We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Meg Stolt a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Meg , thank you so much for making time for us. We’ve always admired your ability to take risks and so maybe we can kick things off with a discussion around how you developed your ability to take and bear risk?
I have this quote from a poem by Erin Hanson in my workspace: ‘There is freedom waiting for you, On the breezes of the sky, And you ask ‘What if I fall?’ Oh but my darling, What if you fly?’
For each of us, the choice is to step out or to stay put.
I am an athlete, a coach, and an entrepreneur. I do many things people consider brave or heroic. Things that are part of my journey to fly. I consider what some call risk, part of the plan. If I don’t do those things, I will not fly.
Because my desire to fly is greater than the choice to stay put, I spread my wings daily and step out to fly. I don’t know how to do anything else.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
My businesses are two-fold: endurance coach and specialty coffee store owner. The two are linked because of my love Triathlon and Coffee.
In the realm of endurance sports, I work with Seasoned Women, to Find Strength thru’ Triathlon.
Women are lumped into categories and find themselves seeking information about life-changes, building strength, training and racing in endurance sports or beginning that journey, and eating to support all of this. Women are the care-givers and sometimes forget to take care of themselves.
It is in this journey, I hope to empower women to learn about themselves to make the choices to support the endurance lifestyle. I hope to help women Find their Strength…. to be able to handle daily stressors, manage families, carry groceries, run companies, and pursue the next race or challenge with confidence.
There is something special seeing someone achieve her goals — crossing the finish line with a new PR, conquering a new distance, qualifying for worlds, or tackling something she did not consider possible.
I am thrilled to be part of the process.
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?
The three qualities that have carried me through my journey are:
1. Just be kind. This is one of the simplest, yet most difficult things to do. In a world where likes and follows are important, and people threaten people for differences of perspective, it is challenging to be kind. Not everything requires a response. But everyone should be treated kindly — with dignity and respect. A smile goes a long way.
As I have learned to be kind, regardless of the situation, I find peace.
2. It is OK to eat the cake 0r ice cream. Women especially, can play games with guilt and food. I have learned that if I want a chocolate chip cookie, to eat it. The world is not going to end. Take a moment and enjoy something without guilt.
There is a psychology to this, and most of the time, satisfaction comes after 2 or 3 bites. Enjoy those!
AND yes… I am aware that there are some people for whatever reason, cannot eat the cake. I am not suggesting that these should. I am referring to those things in life (food, a nap, a massage, or the like) that carries a guilt-tag because of the perceived indulgence.
3. Commit to doing something new every month. Go to a museum you have never visited, go to a new park, visit the zoo, hike a new trail, learn a new skill — something you want to do, but something is always in the way. Put it on your calendar. Make a date with yourself to do this. At the end of the year, you have learned or done 12 new things.
and the fourth thing (yes, I have four).
4. Do something every year that scares you. Jump from an airplane, learn to swim, travel abroad. Something that you did not think possible. Expand your vision. Challenge yourself. And applaud your accomplishment.
How would you describe your ideal client?
My ideal client is a seasoned woman. A little back-story — I asked Claude for assistance in a word to describe the woman who is mid-life, probably peri, possibly post- menopausal, and has seen and done and weathered the storms of life — He produced Seasoned. The Texan in me thought: Brisket, the New York in me: Salad. What is this seasoned?
And well…. the woman who has navigated the hurdles of life and has arrived.
She is mid-life, and either a former or current athlete navigating the physiological changes associated with aging, or she is not certain how to begin and is interested in swimming, biking, running (or all three) and strength and of course food.
She is not certain how to add another layer to her life and needs guidance to find or create time for herself after caring for her family. She is learning to carve time for herself.
She wants to feel strong.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://msjathletics.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/coachbatmeg
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/coachmeg-triathlon-coffee-nutrition-strength/
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
