Megan Seales: “Have a clear vision of the life you want to create.”

Fitness coach and Beachbody enthusiast Megan Seales grew up playing any sport her parents would allow. “I did softball, basketball, volleyball, cheer, but I gravitated toward softball, spending many weekends and evenings away at tournaments or practices,” she recalled. “I always loved being a part of a team and something bigger than myself, but when I went away to college and then began my teaching career, I let that part of me slip away.”

Megan taught middle school for eight years but always felt a tug that she should be doing something else. “I felt that I should be doing something really big and outside of my comfort zone with my life, which led to helping women who felt stuck gain energy and feel like themselves again.”  

Rediscovering Fitness
Because Megan was active growing up, she never fully learned how to eat well and exercise consistently. That, paired with hypothyroidism, which drastically drained her energy and left her extremely exhausted all the time, caused her to simply not feel like herself. “I wasn’t willing to chalk it up as, ‘Oh well, this is just the way I am,’” she said. “Once I started working out and eating well again, part of me that I didn’t realize was missing began to come back. I became very driven, felt like an athlete, craved a tough workout and began working toward goals again. Others started to see the changes in me and I wanted to share with others what I was doing to feel the way I felt.”

To get her new business as a virtual health and fitness coach off the ground, Megan pushed herself to gain confidence in the venture. “My biggest struggle was getting over the opinion of others. I was a middle school teacher who did not have a degree in business, exercise or nutrition,” she described. “I was so afraid of what others would think of me, but I told myself daily, ‘Women need real women in their lives,’ and that ‘Someone needed to hear what I had to say today,’ because a big part of my marketing is done on social media.”

Family and Work
Megan, now 29 weeks pregnant and mom to a toddler, says she does her best to be focused on what she’s doing in the moment. “I think if we strive for constantly being in balance, we’ll always feel out of balance because this is life, not a perfect math formula,” she affirmed. “My husband and I have been married for almost three years and he is my biggest cheerleader and supporter in everything I do. He helps me manage the life balance of being a mom and a fitness coach. 

“When I’m with my family, I try to be fully present with them. Sometimes, that means that my phone is on the charger in our room or stays in my purse so I’m not distracted by it,” she continued. “When I’m working, I try to do so when I am not with them and I am constantly asking myself, ‘Is this the best use of my time right now?’ This often means that I skip out on that latest Netflix show or sleeping in, but to me, growing a business that will leave a legacy for my family and others’ families is worth that small sacrifice!”

In addition to her family, Megan considers developing the financial stability of her business one of her strongest accomplishments. “Because it pushed me to get way outside of my comfort zone and grow as a woman, being able to build this business to the point of being able to financially step away from my teaching career and help our family pay off $40,000 in student loans was a big accomplishment,” she stated. “We were able to become completely debt free in eight months while we were also paying for our wedding.  

“We made many sacrifices, and I had to grow into a confident businesswoman when sometimes I felt that doubt, the inner voice that said, ‘Who am I to push for something like this?’ It forced me to depend on God when I wasn’t quite sure what my next step would be.”

Her favorite part of the day is being home to get her son up from his naps. “I grew up knowing I wanted to be able to choose to be home with kiddos someday, so being able to wrap up my work time when I say so, or when he wakes up from his nap, and be there to cuddle with him after each nap is pretty special to me,” she smiled.

Listen and Learn
What advice does she give to other women entrepreneurs who might be struggling to find their niche or get their business off the ground? “You can figure everything out, but you have to be willing to be a learner! One of my favorite quotes is, ‘It’s not a lack of resources, but a lack of resourcefulness,’” she noted. “There are so many free online trainings now on platforms like YouTube or amazing professional development books that you can literally search whatever topic you are wanting and find a resource that will teach you what you need to learn.”  

“Also, your vision of the life you are trying to create has to be so clear and in the forefront of your mind every single day. When I was teaching full time, working my business before dawn or in the cracks of my day, I would take three to five minutes to sit in silence and envision a simple, calm, peaceful morning where I didn’t have to rush off to get to my classroom as early as possible, but instead could enjoy reading books with our kiddos, making and eating breakfast with them instead of feeling overwhelmed and chaotic each morning.”

Leaving Her Mark
Moving forward with her business, Megan considers her legacy and her impact on others. “At this point, given the nature of my business, it is more about mentoring other women to be able to do what our family has been able to do,” she said encouragingly. “I want to teach women that they can become debt free and be financially set before having babies. That gives them the freedom to leave their careers to pursue a job that allows for more time with their kiddos while still having something they’re passionate about and is their own. I really do love helping women feel full of energy and like their former athlete self again through fitness and nutrition, but my real passion lies in their love of taking care of themselves. That results in a ripple effect of their wanting to help others do that too!”  

She desires to have a lasting impact. “I want the women God brings to me who feel stuck in a rut but nevertheless know they were created for more, to look back and think, ‘Because Meg did it, I know I can too. She pushed me out of my comfort zone, made me believe I could learn from struggles and failures, but also believed in me fully.’” ■