Meghan M. is a digital creator, producer, community leader and educator .Born and raised in and around Claremont, California. She graduated with a Bachelors in Political Science, with an option in Pre-Law. After deciding a career in corporate law was not for her, she decided to say goodbye to the United States altogether. Since moving abroad in 2016, she’s been lucky to have traveled to over 15 countries in Europe and Asia. She started out as an au pair in Italy, then she lived in Hungary where she worked as an international education recruiter, eventually she moved to China, working in education, marketing and media. She currently lives and works in Shanghai, China. She’s been fortunate enough to work with brands here such as Lululemon, BevPlus Wines and LAIBA Beverages.

When she’s not wrangling in her 5th grade students, she’s roaming Shanghai looking for content for her podcast Uncorked, which she hosts and produces herself. She also runs a podcast community, Podbabes China, a bullet journaling community, Journal With Me, and she is the content director and talent recruiter for Ladies, Wine, Design Shanghai. In her free time she’s hanging out with friends around the city; trying new restaurants and drinking coffee, traveling, and tackling her never-ending to be read pile of books!

As a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?

I have always wanted to be an author/editor. I was that little black girl sitting on the Barnes & Noble/Borders floors, flipping through every book I could while my dad studied. I love and have always loved books and writing more than anything. I want “leave me alone, I’m reading” imprinted on my heart.

Explain why your career path changed.

My career path changed a lot over the years. Due to accessibility, and like most people money. I wanted to make money and I thought that if I pursued Political Science and law, I would eventually truly love it and come out on the other end inspired to make that my career. Turns out I wasted 5 years of my life studying the wrong thing when I should have studied what I really wanted to: English.

Tell us about Hue Journal and why you started it.

HUE started as an idea I had in early 2020. Alice and I had discussed starting our own Instagram page posting whimsical photos of brown people with the long inspiring monologues that we see so much and inspire us. We thought this up because we’d see so many of these pages with no color. There was never any diversity on the pages that would pop up on my feed. I started digging and finding pages that better suited what I wanted to see, but I didn’t want to stop at Instagram. I wanted an opportunity to express myself in a way that I’d never fully gotten to. I wanted other people to help me, I didn’t know how, but I pitched the idea to Alice again and it started to materialize. Before I knew it, we had a magazine concept and our plans were rolling.

What do you do for work/what industry do you work in? What’s the culture like?

I currently work in education in China. I say education because I am not a qualified teacher. I have my TEFL certificate and I have 4 years of teaching abroad experience, but no, I’d never say that I am qualified or have anything other than the general knowledge I’ve gained working in China. The culture in my industry, that’s an interesting question. If you don’t know, the Chinese education system (especially the ESL world), runs primarily on money. It’s rare to find expatriates excited about their positions, or moving up in companies. Unfortunately, you have many people who’ve come to China for different opportunities but have fallen into teaching because it comes along with a nice salary and healthcare that you’d have to do so much for in the states.

Why are you in your specific career field?

It’s difficult to get a visa in China as a foreigner without specific qualifications and a high level of Mandarin. So many experts come to China and begin as teachers because it's the easier visa option and it pays the bills and keeps you comfortable. Restrictions are loosening, which is why I’m currently applying and interviewing for new positions in different industries.

How would you describe yourself in the workplace?

I’m not going to lie. I’d definitely describe myself as uninspired in my workplace. I don’t gain much from teaching anymore. I do love my students, I love being a part of their molding process. I don’t however see any growth for me in this environment anymore so it's kind of mundane. 9 to 5 for me.

How do you think your colleagues (current or old) would describe you?

At the moment, I think they’d describe me as cynical. I have little to no desire to progress at my job and many of them know I’m actively trying to leave and pursue other things. They also know I have many different projects and aspirations so it's an interesting dynamic.

Do you have a personality trait that brings value to you in the workplace?

Outside of teaching, I am extremely ambitious and detail-oriented. With the journal Alice can definitely tell you, I am constantly thinking of new ways to push us and develop more. Trend where we need to trend, dig where we need to dig deeper.

Do you have confidence at work? Was it something you had to learn?

I do have confidence at work, I’ve been teaching now for almost 4 years so the routine comes naturally. I also genuinely enjoy my students and molding young learners. I try to put my best foot forward when I’m creating lessons and teaching my classes. It may not be my ideal job but it’s still my job and I want my students to take something from me at the end of the day.

Confidence with HUE comes with knowing our mission and what I set out to do. Also, my confidence in my strengths as an editor and writer. These are skills that I’ve cultivated on my own over the years, I never took creative writing classes or classes on how to dissect different parts of articles/stories. These are skills I taught myself and continue to hone so I’m definitely confident with what they’ll yield for me.

What general advice would you give to other women in the workplace?

I’d say, save and plot your exits early. I definitely feel that I’ve been wasting my talents for a while now. I have never been excited about teaching. I should have looked for different opportunities a long time ago and I’m so glad that I’ve finally planned a clear exit strategy.

What specific advice do you have for women who are afraid to ask for more when it comes to their actual job and in their paycheck?

Do you research! I think many of us go in without researching the company and/or school and what they typically offer so when it's asked in an interview we’re a bit flustered. I always say more than what I think they’ll give me, it’s worked every time. I’ve gotten what I wanted or a bit higher.

When it comes to your career, where do you see yourself in 5 years?

I see myself at a company that I enjoy, creating new stories, crafting new doors for myself with HUE. I want to continue to build my brand while contributing to mainstream publishing. I feel even in 2021, the publishing world still has a long way to go and I definitely feel I have a voice and I have words that I’d like to contribute in more ways than one. I’d also like to see HUE being a force in the indie magazine world. I definitely think that we can push it there.

What do you think companies have to do in order to foster and maintain a diverse workforce?

I think companies have to do more than just take photos and videos of their diversity. They have to give women and people of color their own spaces to create what they want to create. Not just give them guidelines and a little bit of rope. The world has seen how companies like Facebook and Google excel because of their inclusivity. When its forced consumers can see it. We all want to feel seen and acknowledged. That can only happen when we’re seeing people who not only look like us but truly resonate with our experiences.

What inspires you to get up and go to work in the morning?
I am inspired everyday to get up and think of new ways I can cultivate conversations around black and brown creatives. I think about the novel I’m working on everyday, with as little progress as I’m making! It’s okay, I’m getting there. I think about my friends who are making their own creative spaces. I think about HUE and how far I can see it going.

Has your inspiration changed at all since the start of the pandemic? If yes, tell us why.

I think it has been amplified. My obsession with black and brown creators around the world has gotten insane. I go through Instagram and Pinterest saving and screenshotting everything so I can go back and give shootouts and start conversations later. 2020 was really a year of awe for me, so much creativity came out of a dark time.

Can women truly “have it all”? What are your thoughts on this topic?

Women can definitely have it all, we already do. It’s about realizing that and not letting anyone tell you what you can and cannot do in life. So far, any doubts and/or negative comments people have said to me about what I couldn’t do…I have to laugh at. Everything I told myself I was going to do, I’ve done. So why wouldn’t I believe that I can have it all? It’s all a matter of time for me.

Do you have a motto or slogan you work by?

What is meant for me, will never go to anyone else. I apply this to every aspect of my life. There will never be  a job or position that I look back on and wish I’d gotten. It’s all fleeting. If it was where I was meant to be, I’d have gotten the position. 

Is there anything else you want to say on this topic?

I’d like to thank you for the interview and thank you for creating spaces for women and giving us a platform to share.

Publish date: June 14, 2021