Blog

Phone pinned awkwardly between my ear and shoulder, I root around my bag for my AirPods while listening to my mom ramble on about her upcoming cruise to Canada. 

“It’s going to be so cold, I’m going to need to get a new jacket! And I can’t wait to get some fresh lobster and just relax on the ship and, oh before I forget, when are you coming home to visit?” 

Ahh, there it is. 

I love my mom, but she can’t go one phone call without asking me when I’m coming back to Texas to visit. 

“Short answer: never. Kidding, kidding!” 

She rolls her eyes so hard that the ground shakes from Texas to Oregon. Or maybe that’s an earthquake? Another West Coast joke she does not appreciate. No sense of humor, that woman! 

“Honestly, Mom, I’m not sure. It’ll probably be closer to the holidays. My schedule is booked with travel at the moment.” 

“Oh? Where are you going?”

“Well, Mexico in a few weeks, and then a bunch of cities on the East Coast, and then I come home for about a week before going back to New York City, and then San Francisco—” I pause to clear my throat. 

“Wow!” she says. “That’s quite a lot!” 

I laugh, “Oh no, I’m not finished. After San Francisco, I’m going to Bend, and then in September, we’re going to Spain and Portugal for two weeks!” 

There’s a long pause before I whisper, “Wow… that is…quite a lot.” 

This time, I’m the one marveling at the plans I’ve laid out. “I, uh, didn’t realize until just now how much travel I have coming up… that is… a lot,” I repeat. 

Dread settles in my stomach like a lead weight. 

We wrap up our call with a few pleasantries and a heaping dose of reassurance that I do love her very much even if my travel priorities suggest otherwise. 

I pop my AirPods out of my ears and toss them onto the desk as I slump into my chair. Well, shit, I think, I’ve done it again. 

Among my litany of bad habits, you’ll find “chronically overcommits herself” highlighted in yellow, circled in red, and surrounded by asterisks with helpful reminders to slow down before saying yes. 

But have I really overcommitted myself? Or am I finally prioritizing the way I actually want to live my life?

My gut reaction is to review the long list of the things I want to accomplish this year, and then  systematically cancel/delete/postpone all of the “fun extras” that might impede my progress. 

My dad’s voice echoes in the recesses of my memory: “Work first, play later.” “You can sleep when you’re dead.” “What’d you have to show for yourself?” He is the Protestant Work Ethic personified.  

Taking a deep breath, I invite myself to set aside the automatic self-criticisms: 

👉 You’re so selfish!
👉 Who do you think you are?
👉 You’re overcommitting again, and you’re going to regret it, ya big dummy!

Instead, I zoom out and observe my situation through a more integrated lens: 

👉 You’ve been working hard to create a business that supports your desire for flexibility.
👉 You’re saying yes from a place of alignment and joy, not obligatory people-pleasing.
👉 It is time to step into the life you’ve designed for yourself. It is time to test the systems you’ve created to see if they can really support this vision! 

In other words, can my business function with a jet-setting leader who is unavailable for work up to two weeks per month? Or even better, can my business grow and thrive without my constant attention?

It’s time to test my theory—is it truly possible to be deeply rested and wildly successful? 

I imagine you’re asking yourself some of these questions too. 

Most of the clients I work with have very similar desires. They are ambitious, hungry to create something beyond private practice—something that expands their impact and income while reducing the number of hours they’re plugged into their laptops. 

They want to do things like… 

👉 travel the world with their family
👉 pick-up their kids from school every day
👉 only work 20 hours per week
👉 take three months off per year
👉 (insert whatever your vision is here) 

The common thread? We all want more time and more flexibility. 

More time + more flexibility = freedom. 

Every year, I create more time and more flexibility for myself than the year before. 

Last year, I took more time off and spent fewer direct hours with clients than ever before, and I made more money than ever before too! 

My point is, I know this is possible. 

But for some reason, this new chapter feels like the biggest jump I’ve ever attempted. 

Between now and October, I’m taking at least 8 weeks off from work. I’ll be traveling to 10 different places! When I’m home, I’ll be spending more time outside, away from my computer, enjoying the glorious Pacific Northwest summer. 

When I am working, I’ll prioritize giving my absolute best to my current coaching clients (they are truly my raison d’être). Next, I want to welcome at least 20 new people into my Next-Level Therapist community. Then, I want to lay the groundwork for Rest & Success Code Season 3 in the Fall (woo hoo!) and experiment with a few smaller offerings designed to help you become deeply rested and wildly successful. 

So, for the next 6 months, I’m going to pull back the curtain and show you, in real time, how it’s actually going. I’m going to tell you what my goals are for the month + how much I plan on working. Then, I’m going to tell you what worked, what didn’t, and what surprises I encountered along the way. 

Personally, I’m tired of admiring mentors from afar. It’s too easy to set unrealistic goals for myself when I’m basing what’s possible on flashy stories of seamless success without seeing the messy behind-the-scenes, tear-stained failures, and unexpected setbacks. 

I figured, “Okay, Maegan, if you’re tired of it, then maybe don’t be that way yourself?!” 🤷‍♀️

This email is my long-winded way of inviting you to join me on this journey. I don’t know how it’s going to go… and yes, I’m terrified I will fail right in front of you… but I am committed to telling you the truth. 

Speaking of the truth, I want to know… What do YOU really want to know?

When you read emails from me and other mentors you follow, what do you wish they were sharing? What truths do you want exposed? I’m making a lot of assumptions based on my own feelings, and I want to make sure I’m telling you the truths you actually care about! 

If you have any ideas or questions, hit reply and share them with me. I personally read and reply to every email you send me.

Next week, I’m going to tell you about the 2 most important things I’m doing to set myself and my business up for success over the next six months. These are things I coach my clients on all the time. I’m confident you’ll be able to apply them to your business too. 

Oh, by the way, when you’re reading this email, I’ll be off-the-grid at a plant medicine retreat for healers in Mexico. 🧘 Just a little proof that you can keep things moving in your business even when you’re offline living your best life. 

Sincerely, thank you for joining me on this journey. 

I’m excited to connect with you more authentically over the next 6 months (and beyond).