Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Megha Kraft. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Megha, so great to have you with us today. There are so many topics we want to ask you about, but perhaps the one we can start with is burnout. How have you overcome or avoided burnout?
My job as an agency Creative Director is incredibly demanding. Many late nights, and a lot of weeks that bleed into one another. It is a high pressure role that involves a lot of fast thinking and many people counting on me to show up 100% my best self. Truthfully the first year in my role I dove headfirst into the work. It was exciting, and I was creating the biggest and best work of my life. But at some point I realized I was losing myself. I was burnt out, exhausted and was not carving out the time I needed to show up as the best leader, creative or individual.
I made a commitment to prioritize myself and reconnect with my favorite spiritual practices, mental health tools, and self care rituals picked up throughout my own journey. I also committed to finding and building a stronger sense of community and ensuring I took time for myself in nature every day.
This led me to foster (and then adopt) an amazing senior dog which not only got me moving again but also allowed me to connect with my local Venice Beach community and spend more time outside instead of in front of a screen.
But the greatest way I have been able to show up for myself every day, manage the high stress demands of my job and avoid burnout has been the addition of breathwork in my daily life. While I have practiced this for over 6 years on and off, committing to a daily breathwork has completely changed my life. It helped me find a like minded community and has also helped me process and move energy within myself that gets built up due to stress and compartmentalizing my feelings at work. I feel clear minded, more energetic and better able to handle stress. I have seen a dramatic improvement in my ability to show up for my team and that has trickled down into them taking better care of themselves.
I am now in the process of getting my breathwork certification and am a Brand Ambassador for Open – a mindfulness studio and app that you can access anywhere, anytime. I think it’s arguably the best breathwork platform in the world.
(if anyone is looking to try this life altering technique please check it out here for free (www.o-p-e-n.com/MEGHAOPEN30)
Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
A self-proclaimed global citizen and curator of vibes. I am a Creative Director, Designer, Canadian, Entrepreneur, Earth Enthusiast, Mentor, Mental Health Advocate and Mindfulness Practitioner.
My path to Creative Director has been anything but linear. I have experienced what feels like many lifetimes and created so many memories building my global community, exploring cultures and creativity. My endless curiosity of the world, coupled with my tendency to take roads less travelled have all led me to the incredible place I find myself today.
I have been a Creative Director for over 12 years now. I currently lead a fully women owned and operated agency here in Los Angeles called Ona Creative. It has been an incredible privilege to be part of this team and work on so many groundbreaking creative projects for women in our field.
I started my creative career by accident – At the age of 22, while getting a B.Sc. in Behavioral Science I started a social and environmentally conscious clothing and lifestyle brand in Canada with my then boyfriend. which went on to become a huge success. I exited the business at the beginning of 2017 after the end of our relationship and took a huge leap of faith into the unknown.
I booked a one way ticket to India with the goal of tapping into who I was outside of the brand that defined me, and figuring out what I wanted to offer the world next. This bold and brave move was the most defining moment of my life. Since then I have travelled alone and lived in numerous beautiful places around the world from Toronto to Bali, Oaxaca and CDMX, and now to Venice Beach – a place I dreamt of living for many years.
I am in an exciting moment in my career as I am looking to expand my creative portfolio and begin moving into commercial and music video direction in 2024. This is something that feels a little scary but exciting as a woman trying to make a splash in another male dominated part of the industry. I am excited to yet again push the envelope as a creative and set some new ambitious goals for myself.
There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
I think being bold, authentic, and unapologetically myself has been one of the greatest qualities that is noticed and valued in my career. The more true and authentic I become, the more aligned my life has become, and the people around me feel that too. It makes me more trustworthy, relatable and original and that’s what the world needs more of. It’s not easy to stand in your truth but when you can own that, and work on loving your whole self you’ll realize that some of those shadow pieces are actually some of your greatest strengths and things you are meant to share with the world.
With that I believe we are our own greatest advocates and marketing tools. We are often taught to make ourselves small instead of sharing why we are special with the world. Some of the greatest opportunities I have ever had have come from me being brave and confident enough to say ‘hey this is who I am and what I am good at and I really believe I have something to offer that can help you too – let’s make some magic together.’ (Note that being bold does not mean being brash, people want confidence when it comes from authenticity and passion and not from huge egos). Just remember if you can’t stand in a room and vouch for yourself and your own skills, why should anyone else. Be proud and believe in yourself.
Lastly I believe solo travel is something that has given me the confidence to really be bold, and believe in myself. After moving alone as a woman to India at 27 I felt there was nothing I couldn’t do myself. And while you don’t need to do something as extreme, solo travel really teaches you so much about who you really are. You are forced to look at your strengths and weaknesses, trust yourself to navigate challenges alone, and can really tune into what you love without the influence of others opinions or energy. You can be exactly who you are without any preconceived notions which can give you the confidence to bring that energy back into your everyday life. I think this is something everyone, especially women should do – even if it’s just a weekend road trip to somewhere you’ve never been, or a day exploring your own city like a tourist.
How would you spend the next decade if you somehow knew that it was your last?
I’m currently in a very exciting but challenging moment in my life. I have made the decision to begin transitioning from my full time role as Creative Director at Ona Creative to pursue other creative dreams I have. And while I will continue to work with the team, I am opening myself up to the possibility of the unknown, looking to expand my skills set and my client list into more areas I am passionate about – fashion, arts, music and wellness
I am “jumping off the cliff” per se and ready to explore new and bold creative opportunities. This year I am excited to lead more editorial campaigns, help tell the stories of incredible brands, and am focused on growing my portfolio as a female director of commercials and music videos (this is a big new one I could use some help in). I am also really excited to be designing products again. I have had the chance to design some incredible products for Nike x JD Sports and some other brands this past year which has really inspired me to get back into this space–More details on this coming soon 😉
If anyone is interested in connecting about an opportunity to work together, or you are interested in mentorship or just want to have an inspiring creative conversation you can reach me through my website, email or IG which I believe are linked in the article.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.meghamegha,com
- Instagram: instagram.com/thegratitudecheetah
- Linkedin: linkedin.com/mekraft
Image Credits
Briony Douglas, Lauren Park, Johnathan Spooner
