Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Meagan Nicholson. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.
Meagan, we’re thrilled to have you sharing your thoughts and lessons with our community. So, for folks who are at a stage in their life or career where they are trying to be more resilient, can you share where you get your resilience from?
Being a biracial woman of color, I’ve had no choice but to be resilient, like so many others that have similar shared experiences to myself. My mother immigrated to the United States in the late 80’s and my father grew up in South Carolina missing the tail end of Jim Crow. I inherited my resilience from them. From a young age, I saw the odds that my parents had to defy being minority business owners in this country, to provide a life for our family. I watched them day in and day out work hard to push through the many setbacks that they faced together in order to get to where they are now. They have always been my inspiration. In my young career, I have faced both disappointments and wins. Doors that were closed on me of course were a bit painful to accept and difficult to not take personal. However, reflecting back on the many “no’s” that my parents received earlier on in their business and the challenges that I’ve also overcome in my life, I am always reminded of my resilience. Doors that were closed on me always ended up somehow leading to new doorways and opportunities that I would have never even dreamed of.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
I am an Orange County based Associate Marriage & Family Therapist in private practice. Aside from psychotherapy, I provide life coaching on stress management, professional development, and achieving work/life balance. I find blogging on different mental health and wellness topics to be an effective communication tool to reach women of diverse backgrounds and female identifying individuals.
I have gone through some life changes since my last Voyage LA interview. I am now married, about to become a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist, and am embarking on a new business venture. Despite these changes, I am still passionate about helping women feel confident, seen, and empowered. This passion led me to establish an e-commerce business, Moon, Bloom, & Ivy. Moon, Bloom, & Ivy will be live in the next few weeks. It will be offering products such as digital tools including planners, journals, affirmation cards, paper goods, high quality jewelry, and other curated pieces. My intention for these pieces is to help women connect to their authentic selves and bring forth confidence and self-love.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
Throughout the years and various life experiences both positive and negative, I’ve found that acceptance, willingness to change, gratitude, and a sense of community amongst like-minded individuals have helped me to navigate and grow.
1. Acceptance for who I am and the circumstances that I cannot change.
2. Willingness to change so that I get out of my own way, embracing the truth that we evolve as human beings over time, and that we cannot change others so sometimes we must change ourselves as part of a thriving community.
3. Practicing gratitude for the many blessings that I already have, big or small including bad things that happen that become life lessons to be better.
4. Sense of community-life is not meant to be lived in isolation and we need others to learn, to be encouraged, to be guided, and be supported by.
My advice to others who are earlier on in their journey is to take things one step and one day at a time. The only person that you need to compete with is yourself. Making bite sized pieces of improvement towards the bigger goals and being kind to yourself as there will be setbacks are absolutely necessary.
Alright so to wrap up, who deserves credit for helping you overcome challenges or build some of the essential skills you’ve needed?
I’d like to give credit to the following people in my life:
1. My husband, soul-mate, and best friend, Safi. He has been my biggest supporter since the beginning of our relationship. He has been there to hold my hand, embrace me, and a shoulder to lean on through every season of my adult life.
2. My parents who have been very supportive, encouraging, and my biggest fans since day one. They have always accepted me for who I am, being there at both the lowest and highest points of my life.
3. My mentor, Dr. Nicole Gutierrez-Sabatini, who has been my professor, clinical supervisor, and a good friend. I would not be the therapist that I am now if it wasn’t for her. She has shown me the ropes, helped me set boundaries in my career, and has uplifted me on the hardest days of my career. I would not be the therapist and person that I am now if it wasn’t for her guidance and support.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.moonbloomandivy.com
- Instagram: @meagnicholson
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meagan-nicholson-7b5ab6120
