Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Herring.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I have always loved connecting with people on different platforms! I really enjoy social media and think it can be a powerful tool to find people who inspire you or that you can relate to. I started a YouTube Channel about four years ago (meganxcalista). I created traveling videos, shared my unique experiences, gave advice, and showed viewers peeks into my daily life. Not only do I enjoy creating digital content, but I also love creating products. During the pandemic, I opened an Etsy shop called The Calista Suite. I created faux flower bouquets for special occasions as well as handcrafted clay earrings. My absolute favorite part of this was packaging the items for customers. I put so much love and appreciation towards each order. I wrote encouraging verses, a handwritten ‘thank you’ note and included other freebies to show my appreciation.
As of a year ago, I was selected to become an Avalon Ambassador. This has been another amazing opportunity to be able to show shoppers the best deals, inside peeks to grand openings, and behind-the-scenes footage at popular Avalon Signature events! (It’s been so fun!!) While I adore every platform and the people I’ve gotten to meet and talk to, I recently started a podcast and it has been my one true treasure. It’s called The I, Genuinely podcast. I created the podcast with the intention to have genuine and authentic conversations about a variety of topics from: seasons of life, relationship, faith, health, and more. Sitting down to record is one of my favorite parts of the week. Even though it’s a one-sided conversation, I pour my heart into these episodes and I’ve received the sweetest messages from listeners… All in all – I love people.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
There has absolutely been challenges and personal struggles! One hurdle I had to get over was to stop caring about what other people thought of me. Not everyone creates a YouTube channel or a Podcast, so when you step outside of the norm, people unfortunately judge. I’ve also struggled with imposter syndrome. When I am invited to ‘influencer’ events, I can get super insecure that I don’t have as many followers as they do or that their personalities are more fun than mine. But, when I focus on the niche of sweet people that I’ve gotten to meet/connect with through social media because** of that bold step of doing beyond the normal, it out weights all the other ‘noise’.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I’m very involved in my church community. I love kids, so I serve & teach in the pre-school ministry every month. I also love to host people in our home. Recently, we opened up our home to a church retreat and hosted 12 high school boys!! And it’s no secret that I enjoy hosting themed parties. A few weeks ago I had a bunch of girlfriends come over and we had a sunset garden party. Again, I love any chance to connect with people.
What were you like growing up?
At first, I was really shy. You would not hear me speak a word unless I was spoken to, and in that case, it was probably a sentence. While I didn’t speak much, I have always* had a wide variety of interests instilled in me. I did dance and loved art class. There are so many things to try in the world and I want to do/experience them all! As I grew older, that mindset really pushed me to become more confident. I wanted to do cheerleading in high school. Obviously, you have to yell and be peppy – so I did just that to be able to achieve that goal. Then, I wanted to become a character performer at DisneyWorld. Of course, you have to be super animated and cheerful. Cheerleading gave me the confidence to perform in front of others. It sort of became a snowball effect from there. I’ve been able to be an extra on movie sets, model for styled shoots, walk a runway at Noon to Night, and more!
Contact Info:
- Instagram: meganxcalista
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCM7eoiuthzUU2otWJguVQXA
- Other: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/i-genuinely/id1606421015
Image Credits
The black dress with telephone booth was taken by: @stampfliphotography The photo in front of Starbucks was taken by: @xxiiiphoto The rest of the photos were taken from my personal phone
