I’m Meagan Schultz, and I’m all about connections.
The one who gets excited about icebreakers and name tags and introductions? That’s me.
But also the one who hates small talk and prefers to get people sharing hilariously wild and often intimate stories they’ve never told anyone? Yup, that’s me.
And the one who loves dreaming up creative ways to bring people together and get them thinking about who they are and what lights them up? That’s me, too!
I’ve always had a thing for making sure everyone felt welcome and included. Maybe that’s why every job I’ve ever held has had something to do with connecting people and creating safe spaces.
I think it stems from a terrible experience I had waaaaaaay back in second grade when I moved across the country to a new school and into a classroom where I thought everyone hated me, where I cried myself to sleep every night, and where I begged my mother to send me back to live with my grandmother in the midwest. (wah-waahhhhhh)
Of course, that’s not at all what happened or how it went down, but that’s the narrative I told myself and the one that helped define my sense of self for more years than it should have.
It’s funny how stories shape who we think we are and what we think we can do.
Stories matter. What we tell ourselves and each other matters.
Which is why I’m so keen to create space for people to share their stories. When we sit with each other and hold space for each other, when we listen and truly understand each other, there is an incredible sense of belonging. There’s also something magical that happens when groups come together; a synchronicity that reminds us we are not alone. And when we feel less alone, it somehow makes being brave and dreaming big feel so much more possible.
Maybe it’ll help you to know …
I’ve got a Master’s in Counseling from Marquette University, or that I’ve had training in Vision Boarding, Desire Mapping, and more writing classes than I can count on my fingers and toes.
I started blogging in the early 2000s, and have been published online, in several anthologies, and on the radio!
I spent my twenties in Europe running study abroad programs, leading an international team of educators across five countries.
I quit that job and took myself to West Africa for four months in 2008 where I raised over $5K by blogging to build a preschool for the tiny village of Makumbaya where I lived (and led the construction as well!).
I spent my thirties in elementary and high schools around Milwaukee as a School Counselor.
But here’s what I think you really need to know about me:
I love people.
I love bringing people together.
I love helping people realize their full potential.
I love gathering people together to talk, to share, to dream.
Because everyone has a story
Everyone has a dream.
And everyone needs that space to find their dream.
And tell their story.
I’d love to hear yours!