Wing Woman of the Week with Meg McDougall

Taking center stage for our #wingwoman of the week is Meg McDougall! Meg is the co-founder of Mindset On Mobility, which provides courses on mindfulness, exercise, performance and sport psychology. Meg has competed on the world stage, has a graduate degree in Mental Performance, and is also an active serving member of the Canadian Armed Forces. In our interview, Meg shares how she believes action is needed to achieve any dream, how wearing a lot of different hats led her to her purpose, and how it's important to remember that we are all trying to figure out life and find our place in this world. Continue reading to learn all about Meg!

1. What makes you happy?

I would love to say that I AM happy - that is an internal state that I can create and therefor I don’t rely on anything to bring me that happiness. But, alas, I’m a work in progress, so I’ll say that being with my family (dog included) makes me the happiest and most at peace.

2. What advice would you give your younger self?

I would say to myself: You have everything it takes to reach your dreams, but you can’t just think about it, you need to take action. It’s not just going to happen because you want it to, you need to put in the work. Believe in yourself because you are so much more powerful than you know. These will be some of the most formative years of your life and you CAN be everything you want. But believe in yourself. And for goodness sake, give mom and dad a break – they are doing the best they can.

3. If you could magically solve one problem in the world, what would that be?

Oh my. This is a tough one. Unfortunately, there are so many problems that need to be solved. I would say, that if we could somehow offer all women around the world an education, we would see a LOT of the problems start to disappear. Not immediately, but over time. Educating women (which would include reconciling the unequal power dynamics) has been projected to assist with: climate change, stimulating local economies and economic growth, breaking poverty cycles, reducing childhood pregnancy, not to mention giving more women the opportunity to take on leadership positions in all industries. The list goes on and on. But, I think if we could somehow educate women, we would magically solve a lot of problems and change the world for the better.

4. How did you find your purpose?

I recognized my purpose from trying out and wearing a lot of different hats. I went out and experienced my life. I failed a lot. I tried new things, I traveled, I moved to new places, met new people, learned to be comfortable in my own company. And then one day, I looked back and realized that all my experiences had been leading me up to this moment.

5. What is your biggest pain point in building relationships?

My inner-story is that I’m “not good enough”. So, I have a protection mechanism, I will meet new people and then I shut them out before they have the opportunity to SEE me and realize I’m a big fraud (at least that’s what I will tell myself). I will push people away in the hopes of protecting my own ego.

6. What have you learned from past friendships that didn't work out?

I have many regrets over friendships that didn’t work out. I really think it was my fault for the most part – mostly because of the reasons listed above and probably my own insecurities and immaturities. I would hope that I’ve learned that we are all just stumbling through this life doing the best we can and not every action someone else does is because of me personally (and vice versa). While we think we are the center of the universe (lol), our friends are just trying to figure things out like us.

7. Who are your SHEros (AKA female heroes)?

I would have to say my mom and my sisters, my friends Patti and Danielle. But outside of the obvious friends and family - there are two ladies that come to mind. A lady that I work with (Carol) - she is incredibly intelligent, confident, level headed and caring; she is a military officer and exemplifies everything that an officer should be. And Gina, owner of Restorative Sports Therapy in Okotoks – she is so gifted when it comes to empowering others, leading from the front and being an overall inspiring individual.

8. What podcasts/books are you listening/reading right now?

Some of my go-tos are: Armchair Expert, The Rich Roll Podcast, Finding Mastery, No Stupid Questions, and Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend (which is SOOO funny – I find myself laughing out loud when I listen to it – I’ve been brought to tears I’ve laughed so hard – highly recommend that one). I also love myself some podcast journalism – Lost Hills is my most recent, but I loved the Serial Podcast and event Revisionist History every now and then.

9. Where can we find you?

You can find me on IG at: @megsmcd and my business @mindsetonmobility

My business on FB: Mindset on Mobility

And on the web at: www.mindsetonmobility.com