Meet Megan Parker

Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Megan Parker. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Megan, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

To be completely honest, I don’t feel like I totally have. I see so much talent out there and I am just awestruck and think I’m nowhere near in their league. But then I get a piece of phenomenal feedback from a client, or someone reaches out because they’re impressed with my work and I remember I’m pretty decent at what I do haha. The times that I feel like I’m just “faking it until I make it” have been some of my best learning experiences as they push me to learn a new skill or try something out of my comfort zone. In my line of work the trends are always changing and new techniques are constantly popping up so I don’t know that I’ll ever reach “expert level” and I’m fine with that. The journey is in the ride!

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?

My name is Megan Parker, I own Rebel Cake Co and am a cake artist in Las Vegas, NV. I got into making cakes when my mom randomly gifted me some cake pans on the last birthday I got to have with her. I have no clue why she got me those, I was not a baker (that was always my sister’s thing) and I had 4 kids (one still in diapers) and a full time job. But I tried to make a cake and that cake was kind of fun to make. So with a lot of experimenting and a little bit of help from the University of YouTube my little side hustle was born. It started as only making cakes here and there while my husband and I ran our catering company and food truck, but as time went by, the cake side of things got bigger and bigger and no longer sustainable as a side hustle. So, we said goodbye to Meats and Treats and hello to Rebel Cake Co.

For me, the best part about what I do is that each day is a new “job.” One weekend I am making a 6 tier Chinese New Year cake and the next weekend it’s an In N Out cake, doesn’t matter the theme, I love the challenge of an ever-changing landscape. Just recently I’ve started getting more into dessert “charcuterie” and dessert buffets, which is a blast as well because who doesn’t love small, cute, and yummy things? Coming up with fresh ideas and new recipes is just another way to keep me on my toes creatively but cakes will always be my first love.

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

For me it would be persistence, adaptability, and creativity.

Persistence – I kind of just decided “I am going to be a cake artist” and that was that. I wasn’t going to give up until I got to the level I wanted to achieve, and I never actually will get there because there is always something new to learn, so persistence is key in striving to get better with every cake.

Adaptability – There is nothing that will make you adapt quicker than realizing mid cake and that something is just not working, no matter how great it looks in your head. If I’m not open to the idea of switching things up, I’m going to be my own downfall.

Creativity – This is obviously a big one in my line of work. I think finding a work/life balance is huge in helping prevent burnout and keeping the creativity going. Spending time with my kids is one of my favorite ways to balance myself and man, they see the world in such a fun light, keeps me from getting too boring haha.

Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?

Being your own boss makes it very difficult to turn off work mode, so there’s A LOT of feeling overwhelmed. I used to think that powering through EVERYTHING made me a bad ass, but I’ve since figured out it’s the complete opposite, being able to take a step back is the actual super power! I learned that you have to find whatever little thing makes your brain take it down a notch. For me sometimes it’s just a good cry, sitting outside with a cup of coffee doing a crossword, or even watching re-runs of Modern Family with my kids, it’s just that time away (no matter how small) to get some perspective. Once I’ve let my boss brain have that little time off I find I am (usually) ready to do whatever needs to be done in order to get through that particular project. Taking a breather doesn’t make you weak, it keeps you sane.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://rebelcakeco.com
• Instagram: @rebelcakeco
• Facebook: @rebelcakeco
• Yelp: Rebel Cake Co.