In today’s episode, host Lorie Jones welcomes Meghann Conter, CEO of The Dames, an international organization dedicated to elevating women entrepreneurs beyond the six- and seven-figure mark without the burnout.
Meghann’s journey started in corporate banking and marketing, but it was her leap into entrepreneurship during uncertain times that transformed her path. Frustrated by traditional networking that seldom connected her with accomplished, ambitious women, Meghann decided to “build her own pond,” creating a thriving community tailor-made for high-level female leaders.
Tune in as Meghann shares how she has tackled everything from business setbacks and personal reinvention to mindset shifts around money and success. She opens up about overcoming fears, prioritizing fun, and breaking away from hustle culture to design a life and business aligned with her deepest values. If you’ve ever wondered where your power partners are or how to find a supportive community while scaling your dreams, this conversation is for you. Get ready to be inspired and discover actionable strategies on creating your own fearless path.
Show Highlights:
- Fearless pivoting from first job after 9/11 and to founding a firm in 2008. [04:48]
- Unique networking needs of established businesswomen and the creation of The Dames. [06:48]
- The power of faith in the “ramen years” of entrepreneurial struggles. [12:21]
- Why women need other strong, successful women to emulate. [15:43]
- The importance of business education and growth strategies. [18:13]
- Insights on navigating cash flow and financial milestones. [21:26]
- Learn to check in with yourself in significant life transitions. [23:59]
- Wisdom on addictions, coping mechanisms, sobriety, and healthy habits. [28:45]
- Lessons on managing money fears with mindset shifts. [34:46]
- How to find your inner guide—but silence your inner critic. [45:08]
Connect with Meghann Conter via LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghannconter/.
If you enjoyed this episode, please go to Apple Podcasts and leave a review!
For more information about Lorie Jones, go to https://fearlessfinancialadvisors.com/fearless-females.
00:01.76
Lorie Jones
Good morning, fearless females. I'm so excited today. We have Megan Conter and she is CEO of the Dames. You guys are going to love this interview. I've known Megan for almost a year now and she just brings this enthusiasm into into my life and into the space of professional women. i have been dying to get her on the program. So thank you so much, Megan, for doing this for us.
00:24.63
Meghann Conter
Yes, absolutely. we are going to have a lot of fun. I can tell already.
00:29.63
Lorie Jones
So are my very first question is, I'm a reader. i love to read. What is your favorite book?
00:35.60
Meghann Conter
Oh my gosh. Favorite book. i would have to say from a business standpoint, um I love Mike Michalowicz's books.
00:46.28
Meghann Conter
um Profit First was probably one of my favorites. because I love humor. And so if I can read about business and laugh at the same time, it's a great mix.
00:57.20
Meghann Conter
I have always loved reading different novels, especially those with strong female characters. So, um, There's ah an especially great book by a friend of mine who her name, her pen name is Sarah Daigle and it's called Aloha Heia and it's a romance, sci-fi, spiritual adventure.
01:16.06
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
01:19.59
Meghann Conter
And so that's one of my favorite novels. And then my favorite personal growth book is The Untethered Soul by Michael Singer. So I have to go by different genres.
01:31.29
Lorie Jones
I know i I often answer those questions in my own mind as I'm going through. And I cannot tell you my favorite book. It's like my favorite book of the day, my favorite book of the week, my favorite book of the genre.
01:42.59
Meghann Conter
yeah
01:42.81
Lorie Jones
i I accept any and all suggestions. But that that second one sounds super interesting where there's like a lot of different a lot of different places you can go with that. sounds like it ticks a lot of boxes there.
01:53.98
Meghann Conter
Definitely. And she has three books out now and she's got more in her. So she's a local Colorado author.
02:00.96
Lorie Jones
ah That's so cool. and And what a great way to support women and women authors too.
02:06.41
Meghann Conter
Always.
02:08.49
Lorie Jones
So tell me a little bit about yourself, Megan. How did you get started on your journey? Like, how did it progress? What do you do today? Just tell me a little bit about you.
02:17.58
Meghann Conter
Yes. So it's been an interesting journey. I started out in corporate America, as everyone kind of does from college, um except not in my industry.
02:28.70
Meghann Conter
So, you know, the first few years out of college, I was in banking, which is I know you're probably thinking, how did you how were you in banking? Yes, that's exactly true. How was I in banking?
02:40.19
Meghann Conter
um Just so happened that I had been a teller in college. So I got a job in corporate lending after that. And after graduating, because I graduated right after September 11th, there were no jobs in marketing. So I did banking and then marketing at a small bank for a while and then um retail for a while and then moved into corporate marketing, which was not what I had thought it was going to be. And it lacked a lot of ah luster for me.
03:12.73
Meghann Conter
So i was really at that time, this is 2008, and just had gotten let go from this marketing position.
03:18.25
Lorie Jones
Oh.
03:21.62
Meghann Conter
the housing market was crashing. ah you know The recession was beginning. There was a lot of uncertainty, a lot of volatility. And I was trying to find a marketing job.
03:33.22
Meghann Conter
And lo and behold, thank goodness, the universe brought me some entrepreneurs that but basically to my doorstep. And they said, Megan, why don't you start your own marketing consulting firm?
03:45.17
Meghann Conter
And I thought, well, that's a strange idea. How does one do that? That must be really difficult. And I discovered quickly that <unk> actually pretty easy to start a business.
03:56.76
Meghann Conter
It's just not that easy to really get it off the ground and make sure that it sticks. So the first few years in business, I knew that I was in the right place. I knew that I was meant to be an entrepreneur.
04:08.19
Meghann Conter
I found my people. It was like we all understood each other. um i started networking and, you know, really was morphing and changing in my marketing business and growing. And um at one point, which was about 2014, I was you know, feverishly trying to grow my marketing business to the seven figure mark. And i was networking all the time inefficiently. And I was, you know, basically just grabbing a lot of business cards and handing out a lot of business cards and drinking wine and drinking coffee and, you know, doing all the things that we think networking is supposed to be about. Right.
04:47.66
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
04:48.06
Meghann Conter
and
04:48.43
Lorie Jones
yeah
04:49.77
Meghann Conter
When I realized, oh, I'm not, first of all, I'm not fishing in the right pond. for me to get where I want to go. at that time, I was a marketing and branding strategist, really helping female-owned businesses that were at the high six-figure mark to catapult into seven figures through their branding and marketing.
05:09.85
Meghann Conter
And you know I realized I'm not networking in the right places. Where are the right places? Where are these women hanging out who are running successful six-figure businesses? Also found out at that time that only 2% of women-owned businesses make it to the seven-figure mark.
05:26.34
Meghann Conter
Only about... depending on what state you're in, anywhere between 10 to 15% of women-owned businesses make it past 100,000 in annual revenue. So most female-owned businesses are hobby status, right? They're the there generating around 50,000 or less in annual revenue.
05:45.13
Meghann Conter
um It's a ah part-time thing, it's a side hustle thing. it's a And you know i was like, where are my peers? And certainly where are my mentors? Because I have these big visions of of growing a ah company that can really not only sustain me, but can sustain employees and can have a dynamic company culture that everybody wants to come to work for. And you know I had all of these dreams and I'm like, where the heck is my community?
06:12.47
Meghann Conter
So couldn't find it here in Denver. So I decided to create it myself. So we began having events in 2015. We were the Denver Dames at the time, and we were just a fun place for women to come who to get out of seriousness, right, to get out of the the hustle and the grind of daily business and come together with their peers to connect, to laugh, to grow and I realized pretty quickly that this was a great idea.
06:41.37
Meghann Conter
Everyone loved it. You know, women were coming out of the woodwork. They had been, they'd stopped networking because when you're constantly surrounded by brand new business owners or people who are not at your level, or you feel like you're watching grass grow when you're at a networking event or any of these things, you really just stop going because there's, you realize there's no value and you have very little time to spend.
07:05.17
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
07:05.43
Meghann Conter
So the dames, really was that's, that's its inception. And then it became something that I realized could really grow into its own international company. And I realized how my vision that I had had for years of being on stages and helping women internationally to really grow to the biggest, best version of themselves without losing out on life was going to come to life faster and on a bigger footprint than my marketing business through the dames.
07:38.78
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
07:38.98
Meghann Conter
So we rebranded as the Dames in 2017, launched our online membership platform that year, began expanding chapters in other markets in 2018. I actually closed my marketing business at the end of 2019. We tripled in size in 2020 because we were mostly virtual.
07:58.95
Lorie Jones
yeah
07:59.04
Meghann Conter
We doubled again in 2021. And now we are an international organization with seven chapters in the U.S., members all around the globe. And we have morphed and changed and evolved into this accelerator for women growing their mid six figure businesses to the seven figure mark, their seven figure businesses to the eight figure mark, and doing so in a hustle free way so that we can make sure our lifestyle is what is most important.
08:29.65
Meghann Conter
And then our businesses grow in the way that we need them to grow because we're aligned with our mission and our vision. So there's the the long and the short of it.
08:39.06
Lorie Jones
I love that.
08:39.38
Meghann Conter
No. No.
08:39.62
Lorie Jones
I love how you your path was just a little bit organic, but how you kept that vision. You know like you could tell even back in 2008, which must not have been a really great time to be starting things, but but you even way back then, you you knew what you wanted to be and what you wanted to grow to.
08:54.61
Meghann Conter
no
09:02.73
Lorie Jones
And it felt it feels like you kind of there There must have been ups and downs along the way, but you kind of kept that vision alive to bring this very needed service and and really, you know, needed group of of entrepreneurs that were successful and you've developed a ah a way for them to like a process.
09:27.20
Lorie Jones
Like that's what I like about the dames is there's, it's not just like throwing darts at a dartboard. You really do have like a process. And if, if you embrace that and kind of lean into it, you'll help, you'll help show us how to, how to network in a way that makes sense. So there's my commercial for the dames. Like, I love what you've done. i love what you've brought to pass. And it's,
09:53.33
Lorie Jones
It's got to have been scary, Megan.
09:55.82
Meghann Conter
Well, you know, I didn't, the only thing that I knew in 2008 was that I was meant to be a business owner. I had no idea any of this other stuff, right? The first three years were, call them the ramen years, and it required all my faith because I had to realize like, yeah, this is the time when you are hustling, you're grinding, you're building your business. And I had no idea what healthy boundaries were or how to stay healthy. i was you know overweight. I wasn't sleeping. i was still drinking too much. i was
10:26.47
Meghann Conter
you know It was not a pretty time, but there was a light that just kept me moving forward. And then it wasn't until I really got into my spiritual practice in 2012 and really started getting into what does it look like to create a life of your own desires, that's when I really started to see, okay, I know that I can make a huge impact in this lifetime.
10:50.25
Meghann Conter
And that's what my my purpose is, is to really elevate more women to the seven figure mark while enjoying life, laughing all the way along.
10:53.99
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
11:01.17
Meghann Conter
And that was a vision that came to me at a time when I needed it most because I was really questioning, why am i like what am I supposed to be doing here? what This work is important in my marketing business, but I'm not impacting that many people. And had these you know these meditations where I was seeing myself impacting so many more.
11:24.58
Meghann Conter
And it wasn't until that time in 2014 when I really had the full-blown vision of, oh This is what the Dames is going to actually it was 2017.
11:35.25
Meghann Conter
This is what the Dames is going to look for like going forward. That was when it the mission started pulling me forward.
11:43.50
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
11:43.56
Meghann Conter
So when people ask me like, why, how did you keep going all that way along? And I said, it was, it was my why I knew that no matter what my business model looked like, what service I was providing any of that, I had to have my why, which was to create fun and love through everything that I do.
12:02.20
Meghann Conter
driving me forward and inspiring others to do the same, bringing love into business, bringing fun into business, which in the marketing world is kind of a weird thing to try to do, but I always did it.
12:14.45
Meghann Conter
And it wasn't until the dames that I fully felt like, okay, now I'm there. I'm in alignment.
12:19.62
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
12:20.51
Meghann Conter
I'm moving toward that bigger vision.
12:23.43
Lorie Jones
I love that idea. I actually do that with finance. I like to bring fun into finance. i It's my... bone deep opinion that finance is fun. i just have to convince everybody else that that's the truth. So I like that idea of, and I like the idea of like women kind of like we can really get overwhelmed. And, and that's something that the dames does as well, really well is kind of help you with that.
12:49.63
Lorie Jones
I'm not going to say balance because there are times that you're just you're putting more effort into your career and there are times that you're putting more effort into your family or, you know, your personal circumstances or something like that, but, but you do help at least recognize that there is something out of whack here. If you're, if you're, you know, working 24 seven and like you said, you know, like just, um, overdoing it in every area. So.
13:17.65
Meghann Conter
Yeah, totally. It's that's, I think that's our culture is to Um, you know, in my opinion, we have had men to follow in their footsteps, right? Like mostly it's been men who've been leaders in business.
13:33.19
Meghann Conter
And so all the business, all the biggest business books, when you even look at it, and I'm kind of ashamed that I did the same thing at the beginning, but another book that I really love, by the way, is Rachel Rogers.
13:44.16
Meghann Conter
Um, we should all be millionaires. So there you go.
13:46.76
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
13:46.99
Meghann Conter
There's another woman. There haven't been a whole heck of a lot of women that we could follow as business leaders. And that's what the names is at the forefront of changing. We're the pioneers that are like, you know, we are not built the same as our male counterparts and we need to grow our businesses in a very different way. Otherwise we burn out and have breakthrough or breakdown after breakdown, overwhelm after overwhelm.
14:13.00
Meghann Conter
And that's because we are trying to quote unquote, keep up with this 24 hour cycle that is how a male's physiology works, but a female's is on a roughly 28 day cycle.
14:27.10
Meghann Conter
So we really have to figure these things out together. And it helps to be in a community of other high performing women to say, oh, man, I have been working way too hard, way too much, way too long.
14:40.07
Meghann Conter
I'd rather have some more fun and enjoyment in my life. When was the last time I had fun? How do I bring more fun back into my life? What does fun even mean? i mean, these are the questions that I hear women investigating and thinking about.
14:53.96
Lorie Jones
Yeah, yeah. Megan, what is the best investment you've made in yourself? As you look back over your journey and your professional career, is there something that you have and put time or money or energy into that you're like, oh my gosh, I'm so glad I did that. I just wouldn't be where I'm at today if I didn't.
15:10.91
Meghann Conter
might I mean, my team, like growing my team has always been something that um has been on my docket. You know, it's it's important to me to have collaboration all around me.
15:26.10
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
15:26.35
Meghann Conter
That's why the Dames is founded in the concept of collaboration and power partners, because i have seen my life change and be elevated by collaborating with others everywhere I turn.
15:39.63
Meghann Conter
And the, yeah, the team is my most expensive investment in my business and has been since the beginning. And that is what's really important to me.
15:51.57
Meghann Conter
um Coaches that I've invested in as well, who have helped me along the way, the way that I approach things is that I got a really great ah business education in college. And then I got a really great entrepreneurial education in a mastermind group that I was part of in 2012 to 2015.
16:13.30
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
16:13.37
Meghann Conter
And I learned a lot about all of the aspects of how to run a business. Um, which I still think that there's a lot of entrepreneurs who haven't. And that must be really challenging because we can't really grow ah sustainable, scalable business if we don't understand that our business isn't just the thing that we're good at.
16:36.74
Meghann Conter
It's all of the ah other things. So especially in the last five years, I'd say five to seven years, I invest in consultants or advisors or coaches to help me in the areas where I'm weakest.
16:53.39
Meghann Conter
And i also, you know, start out with them as a consultant before I outsource so that I can understand what does cashflow management look like?
17:05.58
Meghann Conter
What do projections and forecasts look like? What does it look like to set a budget? How do I properly read? And I'm doing all the financial things just because this podcast is um you know, how do I properly read P&L and how do i what information do I need to know about on my balance sheet?
17:23.48
Meghann Conter
I need to understand those things before I outsource it. Otherwise, how do I know if what I'm paying for is good? So I think that that has, that's a challenge, of course, because it means I have to continue to really educate myself or be educated, but I value that highly, that I get to look for
17:31.45
Lorie Jones
Oh.
17:44.91
Meghann Conter
these amazing resources and hire them to help me understand and then look for the right people to outsource. I mean, I just got my first ea executive assistant this week and or last week.
17:58.46
Meghann Conter
And it is, um you know, this is my 15th year in business. And I've had admin assistants since 2007. two thousand And this is, not seven, sorry, 2010. This such a
18:11.57
Meghann Conter
this is such a Like always expanding is the way that I do things as a business owner. I feel like we always need to expand. We always need to evolve.
18:22.24
Meghann Conter
There's always more to learn. And if we can empty out our brains every single day and act like we're a brand new student to all of this, we, it becomes so much more enjoyable.
18:33.61
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I love that. and And I like the idea too, know you you kind of touched on this a little bit, but and you you pay people what they're worth.
18:45.62
Lorie Jones
like those you know you You advocate for women knowing what they're worth and what their value is, but you also advocate you pay people what they're worth.
18:45.77
Meghann Conter
Yes.
18:54.85
Lorie Jones
like you When you're going to those consultants and stuff like that, youre you know that they give you value. and And probably that delves down into your team um concept as well. I'm guessing you pay your employees what they're worth as well.
19:09.08
Meghann Conter
Exactly. And that's all from understanding, um you know, something that I see, which is sort of a ceiling that women arrive at in their businesses is at this roughly 200K to 250K mark where they they start realizing that cash flow is ah real beast.
19:29.96
Meghann Conter
And if you haven't quite understood what it looks like to forecast and to plan and to develop a system for your monetary gain that is going to allow you to have predictability, at least somewhat, and then budgetability, you, at that point, if you don't make that jump, you tend to kind of get stuck in this whirlpool of how do I, like, I keep seeing money in my account. And so I think I have the money. So then I hire these people and then two months down the line, i can't pay myself or, you know, something else happens.
20:08.79
Meghann Conter
And, We have to realize that that that's just one of those sort of turning points or or crux points where we have to realize that it's not about the cash that's in our accounts. We don't make decisions about what we're going to spend money on based on do I have the cash right now?
20:25.28
Meghann Conter
Is my po is my bank account positive enough to hire this person?
20:28.68
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
20:29.89
Meghann Conter
And, you know, I i fell victim to that a lot early on. ah really did. And so i I had to learn the lessons, but instead of just being a victim to it, i understood, oh, this is just another learning point for me.
20:41.18
Lorie Jones
yeah
20:44.05
Meghann Conter
Okay, here we go.
20:44.19
Lorie Jones
yeah Yeah, i I do find it's really interesting as a financial advisor to kind of look at these entrepreneurial and these entrepreneurial businesses and see that most of the time cash flow is where they end up having some issues.
20:58.16
Lorie Jones
and And I like your idea too of like, understand, you don't have to do all the things. In fact, ah you advocate don't do all the things, but you do kind of need to understand what's happening so that you can
21:07.23
Meghann Conter
Yes.
21:11.31
Lorie Jones
oversee and make sure that they're, you know, that they're doing them right. You're, you're ultimately in charge of your own business.
21:19.06
Meghann Conter
yes
21:19.12
Lorie Jones
And so you do need to have that, that oversight. um
21:23.53
Meghann Conter
Absolutely.
21:23.88
Lorie Jones
Megan, tell me about, have you ever gotten any really bad advice or what is the worst advice you've ever gotten? And did you take it? Did you not?
21:33.38
Meghann Conter
um I don't know that it's been bad advice or just advice that was ill-timed.
21:42.33
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
21:42.58
Meghann Conter
I think that would be a much more accurate description. um I hired a coach as i was going into my divorce. And so I was in a very volatile place where, ah you know, there wasn't a lot of stability. There wasn't a lot of ability.
22:04.62
Meghann Conter
when you go through a divorce, you, your brain gets taken and hijacked and you have to spend all your time just trying to survive. So, and there's so many details that you're not familiar with and you have to be paying attention to. Otherwise you could really mess up your financial situation moving forward. And so I hired a coach and implementer who kind of took us in a direction that they felt was necessary for where we were.
22:33.72
Meghann Conter
and I now that I look back, I'm like, I don't think that was the wisest move. And we are where we are now with the systems that we have now and the tools that we have now. And it would be foolish to invest a whole bunch of money to go someplace else at this time.
22:53.01
Meghann Conter
So i just advise people that if you're going through a really big transition in your life, hold off on any big decisions that you need to make and If you already hired someone, see if there's a way that you can postpone ah contract that with them if you can for those reasons. Because, you know, i was already ah I had already hired this person before my divorce.
23:20.47
Meghann Conter
So see what you can do to really make those decision points a lot easier on yourself rather than trying to just push through because you're paying for it and you're, you know,
23:32.41
Meghann Conter
you're you're being advised.
23:32.59
Lorie Jones
Yeah. Mm-hmm.
23:33.45
Meghann Conter
And like I said, I think it would have been good advice or a good, a really great investment at the right time. But I find myself now doing a really great job of checking in with myself on, is this the right time?
23:49.05
Meghann Conter
Is this a future idea? Is this an idea for someone else? Or is this an right now need to be implemented idea? And i also learned to have learned since then to trust myself first, to really check in with myself before I check in outside.
24:06.69
Meghann Conter
Because a big realization that I've had in the last couple of years is that as an only child with excellent parents who are incredibly intelligent, who taught me that, who showed me love,
24:19.21
Meghann Conter
um constantly and who surrounded me by a ton of love, I realized that I've been looking outside of myself for the answers, for the solutions, for the guidance, for the advice, for the of affirmation or disappointment my whole life.
24:34.41
Meghann Conter
And I'm like, girl, you're 45 years old. Could we could we shift that? So that's been an interesting journey I've been on lately, which has also greatly influenced my money journey.
24:46.45
Meghann Conter
And I'm really grateful for that.
24:48.15
Lorie Jones
Yeah, yeah, it is. i find that I find that really interesting because, yeah, you i I end up, I work with a lot of divorced women and and that's kind of what I tell them too, is is like during that really tumultuous stage, like stay put, like like let's let's try and make it easier on ourselves, not harder.
25:03.96
Meghann Conter
Yeah. Yeah.
25:08.18
Lorie Jones
you don't want to You don't want to get involved in three different business ideas at the same time you're going through this really, really difficult transition, which is a really difficult transition.
25:18.52
Meghann Conter
Good
25:18.61
Lorie Jones
and And that probably goes, and and you know, not just for divorce, but for any big kind of overwhelming sort of things, right?
25:23.67
Meghann Conter
information. Yeah. but If you lose someone who's really close to you, if you, you know, it's like the, what are the three D's death, divorce, and can't remember the third D that everybody uses.
25:37.28
Meghann Conter
Somebody's going be listening to this and be like, this is what it is, Megan. Anyway. but Yeah. Anytime you're going through those massive transformations, like I specifically didn't change financial advisors until I was well out of the weeds because I knew that I was going to emotionally choose someone just haphazardly just so that I didn't have to be with the same person that my ex-husband was with.
26:00.48
Meghann Conter
And I'm like, know what? You can, you're fine. You can just hang here. The money's, the money is doing what it's supposed to be doing right now. We'll figure that out later. So.
26:10.32
Lorie Jones
Yeah, settle, just settle. Yeah. What about... What about a situation if you could look back on your journey? Is there a situation that you're like, ah you know, i know if we go back with the same knowledge, we would probably do it the same way.
26:25.11
Lorie Jones
But is there somewhere you could look and you're like, oh, if I knew then what I know now, i would totally do that differently.
26:32.09
Meghann Conter
Um, Hmm.
26:35.74
Meghann Conter
Do you want just business wise?
26:38.99
Lorie Jones
It's up to you.
26:40.73
Meghann Conter
i mean, the biggest thing is i would have, I would have talked to my younger self and said, Hey honey, alcohol is an extremely addictive substance.
26:53.42
Meghann Conter
And if you can stay away from it or not, try to be like everyone else and try to, you know, I suffered from massive FOMO.
27:04.01
Meghann Conter
um You know, I'm known as the life of the party. i um known as the person who brings everybody together. I'm the ultimate connector, you know, so everyone always expected that I would be there.
27:15.66
Meghann Conter
And um I kept I kept drinking for way too long. So I'm seven years without alcohol now. And i wish that I had like, if I had started my business without that crux or that crutch, if I had quit drinking before I got married, there's so many things that would have been different in my life.
27:37.70
Meghann Conter
I know that because my judgment was clouded.
27:38.14
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
27:40.45
Meghann Conter
My intuition was very clouded and i just was not in the same decision-making place. So yeah, You know, for me, it's those big boulders that were in the way and they're all part of my lesson.
27:55.84
Meghann Conter
They're all part of my journey.
27:56.14
Lorie Jones
yeah
27:57.20
Meghann Conter
They're all part of exactly who I am They've brought me to a place where I have much more appreciation for my life, um where I have completely shifted the way that i do life, you know, and I know so much more about myself now as a result of that. So I'm grateful for every experience that I've ever had.
28:19.12
Lorie Jones
I was talking to another woman just recently and she was discussing, you know, the same thing. and And she said that, that she just, she was feeling kind of, or the impression I got was she was just feeling like overwhelmed, like all the things that we have to deal with. It was just a lot and alcohol kind of made it
28:38.44
Meghann Conter
Even more overwhelming.
28:40.03
Lorie Jones
it It did, but she said it it like it you know it took her down and was able to, she was using it as a crutch.
28:47.81
Meghann Conter
of course, we all do.
28:47.82
Lorie Jones
and And yeah, and that kind of a um coping mechanism. like so So what is your idea for a better coping mechanism?
28:58.56
Lorie Jones
like what do you What do you use now?
29:01.53
Meghann Conter
Yeah. Well, before yeah, I hear what you're saying and that's true. We all like, we use it for a certain reason. And for me, it was to slow down my brain.
29:12.28
Meghann Conter
it was to like, just stay in this energetic perspective.
29:13.26
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
29:18.46
Meghann Conter
Um, and now it's like, once you get on the other side of, 90 days really removing alcohol and the proteins start leaving your body and your brain, you realize, wow, this mental clarity is amazing.
29:32.81
Meghann Conter
And holy cow, these other physical attributes are like worth it all in themselves. But so early on I transitioned into my coping mechanism became workaholism.
29:45.26
Meghann Conter
And then i realized, oh, now I'm just transferring my addictive behaviors over to work.
29:45.43
Lorie Jones
Thank you.
29:51.29
Meghann Conter
And then i kind of moved into shopping, which I realized, oh, okay, now I am like, when I feel uncomfortable, when I feel sad, when I feel out of sorts, when I feel whatever, i go online and I start shopping or go I go, go spend money that I don't need to spend.
30:11.06
Meghann Conter
Um, that was brother really came to the surface about a year ago. And I've greatly changed my habits from that. And now it's honestly, if I just make sure that I work out and lift weights every single day and get out for a walk and have other healthy behaviors like meditation and journaling, i don't really need those things anymore.
30:34.68
Meghann Conter
And I don't even need to like sit down and watch TV at the end of the day to unwind because I've had such a fulfilling day that I'm ready for bed and I can just go to sleep at my early ass time of eight 30 and I can get up at my early time of whenever.
30:48.54
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
30:52.25
Meghann Conter
And, you know, I can, I can live a better life that I'm not trying to, I live a better life that I'm not trying to hide from. that I'm not trying to cope with, that I'm actually, that I've set up with intention.
31:04.11
Meghann Conter
And, you know, I spend time with friends that fuel me and that I fuel as opposed to don't or suck me dry of energy or, you know, vampire the life out of me, which I didn't notice that I was doing until sobriety, to be honest.
31:22.47
Lorie Jones
Yeah, I like that. I think that's really insightful too, is that like, it it sounds like your journey was one coping mechanism to another coping mechanism until you found something that was healthy and not a coping mechanism.
31:25.19
Meghann Conter
Yeah.
31:37.30
Lorie Jones
Like, you know, like you've...
31:38.11
Meghann Conter
Yeah. I mean, I was developing better habits throughout those periods of time too, but just not strong enough that it would outweigh the need of any kind of negative coping mechanism.
31:48.17
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
31:48.31
Meghann Conter
Like you said, like, what if life wasn't something that we needed to cope with?
31:49.47
Lorie Jones
Hmm, that's so...
31:54.58
Lorie Jones
Hello, yes, what if it wasn't?
31:57.80
Meghann Conter
And what if it's something that we could wake up every day and thrive in? Of course, there's going to be wrenches that get thrown in, you know, I'm in that lovely stage of perimenopause. So as women, we get that fun time of, oh, we finally think we've got our stuff balanced and we got our sleep regulated and we got, nope, just kidding. Here's a new change.
32:18.69
Meghann Conter
But- You know, i I'm in an amazing group of women, in the dames, where I can be like, okay, I'll just join the menopause and I'll learn about what the heck it is my body's going through and I'll become more aware of it and more aware of it I am, then I can make better decisions and be in choice of how I'm not going to suffer.
32:38.50
Lorie Jones
Megan, what scared you the most when you started down your journey? And does it still scare you? or did did you find a way to to handle that?
32:48.60
Meghann Conter
Man, I had a very fearful relationship with money early on. um You know, i've I've done tons of diving into what my money story was.
33:00.40
Meghann Conter
But man, I would be in meetings where we would be doing like business planning and having to make financial decisions. And I just would feel completely overwhelmed by it.
33:11.86
Meghann Conter
Like I must not understand math or I must not understand money. I feel so insignificant, so insufficient, so dumb in this area. And i would just get really down on myself because it was like the energy and the intensity of money um was, yeah, it was real.
33:33.10
Meghann Conter
So it wasn't until i mean, I did a ton of work on it and I couldn't even tell you it was such a nonlinear path that I took, but I just worked on it with coaches, with consultants. I'd go to workshops. I'd, you know, I, from a very early stage was like, okay, I need to at least have some kind of a savings. I need to at least have some kind of insurance that I can help myself with.
33:59.92
Meghann Conter
you know, but in the beginning, early stages, like I had accident insurance and that's it because I, you know, it was so expensive as a business owner to buy your own insurance. And so I, I had a lot of years of really feeling insufficient until I don't even know if I've identified like a turning point for it, but I just kept working at it.
34:13.11
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
34:21.63
Meghann Conter
And I just kept doing the work that I needed to do to affirm myself, to help myself, be surrounded by other women who are going through similar things. And that's, you know, that really was the inception of the Dames is I couldn't find other women who are facing those same kinds of problems.
34:39.30
Meghann Conter
And as soon as I did, and as soon as I learned that I'm not alone and i started hearing from others like, oh yes, I totally get that. That's what I've been through. Here's something I did.
34:51.56
Meghann Conter
I mean, I remember an early tool that I used was, um put 10% of everything that you bring in into an account and just have it be your having account.
35:02.80
Meghann Conter
Like you don't spend anything in it. You don't do anything with it. And I used to carry around cash. So I still have it with me, but i have a stack of hundreds that I just have around me at all times so that I can feel like, okay, no matter what I'm abundant, no matter what I have,
35:20.12
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
35:22.44
Meghann Conter
more money, i'm I'm making more money than I could ever spend. And so a lot of my spiritual practice and my money practice kind of went tandem. And as soon as I was able to really change my beliefs around money to understand that there is more than enough to go around and to learn how to budget it correctly, learn all the things that I learned about finance, knowledge is power.
35:49.40
Meghann Conter
and I haven't felt like that for a long time. Do I still feel scarcity around things? Yes. Do I still feel like I wish I was farther along sometimes every now and then? Yes.
36:02.60
Meghann Conter
In general, though, my thoughts, my thoughts around money are very positive and my beliefs around it are very positive, which I can't say that for five, 10 years ago.
36:13.00
Lorie Jones
Yeah, yeah. It's so interesting because a lot of my work, you know, as a financial planner kind of revolves around that idea of the money story. And you would be surprised I go through a values exercise and a money story exercise.
36:25.07
Meghann Conter
Yep.
36:26.52
Lorie Jones
And that idea of scarcity is really prevalent, especially among women entrepreneurs. It just is you know, and so that, that idea of, of bringing abundance and, and I find it interesting that you have that, you know, you have your, your little stack so that you feel like you have enough.
36:44.67
Meghann Conter
yeah
36:46.99
Lorie Jones
Um, and then you can, then you can be a little bit but maybe riskier or a little bit more, ah abundant in your thoughts and your actions as far as as as many goes that that is so interesting because I strive so hard to make sure that there's a place where women can come and they don't feel like they they don't know anything you know they feel like they can ask questions they feel like they can learn these concepts and um and it is it is scary when you start so I appreciate you sharing that
37:20.94
Meghann Conter
Yeah, absolutely. and you start networking and in most communities and it's like, you know, you meet financial advisors and they're like, yes, I work with clients who have a million in assets under management at least.
37:34.17
Meghann Conter
And you, everywhere you turn, that's what you hear. And you're like, a million, don't even have a hundred thousand, you know, like what, huh? So we, we have to go through that uncomfortable feeling of feeling less than, and until we realize
37:43.98
Lorie Jones
Yeah.
37:51.00
Meghann Conter
oh, that's a choice. Like I am choosing to feel less than, and it's not going to help me get more money in my bank account. So I got start somewhere. There's got to be some financial advisor out there who will work with me.
38:03.83
Meghann Conter
And there are, but you just, you know, if you get stuck in that space of insufficiency or, you know, lack of self-worth, then it's really hard to evolve.
38:04.84
Lorie Jones
yeah
38:15.46
Lorie Jones
Yeah, and scared. Scared is, yeah.
38:17.00
Meghann Conter
Yeah. Yeah. Fear.
38:20.87
Lorie Jones
Megan, what about any unique challenges along your path because you were a woman?
38:28.09
Meghann Conter
um I mean, that's kind of why I started the Dames as well, was to create a safe space that women could talk about our unique challenges, because we do have unique challenges.
38:40.46
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
38:40.98
Meghann Conter
We live in a man's world. We live in a society in this country where everything is built around a man's schedule, a man's everything. So um we can either be victim to that or we can choose to have a different way of approaching life.
38:57.98
Meghann Conter
And so I, you know, i feel like fortunately i was raised by ah mom who's very empowering for toward women and a dad who supported my mom and supported me in living our best lives.
39:16.21
Meghann Conter
So I, grew up in a family where it was very much equal between male and female and where i was just taught that you can do whatever you want to do. Like you're going to be just as great as business as as your dad is.
39:29.90
Meghann Conter
And i had my dad there as someone who, you know, part of my money story, actually funnily, funnily enough, is that a word? um
39:39.17
Lorie Jones
Mm-hmm.
39:39.96
Meghann Conter
I realized was, wow, I, at one point i was hitting a glass ceiling that was, i can't surpass what my dad made at the height of his career in my business and in paying myself.
39:55.33
Meghann Conter
And I was like, wow, that is a really weird, um really weird belief. That's a really weird one that I got stuck on for a while. And I You know, I have the courage and i have a great dad. So I said, Dad, this is a this is something that I just became aware of. And he was like, well, that's crazy because I want you to make way more than me.
40:16.04
Meghann Conter
And, you know, it was just something that I had in my head. And i think we all have those things. And if we don't do the work to uncover what those things are, it's hard to get past them.
40:28.89
Meghann Conter
Um, so I don't know. I, did I have unique challenges because I was a woman? Yes. And I perceived those and I decided i was going to be the solution. I was going to help other women find the solution for themselves. And i was going to pioneer the way that business can be done, the way that we can scale our businesses to great heights without,
40:53.19
Meghann Conter
the hustle, the grind, the losing our minds, the losing ourselves, the the overwhelm, the constant cycles of burnout. I was going to be the person who would show them that life can be absolutely amazing. We can thrive.
41:07.77
Meghann Conter
We can have exactly what we want. And we're not taking from anyone else when we're doing it.
41:13.79
Lorie Jones
I love it. Abundance.
41:15.48
Meghann Conter
Yes.
41:15.48
Lorie Jones
I love that thought.
41:16.86
Meghann Conter
Yes.
41:18.11
Lorie Jones
Megan, what is the thing you are most proud of?
41:22.67
Meghann Conter
I am most proud of my self-growth journey, my self-love journey, um because it is what fuels everything that I do.
41:36.50
Meghann Conter
And without it, i wouldn't have created the dames. Without it, i wouldn't be evolving the dames. Without it, I would just be, um I'd be lost still.
41:48.77
Meghann Conter
And so I'm most proud of the fact that no matter how hard it gets, no matter how many times we find another shadow or another part that we need to work with that we can help,
42:00.62
Meghann Conter
um we can still become a better version of ourselves every single day. And that's what I'm most proud of continuing to do. And it's a lifelong journey. So I'm here for it.
42:13.56
Lorie Jones
And it takes courage to like to look and say this isn't serving me anymore. This belief isn't serving me anymore. or This action isn't serving me anymore. And go to work on that. That's hard.
42:23.71
Meghann Conter
Absolutely, it is, but it's also extremely rewarding.
42:28.76
Lorie Jones
Yeah, when you get to the other side, it's the middle part.
42:30.92
Meghann Conter
Yes, on the other side of the eye of the needle, correct.
42:31.56
Lorie Jones
It's a little bit difficult.
42:33.92
Meghann Conter
It sucks when you're looking at it, but as soon as you get through the squishy, icky liminal space to the other side and get readjusted, then it's awesome.
42:44.00
Lorie Jones
And that's where the dames comes in, the squishy middle part where you need a little bit of support from your from your tribe, right?
42:49.88
Meghann Conter
yeah Yes, because we're always, as leaders, we're always constantly going through those next stage evolutions. And you can either do it alone and be miserable, or you can stay where you're at, or you can come into a community that is there to help you go through those squishy, icky middle spots and help you get to the other side, while actually maybe even enjoying yourself a little bit more than you thought.
43:21.57
Lorie Jones
Megan, any advice for a young lady who's starting down this path that you're already successful at and and um any advice for her?
43:32.72
Meghann Conter
Build your business as you want.
43:39.48
Meghann Conter
Spend the time getting really clear. Try to develop whatever kind of practice is best for you, whether that be prayer, meditation, meditation,
43:50.91
Meghann Conter
going out in nature, whatever it is that you discover for yourself helps you get in touch with that voice, whatever that is for you.
44:02.45
Meghann Conter
Develop that practice early on because it's going to be your biggest asset. And the longer you wait to hear her or him, whatever, the longer you wait to hear that voice, the longer you wait to get that guidance from yourself, the harder the road.
44:21.32
Lorie Jones
I like that idea that you just have to, you have to find that voice inside of you that, that helps you along your journey. um
44:28.59
Meghann Conter
And gives you empowering messages because sometimes when we find it, it is the inner critic.
44:28.72
Lorie Jones
The inner. Yeah.
44:36.16
Meghann Conter
And we're like, oh, that's not actually the voice, but we think it is. And we're like, why is this voice so mean to me? because it's not your guidance. It's not your internal guidance system.
44:47.00
Meghann Conter
But if you do find that inner critic, there's so much out there to help you get past the inner critic so that you can actually listen to your intuition, listen to the guidance from God, listen to what, again, whatever it is for you.
45:00.04
Meghann Conter
um And that is the most crucial thing, I think, for any any woman anywhere.
45:07.02
Lorie Jones
I agree. and One of my values um on Fearless Financial is be kind. And I always say the first person you need to be kind to is you.
45:17.71
Meghann Conter
Yep, exactly.
45:19.99
Lorie Jones
Thank you so much, Megan, for your time today. i really appreciate you joining us and sharing your journey. If I have a young lady who's listening who wants to connect with you, how does she go about that?
45:30.30
Meghann Conter
The best way would be to go on to LinkedIn and find me. So my name will be spelled in the show notes, I'm sure. It's like Meg Hennanen. Contor, and you can find me on LinkedIn. Feel free to put a little note in there and say, hey, I heard you on the Fearless Females podcast. and please go ahead and just send me a friend request and we can connect there.
45:54.69
Meghann Conter
That'd be awesome.
45:56.06
Lorie Jones
Thank you. Thank you so much. I've really appreciated it, Megan.
45:59.67
Meghann Conter
Yes, you too. Thank you, Lori.