I started my new Substack—Meghan’s Musings—a couple of weeks ago, but this morning, I woke up very early with a surge of creativity and inspiration to share my real story—something I’ve never fully shared before. So, I decided to delete the posts I had already shared and start fresh.
So, let’s go back to the beginning…
If you’ve followed me for a while, you know that health and wellness are at the core of absolutely everything I do.
But, what you might not know is that my own journey to vibrant health didn’t just happen overnight. In fact, it was a process of deep self-discovery, shedding layers of toxicity—mentally, physically, and emotionally—to come back to my true essence.
The Early Years
Growing up in Montreal, Canada, I was the quintessential overachiever and perfectionist. From a young age, I thrived on achieving excellence in absolutely anything and everything I did. I was a straight-A student, the lead in every school play, the captain of a winning sports team, and an avid downhill skier and waterskier. I even skipped the first grade.
I felt like I had to be perfect, please, and perform to earn love from those around me, but was completely unaware of this at the time (more on that later).
By the age of 17, my ambition led me to leave home and attend Cornell University in upstate New York. It was an exciting leap, filled with promise and potential, but it also marked the beginning of a journey that would challenge me in ways I could have never anticipated.
I arrived on campus bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, ready to take on the world.
But somewhere along the way, I fell into the usual college habits—late nights filled with studying, socializing, and, of course, drinking—and lots of it. (I never took Adderall to study, but this was a common staple amidst my group of friends.) My diet? Well, let’s just say late-night pizza, cookies, and ice cream were regular staples in my sorority house and its annex that I lived in my sophomore and senior year respectively.
I’d often eat quite healthy and try to restrict what I ate during the day, but by the time the evening rolled around (and alcohol was at play), the cravings kicked in. I’d binge on whatever junk was around, fueling a cycle of restriction and overindulgence that only left me feeling miserable and out of control.
I stayed up late, then slept in even later, trying to catch up on hours that my body desperately needed. Despite this, I put immense pressure on myself to maintain my 4.0 GPA—and I did, graduating Summa Cum Laude while being inducted into the Phi Beta Kappa Honor Society, as I had one of the highest GPAs in my class.
Back then, I thought I was just doing what everyone else was doing—living the 'college life’. It was completely normal. But, looking back, I can see how this kind of lifestyle—along with the toxic cycle of restricting and binging—was taking a serious toll on my body, my energy, and my overall health.
What I didn’t realize then was that these habits were laying the foundation for the physical symptoms I was already experiencing—and would continue to face well into my 20s.
The Wake-Up Call
When I graduated from Cornell at the age of 21, I was at a breaking point. I was living in Montreal, working for a fashion company (it seriously feels like another lifetime), and desperately wanted to move to the United States. I felt misaligned, lost, and stuck. I didn’t want to be back at home.
More importantly, my body was completely out of balance. I had debilitating digestive issues, was on hormonal birth control (and subsequently an IUD) that wreaked havoc on my hormones (more on that later), struggled with consistent and recurring acne on my face and my back, was tired all the time, felt completely inflamed, and was disconnected from my body and from myself.
On February 20, 2014, at the age of 22, I was finally convinced by my mom (bless her soul) to see a naturopath—Christian Limoges—who is still a mentor to this day. A life-changing session with Christian inspired me to start changing my food and lifestyle habits.
The first step? Simplifying my diet.
I transitioned away from Quest protein bars, Fage Greek yogurt, ‘healthy’ cereals and granola, frozen yogurt, PB2 peanut butter powder, and tuna salad on GG fiber crackers to plant-based whole foods. I focused on what was clean, unprocessed, and nourishing for my body.
I started eating more fruits, vegetables, cold-pressed juices, blended smoothies, and raw, unprocessed whole foods, tapping into the power of vitamins, minerals, nutrients, antioxidants, live enzymes, and bio-photons to support my cells’ natural regeneration processes. For me, it wasn’t about depriving myself. It was about making intentional, conscious choices about what I put in and how to nourish my body, stepping back from the noise of the food industry, and learning to trust my intuition.
Slowly but surely, everything changed.
— My gut issues dissipated.
— My inflammation and water retention diminished dramatically.
— My energy levels soared.
I then started practicing and studying holistic health and healing during my free time.
This marked the beginning of a very profound shift in my health, mindset, and lifestyle, and ultimately, in my connection to myself.
Stay tuned for Part Two, where I’ll share the next chapter of my story—the corporate grind and the ‘driftwood’ moments that shaped my path.