With a baby girl on the way I am feeling an even stronger sense of responsibility when it comes to helping women and girls to live their best life. At the perfect time, Megan Street entered my life. She had written a book inspired from her difficult journey through adolescence and having experienced the loss of a friend to suicide. After reading her story, I feel compelled to share her message in the hope that all young women know that they are not alone. I hope you enjoy this interview.
Tell us a little about yourself and how you’re making an impact on this world.
Hey everyone! My name is Megan Street, I am 24 years old and am the author of self-help/popular psychology book ‘Well, This is Growing Up’. I was born and raised in Melbourne, Australia and I have a huge passion for helping people especially in terms of motivation and emotional resilience!
I’m a true believer in ‘the happiest of people don’t have the best of everything they make the best of everything!’ – Zig Ziglar and through my secrets, tips, ticks and stories – including topics that shouldn’t be shyed away from such as bitches, sex, relationships and boobs, true lasting happiness is just a page turn away! 10% of all profits go to Beyondblue.
As crazy as it sounds one of the stories that opened my eyes and made me realise that I wanted to change the world through helping others get through anything life may throw at us was when I was a finalist in Miss Universe Australia. In the question and answer part of the pageant I was asked ‘What is your favourite thing about yourself?’ (with mammoth butterflies in my stomach, practically chocking on my words, totally freaking out) I managed to mutter ‘my eyes’. As soon as I got off the stage I 110% regretted my answer and wanted to run back to the MC and re-answer my question but knew it wasn’t worth the risk of most likely tripping on my ball gown/stilettos, freezing on the spot or being told ‘you can’t re-answer a question, it’s against the rules!’ so I let it be. What I would have corrected myself with was my ‘mindset, motivation and will to help others in anything and everything!’ – Which was/is my true answer to that question and through WTIGU I am on my way to helping many!
When I’m not writing I try to live my life based on love, positivity, family and friends. I’m a huge fan of yoga, a self-confessed dark chocolate addict and can’t live without my honey + almond milk body butter from The Body Shop! 🙂
What inspired you to write WTIGU?
I’ll never forget the day when I was truly inspired to write WTIGU – just warning you it’s not some ‘I had an epiphany after taking up doing yoga’ story. So I had just got home and was moping around feeling sorry for myself because I had like zillion uni assignment due when I received a phone call from one of my girlfriends… I picked up and heard her crying heavily and as anyone would naturally ask I said ‘hey what’s wrong?’ The last time I heard her cry like that was when the guy she was seeing cheated on her, she took him back so I thought he might have done it again…when in amongst her crying and weeping she managed to mutter the words ‘Lara’s gone’. My stomach dropped, I burst into tears and curled up into a ball crying. I knew full well what had happened – in the past Lara had unsuccessfully attempted suicide, although this time was different. It wasn’t unsuccessful – Lara was gone.
As I drove to see the friend who had just told me the news, tears streamed down my face as I thought to myself there has to be a way to stop people from doing this… There Has. To. Be. It was then that I thought to myself that if I can’t change the past (Lara’s death) I would try my best to change the future…This is what lead and inspired me to write WTIGU.
There were so many inspirational chapters in WTIGU about the challenges girls face at school. If I could give my 16-year-old self some advice, I would say to her “Keep going – you are going to achieve amazing things. Never worry about how popular you are at school, because it means nothing in the real world. You will find the very best friends in your late 20s. Never let guys treat you like anything less than a princess – you truly deserve unconditional love and respect.” What advice would you give to your teenage self?
Absolutely 110% love and would totally tell myself the same things as you! What you said is so true! As for mine…
He’s just not that into you – stop chasing f*ckboys.
It’s okay to be misunderstood, you don’t need to explain yourself to anyone.
If you think something nice about someone SAY IT! Too many nice things get thought but not said.
The only person who can truly limit your potential is you! – mindset is everything.
If a guy asks you to have a sleepover at his place, it’s verrrry different to a sleepover you have with your gfs. There is more than movies, popcorn and staying up talking all night on his mind.
It’s okay to make mistakes – but make sure you learn from them.
Have fun, enjoy it and sometimes rules are made to be broken! (Nothing illegal but!)
Don’t put your happiness in someone else’s hands.
What Suzie says of Sally says more of Suzie than of Sally – Unknown.
IT GETS BETTER.
Life is very, very short, and you can choose to live it how you want. You can choose to dumb yourself down and not express yourself just so you can fit in, just so people won’t dislike you – or you can fucking live! – Gerard Way
What is the biggest challenge you have faced in your study/career/business to date? How did you overcome this challenge?
I have two that were incredibly difficult but in different ways.
Although external circumstances can be extremely difficult I think that sometimes the hardest battles are not due to outward circumstances but to inward – what we feel on the inside.
By far the hardest thing I’ve ever gone through is a chronic condition called ‘IBS’ (irritable bowel syndrome). For the last five or six years i’ve felt unwell around 75% of the time – never have I had to be that person running to the toilet but I’m all too familiar with a lingering nausea that stays put. There is no ‘cure’ for IBS and it’s all about managing it. My IBS has improved drastically through a recent treatment and diet changes but it makes it a bit awkward if I’m out for dinner and/or on a date and I can’t order anything on the menu because if I do it will make me sick as I have to avoid foods! BUT, as I discuss in WTIGU, nothing is ‘negative’ – it’s your thoughts that make it so. When I was feeling unwell I would try to find good in the situation e.g. finish my uni assignments, read a good self-development book, write WTIGU – if it wasn’t for my IBS this book probably wouldn’t exist. When I was feeling sick I would write and it helped me take my mind off my nausea and focus my energy into a productive activity. As I said before it has drastically improved now, which I thank God every day for!
The second is that I struggled to get into university. I even called up around 50 course coordinators to try and let me in with the final year score that I got! In the end I would say that I got into my uni course through persistence more than anything else. Thanks Victoria University for letting me in! I have always been more creative than academic and unfortunately the only way to get into most uni courses is through your academic intelligence. Although now, being two months off being a fully qualified primary and secondary teacher, I know there are many different types of intellect. As Einstein states, ‘if you judge a fish on its ability to climb a tree it will live its whole life believing it is stupid’. It is not about how smart you are but how you are smart. Struggling to be given the opportunity to study the career I wished to pursue was incredibly difficult and crushing at the time.
With those challenges in mind, my top quotes and thoughts:
- The enemy of your potential is your comfort zone.
- Time is all you have – make the most of it!
- Start before you are ready! What would you do if you knew you could not fail… DO THAT!
- It’s nice to be important but it’s more important to be nice – John Templeton.
- Your mind is a garden, your thoughts are the seeds, you can choose to grow flowers or choose to grow weeds – Unknown.
- Happy people don’t have the best of everything they make the best of everything – Zig Ziglar.
- If you’re going through hell… Keep going! – Winston Churchill.
- Point to never ever forget: If I offered you $20 would you take it? How about if I crumpled it up? Stepped on it? You would probably still take it if it was crumpled up and stepped on… Do you know why? Because $20 is still $20 – its worth has not changed. The same goes for you! If you’ve had a bad day, bad week or bad month or even a bad year or if something bad happens to you, you are not worthless – Unknown.
Please share with us details of where to purchase WTIGU and how our Gorgeous Presence tribe can find you!
You can find WTIGU at Booktopia, Amazon, Angus and Roberston and all leading bookstores!
Follow me on Instagram: @meganxstreet
Find me on: www.meganstreet.com – Ask me anything! 🙂
Megan Street has always been a ‘go getter’ who lives life with passion and excitement. At only 24 years of age the Miss Universe Australia finalist is a published fashion model, visual artist, international actor and is currently ¾ the way through her Bachelor of Education prep-year 12. Although the belief she has in herself is incredibly admirable, it is her exceptional interpersonal skills that bring her to where she is today. Not only is she warm, personable and down to earth but she also has a great sense of humour… Always making people laugh – Sometimes more at her than with her!
When she is not writing/being laughed at you’ll find her practising yoga, enjoying dark chocolate, reading, doing anything creative, staying up late, hugging her family/friends, or jumping around getting excited over almost anything.
Although life hasn’t always been easy for Megan, a few years ago she tragically lost a friend to suicide/depression. As someone who has the ability to find opportunity in difficulty and who is deeply committed to making a difference in others’ lives, this is what led her to writing.
– Christopher John
I am so grateful to share Megan’s story and I hope it inspires young women and mothers to be strong and set a positive example for other young women in their life. I definitely recommend Megan’s book to young women and I wish that I had the opportunity to read it when I was in high school. Megan – you are an amazing inspiration and I applaud you for raising awareness about such challenging issues. Keep shouting your message from the rooftops. We need more of you in this world.
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