Today is a conversation about surrender. Surrendering enough to allow the Universe to surprise you with a path that you could've never planned.
Meghan started Business Alchemist Mentorship in 2021 and she's one of my favorite testimonials for the program even though she technically "failed". She didn't build an online coaching business like she had intended. She poured herself into asking one of the core questions I ask my students: "What is your soul's purpose?" and wound up making a complete shift into becoming a singer/song-writer.
Meghan used to equate purpose with helping others through selfless service which led her down many career paths ranging from self-employed fitness coach to climbing the corporate ladder. She found herself burnt out and losing touch with her own passions. By reorienting to her soul's purpose, she was led down a journey of getting into touch with her artistic spirit through painting and music. Meghan's story is a tale of embracing her creative side, setting boundaries, and learning to manage personal capacity without losing oneself in the pursuit of dreams.
She shares wisdom on the importance of taking a personal inventory of where our energy is invested and how this can lead to a clearer understanding of our lives. Whether you're at crossroads in your career, looking to rediscover your passions, or seeking to align your energy with your values, this conversation is just for you.
I am so excited (and proud!) to share that Meghan has produced her first album and you'll get a chance to hear a sneak peek of her first song here.
Megan Aro:
ARO is an independent singer and song writer living in Los Angeles. As an artist, she’s open about her mental health and internal process, using her music as a tool to alchemize some of the darker parts of herself. Neurodivergence is a consistent theme that she explores in her art, giving a platform to the inner chaos that comes from living in a one-size-fits-all culture.
Connect with Meghan Aro:
Kat HoSoo Lee is a trauma-informed Spiritual Business Mentor and host of The Rooted Business Podcast. She uses the tools of somatic and emotional alchemy to guide soulful entrepreneurs to approach their business as a spiritual practice. This allows them to cultivate businesses that are rooted in conscious values, ethical marketing and purposeful service.
Connect with Kat:
This podcast is made possible with sound production by Andre Lagace.
Today is a conversation about surrender. Surrendering enough to allow the Universe to surprise you with a path that you could've never planned.
Meghan started Business Alchemist Mentorship in 2021 and she's one of my favorite testimonials for the program even though she technically "failed". She didn't build an online coaching business like she had intended. She poured herself into asking one of the core questions I ask my students: "What is your soul's purpose?" and wound up making a complete shift into becoming a singer/song-writer.
Meghan used to equate purpose with helping others through selfless service which led her down many career paths ranging from self-employed fitness coach to climbing the corporate ladder. She found herself burnt out and losing touch with her own passions. By reorienting to her soul's purpose, she was led down a journey of getting into touch with her artistic spirit through painting and music. Meghan's story is a tale of embracing her creative side, setting boundaries, and learning to manage personal capacity without losing oneself in the pursuit of dreams.
She shares wisdom on the importance of taking a personal inventory of where our energy is invested and how this can lead to a clearer understanding of our lives. Whether you're at crossroads in your career, looking to rediscover your passions, or seeking to align your energy with your values, this conversation is just for you.
I am so excited (and proud!) to share that Meghan has produced her first album and you'll get a chance to hear a sneak peek of her first song here.
Megan Aro:
ARO is an independent singer and song writer living in Los Angeles. As an artist, she’s open about her mental health and internal process, using her music as a tool to alchemize some of the darker parts of herself. Neurodivergence is a consistent theme that she explores in her art, giving a platform to the inner chaos that comes from living in a one-size-fits-all culture.
Connect with Meghan Aro:
Kat HoSoo Lee is a trauma-informed Spiritual Business Mentor and host of The Rooted Business Podcast. She uses the tools of somatic and emotional alchemy to guide soulful entrepreneurs to approach their business as a spiritual practice. This allows them to cultivate businesses that are rooted in conscious values, ethical marketing and purposeful service.
Connect with Kat:
This podcast is made possible with sound production by Andre Lagace.
Okay, yeah, welcome to the show, Meghan. I am so excited. I honestly feel like your story is one of my favorite BAM success stories because your story is so outrageously different from a lot of the people who graduate from the program. And, at the same time, it is perfectly aligned with the program, and so I'm really excited to get into your story, get into where you are right now and the story, but also just like the bravery it took for you to like say hey you know, Ii came into this program wanting to pursue a coaching career and then deciding no this is not the thing for me, and so, yeah, welcome to the show.
Meghan Aro:Thank you. Yes, I am so excited to be here, thank you for having me, And I think that us working together is a really good example of you know, like letting go enough, like surrendering, surrendering enough in life to let the universe surprise you and let it turn out better than you could have planned in your head.
Kat Lee:Mm, hmm. So I want to just rewind back to when we first started working together And I'll be honest that when you applied for Business Alchemist Mentorship, you already had like a pretty big following on Instagram. It seemed like you have your shit together. You're a very responsible, accountable person, and so I had a moment where I was like what is she going to get out of working with me? And what I think ended up happening is like we really started playing with purpose.
Kat Lee:We started playing with this concept around Dao, is what we call it in the program, sort of my language around it. But really, this idea of like, what is your soul really want to do? Well, it's here in this iteration of a life and for me it has nothing to do with like work, it has nothing to do with career, and I think that we start to like, like entangle those concepts together. In this culture of like, our purpose is what we do for work, which is, you know, before we started recording, you were sort of tying it to how you were brought up to think of it as service. So I'd love to hear you sort of start out with this like idea of like, maybe the entanglements that you had around, what purpose was meant to look like for you, and then we'll sort of like play into where it evolved to.
Meghan Aro:So yeah, I mean, I think ever since I was like of the age where I was thinking about, like realistically, what I wanted to do for my career, for money in the world, I have been, I've been really like unable to move away from the like this innate desire to make my work be something that I love, make it be something that like really lights me up and like sets me on fire. And so you know, I've, you and I have talked about this and I think we're, you know, kind of similar in that I've had so many careers, I've had so many things that I have done for money professionally that I have chased. You know, I started off I went to school for interior design in architecture, and I lasted like a year out of college. I absolutely hated it And there was like this burning desire inside of me to, at the time, coach people and and like do that through like a fitness and like wellness lens. And so, very young, like a year out of college, I quit my job and I started working for myself, which, like looking back on it with like my more adult mind now, was like an insane thing to do, like I had no idea what I was doing, but I was so like lit up inside and at the time that was so fulfilling for me. And now, with my more adult mind, I can look back and I can see that, yes, it was fulfilling for me.
Meghan Aro:I liked helping people. I genuinely did. I loved connecting with people in that way and it was tying back to this belief that I held that my purpose in the world needed to be of service to other people. I needed to be helping people, I needed to be servicing others and giving of myself in like a very direct, tangible way. And I think that goes back to just like how I was raised, and you know I was brought up in a very like religious Christian household, and so there was always this undertone of like, you know, sacrifice and like a bit of like martyrdom and you know, like selflessness, giving of yourself. And you know, unfortunately, that was exactly the thing that burned me out of that career, because I gave and gave and gave too much of myself. I didn't know where that line was for me, and so I moved into my next career, which was more focused at the time on like whoa, I just need to like get myself right, like I just need to be able to make a decent living and I need to be able to take care of myself and have time to myself. And so at the time I was like, okay, I'm going to go into corporate, I'm going to do design work again. And so I started working in tech as a user experience designer. I'm still doing that right now as my day job.
Meghan Aro:But about a year, year and a half into that, that, like that fire inside came back where I was like, oh, this isn't enough for me. Actually, it's not enough for me to, you know, just clock in and out of a job. I need something that is my own. And so I went back to what I knew. I went back to coaching, this time through a different lens.
Meghan Aro:I started doing somatic coaching with people, which really felt like the other side of the coin of everything that I had been doing with people before. You know, I was really so fascinated by this idea that your body holds innate wisdom, that, like, just by getting in tune with your own feelings, your own internal sensations, that you could learn so much about yourself that, like, your conscious mind didn't even know before. But it was like living inside of you And that was a big part of my own journey at that time And I have a habit of, you know, whatever I'm going through personally, I'm like I want to go out and like do that in the world and like help other people through that same thing. And so I started doing that. I, you know, got back online and you know told people like hey, I'm here, I'm available for this thing. And it was like I knew, it was like right where I was supposed to be at that point in my life, because as soon as I did that, I was rushed with clients. I had so many clients I didn't even know what to do with it, you know, and while I can say it was the right thing for me at that time, it was still harking back to this old belief that I was living in, that like my purpose needed to be in service of others. And so I started doing that, you know, kind of on the side of my day job.
Meghan Aro:And then I started thinking, you know, this is I have to. I have to build something of my own, because I am just not fulfilled by helping someone else build their dreams. You know what I mean. I mean, I think that's just who I am on the inside. And that's when I sought out your help, because I thought, you know well, I don't want to get into the same patterns that I was in before when I was running my business, and I thought, you know, I really need some professional guidance here, someone who can kind of set up some, some boundaries for me and and help me kind of like stay inside of that for myself. And so that led me to bam And I was like, okay, I'm here, I'm ready, I'm ready for for school, I'm ready to to build the business. You know, you've built this thing for your business, you've built this thing for yourself and you've made it your full time job and you've, you know, you seem to have found like balance and peace for yourself in it, and I was like I'm going to do that thing.
Meghan Aro:And so we met and I enrolled in your course and and it was great. It was great, and as I started to move through it, as I started to move through my own coaching business, my own practice, as I started to get deeper into somatics, I started to realize this actually wasn't again. This wasn't actually what I wanted. It actually had nothing to do with my body's own desire.
Kat Lee:Yeah, and I just want to pause there because I think that your story is so relatable to so many service based spiritual entrepreneurs, because we've all grown up in this soup. Of selflessness is like validated. You are meant to be of service especially women are sort of expected to be of service. And because you had done so much of the somatic work on your own before BAM, I think that when we got into BAM and I started asking these questions around purpose and alignment and values, like you could check in with your body and it was I could see the confusion at first because it just wasn't lining up, and I could see where in your history, in your past, your strategy would have been to override and be like, oh, this is the thing I'm supposed to do, and even if it feels uncomfortable in my body, I'm just going to do that thing because on some level, like it was easy because you were getting clients already, like that would have been the easier path to take is to just keep doing the online coaching thing and building that out. But I could sense that something wasn't in alignment. And then you started talking about art. I remember it being about painting first. You started talking about art and your entire energy changed, your entire like your voice changed, your face changed, like you felt so lit up in a way that I didn't see when you were talking about coaching.
Kat Lee:For a brief moment there, you were thinking about putting out an app for corporate. Your face didn't light up then, but as soon as you started talking about painting, I was like, oh, we can't not follow this path. We've got to do something with this, right? Yeah, yeah. So yeah, I'd love to hear about what your experience of like, of that, almost that like dissonance of I have to listen to my body. Everything I've learned about somatic says I need to listen to my body. You just talked about like the innate wisdom of your body, all of that, and then having that be the opposite of what society has told you to do, what your mind was probably telling you what to do. So can you sort of like flesh that part of your story out a little bit there?
Meghan Aro:Yeah, it was. I mean, I went through probably like a solid year where I, you know, internally I was just kind of like on my knees. You know, I had come to this place with my own growth where, like I was, it was like I was meeting my body for the first time And I was finally like she she had been screaming at me this whole time and I had just been like whatever, no, and finally I was like okay, wow, I'm here. You know, you have a lot to say about everything that I've been doing, everything I've not been doing, everything I've been pouring my time into, and I had been so used to just overriding, just steamrolling. I'm very good at that. I have incredibly strong willpower. If I set my mind to something, I can make it happen, but sometimes to my own detriment. And so, yeah, when, when I, when I had finally kind of made this mind body connection for myself, like in a really real, tangible way, you're right, I mean I was going to BAM classes and I was just kind of like glazed over. You know like I was. I was kind of like half doing the homework that you were assigning And I was just I was sitting there wondering like why am I not feeling the way that I think I'm supposed to be feeling? I and I didn't, I didn't understand.
Meghan Aro:And at the time I had started painting again. I, I took some painting classes in college and it was probably the one part of my college experience although short that like really I found so much peace in, like it was the one part of college where I was like, oh, this feels good, like I looked forward to painting classes, I loved it so much. And I, I hadn't painted in years and probably 10 years I hadn't painted, I hadn't picked up paintbrush because I was too busy doing other things that didn't like really light me up. And so, you know, one day I went, I went to the art supply store and I was like I am going to paint, I have the time, I want to do it, I'm thinking about it a lot. Why am I not painting? And so I spent a whole summer painting every day for hours, for hours. I would just go into my guest bedroom in my house where I had all my stuff set up, and I would just sit there for hours painting whatever, whatever I felt like. And and as I was like getting into that, I was like maybe I will start a website and start selling my art. And I and I remember us talking in in session and you were like why aren't you putting your art up? And I was always like I'm going to do it, I'm going to, I'm going to do it. I don't know why I'm not doing it. I don't like I didn't have a good answer.
Meghan Aro:And as the year went on, I, and COVID restrictions started lifting, concerts were starting to become a thing again, and I was so excited because I loved I've always loved live music, I've loved going to concerts, and so I went. I think a year ago, yeah, last year was like the year of, of like concerts for me. I think I went to like gosh, I don't know like eight concerts. I just all my favorite artists were like back, like playing shows after COVID, and I was like I'm going to everyone's show. And every single one that I went to it was like each one lit me up more and more and I and eventually I left one that I went to in June of last year and I remember I had a session with you after that show. I saw my favorite artist, Halsey, and I came back after that show and I was just like I can't ignore this anymore. Like every show I went to, I was watching these artists on stage and there was just this like a hunger inside of us, like I want that, like I want that so badly. And I remember talking to you about it after.
Meghan Aro:After that weekend, I went, I went to New York and I saw her in concert, and I came back and we were talking about it and you were like, well, why can't you start to make music? And I and I was like, well, I think I'm too old to start. And you know, for everyone watching, I was 31 at the time, which, yeah, and I looked at you and I and I didn't have a good answer for you. You were the first one to ever like pose that question back to me and say, well, why not? And I was just like stumped, I was like I don't know, I don't know why not.
Meghan Aro:And right after that call I think it was that week I started writing. I started writing again And I didn't stop after that. And when I started writing, you know I wasn't. I wasn't thinking it would go anywhere, I was just writing because I was like this is my body's telling me I need to explore like songwriting, and I just I just need to listen to that. I had no intention of producing anything, I had no intention of of making it into a thing, but then I just couldn't stop Like it. It like hit something in me that I think had been there like all along, and it was like I finally woke up to who my body actually is And my mind had to like kind of come to terms with that.
Kat Lee:I love that. Yeah, I think the thing that you're describing to is this thing that I love. I mean, I feel it myself in my own business. I really do feel like I would be doing this even if I won the lottery, because I just love watching people get lit up when they like find that momentum, when they find that resonance where they're like, yeah, this is the thing my body's been asking for this entire time. And like for a lot of us who have like a very finely tuned fight response I'm gonna put myself in that category as well is, like we can, we have the ability to override like so easily and so like, when we're talking about that thing, that like we're supposed to do, that we should do.
Kat Lee:You know, when you're talking about like service being the thing that you were sort of like ingrained to do, and it feels like you are swimming upstream, you know like that's a lot of energy and effort into something that your body is resisting like with every fiber, with every style of its being.
Kat Lee:You know, versus, like, what you're talking about, like I think what we're talking about with you is really just creativity, cause I saw it with the painting, I saw it with you, you know, deciding to pick up a guitar. I remember when you were talking about how your mom's been, was a guitar player and so, like you're starting to like reconnect to some of those aspects of her and like, because you have so much, I'm gonna say, just like energy I don't know where that comes from. As soon as you like, get into that channel and that current where you're like in alignment, like I think back to like that, for because I remember that session that we had where you know you were like I think I'm too old to start music and like, from then until now, like it's not been that much time, you know.
Meghan Aro:Yeah, it's been. I think it's been like exactly a year since then. And you know, I think I have this habit of like when I find something that I like, that I want to do, I will like fast forward into the biggest version of that thing that my mind can conjure up and I get really excited about it And at the same time I get really overwhelmed by it. And at that time I was thinking to myself. I was like, well, I want to be doing the thing on the big stage And like, how am I supposed to get there now? Right, you know, like most of these artists they start when they're in their teens. You know, they have so much time to grow their craft and to build up, and I'm supposed to start that now.
Meghan Aro:That felt so overwhelming And I had to put into practice all the somatic stuff that I had been teaching other people And I had to really look at myself and say, okay, girl, you're going to listen to your own advice. Or, you know, like what would you say if a client came to you and was telling you this stuff? and I really had to treat myself like my own, like I would treat my own clients. And that was really hard. It was so much easier to give other people advice and to help other people to guide them. It's so much harder to do that with yourself and to hold your own hand through that. But I'm so proud of myself because I did do that And in just a year's time I have written an entire album's worth of music.
Meghan Aro:I have taught myself how to sing. I've taught myself how to play the guitar. I have built up my inner capacity to be able to recognize, you know, when I am at capacity with, like, pushing this forward and be able to say, okay, all like the negative thoughts that I'm having about myself and about this thing that I love are just me being at capacity right now. Can I take my foot off the break? Can I find a bit of regulation? How am I going to feel once I'm regulated again? And, sure enough, when I'm regulated again, I love it again And I come back to it easily. I don't have to force myself to come back. I don't have to force myself to push through this, because I love it enough that I keep coming back.
Kat Lee:Yeah, that's such an important piece and I just want to highlight something because, you know, as you're, this is the first time that, like, we're like actually like laying your entire story out like all at once, right, and as you're going through the first part of your story, the thing that just kept coming back up is it doesn't matter what the job is.
Kat Lee:The thing that you need to learn is boundaries around honoring your own energy, around recognizing when you are at capacity, around being okay with taking your rest and coming back into regulation. But the difference here is that when the thing that you're doing is not the thing that you love, it's harder to like recognize that that is an investment that you're making, because what I'm hearing you say is that boundary needed to be learned. But it was easier to learn it in this situation because you love the singing, you love the music, you love the creative process so much that, like, it's worth the investment of having a boundary around this precious thing that you are trying to safeguard. You know, versus like when you were in coaching, when you were, like you know, doing like fitness coaching, like when the passion and the like love isn't quite as alive for you, it's hard to know where that boundary exists, because it just seems like you should just push through the thing anyway.
Kat Lee:You know, yeah yeah, and so I feel like that's a really, really important distinction to make is, like, for anyone who's listening, if you have trouble with this, you know, maybe the thing that you're struggling with is not boundaries in the sort of classical sense of like you have to figure out your boundaries, but maybe the thing is like a little bit deeper than that. just in terms of like, do you actually even want to put boundaries around this thing? Like, is this a thing that you love enough that you want to like put boundaries around it to protect it?
Kat Lee:And if the answer is no, then there are some harder questions to ask, but like absolutely necessary questions to ask.
Meghan Aro:Yeah, I would agree with that. So hard I think you know. My entire adult life I have been searching for the thing that would feed me as much as I feed it, and I started to wonder if that was even possible.
Meghan Aro:You know what I mean like I would when I was younger, when I was like in my earlier 20s, I totally believed in the idea that, like, if you find the thing that you are aligned with, that you are meant to do, then like it won't feel like work. I believed in that like wholeheartedly, and I was like I'm gonna find that thing. And I think a couple years ago I started to say to myself like that inner narrative change, the belief changed. I was like I don't know if that thing exists, honestly, like I could love something as much as I want, as soon as there's money attached to it, as soon as, like, I have to like, as soon as I have expectations around it, it's gonna turn into work and it's not gonna be there's. I'm not gonna love it in that way anymore. That was the belief that formed for me And this past year has actually proven that really wrong for me, which is really cool. It makes me really happy.
Kat Lee:Yeah, look at the smile.
Meghan Aro:Yeah, because I am kind of back in that like more what's how would I say it, like youthful kind of perspective of like anything's possible, like if you find the thing that you love, like it doesn't have to feel like work, like you can, it can feed you as much as you feed it. And yeah, I'm just, I'm very excited that for me that is true now.
Kat Lee:Yeah, and you know, I think that part of the I'm gonna call it like a protector part of yours is actually to dream big. And the reason why I think it's a protector part is because leaning into this joy, you know, so like, oh my gosh, I was just having a conversation with one of my clients the other day and talking about how joy is such a hard like emotion for people to access, and so and there's this fear of it like potentially going away or never, you never getting to the place where you feel joyful, and so like, like, almost like this, like grandiose, like I have to be singing on a stage to like 50,000 people or nothing, like the like binary thinking of like one or the other is a protector part of you that says, you know, do you really want this? And what I've heard you say over this last year is like this idea is worth pursuing. You know, even if all I do is like make an album and it feels good to me, and so to me it's like there's a love there that is not conditional. You know, like I have, you know you have all of my support and however this turns out, obviously, but like there are 50,000 stories in between, the like zero to like playing to a crowd of 50,000. That is totally possible for you And through this work of like, again, like your story is that, like it started with the nervous system, it started with the somatics and being led by your body, it's brought in this nuance, it's brought in this capacity for you to envision something outside of just the binary.
Kat Lee:Like you get to have a vision of like oh, I wonder what the story is going to look like. You know what I mean, and so that's something that I've really I wanna use the word admired, but also that word doesn't feel strong enough to me. So, like, I'm just gonna like put that in as like a placeholder, because it's something that I've admired about you is like you come up against these challenge points and, instead of shutting down or instead of overriding, you like like I've seen you in sessions like take like a big pause and a breath and like, sort of like lean into that challenge in a way that opens up possibility is how I wanna state that. And so, yeah, I'm just really excited for however this turns out And also just the recognition that, like, your creativity was fully deserving of nurturing in and of itself, you know.
Meghan Aro:Yeah, you know, I like, even just a few months ago, like I started producing my first song, I think March or April of this year. But you know, back in December, when I was like getting ready and reaching out to producers and stuff, I had this moment of like am I really gonna do this? Am I really, like because it's a lot of money to like produce a song? It's a lot of work. And you know, I did have this moment of like am I actually going to do this? And I think that's what I'm gonna do, I think I'm gonna be able to do this. And I had this moment of clarity where I realized, you know, kind of like you were saying, if you won the lottery, you would be doing this anyway.
Meghan Aro:I realized that even if I never produced a song, I would still, every night, be writing, I would still be playing my guitar, I would still be singing, I would still be making my art. And when I got really clear on that, I was just like well, obviously I'm going to do it, because it doesn't, because the stakes are gone. There are actually no stakes I can like, no matter what happens, whether I, you know, am super successful in my career or, if you know, I have 10 people who listen to my music. I'm going to be doing this anyway, and so I might as well shoot my shot. You know what I mean? Like I might as well share, and I might as well learn to share with joy and with openness and without so much constriction around it, because I fear, like, the outcome, like whether or not it's going to be successful or not. I'm already successful because I'm doing what I love.
Kat Lee:Yeah, yeah, when you listen back to this episode, I want you to like listen back to that part you just said, because to me, like you can't replace art creativity. You know, whatever it is. And it's what we're really talking about is this relationship with unconditional love. Yeah, you know, as soon as we take the like results off the table, as soon as we take the like, you have to perform in this particular way. You know, I talk about it in terms of business a lot, in the sense that, like, we all have a relationship to business, you know, with our businesses, and so, like, we have this tendency to like put these like external markers to be the thing that we want to hang up as, like our you know badge of success. But as soon as you're able to sink into, like, a relationship with that business, hey, I don't know, like, since I've started looking at my business in that way, it has performed, in quotation marks, better for me than back when I had all these like expectations on it. You know, and what I'm hearing with you is this relationship that you have with creativity is like you would be loving on creativity anyway every single night.
Kat Lee:Yeah, you know, and so, like that unconditional love is the thing that flows through, whatever it is that you're creating, whether it's an offer, if you're an online coach, or you know, whether it is a song that you're producing, if you are you, and that has such a deeper resonance with people, and that's really what people are responding to. You know what I mean. Like in the age of, like, so many things being artificial and templatized, and you know, i'm sure, even in the like songwriting and music world, there's like a formula that you could follow that would you know, give you a certain feel to a song, but like you can't replace the human element of something that has been loved unconditionally and nurtured and cared for. And to me, that's really what I think people are resonating with and what people are responding to.
Meghan Aro:Yeah, yeah, I totally agree And I just want to highlight you said something a few minutes ago about, like you know you would watch me kind of like in sessions like lean into, like the hard thing that was coming up.
Meghan Aro:And you know, I think for a lot of people who are out there like building shit on their own, who are like doing their own thing, you know, I think a lot of us are used to, we're used to leaning into challenge, we're so used to it And kind of like we were talking about before with will power, you know, we're used to just kind of pushing through into, like pushing through the hard thing that's coming up.
Meghan Aro:And for me it's been about reframing challenge, reframing that will power for myself, because I think those of us who are building our own thing, we have a ton of Will Power. We have to, we have, we just have to. And if we can channel that into less into like the steam rolling and more into like, okay, wow, there's this really hard thing in front of me, and like I can channel all of that strength that I had to push through and ignore and even detach into like, okay, I'm going to go like headfirst into the challenge of of relating to myself right now. That has been like a big shift for me, because it's to me, it's just a reframe, it's just like a redirection. You know what I mean.
Kat Lee:As you were speaking and I love that we're bringing nuance into this as you were speaking, I had this like visual come up of, like I don't know if you've ever had a massage where somebody just like finds those knots and just like pushes, like on them.
Kat Lee:And to me, like that doesn't, there's like an almost like an immediate sense of like, ooh, that feels good. But then sometimes I'll come out of a massage session and like I'll be in even more pain than when I went in. My favorite way is, like when they find a knot and then they like settle in and like lean into it, which allows for that muscle to then like open up in a new sort of like orientation. Like you were talking about that reframe. And like as we're sort of like talking about the difference between pushing through and leaning in. Like to me, that's what I was feeling in sessions with you is like you almost have to like stop yourself from like just pushing through and instead it's this like slower thing. But it's not a withdraw, it's not a disassociation, right, it's still like I'm still pushing into this thing, but I'm feeling it more.
Kat Lee:I'm feeling it push back. Yeah and you're feeling into like, ooh, does this wanna open up? And if there's resistance, then what information is that resistance telling me And can I learn from that resistance? And to me, like that is the beauty of being in with a session with somebody who is, like, willing to do that challenging work, of being like, oh, this actually relates to something like my mother said to me 15 years ago. Or this is actually relating to an old story that I had that I didn't even realize was like just a story that I could change. Or oh, this is something that my boss told me last week and it's bringing this thing up again And so, instead of just like pushing through those things where you would miss a lot of the nuance and the lessons that could be learned from it, we lean into it and we wait for that story to open up in a different way, you know.
Meghan Aro:Yeah, absolutely, and a lot of times. I think the information that you get back from that when you do listen to it, is so much more valuable than the results you might have gotten if you would have just peppered through. 100% 100%.
Kat Lee:And it also brings in like just circle back to what you said at the very beginning of this call of like,
Kat Lee:it brings in the wisdom of your body And so many of our bodies are screaming all the time because to like live in this modern world, to participate in capitalism, to do all the things that we are, quote unquote, supposed to do, like we kind of have to forget about the messages that our body is giving us.
Kat Lee:But this is where, like, the medicine of yin comes in, where we now get to like channel all of that energy, because, like that's a really beautiful part of you is like how much energy you have, how much your like your capacity to do is incredible. But, like can we take that pause? Can we take that lean in and channel that in a really intentional way, in a way that, like I've never heard you complain about being tired of your music. I've never heard you complain about feeling like resentful about your music. I've never heard you complain about like just feeling energetically drained And so like to me it's like there's a true regenerative power here, you know, and to me that's where I think that aligned action is such an important aspect of this cause. It's like when you're not taking aligned action that is so energetically draining.
Meghan Aro:Yeah, absolutely. I mean, like I said, I've been looking for the thing that feeds me as much as I feed it, and to me, that is what it means to have a sustainable business, kind of like. In the broader sense, It's just, it's the law of energy, you know. It has to be balanced. Your input and your output have to be balanced, And if the thing that you're pouring all of your time and energy into isn't balancing you the way that you're trying to balance it, then it might not be the thing right.
Meghan Aro:Like, I think a recent thing that I have done for myself this year is take an inventory of all of the things that I give energy to in my life, including relationships, including my day job, And really get very granular and specific about what do I get in return from this. What am I giving to it, and what am I getting in return? What is this thing to me? Because it's kept me very, very kind of, I'm blanking on the word to you right now, it's kept me very clear, very lucid about my life, just kind of in general. I think you know we especially for people who are, you know, like at building their own thing, we don't always have the option of, like, jumping two feet in. Like, sometimes we need a day job to sustain the thing that we're building until it's time, or you know, whatever. So I think that getting clear on like, hey, maybe this day job isn't the thing that lights me up, but I'm giving my time to it because it's funding the thing that lights me up. It's part of all of this and can I find joy in that. Can I find joy in the understanding that, like, yes, I'm giving time to this and I'm very clear on what it's giving back to me.
Meghan Aro:Because I think where sometimes we get lost is, you know, in our heads. Maybe we think this thing that we're giving time to is giving something back to us that it's not. And I think when we're not honest about that with ourselves in, you know, whatever the category is whether it's relationships, whether it's businesses, whether it's a day job, whatever it is you're pouring energy into when we're not clear and honest with ourselves about what the thing is we're getting back in return. I think that's where we can get unhappy in our lives and kind of lose track of like you know why, like why do I feel so lost right now?
Kat Lee:Yeah, I mean and this can apply to anything, like as you were talking like I was just brought back to my relationship with my ex-husband, and I remember making a very similar list right before I left, where I started writing down like what am I actually getting back from this relationship? You know, and being confronted with like a black and white list like that means that you might have to make some really hard choices. Yeah, I mean, I feel like my some of my biggest struggles have been around relationships of, like you know, the same thing that you were talking about with like giving too much being of service, like to work, like I've had that with my relationships all my life.
Kat Lee:And now I am so grateful for my inner circle because, like I look around and every single one of the people in my life and I'm like I am so stoked you're here, there's like not a single energy suck, whereas I look back in my 20s and in my even in my mid 20s and can name like like maybe half, if not more, of those relationships were not balanced, you know, and it's like we can't get I don't know. For me, I didn't feel like it was appropriate to just be like I'm gonna get mad at the person because it's like that's the agreement that you went into it with, and so, of course, there's gonna be pushback as you start holding some boundaries differently. But you know, that doesn't mean that your energetic boundaries aren't worth holding, like it is so, so important. I feel like we're talking about this concept around like your energy is precious and it is sacred and it is worth protecting, and you get to make choices around where you pour your energy into, whether it's relationships or your job.
Kat Lee:And I also love that you highlighted this nuance, because I think that there's a lot of folks out there who are like if I'm not doing my dream job, then I'm somehow like failing. You know, and it's like you know what Your day job can also be the runway that helps fund these things that you're incredibly passionate about, And for some people, that runway is really short. Some people that runway is really long, some people, you know, never fully get off the runway, but then they're still able to find, like their passion and their joys in their life. And like all of them are valid and okay, you know. And so I just wanna like move us away from this, like thinking that like, oh, if you have, you know, a day job and you're doing the passion on the side, like that's somehow not okay, like that is, that's a beautiful story.
Meghan Aro:Absolutely, I 100% agree. And you know I think I was when I was considering doing like building out my coaching business. I was really really struggling with that kind of balance, because this fire inside of me was saying, like you know, it's all or nothing, We have to do the thing. And this more fearful but kind of, I would say, a little bit wise part of me, the part of me who had learned from my previous business, was saying whoa, whoa, whoa, this, this job is giving us stability, This job is giving me time, this job is giving me benefits, this job is giving me all of these things that are making me feel really safe right now. And I don't know if I necessarily wanna give those things up. Like what, if I could just stay with like one foot in both worlds? and I kind of reached a place at that time where I was like okay, but that could be kind of cool, Like I get to, I guess, to like have all the fun of like making my own thing and all of the safety of like my job, that my job provides for me and like that can be a beautiful thing.
Meghan Aro:And I think that it's, I think, for anyone who is struggling with that kind of like inner, those inner voices, like pulling in both directions. I think it's just about like continuously feeling into what feels safe, what feels doable for you in that moment. You know it doesn't have to anytime like anytime I notice I'm pulled into, like all or nothing, binary thinking. I've learned to recognize that like, ooh, this is just a sign that I'm feeling a bit activated right now And maybe we don't need to have a solution to this right now. Maybe I just need to regulate a little bit and come back to it. And I think, as long as you're in touch with those two voices and like what each of them are wanting, it can be an ongoing conversation. It doesn't need to be something that's figured out right in this minute.
Kat Lee:You know, Mm-hmm, mm-hmm yeah, we've been talking about your creative process, we've been talking about your music for a long time now. Can you share, like, what things you like to write about and sing about? What kind of like like give us like the 3D landscape of, like what your music is?
Meghan Aro:Yeah, absolutely. You know I, part of what I love so much and I think what keeps me coming back is because I have allowed my songs to be a platform for the darker parts of myself that don't have another place to be like let out of the cage, if you know what I mean. Like my music is kind of like a playground for them to like run around like anything goes. You know what I mean. I think, as someone who has been in a facilitator role for as long as I have been, I have really gotten into this habit of like needing to put a positive spin on everything, like needing to ground in like the reality of like and everything is in flow with the universe. And like that is great and I do actually believe in all of that stuff.
Meghan Aro:And there are all of these like kind of darker, less positive parts of myself that are like okay, but this, like we have stuff to say about this, like this isn't like what we want to say, this isn't our story, and so I tend to really play in, you know, the minor keys I explore a lot. I identify as neurodivergent, just kind of like broadly as a category, and so I explore those themes a lot in my music, these inner narratives of like always being too much, too messy, too indecisive and kind of like the chaos, the inner chaos that comes from living in a world that doesn't understand neurodiversity, that kind of pathologizes it, that kind of says that like this is different And so it's wrong. And I also explore a lot. Like I said in the beginning, I grew up in a very kind of conservative religious household and I no longer identify with those belief systems, and so my music has a lot of themes around religion that are kind of like a bit tongue-in-cheek, kind of kind of like pulling at those themes a bit.
Kat Lee:Yeah, I know what I'm hearing is that it's been like an active part of your alchemization process, Like actually giving fear a place to like fully express herself, like actually giving anger at some of the systems that you've grown up in, a place to like fully share how she feels, like it's such a healthy, like incredibly healthy. Like I don't, you know me, like I don't do the love and light sort of thing, and so like I love almost that, like the way that you're talking about it is if all of your internal family systems parts got a chance to like say their piece you know, yeah, like this is what they would be saying.
Kat Lee:I love that.
Meghan Aro:Yeah, like my music, I think, first and foremost for me is a place for me to rebel a bit, And that feels really good and it feels exhilarating. It feels, you know it just it makes me feel alive. And you know this first song that I'm releasing, coming out on July 28th, it's called Let Me Go, and it's one of the first songs that I wrote, and when I wrote it I had no intentions of producing it or putting it out, and so that's part of what makes it really special for me, because it's truly a reflection of just like I didn't think anyone was ever gonna see it. You know what I mean. And it's about my, it's about how I show up in romantic relationships. And you know, I realize that I tend to have this really very like push pull I, you know, if we wanna put it in like psychology terms, like I'm very disorganized. Attachment, I'm aware of it, it's something I work on.
Meghan Aro:But you know, in this song I was really tapping into that part of me that really just wants to create chaos in relationships, like, and she likes it, she likes it. It gives her this feeling of power in the relationships And again, as a coach, as a facilitator, I like we know that like okay, we have to see, like how is this actually impacting our lives? And like this isn't a treat that we want to encourage. We wanna unpack it, we wanna like implement new patterns so that we can live a better life. But in the song, I don't have to worry about doing all of that, I can just see,
Meghan Aro:okay, what does she have to say to herself? You know, like she likes holding the power, she likes holding all the cards, she likes inflicting a bit of pain, a bit of chaos. She likes it, she revels in it. And when I was done writing this, I was kind of like thinking about, you know, in a lot of cultures and like ancient mythology, we have these like goddess, archetypes who are, you know, these goddesses of like chaos and destruction, and they are also goddesses of creation. And so there's this alchemizing piece where it's like, okay, this part of me that seeks to create destruction, that seeks to create chaos, she's also the part of me that is fueling this beautiful creation in my life. And so getting in touch with those like darker parts of me has been so fun and so interesting because I've been able to see, like very clearly, how they are also fueling my creativity.
Kat Lee:I mean, like it's such a beautiful like the way that you're describing your story also feels a lot like the story that we've shared on this podcast, which is like you had to go into a state of like chaos and destruction of your like past selves. You know, you're a fitness coach self, you're somatic coaching self, in order for this new creation to come forth. You know, and you know, I think, of the concept around destruction for the sake of creation, and we don't allow for those patterns, those sort of cycles, to show up, the same way that you know, maybe our ancestors were more in touch with that kind of energy. And you know, to sort of speak to the coaching piece around, like yes, we wanna examine how this is affecting your life and all that, but also I would say that part of the reason why it's affecting, let's just say, you know, someone's life is because oftentimes these shadow sides are not given enough ample space to like fully express themselves.
Kat Lee:You know, and so like, oftentimes in a lot of my coaching sessions you know, we're able to identify, oh, there's like a seven year old girl who's like fucking pissed that she didn't get the attention that she felt like she deserved, or like felt like she was cast off to the side, and so it's like let's give that seven year old girl like a chance to speak, and some of the shit that people tell me is like like so messy, so chaotic, like it does not follow a thread and it needed to be said for us to be able to see the alchemization through, you know, and so I feel like that's what you're speaking to, is like our shadows need to have a voice and need to be seen in the fullness of whatever emotion that they're feeling.
Kat Lee:And you know, I love that you've done that for yourself. But like, beyond that, I'm really excited that folks get to listen to your music and maybe have a space for their own shadows to come alive and for their own shadows to speak, and that is like I mean we can say that it's a service, but like it's this regenerative service where you know you felt alive putting this art into the world and now people get to experience it in a way that might help them alchemize whatever it is that they're meant to alchemize you know, absolutely.
Meghan Aro:You know, I think through this whole journey, the past year, I have gotten to this place where I have reframed the idea of service in my brain, where I have realized that when you follow your truth, when you find that alignment inside and you live that out in the world, that is inherently of service for the collective. You know, when you are well, when you are aligned in yourself, the collective is well, and it doesn't have to be this like extremely direct. You know, like I always thought that I needed to like be like physically, tangibly helping people to feel fulfilled, to feel like I had purpose, to feel like I had meaning in the world, and I'm realizing that just being in alignment with myself has meaning and has purpose and is like, indirectly, of service to other people.
Kat Lee:You know, love it, love it. I think I saw on your Instagram stories the other day that you recorded a music video for this song and you were smashing plates on the ground, like I'm so excited to see this archetype become alive.
Meghan Aro:Yeah, yeah, I'm very stoked about the music video. Again, it was not something that I was planning on making, but I have a really great friend. His name is Tristan Guarini. He's a photographer in Los Angeles and you know he messaged me a few weeks ago and he was like you know, I really love to like get into video stuff. You know, I'd love to do some like video content if you ever wanna do that with me. And I was like do you wanna make a music video? And we threw together a concept in like two weeks and we were like okay, I guess we're filming, like neither of us have ever made a music video. And we like did the damn thing this weekend. So I'm so excited to see how it turns out. He's incredibly talented. I have the utmost faith in him. I'm sure it's going to turn out beautiful. So, yeah, that'll be another extra piece with this release. That's gonna be really special and exciting, yeah.
Kat Lee:I feel like there's like almost like, there's like archetype play as like a theme that's moving through at least this song that you just described, and I'm really excited to hear the rest of the album as well. And by the time this episode comes out, your album is it the album or just the one song that's coming out on the?
Meghan Aro:28? Just the one single on the 28, and I have a few more singles in the pipeline for later this year, kind of like in the following months I plan to release my first EP that will contain five songs in November of this year, and then early next year we're gonna start rolling out some promotional singles for the album. Hopefully the album will be done in the spring of 2024.
Kat Lee:Cool. So go and listen to the single. It's out right now by the time you're listening to this and also go check out all the ways that you can connect with Meghan. Wanna share all the places that you exist in the online world?
Meghan Aro:Yeah, yeah, so I'm very active on Instagram, so my stage name is Aro A-R-O. That's my last name, so that's where you can find me if you're Googling Aro. My Instagram handle is @i. am. aro. m usic, with periods in between all of the words, as well as TikTok. My website is AroMusicOfficial. com, where you can read a little bit more about me, my bio and links to my Spotify and my socials.
Kat Lee:Yay, I'll put all those links down below in the show notes so it's easy for folks to find. But I so I mean it's always fun when I get to sit with a client and just map out what the journey has been and I mean I don't know. I feel like maybe another business coach might think of this as being quote unquote failed sort of experiment.
Kat Lee:But to me, i am just loving this because the joy that I get when somebody finds the thing that they're in alignment with and find their purpose and find their doll, is just beyond this world And to me the external thing it kind of doesn't matter. If you could find this joy building an online coaching business, if you can find this joy, some of my clients have gone through working with me and have decided to go back to school. If you can find this joy. Actually, I've had some clients who have quit their jobs and decided to stay at home and raise their kids full time because that's the thing that lights them up. Like the external stuff doesn't matter, like it's really about what sets your soul on fire, and I've been so lucky to watch you nurture this little spark and just watch it start to roar.
Meghan Aro:It's exciting. Thank you for saying that, And I just wanna say, Kat, that you I had no idea at the time, but you were the perfect coach for me to help me move into this new chapter of my life, and I'm like, I'm so grateful.
Kat Lee:Aw, getting a little teary. You're making me start to cry too.
Meghan Aro:Yeah, I'm just, I'm really grateful.
Kat Lee:Well, I'm so grateful I get to know you and get to be a part of this journey And, oh my God, I'm so excited to hear this single Like it's gonna be so exciting.
Meghan Aro:Thank you so much, thank you for everything.