Meagan Meier and a Life of Creation

Age 41-Collinsville, IL

✨A Home Filled With Story✨

When I arrived at Meagan Meier’s home for our interview, I noticed immediately that creativity lived there.

The house, originally purchased as a starter home, had become the family’s forever home. Inside, it felt layered with life—warm, colorful, welcoming, and filled with personality. Beautiful little knick-knacks, thoughtfully chosen art, and curated touches throughout the space made it clear this was the home of someone who values transformation, beauty, and meaning. Nothing felt overly polished or staged. It felt lived in, intentional, and deeply personal.

In Meagan’s home treats are everywhere! Some created by her, and some collected works.

Meagan had joked about one of adulthood’s endless tasks: constantly clearing off surfaces before someone comes over. It’s a feeling many women know well—that last-minute rush to straighten counters, wipe tables, and make everything look just right.

I understand it because I do the same thing before interviews at my own home.

But standing there in Meagan’s space, I realized something familiar. The things we worry most about are often the things other people notice least. What stood out to me wasn’t whether every surface had been cleared. What I noticed was warmth, color, and the stories told through the objects they had chosen to live with. The home felt welcoming, expressive, and alive.

In many ways, the house reflected Meagan herself.

Now 41, Meagan carries a grounded confidence. She seems intuitive, self-aware, and comfortable in who she is. But like many women, that confidence was built over time through pivots, lessons, motherhood, and learning to trust her own path.

✨Learning Independence Early✨

One of the earliest turning points in Meagan’s adulthood came when she moved out on her own at 17. At that same stage of life, she also survived a house fire that occurred in the middle of the night—another formative experience that shaped her resilience early on.

That kind of independence changes a person. It teaches resourcefulness, adaptability, and how to keep moving forward before many others are even beginning adulthood.

Later, while living in Alabama, she met the man who would become her husband. Though he was originally from the area where they now live, the two eventually built their life together here—buying their first home, starting a family, and creating roots.

✨Motherhood a Major Turning Point✨

Meagan spoke honestly about becoming a mother later than many women around her. For years, she questioned whether motherhood was something she truly wanted, shaped in part by complicated feelings from childhood and the belief that there would somehow be a “right” time to begin.

She laughed at the old idea that motherhood is only “a young woman’s game” — something she no longer believes at all.

Looking back now, she realizes there is never a perfect time to become a mother.

“But it will change everything about you,” she shared. “Who you are and what your life looks like…but that isn’t as scary as it sounds.”

She described motherhood as both beautiful and overwhelming—a “yin yang situation” filled with deep love, exhaustion, growth, joy, and contradiction all at once.

“You will love it and hate it,” she said honestly. “You will feel more love than you ever thought possible.”

Motherhood also reshaped the way Meagan viewed work and success.

“I didn’t have a huge urge to have children,” she admitted honestly, “but I knew I wanted them when I looked into the future of my life.”

At the exact moment she was beginning one chapter, another unexpectedly arrived.

“The same day I got my business license in the mail,” she said of launching her real estate photography business, “I found out I was pregnant with my first child, my son Emmett.”

Breastfeeding became deeply important to her, but she discovered early that pumping was difficult, making flexibility essential. Being physically present with her baby mattered more than forcing herself into a rigid schedule.

“Flexibility in your schedule disappears when you have babies,” she laughed. “It takes 1.5 hours to leave the house, on a good day!”

So instead of trying to force her life into traditional structures, she began building work around the realities of motherhood.

“Becoming a mom, for me, meant deciding that being present with my baby was the priority,” she shared. “Any work that I could accomplish while also running my own dairy farm—aka nursing a ravenous newborn—was what I did.”

✨Redefining Work Around Real Life✨

That season led her into network marketing through Keep Collective, where she designed charm bracelets from her phone, hosted Facebook parties, and helped women create meaningful keepsake jewelry.

More importantly, it showed her something bigger:

“I could work for myself as long as I could fit the work into the pockets of my day and not have to punch a clock.”

And success still came.

While raising babies, Meagan worked her way into the top 1% of Keep Collective, spoke at conferences, hosted rallies, and earned incentive trips. Later, she found similar success with Young Living, reaching a rank attained by only 0.3% of the company.

Though she now participates more casually, those experiences helped shape the business she has today.

Becoming more naturally minded and paying closer attention to ingredients inside household products ultimately sparked the ideas behind her dry shampoo, whipped tallow balm, beach hair spray, and glow serum.

“Without these stepping stones,” she reflected, “I wouldn’t be doing what I’m doing now.”

She had studied psychology and worked for ALLSUP, helping individuals with disabilities. The role mattered, but as an empathetic person, carrying the emotional weight of that work became difficult. Eventually, she began exploring another side of herself—the side that had always existed. Creativity.

Meagan shared that even as a child, she was always making things and finding ways to sell them to earn money for what she wanted. Long before the language of entrepreneurship became trendy, she already had the instincts: create value, solve a problem, and make something happen.

What began as a natural instinct eventually became a career. Meagan has been creating and selling full-time since 2010, building a life around the very skills that had always come naturally to her.

Meagan believes she inherited pieces of both of her parents, and together those traits helped shape the woman and entrepreneur she would become.

Her mother was creative and artistic, someone who painted watercolor and appreciated beauty and expression. From her, Meagan seems to have inherited the instinct to create, style, and see possibility in ordinary things.

Her father, on the other hand, was a salesman. From him, she learned how to talk to people, connect easily, and understand that creativity alone is not always enough—you also have to believe in what you are offering and be willing to put it into the world.

That balance shows up clearly in Meagan today.

She is both maker and marketer. Artist and problem solver. Creative and collaborator.

She can spend hours restoring a vintage item, curating a booth display, blending ingredients for a product, or styling a photograph—but she also understands people. She understands presentation, storytelling, relationships, and what makes someone feel connected to what they are buying.

In many ways, her life seems to sit directly between the gifts both of her parents gave her.

✨Creativity That Keeps Expanding✨

Photography, however, never fully left her.

She still loves the art of capturing people, places, and objects through a lens. She sees detail and atmosphere in ways many people miss, and her photographs often reveal a fresh perspective on everyday subjects.

She uses that gift in practical ways too. Meagan takes striking photos of her own products and creative work, helping spotlight what makes them special. She also photographs items and displays for Lou Belle and Bing a converted house in Collinsville, Illinois, which functions as an artist co-op where creators can sell their work, helping highlight the fellow artists and creators whose products are sold there.

It is another example of how her creativity rarely stays in just one lane.

Lou Belle and Bing-Small Business Collective located on Main St in Collinsville, IL

✨Creating Products With Intention✨

Today, she channels that creativity into products, retail curation, and entrepreneurship.

One of her standout creations is a dry shampoo she developed after becoming more aware of chemicals in everyday products once she became a mother.

Dry shampoo is like “make up for your hair”, and keeps hair looking great between washes. This product can be used safely at any age.

A retractable brush is included with each purchase for application.

Also included: Beach Wave Spray -Inspired by the picturesque beauty of Seaside, Rosemary Beach, and Alys Beach, this sea salt hair spray infuses your locks with the effortless, windswept style of beach days. Tallow Balm-A nourishing grass-fed beef tallow balm, a natural remedy for dry, flaky, and irritated skin. Infused with the power of frankincense and tea tree essential oils, along with castor oil, it’s a luxurious treat for your skin.

What began as experimenting with soaps, shampoos, detergents, and cleaner alternatives evolved into something more.

Her dry shampoo—what she refers to as “hair makeup”—is a powder-based, non-aerosol product applied with a small brush in elegant gold packaging. It comes in different shades, smells amazing, avoids buildup, and gives women greater control over where the product goes.

It is also designed for both men and women and offers a smart alternative to over-washing the hair. In a culture where many people shampoo more often than necessary, Meagan’s product offers a fresher, more intentional option between washes.

She offers travel and full-size versions, plus a beachwave hair spray, with future products in mind.

It’s the kind of innovation that feels simple only after someone else has thought of it.

And people love it.

She shared that she has never had any returns on the product, and it is already carried in multiple businesses, with hopes of reaching an even broader audience.

Meagan also has a long-standing appreciation for essential oils and has used them for years. That interest naturally found its way into her products, where she values both scent and the experience they create.

In many ways, it reflects her broader approach to beauty—something that feels thoughtful, sensory, and intentional.

✨Giving Old Things New Life✨

Inside Lou Belle and Bing one of her booth spaces, her creative range expands even further.

Alongside her hair products, she sells jewelry, curated finds, vintage handbags, clothing, shoes, handmade items, and precious crystals.

Her booth tells a story of its own.

Lou Belle and Bing, where you can find her collected vintage pieces as well as jewelry and hair products.

Discover the charm of birth flower necklace with our elegant gold and abalone shell engraved charm necklaces. Featuring engraved abalone white shell charms, these necklaces are the perfect blend of classy and dainty. On a 16-inch chain with a 2-inch extender, birth flower necklaces the ideal everyday accessory or thoughtful gift for someone special, like your mom, sister, or best friend.

Some of the pieces she offers include a vintage mushroom canister set, old dishes, handmade beaded jewelry, and of course, the purses she is known for sourcing. Together, the collection feels less like merchandise and more like a reflection of her eye for beauty, nostalgia, and personality.

One of the reasons Meagan loves selling vintage pieces is the chance to give them new life with a new owner while knowing they already came with a story.

She also enjoys cleaning, restoring, and refreshing the items she finds—bringing them back to life so they can begin another chapter in someone else’s home.

She especially loves handbags—and they do very well for her.

She also enjoys teaching classes, something she has done at Verona Coffee both before and after Covid, as well as at other locations. Sharing what she knows appears to be another natural extension of her creative life. She would love to continue offering more classes for artists and creators in the future, helping others learn, experiment, and grow their own talents.

Meagan also loves supporting other creators. She understands what it feels like to pour your heart into something and hope others see the value in it. That empathy likely makes her a natural encourager within creative spaces—someone who not only builds her own work, but celebrates the work of others.

She also has a soft spot for crystals, something she has sold before and first became interested in when she was younger through a friend who sold them.

What draws her most is not necessarily their meanings or symbolism, but their natural beauty. She loves that something so striking can emerge from the ground—formed over time, hidden until discovered. That appreciation feels fitting for Meagan, who seems naturally drawn to transformation and hidden potential.

Whether it’s a crystal, a vintage accessory, a creative space, or a business idea, she appears to have an instinct for seeing value where others may not.

She also loves staging, styling, and creating atmosphere—another clue that her talents extend beyond products into experience and presentation.

✨Creativity, ADHD, and the Way Her Mind Works✨

Like many creative women, Meagan has also learned that creativity can overtake a home. Supplies multiply, inventory spreads, ideas pile up.

Recognizing the need for boundaries, she rented a workspace nearby in an old house she loves. There, she can treat her business like a studio—sometimes working from home, sometimes stepping into a dedicated creative environment that gives her focus and room to grow.

She also spoke candidly about how her mind works and has wondered whether undiagnosed ADHD may have shaped parts of her life. The hyperfocus, constant ideas, need for lists, dislike of wasted time, and tendency to overcompensate all felt familiar in hindsight.

Rather than seeing those traits only as obstacles, she has learned to channel them into creating, organizing, and building.

That creative energy appears in her children as well.

Her son once spent endless hours building Legos and drawing comic-book style stories inspired by his love of Dogman books, while her daughter enjoys drawing with different mediums and recently became fascinated with oil pastels.

Like many creative people, her son already wrestles with perfectionism—something Meagan recognizes in herself too.

“We’re all learning here,” she said warmly.

She also shared a story about a framing company that landed a massive Walmart contract but failed to account for a fifteen-cent piece in every frame. At scale, that tiny oversight caused major losses.

The lesson stayed with her.

Today, she understands that every material, every detail, every hidden cost matters. Creativity may start a business, but numbers sustain one.

Perhaps one of the most relatable moments in our conversation came when Meagan discussed legitimacy. Her husband has always been supportive, viewing her business as real and important. Yet she admitted there were times she wondered if he secretly saw it as less serious than traditional work.

She now recognizes that as her own self-doubt speaking.

Many artists understand that feeling. If it doesn’t fit the mold of a nine-to-five career, it can be harder to validate—even when it demands discipline, talent, resilience, and courage.

Meagan also described the balance she and her husband bring to life together. While she tends to move through the world creatively and intuitively, he is more structured, analytical, and routine-driven in his professional approach. That contrast appears to have created a strong partnership—different strengths working side by side.

Recently, their family has faced a new challenge: her husband lost his job and is currently searching for his next role. Like many families navigating unexpected change, they are using this season to reassess what comes next. She shared that he is trying to view the time as both a rediscovery period and a needed pause after an intense and stressful career chapter.

Even difficult transitions can create room for something new.

✨A Modern Version of Entrepreneurship✨

Talking with Meagan also opened a larger conversation about future growth and what modern entrepreneurship looks like today.

“As a small business, I wear all hats,” she explained.

For now, the business feels manageable, but she knows how quickly things can change.

“Business can change overnight with social media,” she said. “You don’t know who is buying your products.”

Her hope for the future is to continue expanding into wholesale opportunities and getting her products into more stores. Growth, she admits, would eventually mean hiring help and learning how to release some responsibilities.

Still, she seems prepared for the unpredictability that comes with entrepreneurship.

“You have to be able to adapt and roll with it and be willing to work hard,” she shared. “I work really well under pressure…and I’m a great problem solver.”

✨A Life Built Through Creation✨

At 41, Meagan represents many older millennials who often view work differently than generations before them.

Rather than waiting for one title or employer to define success, they build multiple streams, pivot often, monetize skills, and value flexibility.

Meagan’s story reflects that mindset.

She does not appear attached to being one thing.

She creates.
Learns.
Adjusts.
Experiments.

Sometimes adulthood is not about choosing one permanent identity.

Sometimes it is about allowing one chapter to lead naturally into the next.

Not dry shampoo.
Not vintage.
Not ADHD.
Not motherhood.

The deeper story is: a woman learning how to trust the way she naturally moves through the world.

Shop and Follow:

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CraftedEssentialsbyMeagan

https://meaganmeier.com/

Visit her at any of these locations:

Lou Belle and Bing — Collinsville, IL

Honey Bee Vintage— Alton, IL

Collected Boutique — Carlinville, IL

Local Lucy’s — Belleville, IL

The Happy Elephant — Troy, IL

GlowInto Reflection

What stayed with me most after talking with Meagan was not simply what she creates, but how naturally she allows herself to evolve.

So many women spend years believing they need to choose one identity and stay there forever. One career. One title. One version of success.

But life rarely works that way.

Motherhood changes us.
Loss changes us.
Creativity changes us.
Burnout changes us.
Experience changes us.

And yet many women still feel pressure to explain every pivot as though changing direction somehow means they were lost before.

Meagan’s story felt different than that.

Her life does not look like a straight line. It looks like layering. One chapter quietly informing the next. Creativity leading to entrepreneurship. Motherhood reshaping work. Photography feeding branding. Curiosity turning into products. Vintage pieces finding new life beside modern business ideas.

Nothing about her story felt accidental.

What also stood out was how many women quietly struggle to validate creative work — especially when it does not fit traditional structures. There is often guilt attached to flexible work, artistic work, or work built from home, even when it requires enormous discipline and resilience.

But creativity is work.
Building something from nothing is work.
Adapting is work.
Starting over is work.

And perhaps that is part of what GlowInto continues to uncover in these conversations:
women are often building meaningful lives long before they give themselves full credit for it.

Meagan’s story is not really about dry shampoo or vintage handbags.

It is about trusting your instincts enough to build a life around who you already are.

GlowInto will be there to join in the conversation.