Meghan Hoover is a writer and personal development coach based in Los Angeles, CA.

"My courage showed up because my fear of feeling mediocrity or regret were greater than the risk of following my heart."

When you first meet Meghan, you are instantly charged by her energy. She's open, she's engaging—she lets you in. She holds no preconceptions about you before embarking on the path toward getting to know you. She radiates light energy, but she is also so capable of exploring and empathizing with the dark spaces and that is what, I think, makes her so unique and valuable. When I first met her, I was surprised to learn she'd just recently moved to Los Angeles—she seemed so comfortable, so settled in. A lot of people move to this city on a whim, but so often they spend their first year guarded, observant, and restless. Meghan dove in head-first without so much as a splash. I had to know what kind of energy drove that level of confidence and comfort.

I'm glad I asked: When does courage come up for you?

"I think tapping into courage has been a theme in my life for the last few years. Whether in relationships or lifestyle and choices, once you become comfortable with your own courage, you notice more and more ways to use it and to hone it. The other thing is that I’ve found courage seems to wait quietly and patiently until you need it. It’s very loyal and supportive! You could go through life for a long time and not ever realize that it’s there, because you haven’t had to call on it. I’ve always been happy and loved my life. And then, a few years ago, I noticed my threshold for happiness shifted. I didn’t feel 100% happy anymore. And I’m not talking about here and there. You’re going to have good days or bad moods. But just this nagging feeling that something was missing. I didn’t want to dive into what was missing because that frightened me. So I tried to ignore it. This was where courage came in. Glossing over the calling inside and trying to be okay with the status quo didn’t work for me. I felt out of alignment and I felt inauthentic. I craved the 'something more.'For me this was California. I can’t explain it. I lived there once and had missed it ever since I moved away. I love the city, the energy, the weather, the lifestyle, the people, the ocean. I wanted it. It was my something more. I felt stressed: a cross-country move is expensive. I would need a job. I would need a place to live. I’d be starting over at 29, leaving behind family and friends and a life I’d built in one spot for all of my adulthood. I felt afraid — repercussions from my family for leaving. A fear of failing. A fear of a bruised ego or fractured pride. I felt guilty. For leaving my family and friends who were sad to see me go. For feeling like my hometown wasn’t good enough. The experience of making the decision to move felt right. It brought relief. And thank goodness it did. Because it was hard breaking the news. The transition was tumultuous. If I didn’t have the feeling of relief and peace when I tuned that all out and just focused on the decision to follow the heart, I would have surely turned back. I would have called the decision off many times over. I still, two years later, have days where I find I have to defend my choice to people. I have days where I still feel guilty that I’m missing a birthday party or celebration or can’t be there to comfort a friend during a break up. I still feel anxious sometimes over my future (don’t we all?). But, at the end of the day, I’m happy. Because I’m feeling and experiencing those things here, where I want to be, living the life I wanted to live. The result is still worth showing up for."

Where does your courage come from?

"It took several months, and working with a cognitive behavior coach, for me to know how to harness my courage and use it to chase this dream. I realized that greater than all of those feelings, was how much I didn’t want to feel regret. When I thought about my life in 30 years, I knew I wanted to look back and know I did everything I could to chase my dreams. I knew I wanted to be able to say I didn’t settle just because that was the easier thing to do. That I wanted more, so I did the hard work to try for it. My courage showed up because my fear of feeling mediocrity or regret were greater than the risk of following my heart.You hear people who graduate high school or college and talk about leaving to chase their dreams. And most never do. You go to a new city and hear all the cool stories of how people chased a dream and created their life there and you crave that. For me those comparisons helped me tap into my courage. A line had been drawn in the sand and I knew which side I wanted to fall on. And, as hard as it was for my parents when I left, their love and support have always given me courage. I know they are there and at the end of the day would never let me fall on my face. They will love and support me no matter what I do or if I fail. Growing up, they encouraged me finding my voice and owning my personality. They instilled high self-esteem and confidence. So, even when I’m fearful, even when I call on my courage, I never question if I can handle it. I know I’m strong, and they helped me to believe that."Get more inspiration from Meghan by checking out her site, Paper + Arrow, signing up for her newsletter, contacting her for coaching opportunities, or following her on Instagram. ☝️👍✨

A Profile In Courage: Meghan Hoover

"My courage showed up because my fear of feeling mediocrity or regret were greater than the risk of following my heart."

I'm glad I asked: When does courage come up for you?

Where does your courage come from?