Tell us a little about yourself, who are you and what do you do?
I’m Megan Gilbride, I’m a full-time content creator, mental health advocate and currently studying to become a health coach!
What does an average day look like for you?
I wake up each morning and start the day with an online yoga class—I literally fall out of bed and stretch! It’s my favourite way to start the day, even if I just practice for 10 minutes, it allows me to be mindful and tune into my body ready to start a new day. I’ll then have my breakfast, catch up on emails, and will allocate days for switching between creating content and studying. After lunch I walk the my two dogs and the rest of the day will involve sharing content online and editing any campaigns I’m working on.
What advice do you have for striking a work/life balance?This really is a tough one—I’ve been self-employed for nearly six years now, and its taken me a really long time to find that balance. Working online, and for myself, means there’s never really a fixed time to ‘switch-off’. For a long tome I allowed myself to work all hours, right up until I went to bed, for fear that I’d be missing out if I wasn’t constantly available. But I’d definitely say, work to what feels good and to your own personal capacity— because ultimately, you’re only ever going to be able to give your best when you’re topped up in all the other areas!
What anxieties, if any, do you hold about your life/career? And how do you deal with them?
I think like most self-employed people, I worry that the work might just suddenly stop (touch wood, it hasn’t so far!) But perhaps on a deeper level, my subconscious worries about keeping up with the constant changes that are happening on the internet. It can feel a tricky one to navigate when your ultimate focus is staying true to your values whilst balancing remaining ‘current’—but like anything, we grow and evolve and our careers naturally will too!
How has the current COVID-19 situation affected your industry and your work personally? How have you dealt with it?
It’s been a real rollercoaster hasn’t it? Initially it was really tough, the self-employment schemes weren’t considered until we were a way into the pandemic and before they were announced there was a chunk of time where my days were riddled with anxiety over money. Jobs were being cancelled left, right and centre. But ultimately, I tried to stay present and remember that I was fortunate in a lot of ways. I think everyone experienced their own hardships when it came to work, but the grants ultimately pulled me through it financially.
How do you deal with procrastination?
Working on my own, I am absolutely my own worst enemy when it comes to staying focused, because there’s no one but me to crack the whip! But what I find helps me most is having a clear plan before I start the day. If I know exactly what I want to work on it helps to give my day more structure and flow. I also find not making my ‘to-do’ list too long helps, because if there’s too much pressure, I’ll be more likely to bury my head in the sand! Achievable tasks make for a much more inviting work environment.
What do you consider your biggest failure? And how did you persevere and grow from the experience?
I don’t really believe in failures, just learning from experiences. I don’t have one moment in my career that I could pinpoint as exceptionally pivotal—but I am a strong believer in everything happening for a reason and taking anything that doesn’t go as I planned as an opportunity to work out what I could do differently next time. I think as a society we want to move through anything that feels uncomfortable at the speed of light but actually, experiencing those difficult moments and sitting in them, are what shape us as a human being. We wouldn’t be able to learn or experience joy without them.
When working on a new project how do you overcome self-doubt and fear?
I have a twin sister, called Imposter Syndrome and she’s always there reminding me I *might* not be good enough. Something I learned in therapy is to list out the facts when I start to catastrophise. If I’ve been selected to work on a new project, I remind myself of all the reasons why they have chosen to collaborate with me and look at the evidence. Is there any physical evidence for me to be having these doubts, or is it all coming from me? And if I’ve used my initiative to create something new to share with my community, I remind myself that there isn’t anything to compare it to—I’m simply doing it for me because it’s something I’m passionate about! It can be so easy to get in our own heads, but going through those motions always help me come back down to earth a bit!
Do you have any rituals that help with your work or mental health?
I mentioned it above, but yoga is absolutely my medicine for my mental health and work/life balance. It’s something just for me, that feels good for my body and my mind and starting each day that way helps me to leave any negative thoughts behind and start afresh. Also, walking my dogs—nature always helps me feel more grounded and knowing I’m caring for them, whilst nurturing my own mental health is such an important part of my everyday. I’m also currently training to become a health course and learning the benefits of nourishing my mind and my body through food has been incredibly educational.
Are there any misconceptions about what you do that you'd like to dispel or clarify?
Yes, please! I think, even over a decade on, there are still questions around whether ‘influencers’ (I don’t really like that term) have a ‘real’ job. And I can honestly say I’ve never worked as hard in my life as I do doing this. Around 80% of my work is unpaid, and made up of me maintaining a presence and a community that feel inspired and trust in what I share. For most of us, there isn’t a team, it's just us, running an entire company on our own. It’s a brilliant career, but I wish it got a little more credit!
How do you navigate social media, any rules or guidelines you set for yourself?
For the longest time I had an unhealthy relationship with social media—now, I ensure I have at least one day off a week and even that has made such a difference to how I view my time on it. The world won’t stop if you step away, it’ll still be waiting for you when you get back :)
