We had the good fortune of connecting with Meg Hennessy and we’ve shared our conversation below.
Hi Meg, how has your work-life balance changed over time?
Having a work/life balance is imperative for me to function as an entrepreneur. It is so easy to get swept up in the “doing”. Doing = more business and business = more money, right? This is not always the case. It was a huge lesson for me to learn. Starting off my business, I was obsessed with getting more clients. I put a lot of pressure on myself to “do” that I tended to lose sight of what really mattered: my happiness. I found it to be a chore at times to get into the office. Once I was there, everything seemed to flow magically; however, not having a plan on how I was going to manage my work, my fitness, teaching my yoga classes, spending time with friends, hiking with my puppy, and most importantly- spending time with myself took a huge toll on my mental health. I soon became overworked and ungrounded. I became very anxious and as a result, made poor decisions across many areas of my life. If I don’t have a healthy, happy, balanced ME, who’s going to run my business? Balance in ALL areas of my life is imperative. I cannot emphasize this enough. Balance is how I stay sane. It’s how I make good decisions. I’ve learned the importance of putting my Self first before my business. I take care of my mental, physical, and spiritual health- I work out, I go for walks around the block, I eat foods from the earth and take time to prepare them, I hang out with friends who make me feel good, I say “no” to things I don’t want to do, I call my parents, I spend time with my puppy, I make time to mediate and do yoga each morning, I spend quality time with my partner (without phones), Most importantly, I slow down and make time to do things I LOVE. All of these things help me to feel balanced and whole. As a result, I show up everyday as my very best self. I feel excited, resilient, and most importantly alive and awake in every single moment. This translates to less work! I don’t have to try so hard. Ideas and opportunities effortlessly come to me, money finds me in mysterious ways, support shows up, and work (and life) do not seem like such a chore. Work and life get much easier when there is balance and as a result, it becomes more fun. And who doesn’t love a little more fun in their life?
Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I am the owner at Love and Light Reiki and Yoga. I teach yoga and am a Reiki master. I hold workshops and events across the Denver area, doing energy work and teaching yoga. I am the proud owner of many gemstone crystal singing bowls which I use in many of my classes and workshops. I combine yoga with sound healing and find it to be incredibly healing. I also read Tarot cards and am studying to be an Aryuvedic practitioner. I also study Shamanism. I got to where I am professionally with A LOT of help. I’m fortunate to have a strong support system who held me and believed in me in times when I questioned whether or not I was making the right decision. It’s not always easy stepping out of your comfort zone. There were times of utmost confidence and there were times of doubt and “what on earth am I doing flipping my world upside down?”. I quit my comfy 9-5 social work job in 2019 to start a Reiki practice. Little did I know that this Reiki practice would lead to other ideas and creative inspiration, including combining sound healing in my Reiki sessions and yoga classes, as well as hosting my own sound healing gigs. Additionally, starting my own business allowed me to connect with other professionals, who have all changed my life in some way. Many have led to new business connections as well as solid friendships. I struggled for a bit; however, I stuck to it. I kept up with my practice and I continued to host sound healing events and even created a new class, called Vinyasa and Vibrations, at the studio I was teaching at. This was a huge success as I discovered my love for teaching yoga with sound healing. It creates an added bonus to all the benefits one already receives from practicing yoga. The vibrations of the bowls hit the individual at a cellular level, creating a whole new vibrational resonance within and around the body. The benefits of this are outstanding: greater peace, inner clarity, more abundance, a sense of ease and effortlessness, and extreme relaxation. I’ve even had many people leave my class and say they felt intoxicated in some way. The bowls have properties to them that allow one to have greater access to their hearts, which, in my opinion is what we need right now: more people living from their hearts and less from their heads. I came on to this path by following my heart. I ignored the voices in my head telling me I can’t do this, or I’m not good enough. I did them all anyway. Every decision I made led me to something greater and this is what I want to convey to others: Follow your heart always. Start somewhere! You never know where it might lead you. If you’re unhappy, search deep inside and think about the life you want to live. Let go of all possibilities and see what and who shows up in your life. You never know where that might take you. If it feels good, DO IT! And, always believe in yourself, no matter what.
If you had a friend visiting you, what are some of the local spots you’d want to take them around to?
I’m more of a nature person than a city person. What I love is adventuring. Some of my favorite memories from the summer have been with my partner where we pack up the truck with bikes, stand up paddle boards, a cooler of food, hiking gear, yoga mats and our dogs and stay at a cabin. We go on a road trip through the mountains and find a good spot where we can do any activity we have the gear for. We hike, swim, paddle, do yoga, meditate, cook delicious food, watch the sunrise and sunset, we hang out under the stars and we spend a lot of good quality time with each other. We do whatever we’re in the mood for! If my friend came to town, this is what I would do with them. One of the most memorable places we went this summer was Mt. Elbert Lodge in Twin Lakes, CO.
Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Jill Kauffman
Website: LoveAndLightReikiAndYoga.com
Instagram: magicmeg111
Linkedin: Meghan Hennessy
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Youtube: Meg Hennessy
Image Credits
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