I lived my life based on what society wanted me to do and I didn’t realize that until a little later in life. Once I realized it, the visual of me at 75 saying I should have done XYZ scared the 💩 out me.
Meredith Meyer was the 🐐 in her advertising career for 20 years. She’s worked at some of the top agencies, with the best Fortune 500 brands, and was a well respected executive in the ad industry.
Growing up, I always thought I was going to have one career. I always thought you need to get a good job that pays well, get the corner office, save money for retirement, get married and have kids in there, retire – and that’s life.
Well I got to that corner office, became an Exec and did everything I was supposed to do…and hated it.
When did you realize it was time for a change?
I knew I wanted to make the change 5 years before I did. I remember the exact moment, actually. My son was 4 and I had taken up yoga while I was trying to figure out my chapter two of life. My now husband and I were walking home from a class, and I just started crying. I realized I wanted to be a yoga teacher – I felt it in my bones. I was crying happy tears of relief, but part of those tears were due to fear.
Did I want to walk away from the career I’ve built over 13 years? I have responsibilities to support my family, as a mom and a wife. What will my parents think? So many questions ran through my mind, but my husband told me to just do it. He was super supportive of the idea and said I should do what makes me happy.
How did you go about switching industries and starting over?
Since I have a family to support, I went into it knowing there would be a 3 year plan. My 3 year plan quickly turned into a 5 year plan because we ended up moving to LA and there is a big financial gap between being a Yoga Teacher and Ad Exec. I needed a financial runway and planned this as a mid-game (I wasn’t planning a long game or a short one).
My plan included financial planning, training, networking and industry research. While I was working full-time in advertising, I signed up for training because it was key for me to learn the fundamentals. I taught on the weekends because I knew it was a completely different skill to a teach a class versus taking one. I interviewed as many yoga teachers as I could (during, before, and after training), just to get an understanding of what it was like to teach full-time. I knew it wasn’t just going to be a difference in pay, but also lifestyle. I dove into books about the industry, followed along with social media, read key articles to learn where the trends were going, studied the subcultures, etc. I got myself really well versed.
But honestly, if I didn’t have my son, I would have made the change faster without any plan and with less worries.
What challenges did you face along the way?
Starting over
The biggest challenge for me was starting over. I had done all my networking, training, teaching in Chicago and then we moved to LA. I had to start all over again in the most competitive place for yoga in the US. Places are always opening up and closing, it’s like a start up mentality in LA. I started to question myself initially – I’m not as young as everyone and I’m a Midwest girl. But I told myself I could do this and I used my previous approach in LA – visited studios, attended training, met with teachers and showed up to events where I didn’t know anyone to establish myself.
Selling myself
People go to specific classes because of the teacher. This was hard for me because this meant I had to start selling myself. I struggled with this because I’m not a sales person by nature. How I did that for 18 years, I don’t know. When it comes to marketing, it’s easy – I know all the tools and levers, I wrote a plan, etc.
But having to actually sell myself, having people come to my class for MY personality, was really scary. I’m selling me and that’s vulnerable.
I pitched a couple ideas to studios and it took me much longer than it normally would – because it was selling me. It felt risky and being vulnerable is hard. If that was an idea for a client in my former job, I would have done it within minutes.
I’ve also had a couple people leave in the middle of class. That really affected me in the beginning.
But a good friend and fellow teacher told me, “you’re not for everybody and if you are, you’re nobody”.
I’ve taken her advice to heart and have been journaling and meditating when I start feeling vulnerable. I find journaling and meditation to be important tools that I not only use when I need to work on something, but also use for everyday life.
Lifestyle
It’s almost been a year into this and the reality of the lifestyle has hit home. I now buy store bought shampoo instead of salon shampoo, I teach on the weekends, and I have to sometimes skip out on social events – but despite these things I feel more fulfilled than I ever have. It’s worth it to me.
What are you most proud of yourself as it relates to switching careers?
Changing a career at 43
Having to pivot after 18 years is amazing, especially doing that as a mom. Having my family help navigate this with me has been incredible.
Learning to be comfortable being uncomfortable
I’ve struggled with this my whole life. I’m a very linear and Type A person. Each week, I don’t know what days I’ll be working and I’ve learned to be comfortable living in the grey
I feel more capable now than I ever have
I know I can make anything work. I know I can set my mind on something and accomplish it. I listened to myself, I listened to my gut, which has served me well always, and I went with it and took a big risk.
I’m more myself now than I have ever been and I allowed myself to let go of things. It’s hard to let things go, but trees shed leaves all the time and they grow back.
What advice would you give someone who wants to pursue a change?
Trust yourself
Trust that inner voice. It’s telling you something. Follow it and see where it leads.
To the mothers out there, you’ll be a better parent if you’re happy
If your child is going to have a mom that’s not happy, are you going to be a good mom? Doing what’s best for you is doing what’s best for your kids. In fact, I think since I have a child, I have more of a responsibility to be the happiest version of me and to ensure my kid is viewing the world with the right set of values. Your kids want to see you happy and they’ll be proud of you for it.
Tap into your network
Especially for those of you who are further down into your career – you have a bigger network so tap into that. Work trade with somebody just to get the experience. I work traded with my hairstylist – she did my hair and I did a private session for her. Try to tell as many people as you can who you are and what you’re trying to do because word of mouth is so powerful. You’ll be surprised what comes from of those conversation
There’s something to be said about outlining your vision and devising a plan
When I wanted to start teaching, I had a vision board of what I wanted my second chapter to look like. It gave me something to look forward to. From there, I made a plan and broke it into quarterly milestones, which allowed me to back it out. This made al the things I needed to do more digestible and helped keep me on track.
Start now
I wish I had made the jump sooner. No one looks back and says they wish they had waited longer. The longer we wait, we just end up telling ourselves fallacies that end up paralyzing us. Don’t wait for the perfect time, because there won’t be one – just do it.
You’re not alone
I think this blog is putting a bright light on the fact that there are a lot of people feeling these things. We can feel like were alone, but we’re not – people just don’t talk about it.
Life is so fleeting. The universe is billions of years old and we’re only a blink of time in comparison. To have that blink be “meh” and not feel good, isn’t worth it.
Meredith is a gem of a human and if you’re ever in LA, you should take one of her classes. She teaches studio classes at Hot 8 Yoga and also curates a mix of physical postures, breath work, and meditation for her private clients. You can follow along with her amazing journey on Instagram @meredithyoga!
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