About Megan
Coaching changemakers to bounce back from burnout and build peaceful, healthy lives — for themselves and others.
You’re not alone, and it’s not your fault—thanks to grind culture and systemic barriers, the majority of nonprofiteers experience burnout at some point, and most don’t feel like they’re able to do anything about it.
I’ve been in social justice work for 17 years, and I know how you feel. A decade ago I went through an exhausting stretch of burnout at my nonprofit job. I dreaded Mondays, had no energy left for hobbies besides Netflix, and was dealing with all kinds of health issues that I didn’t know were stress-related.
I had no idea what to do to feel better, so I quit my job with nothing lined up. I was done with overworking, saviorism, and feeling dead inside trying to make everyone else happy.
A divorce led me to an incredible mindfulness coach and therapist who helped me transform my life through the tools of mindfulness, meditation, and self-compassion.
When I started meditating for 10 minutes a day and practicing simple mindfulness techniques in the moment, I gained life-changing skills to manage my stress and get my energy back — leading me to start my own coaching and public speaking practice for changemakers.
Now I’m teaching proven mindfulness tools and offering leadership coaching to help you to understand the root causes of your burnout and support yourself and others in a sustainable way.
Because collective change starts with inner change.
I understand how you feel like you’re being pulled in 15 directions and have nothing left to give.
Most people who are drawn to nonprofit work (including me) have a knack for the greatest hits of:
Losing sleep worrying you’re behind on everything and not doing a good enough job
Feeling selfish taking any time for yourself
Giving yourself a guilt trip for missing your family’s lives (working long hours and being so distracted and stressed that you’re not really present with them)
Pushing down frustration and overwhelm with Instagram and wine
Saying yes to that extra project when it’s really a hard no
Unconsciously perpetuating martyrdom by trying to fix everything and everyone
I’ll give it to you straight - these behaviors still show up in me. The difference now is that I’ve learned how to be aware of these protection mechanisms in the moment, they show up less often, and it’s become second nature to identify and listen to them in a curious way.
Meditate with me
I welcome you to release stress and relax with one of my guided meditations and join our Mindfulness Community for Changemaker events on the free app Insight Timer.
Stressful situations are inevitable, and you get to choose how to respond.
Creating a path forward and exploring your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with a supportive, nonjudgmental coach who has years of practice and is constantly building her toolkit is a real gamechanger.
I believe that everyone is already whole and there’s nothing to fix or improve about who you are. And, I’d love to help you shift the way you relate to life’s stressors so you navigate a path forward that feels freeing and empowering.
With practice, you can observe your emotions with more kindness toward yourself and respond in a way that embraces love instead of fear.
Eventually, your protective habits and self-critical thoughts can feel more like quirky guests who visit less often (rather than people you live with forever).
Let’s work together to help you learn the tools you need to move from burned out to fired up.
So, how do I know how to help you?
17 years at national nonprofits - I understand how it feels to dedicate your career to service, and I can show you how to shed the scarcity mindset, perfectionism, and a constant sense of urgency that runs deep at most nonprofits.
Insight Timer meditation teacher with 6+ years of daily mindfulness practice - I know the power of these proven tools because they completely changed my life and the way I navigate it.
Certified coach (ACC) trained through Presence-Based Coaching - I’ll help you make root level changes that allow you to move from where you are to where you want to be through a process grounded in neuroscience, mindfulness, and somatics (mind-body connection).
Master's degree in Nonprofit Management - and for the record, my advanced degree didn’t alleviate my feelings of self-doubt and imposter syndrome—learning mindfulness skills did!
Certified Search Inside Yourself Organizational Teacher of mindfulness, emotional intelligence, and self-compassion tools - and I can teach them to you in a customized way that works for you.
What happened on the other side of nonprofit burnout
I’ve learned mindfulness practices that have completely reprogrammed the old habits that were keeping me small.
And I’ve given myself permission to embrace risks and uncertainty from a place of abundance.
Found clarity about my career next step and trusted my intuition to take a fundraising job when I had zero experience fundraising.
Became a certified mindfulness teacher and taught an emotional intelligence-based leadership program to 80 people at food banks without letting my fear of “failure” stop me.
Developed my confidence to start a 400+ person Mindfulness Community with twice-weekly Zoom calls for a nonprofit network to meditate and connect with each other.
Became a certified coach and launched my own business so I could simplify success for people in nonprofits who are ready to transform their lives. Who cares if bookkeeping and taxes terrify me - I’ll figure it out!
…and while all of these things have felt exciting, it’s not the outcomes that matter most to me. It’s the journey of inner work that has brought me more joy, resilience, and empowerment than I ever would have imagined possible.
It’s liberating to know that when life throws us curveballs, we can leverage mindfulness to take care of ourselves and bounce back.
Fun Facts
Outgoing introvert - I prefer one-on-one or small group conversations, and as a former musical theater kid I also really enjoy public speaking. As kids, my sister and I performed in the choir of Joseph & the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat with Donny Osmond.
I’m grateful to have a daily spiritual practice that includes meditation, journaling, yoga, and Buddhism. I appreciate how mindfulness supports social justice and peace on a personal and systemic level.
I credit mindfulness for helping me realize that I wanted to stop drinking alcohol in the middle of an 8-week wine tasting and cooking class, and I haven’t looked back.
Mostly vegetarian and as a life-long Chicagoan I’m into Portillo’s Italian Beef with sweet peppers and tavern style sausage pizza.
I used to teach fresh pasta classes and I love cooking for friends, especially when we have a 90s dance party and they leave by 8pm. I don’t mess around when it comes to sleep.
Accepting recommendations for my next solo trip to a yoga and meditation retreat.
Maine ☑ Portugal ☑ Spain ☑
