The Latest from Megan

Check out the latest talks, interviews, and articles from Megan Bruneau. For hundreds more, check out her author pages on Huffington Post, Forbes, MindBodyGreen, Thrillist, Thought Catalog, Gaia, Entrepreneur, Verily and Quartz.

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Posts in Forbes

This Founder Once Battled Anorexia. Now She’s Calling Out Weight Watchers And Helping Others | Forbes

This Founder Once Battled Anorexia. Now She’s Calling Out Weight Watchers And Helping Others | Forbes

When you hear Melainie Rogers’ story, it’s not surprising she had the courage to call out Weight Watchers on their recent – and highly controversial – marketing strategy: Oprah’s favorite diet-empire announced it was offering free memberships to teens for the summer. This move that was met with understandable outrage from the eating disorder recovery community, as nearly 100 percent of eating disorders begins with a diet; teenage years are accompanied by natural pubescent weight-gain; and heck, confidence as a teen is difficult enough without feeling pressured to shrink.

ForbesMeg BruneauApril 21, 2018entrepreneurship, eating disorders, mental health, resiliency

This Founder Couldn’t Find A Resource For Her Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, So She Created One | Forbes

This Founder Couldn’t Find A Resource For Her Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, So She Created One | Forbes

Solome Tibebu’s journey to becoming a leader in healthcare innovation, award-winning social entrepreneur, and advocate for mental health and diversity began with a blog: while still in high school, Tibebu experienced severe panic attacks and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Through various therapists, medications, and psychoeducation, she finally learned how to best manage her symptoms. She was, however, dismayed by the lack of online resources or community for youth going through something similar – which ultimately left her feeling isolated and misunderstood. So she decided to do something to change that, starting Anxiety In Teens and equipping young adults worldwide with tools and community to advance emotional wellness.

ForbesMeg BruneauApril 19, 2018entrepreneurship, leadership, mental health

3 Leadership Lessons We Can Learn From Southwest Airlines Pilot Tammie Jo Shults | Forbes

3 Leadership Lessons We Can Learn From Southwest Airlines Pilot Tammie Jo Shults | Forbes

By now you’ve probably heard the recording of Captain Tammie Jo Shults as she calmly explained to air traffic controllers that she would need to make an emergency landing in Philadelphia, after the left engine of the plane she was flying from New York to Dallas exploded.

ForbesMeg BruneauApril 19, 2018leadership, resiliency

7 Reasons Entrepreneurs Are Particularly Vulnerable to Mental Health Challenges | Forbes

7 Reasons Entrepreneurs Are Particularly Vulnerable to Mental Health Challenges | Forbes

Over the past few years, much of my work has been dedicated to hearing entrepreneurs’ stories of struggle and perseverance. Whether I’m interviewing them for The Failure Factor or coaching them to optimize their mental health, I’m constantly in the midst of an informal qualitative research project exploring entrepreneurial resilience.

My curiosity in entrepreneurs' mental health was, unsurprisingly, influenced by my personal history. A decade-plus-long battle with perfectionism-fueled eating disorders, depression and anxiety led me to pursue a masters in psychology and a career as a therapist. Uncomfortable with relying on others or acknowledging to them my limitations, I took matters into my own hands and decided to "figure myself out" (fifteen years later, I'm still in the process...). But I realized many of the characteristics that caused my suffering came from the same roots as the characteristics that caused my entrepreneurial strengths (more on this later) and became fascinated with entrepreneurs' psychological well-being. LEARN MORE

ForbesMeg BruneauApril 4, 2018entrepreneurship, mental health

These 4 Behaviors Will Destroy Your Cofounder Relationship – From A Woman Who Learned The Hard Way | Forbes

These 4 Behaviors Will Destroy Your Cofounder Relationship – From A Woman Who Learned The Hard Way | Forbes

Amy Briant met her current cofounder, Lisa DeLarco Bonoff, on a flight from Palm Beach to New York City. They bonded over yoga and a mutual thirst for entrepreneurship, ultimately creating LUMION: a skincare line that boasts a proprietary ingredient, hypochlorus acid. A year and a half after launch, I interview them for The Failure Factor in Bonoff's Flatiron apartment – and Briant shares her story of learning the hard way how not to behave in a cofounder partnership. LEARN MORE

ForbesMeg BruneauMarch 2, 2018leadership, wellness, entrepreneurship

From Adult Film Star To Founder And CEO: Jessie Andrews’ 5 Tips For Always Being On Top | Forbes

From Adult Film Star To Founder And CEO: Jessie Andrews’ 5 Tips For Always Being On Top | Forbes

Jessie Andrews' journey into entrepreneurship was anything but traditional. The self-made serial fashion-brand founder didn't finish high school, pursued a career in adult film, and toured as an international DJ and producer. She then taught herself the ins and outs of the fashion business – all before her twenty-first birthday. Her Bagatiba line quickly became a go-to celebrity favorite – worn by the Hadids, Jenners & Kardashians – shortly after which she launched two more brands: Basic Swim and Jeu Illimité. LEARN MORE

ForbesMeg BruneauJanuary 10, 2018entrepreneurship, business

Overcome ‘Analysis Paralysis’ And Execute On Your Idea – 5 Tips From Ollie Cofounder Gabby Slome | FORBES

Overcome ‘Analysis Paralysis’ And Execute On Your Idea – 5 Tips From Ollie Cofounder Gabby Slome | FORBES

When you hear the short-story version of why she started Ollie, you might assume Gabby Slome is impulsive. While she and her husband were traveling Columbia, they found themselves being followed – by the dog who would later sit in on our interview at the all-natural, human-grade dog food company’s Flatiron Headquarters

ForbesGuest UserNovember 20, 2017entrepreneurship, mental health

5 Steps THINX Founder Miki Agrawal Followed To Bounce Back From Adversity | FORBES

5 Steps THINX Founder Miki Agrawal Followed To Bounce Back From Adversity | FORBES

Believe what you want in the conversation around Miki Agrawal‘s leadership, but there’s no denying she’s an expert in resilience. Known for taboo industry innovation, controversial subway ads, and a publicly challenging departure from her role as CEO of THINX, she’s appropriately titled her second upcoming book, ‘Disrupt-Her.’

ForbesGuest UserJuly 29, 2017entrepreneurship

The 4 Mindset Shifts That Led To This Streetwear Mogul’s Success | FORBES

The 4 Mindset Shifts That Led To This Streetwear Mogul’s Success | FORBES

“You know if your leg is broken,” Bobby Kim assures me with a laugh in the opening moments of our interview for The Failure Factor. He recounts how he recently “hit an edge skate[board]ing in the half bowl” behind his company’s California headquarters.

I cringe – flashing back to my own experiences with broken bones – yet I can’t help but feel slightly heart-warmed the founder is still embodying the culture his streetwear line was built around fourteen years ago. Since then, The Hundreds has become a worldwide brand, worn by celebrities Kanye West and Justin Bieber

ForbesGuest UserJune 27, 2017wellness, entrepreneurship

This Founder Doesn’t Want Kids. Here’s How She Deals With Inner Conflict And Others’ Opinions

This Founder Doesn’t Want Kids. Here’s How She Deals With Inner Conflict And Others’ Opinions

In my 20’s, I hoped the proverbial “baby clock” just hadn’t kicked in. I’d always felt ambivalent about having kids, and this awareness was disconcerting for me. Not yearning to one day be a parent as my friends and clients did left me questioning my makeup – and my worth. So I desperately hoped something would shift inside of me. Life is seemingly easier when we want the things we’re “supposed” to.

But said “clock” has yet to turn on, and despite my extensive training in psychology and my non-conformist mindset, I still feel ashamed of my ambivalence at times. Logically I know there’s nothing wrong with me, and voluntary childlessness is on the rise; emotionally, though, I fear others will perceive me as cold, less attractive, or “flawed.”

ForbesGuest UserJune 13, 2017mental health, wellness

Embrace Entrepreneurship, Dating, And Change By Accepting These 3 Truths | FORBES

Embrace Entrepreneurship, Dating, And Change By Accepting These 3 Truths | FORBES

Yesterday I returned from flying across the country to visit a dude I met for a few hours in Vegas. It was…less than ideal (shocker!); but hey, I think life is a collection of experiences and one day these’ll all go in a book. And today, as I sit with an oh-so-familiar hangover of disappointment, rejection, and shame, I call on the resources that keep me resilient in the face of #feelz

ForbesGuest UserJune 12, 2017dating, entrepreneurship

Danielle LaPorte Shares 4 Ways To Deal With ‘Haters’ When Building Your Personal Brand | FORBES

Danielle LaPorte has mastered the art of building and scaling one’s personal brand: The inspirational speaker, writer, and entrepreneur created a top-ten iTunes app, a yearly planner system, and an international workshop program with licensed facilitators in 15 countries from one of her bestsellers. Her site, which offers everything from content to candles, draws millions of viewers each month and brings in more than $4 million in revenue each year. And most recently, she’s released her third book, White Hot Truth – which is a refreshingly amusing beacon of spiritual wisdom (and humor) in a fog of oftentimes redundant, impractical self-help reads

ForbesGuest UserMay 30, 2017entrepreneurship

An Unfulfilling Modeling Career And Near-Death Experience Taught These Founders How To Succeed | FORBES

An Unfulfilling Modeling Career And Near-Death Experience Taught These Founders How To Succeed | FORBES

Lauren Berlingeri and Katie Kaps have made it their mission to help people “get high” – but it’s not what it sounds. The team birthed HigherDOSE, the company that’s making infrared saunas mainstream (“DOSE” stands for dopamine, oxytocin, serotonin, endorphins).

In our interview for The Failure Factor, the women explain how they originally intended to install infrared heating systems in yoga studios – without much success: “We started presenting to investors without really having any data to back up how it would work, or any proof that New Yorkers would like that sort of thing.” Kaps explains. “The best advice we got from investors was ‘prove out the concept.'”

ForbesGuest UserMay 16, 2017wellness, mental health

Here Are 3 Immediate Changes Women Can Make For Career Success | FORBES

Here Are 3 Immediate Changes Women Can Make For Career Success | FORBES

In my mission to help women follow their dreams, I interviewed Wendy Sachs, Author of Fearless and Free: How Smart Women Pivot–And Relaunch Their Careers. Revealing confidently she’s been fired more than once, Sachs dubs herself the “master of the career pivot:” She’s an Emmy-award winning TV news producer who’s worked at Dateline, NBC, Fox, and CNN; yet she’s also held titles of Capitol Hill press secretary, public relations executive, media and content strategist, CNN contributor, and editor-in-chief

ForbesGuest UserFebruary 20, 2017CAREER, entrepreneurship

Millennial Entrepreneurs: Here’s How To Embrace Discomfort And Follow Your Dreams | FORBES

Millennial Entrepreneurs: Here’s How To Embrace Discomfort And Follow Your Dreams | FORBES

My dad was a criminal lawyer for 43 years. He spent Monday through Friday between court and the office, escaping every Friday in summer to the lake, and every Friday in winter to the mountain. This highly privileged life (by most accounts) is traditionally appealing, but I feel panicked at the thought of replicating it.

The bust-your-ass-for-five, enjoy-life-for-two routine served my dad for those 43 years, as a similar version may have served your parents. Still heavily influenced by their parents’ trauma from the Great Depression and WWII, our parents sought the safety and security that accompanies a respectable profession such as law

ForbesGuest UserDecember 7, 2016entrepreneurship, wellness

Post-Election Survival Guide: 6 Steps To Healing And Moving On | FORBES

Post-Election Survival Guide: 6 Steps To Healing And Moving On | FORBES

For many women — especially those who have bumped into a glass ceiling or two — the possibility of electing America’s first female president fueled their dreams and drive for a more equal workplace and world for women. But for these women, what began as a hope and excitement-filled Tuesday quickly transformed into emotions including heartbreak, disbelief, confusion, and anger.

And as the shock wears off, so many of us wonder, ”What now?” How do we maintain heart and continue the fight when all that was shattered was hope? How do we cope with anxiety surrounding the future?

ForbesGuest UserNovember 10, 2016wellness

5 Challenges of Being A Woman Following Her Career Dreams | Forbes

5 Challenges of Being A Woman Following Her Career Dreams | Forbes

As a woman who’s deeply fulfilled by your career, your days are peppered with inspiration and gratitude. But there are times when your meaningful path is punctuated by pain. Here are five challenges that come along with being a woman who chooses to follow her career dreams:

You will feel judged.

When you prioritize work. When you’re assertive. When you travel alone. When you give your opinion.

Some people will attribute your success to your sexuality. Some people will accuse you of “never being satisfied.” You’ll try to explain to them it’s not the outcome that drives you, but the process . They’ll raise their eyebrows anyway. You’ll realize you can’t please everyone, which will be both defeating and liberating. You’ll give less f*cks what people think, which will both empower and concern you

ForbesGuest UserOctober 23, 2016entrepreneurship, CAREER, mental health, health, wellness

‘Confidence Comes From Within’ And 3 Other Myths That Are Making You MORE Insecure | Forbes

‘Confidence Comes From Within’ And 3 Other Myths That Are Making You MORE Insecure | Forbes

“I just want to feel more confident” is a request I’ve heard from countless clients over the years. They’ve tried positive thinking, affirmations, and “faking it ’til [they] make it” (spoiler alert: they didn’t “make it”). Yet here they are, in my office (or these days, on my computer screen), frustrated that they haven’t achieved the confidence they’ve been told they ought to have.

Their “low self-confidence” can manifest as social anxiety, performance anxiety, test anxiety, generalized anxiety, perfectionism, passivity and passive-aggressiveness, eating disorders and negative body image, depression, and addiction. It can create challenges in our relationships (insecurity, continued reassurance-seeking, poor communication), keep us from ever getting into a relationship, and hold us back from career success (for example, not apply for positions we believe we’re “not good enough” for, underselling ourselves to our peers and superiors, or experiencing crippling anxiety in interviews and meetings).

ForbesGuest UserOctober 23, 2016mental health, health

5 Hacks For Overcoming Social Anxiety And Networking Like a Pro | Forbes

5 Hacks For Overcoming Social Anxiety And Networking Like a Pro | Forbes

A certain degree of social anxiety is completely normal--even helpful. The fear of rejection or negative judgment is evolutionary: In caveperson days, rejection could mean ostracization from the pack--which meant little chance for survival or procreation. But there's a difference between wanting to be accepted, and fearing rejection so much we avoid any setting where there's a possibility of judgment (which, masochistically, is usually our own judgment toward ourselves, not someone else's).

Greatest Hits, ForbesMeg BruneauMay 28, 2016anxiety, networking, entrepreneurship