Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Boerner
Hi Megan, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
I didn’t have the greatest childhood, and really I just never felt heard or understood by the adults in my life that were supposed to be there to love, accept, and support me. Because of that, I told myself that when I became an adult, I wanted to make sure that I was a person who I would have felt comfortable turning to as a child. I wanted to be a safe space for the kids who felt like there wasn’t anybody in their corner. I initially thought I could be this person by working in education, so I became a paraprofessional and an instructional assistant for 13 years working with different age groups and cognitive levels. It was there that I realized I needed to be able to do more, so when COVID hit, I went back to school. I finished my Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with focus areas of Crisis Counseling, Family Advocacy, and Health Care Administration. I was so determined that I finished 2 years of coursework in 1. I ended up leaving education to work in community mental health, and I realized that working with these populations was where my heart really belonged. I then went on to complete my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, opening up Weathered Willow Holistics less than a year after graduating, and here we are, 6 months later, with an incredible amount of traffic and gaining more momentum every day. I never imagined that this is where life would lead me, but when I finally just surrendered to the path that I am on and allowed opportunities to unfold as they were supposed to, a pretty incredible life began to form right in front of me.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
It definitely has not been easy, and it seems that I have been faced with every obstacle you could imagine. I think the biggest obstacle I faced though was myself. I had to get out of my own way in order for success to actually happen. I didn’t have a very welcoming introduction to the field of professional counseling, and that came with a stigma surrounding the field of professional life coaching. I had to look internally and battle my own thoughts on coaching as a profession in order to come to terms with finding the path that I was supposed to take. Once I came to terms with that, it was almost like everything clicked into place. I found the right team. I found the right motivation. I even came to realize that the very foundation of how I was approaching my sessions was already in complete alignment with the field of coaching. I love what I do. I love getting to work with the clients that I serve. I love that I get to do all of this with a sense of peace and joy and share that joy with everyone who steps into my office. It hasn’t been easy, but I will say that it has been worth it.
I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t find some way to incorporate a lyric into this answer, so to quote Taylor Swift, “everything you lose is a step you take.” I lost a lot along the way, but what I gained in the absence of what I lost has been incredible. When I made the decision to allow my values to guide my path forward, everything changed. As an alt teen in the late 90’s and early 2000’s, The Craft was easily one of my favorite movies, and “we are the weirdos, mister” became an anthem of sorts, so I wanted to make sure that my business would be a safe space for the “weirdos” and everyone who just never felt like they fit at a traditional mental health practice. By allowing my values to lead the way, I was able to do just that, but getting over myself and determining my own values was by far the biggest barrier I had to overcome in order to make that happen. I’m so glad I worked through all of that though, because I truly believe that what I have created with this team is precisely what is needed in this area.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about Weathered Willow Holistics?
I feel like I could talk about this collective and the brand we are building for days on end and it still wouldn’t be enough time, but honestly, I love what we have created, and that truly is a center designed to connect, mind, body, and spirit with the sole purpose of healing. Amber was the first to join the collective, and I don’t know what I would do without her honestly. She is incredible. She provides clinical mental health therapy including EMDR, holistic counseling, intuitive healing, and reiki. She is actually who is helping me with my reiki attunements. With her came Rachel. Rachel is a doula who uses reiki with pregnancy and childbirth to heal birth trauma and help reduce the pain of natural labor. Next came Michele, a clinical mental health therapist who I have known for years. I am so excited to have her here because of her perspective on the world and her ability to help others. Then Caleena joined our collective in July. She offers massage therapy, reiki, and health and wellness coaching. Finally, there’s me. I provide social emotional coaching where I educate kids on calming and coping strategies and help guide them through real life experiences and how to work through those in a healthy way, trauma and resiliency coaching where I teach those with high levels of trauma calming and coping strategies to use when processing their trauma, relationship coaching where we help level the playing field in the relationship by working through things like communication struggles and weaponized incompetency, parent coaching where I teach parents how to positive and gentle parent through struggles with their children, and finally spiritual coaching, where I use reiki and themes found in tarot to help clients work through their struggles.
One of the things that I am most proud about with this team is how fiercely we all feel for those who are struggling with abuse and domestic violence. I am immensely excited to begin adding in domestic violence support groups to accompany our Eight Dimensions of Wellness Seminar Series we have currently ongoing. I am hoping to have signups for those by early October with groups starting in November.
We have a group of clinicians who are so value driven that they come to me with ideas for helping to heal the world through their services, and they truly believe that what they are doing is making the world a better place. I am so proud of each and every one of the members of this collective and their contributions to the world in which we live. I know beyond a doubt that every single one of them is going to do amazing things for each and every person who seeks their help.
Is there anyone you’d like to thank or give credit to?
My team really deserves so much credit. I am floored that every single day they put their trust in me to lead the way and make the right decision for all of us. I just hope that they know and understand how much I really truly appreciate them. There are definitely more than a few people I have had in my corner cheering me on every step of the way though, and frankly I wouldn’t be here without their unwavering support of me and this space. Courtney of Pop Arts Studio and Amanda at Holistic Healing and Bodyworks are two of my building neighbors and have been two of my biggest supports over the last year. Getting to share space with these wonderful humans has been so incredible and I could not be more grateful for them and their presence in my life. My husband and my kids have seen so much the past year and just continue to hang on for the ride. I sincerely hope that my decisions haven’t caused them trauma but have instead showed them that they can do whatever they set their minds to no matter the level of difficulty. But really, it was the day-to-day conversations. It was my clients coming in and continuing to trust me throughout all of the changes. It was Cassie and Kayla bombarding me day in and day out with funny ACOTAR, Harry Potter, or Twilight Tiktoks, Tyffany with all things mental health and inspirational. It was my friend Emily telling me when I was being the asshole or showing up for me when I was at my lowest after the death of a dear friend in the middle of all the chaos. It was Eve, who sat with me in my tears and pushed me to enter therapy for myself and consistently showed me support and care, even when I couldn’t show it for myself. It was my therapist who earned every single dollar because phew was I coming in hot some of those days. The success that I am seeing with this collective isn’t just about me. It’s about every single person in my life who continues to show up for me and keep pushing me forward. I wouldn’t be where I am if it wasn’t for each and every person who I have met along the way. I am a mixture of all of those who love or have loved me, and this business is a direct reflection of all of them, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Pricing:
- Social Emotional Coaching: $100 per session
- Trauma and Resiliency Coaching: $100 per session
- Relationship Coaching: $150 per session
- Parent Coaching: $150 per session
- Spiritual Coaching: varies depending on amount of time chosen
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.weatheredwillowholistics.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61554247363819
- Other: Tiktok: @darkhumoranddyejobs
