time this interview is live, my first online course will have officially launched. From there, my next step is to create a group coaching program. Other projects that I have on my to-do list are to create a podcast and an active YouTube channel as well. As you can see, I am really excited to spread my message as far and wide as I possibly can!
However, group coaching is what I am looking forward to the very most! That is how I am going to be able to help the most women that I possibly can, as efficiently as I can. I look forward to all the opportunities that it will create for me and my clients. I am hopeful that it will move us in the direction of a live event someday!
Twitter: @MeganRStoddard
Instagram: @megan_stoddard_wellness
Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/meganstoddardwellness/
HIVE: @meganstoddardwellness
Website: www.meganstoddardwellness.com
