Our Spotlight For August Is Meg Talks

Meg, you describe your podcast platform, as the “People’s platform, home to queer millennial POC conversation” and every week you host conversations and interviews with creative, talented & successful people of colour. What made you decide to start Meg Talks?
I knew the national lockdown was going to have a horrendous effect on people’s mental health so I began offering free unlimited life and career coaching to anyone who wanted it and it was a massive success. It was my way of helping people to work through their inner thoughts or take steps to progress within their careers. We all had extra time so why not put it to good use? I also began reading a lot and read a couple of reports which detailed statistics and info around the impact that COVID and national lockdowns were having on LGBT+ people. I found it so alarming that I felt that I wanted to create a digital living room for POC queers where they could discreetly listen to conversations that would resonate with them and make them belly laugh whilst expanding their perceptions on all types of things. So, I cracked on and created the Meg Talks Podcast and a micro business as an infrastructure to support it.

Your interviews are always brilliantly entertaining – but you also cover a whole range of more serious topics such as dating, the dangers of toxic relationships, sex, intersectionality, mental wellbeing and body confidence. How do you decide on your podcast topics and how do you balance these different elements?
I often deep dive into topics which relate to the guests I am interviewing as I’m genuinely curious about their take on things. I also love to rift in a conversation as you never quite know where the conversation is going to lead you, so a lot of the best moments have been totally off the cuff. I research my guests and often have a high level of respect for their craft outside of the world of podcasting, so I take great pleasure in facilitating a process which allows the audience to see just how amazing the person/guest is.

You secure such an incredibly wide range of fascinating interviewees – how do you go about this? Are there lots of mini Megs I don’t know about?!
Ummmm, I until this very day have no idea how this happens! I think intention and operating in a flow state is the key. On a technical level, I reach out to people I stumble across on social media or in person that I have a high regard for – or perhaps I have some type of existing relationship with a connection which I can tap into. Sometimes people reach out wanting to collaborate based upon their respect for the platform. To be honest, it all stems from a place of curiosity and wanting to create.

You interviewed one of our previous interviewees, the extraordinary Lady Phyll recently and I hear you are working with UK Black Pride on a special project this year. Tell us about this and what UK Black Pride and Lady Phyll mean to you, professionally and personally.
It was a great interview and a moment I’m proud that I could facilitate that process as the interview turned out perfect. Phyll is like the community’s aunty, she has loved us, worked so hard for us and has paved the way for many of us POC Queers as creatives, business owners, professionals or educators etc. Yehh, so about that, Phyll invited me to host the social media take over and crowd engagement for UKBP 2024. I didn’t see that coming but it means a lot to me and I’m sure I will have a lot of fun gallivanting with the volunteers, performers and all of the amazing people who will be coming down to the event.

How do you view the progression of your career and success?
Something similar to building a brick wall. It started with a single brick and, with hard work, has developed into something so robust that it will last a lifetime.

Who or what has been your main career inspiration?

My main inspiration throughout my career has been to see what I am truly capable of. I always felt stupid or academically behind in my earlier years and that really killed my confidence as a kid. I knew I had a purpose and I wanted to prove to myself and everyone else that I could make something of myself despite having ADHD.

What are your biggest challenges in achieving an optimal work/life balance?
My work is a genuine extension of my heart, so I never truly shut off. I am always thinking or inspired by something, so it’s quite difficult to differentiate between the two worlds. My family are the greatest tool in getting me to switch off. They are very proud of me but, when it’s family times, they don’t care about all of that, they just want to hang out and have fun.

I have been a total fan since I was first introduced to you, Meg, and I think you are one of bravest, kindest and most driven people I know – as well as being brilliant fun. Tell us a little bit about your life and your personal challenges.
I am a very introspective person, I observe and feel a lot of things. I am someone who doesn’t like to feel confined nor dictated to which, in this society, can be quite challenging as you’re working against the grain or completely disregarding rules. My entire life is based upon experiencing new things and fulfilling my life purpose which I learn more about on a week to week basis, which means that I’m really intentional about everything that I do. Being high spectrum neurodiverse means that I place value on most actions, experiences and people, so things run deep and mean a lot to me. This way of thinking and being is exhausting and makes you highly sensitive in so many ways, but I embrace it. I am always lost down a rabbit hole hyper-focusing on something new, so I’m never bored.

What most influenced you when you were young?
My mum, she has stuck by me throughout my entire life, she is literally my guardian angel. She always encouraged me to be myself even when she didn’t understand who that was. We haven’t always got along but she set the bar really high for me and played an active role in teaching me the fundamentals of career success at a very young age.

What advice would you give to the younger you?
Be yourself, don’t worry about what any of your peers think about you, be confident in who you are and what you are gifted at. It will all work out for you based upon on those things.

What you are reading currently and what is your favourite book of all time?
This may be a cheat, but my favourite author is Robert Greene and I adore his entire collection. “The 48 laws of power” changed my entire perspective on life at age 26 or 27.

What is your favourite holiday place and why?
This is really hard, it’s a battle between Brazil and Jamaica, but it has to be Jamaica. It’s home to me, everything seems to make perfect sense when I’m there and I’m truly at peace. I am a big reggae fan, and you can hear it playing all day on every corner. The people are really dynamic and inventive, and are always willing to share what they know, which lends to great wisdom and a deeper understanding of life and the world around you. Imagine, that stunning island is my home, an island which is known in my countries and communities due to its influence and infectious vibe. I love spending time in the rainforest, swimming in the lakes and reasoning at a local rum bar.

How old were you when you had your first LBTQWoman kiss?
15. When I entered my first relationship, we were hanging out in Canary Wharf and I was totally mesmerised by the entire moment and knew that I would date women for the rest of my life.

From your unique point of view, what is your view of the challenges facing the LGBTQI+ community – especially across all intersectionalities?
Looking at the western LGBT+ community, I think we need to get back to equanimity. There are a lot of things socially which sit outside of our control and that has not always been a bad thing if you look the amazing infrastructures that we have built for ourselves. Things which sit outside of our control also force us to continue to evolve and create things for ourselves, which are often in my opinion more valuable. In an ideal world, we would all be perfectly accepted for who we are and integrated in society, but the reality is far from that, so let’s try to focus on healing trauma and the infrastructure evolution of the LGBT+ community from the inside out. We have to be mindful of the commercialisation of the community so we don’t become a social commodity in the mainstream world – our value and culture is so much more valuable than that.

What keeps you up at night (good or bad – or both!)?
Planning for the future. I am currently the head of HR for a great charity and love podcasting, however, I want to travel and live in other countries. I’m always thinking of ways to bring all of those components together. I still haven’t figured it out.

What would you like your legacy to be? 
I’d like to be the black queer Graham Norton/Stephen Bartlett of my time. Someone who hosts timeless conversations, someone who was never scared to bring their visions to life. Someone that the Black Queer community feels proud of as a leader once my life had ended.

If you could change one thing in the world, what would it be?
I would redistribute meaningful developmental opportunities, so every person is guaranteed several throughout their life.