Becoming is Messy

About Becoming is Messy

Let’s be real—life isn’t a perfectly curated highlight reel. It’s raw, chaotic, and messy as hell. But that’s where the magic happens. Welcome to Becoming is Messy, the podcast where we ditch the perfectionism, embrace the chaos, and have real, unfiltered conversations about healing, growth, and turning life’s plot twists into power moves. Hosted by Meghann Dawson—speaker, coach, facilitator, hometeam mom, and professional messy-life-navigator—each episode is packed with humor, heart, and hard-earned wisdom from her own journey through complex trauma, reinvention, and self-discovery. If you’ve ever felt like you’re “too much” or “not enough” (sometimes in the same breath), this podcast is your permission slip to own your story, find your joy, and level up—one messy step at a time. 💛 New episodes drop weekly! Ready to dive in? Hit play and let’s get messy together. #BecomingIsMessy #MessiesUnite #HealingWithHumor Connect with Me & Join the Messy Movement! 🌎 Website: https://becomingismessy.com 🛍️ Messy Merch Shop: https://www.meghanndawson.com/shop 📲 Becoming is Messy Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/becomingismessy/ 📲 Meghann Dawson Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/meghanndawson/ theunperfectlife.substack.com (https://theunperfectlife.substack.com?utm_medium=podcast)

Publisher

Meghann Dawson

Category

education · religion & spirituality

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Feb 2025

Latest episode

20 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

57 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   20 Oct 2026

   Beyond the Spotlight: Finding Purpose in Being More Than What You Do

   What if the success you’ve worked so hard to achieve isn’t actually what makes you feel fulfilled? Meghann sits down with Sophie Whitesell, creator and host of The Giving Game, for a conversation about redefining success, finding purpose, and discovering how giving back can help us find ourselves. After reaching the top of her nursing career, Sophie realized that professional success wasn’t bringing her the fulfillment she expected. So, she stepped into an entirely new world, creating a media platform that highlights the human stories, mental health struggles, and charitable work of professional athletes and other influential people. Together, Meghann and Sophie explore the messy reality of starting over, why even the world’s most accomplished people struggle with feeling like they’re enough, and how our identities become so much bigger when we stop defining ourselves by titles, achievements, or other people’s expectations. Along the way, they share laughs about entrepreneurship, motherhood, and figuring things out as they go, while reminding us that sometimes the most meaningful thing we can do with our own becoming is help someone else along their path. If you’ve ever wondered whether there’s more to life than chasing the next achievement, this conversation is a reminder that purpose, connection, and generosity might be closer to the answer than you think. In this conversation, they discuss: • Why professional success doesn’t always bring personal fulfillment. • The courage it takes to leave a comfortable career and start something completely new. • How even elite athletes struggle with self-worth, anxiety, and feeling like they’re enough. • Why our identities are so much bigger than our careers, accomplishments, or titles. • How redefining success around freedom, family, and purpose changes our priorities. • Why service, generosity, and authentic human connection can bring deeper meaning to our lives. Links & Resources Join the messy conversation on Substack:www.theunperfectlife.substack.com (http://www.theunperfectlife.substack.com/) Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom:@MeghannDawson Explore offerings to support your authentic becoming:www.theunperfectlife.com (http://www.theunperfectlife.com/) Discover the origin story, preorder your copy of Becoming is Messy today: Becoming is Messy a book by Meghann Dawson - Bookshop.org US (https://bookshop.org/p/books/becoming-is-messy/422ec37f73a7522a) Connect with Sophie Whitesell The Giving Game Website (https://givinggamemedia.com/) Follow The Giving Game Podcast on your favorite streaming platform for inspiring stories of athletes, veterans, and everyday people making a difference. Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with someone who’s ready to redefine success and discover how their unique gifts might make a difference in someone else’s life. #BecomingIsMessy #PassOnYourLEVELUP #UnperfectLEVELUP #TheGivingGame #RedefiningSuccess #PurposeDrivenLife #AuthenticLiving #PersonalGrowth #MentalHealthAwareness #FindingYourPurpose #PowerOfGiving #MessyMiddle Get full access to The Unperfect Life at theunperfectlife.substack.com/subscribe (https://theunperfectlife.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

2. 

   6 Oct 2026

   Whose Voice Is That? Learning to Hear Yourself Beneath the Inner Critic

   What if the voice telling you you’re not good enough isn’t actually yours? Meghann sits down with Mary Beth Fox, licensed professional counselor and founder of The Inner Child Therapist, for a deeply personal conversation about childhood wounds, self-worth, and learning to hear your own voice beneath all the ones you’ve carried with you. Mary Beth shares how her own healing helped her recognize the connection between unmet childhood needs and the adult patterns we often mistake for personality, including people-pleasing, overachieving, unhealthy relationships, and believing we shouldn’t need anything from anyone. Together, they explore how we can look back without shame or blame, recognize when our younger selves are showing up, and begin giving ourselves the compassion, safety, joy, and love we needed all along. If you’ve ever wondered why certain moments affect you so deeply or realized you’re still trying to prove you’re lovable, this conversation is an invitation to get curious about the younger you underneath it all. In this conversation, they discuss: • How unmet childhood needs shape our adult identities and relationships. • Why people-pleasing and overachieving can become ways of proving our worth. • How to distinguish your inner critic from your authentic inner voice. • Why healing childhood wounds doesn’t require blaming or shaming our parents. • How emotional triggers can reveal what a younger version of you still needs. • Why joy, play, rest, boundaries, and self-compassion are all part of healing. Links & Resources Join the messy conversation on Substack:www.theunperfectlife.substack.com (http://www.theunperfectlife.substack.com/) Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom:@MeghannDawson Explore offerings to support your authentic becoming:www.theunperfectlife.com (http://www.theunperfectlife.com/) Discover the origin story, preorder your copy of Becoming is Messy today: Becoming is Messy a book by Meghann Dawson - Bookshop.org US (https://bookshop.org/p/books/becoming-is-messy/422ec37f73a7522a) Connect with Mary Beth Fox The Inner Child TherapistMary Beth shares her work through The Inner Child Therapist blog (https://www.theinnerchildtherapist.com/about-mary-beth-fox/) and on Instagram (https://www.instagram.com/theinnerchildtherapist/), TikTok (https://www.tiktok.com/@theinnerchildtherapist), and Facebook. She is also currently working toward publication of her book. Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow Messy who might be ready to ask whether the voice telling them they’re not enough was ever really theirs to begin with. #BecomingIsMessy #ExamineYourChildhoodAsAnObserver #UnperfectLEVELUP #InnerChildHealing #InnerCritic #SelfWorth #HealingChildhoodWounds #AuthenticSelf #SelfCompassion #MessyMiddle #EmotionalHealing #UnscriptedGrowth Get full access to The Unperfect Life at theunperfectlife.substack.com/subscribe (https://theunperfectlife.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

3. 

   4 Aug 2026

   The Parent Your Teen Still Wants to Talk To

   What if the strongest relationship you build with your child doesn’t begin with changing them... but with understanding yourself? Meghann sits down with Becky Funk, creator of the Safe Place Parent Model, nervous system regulation coach, former educator, and recovering anxious perfectionist, for a conversation that every parent needs to hear. Together, they explore what happens when we stop seeing our children’s behavior as something to fix and begin seeing it as an invitation to connect. Becky shares her own journey through anxiety, chronic illness, parenting teenagers, and discovering how nervous system regulation transformed not only her own life, but her relationships with her children. Along the way, Meghann and Becky laugh about the messy reality of parenting, reflect on raising teenagers who are wonderfully different from us, and remind us that our goal isn’t to raise mini versions of ourselves. It’s to create a home where our kids feel safe enough to become fully themselves. If you’ve ever wondered whether you’re getting parenting “right,” this conversation is a gentle reminder that your presence matters more than your perfection. In this conversation, they discuss: • Why people-pleasing, anxiety, and overreacting often begin as protective survival strategies. • How nervous system regulation changes the way we parent, communicate, and respond during difficult moments. • What it really means to become a “Safe Place Parent” for your teenager. • Why teenagers naturally begin looking beyond their parents as they discover their own identity. • How curiosity creates deeper connection than advice or control. • The powerful role co-regulation plays in helping teens navigate big emotions. • Why trusting your child sometimes means calming your own fears first. • How personality differences between parents and children can strengthen relationships instead of creating conflict. • Why letting go of expectations creates more room for authentic connection. • How healing ourselves often becomes one of the greatest gifts we can give our children. Links & Resources Join the messy conversation on Substack:www.theunperfectlife.substack.com (http://www.theunperfectlife.substack.com) Follow Meghann for more real, raw, and messy wisdom:@MeghannDawson Explore offerings to support your authentic becoming:www.theunperfectlife.com (http://www.theunperfectlife.com) Connect with Becky Funk Website https://www.thebeckyfunk.com/ How to Tell If It’s Anxiety or Just Typical Teen Stuffhttps://www.thebeckyfunk.com/anxiety-or-typical-teen-stuff (https://www.thebeckyfunk.com/anxiety-or-typical-teen-stuff) Nervous System Resethttps://www.thebeckyfunk.com/nervous-system-reset (https://www.thebeckyfunk.com/nervous-system-reset) Understand Your Teenhttps://www.thebeckyfunk.com/understand-your-teen (https://www.thebeckyfunk.com/understand-your-teen) Instagramhttps://www.instagram.com/beckyfunkcoaching/ (https://www.instagram.com/beckyfunkcoaching/) Loved this episode? Hit follow, leave a review, and share it with a fellow parent who could use the reminder that connection matters more than perfection. #BecomingIsMessy #ExamineYourChildhoodAsAnObserver #UnperfectLEVELUP #SafePlaceParent #NervousSystemRegulation #ConsciousParenting #ParentingTeens #EmotionalConnection #MessyMiddle #HealingGenerations #AuthenticRelationships #UnscriptedGrowth Get full access to The Unperfect Life at theunperfectlife.substack.com/subscribe (https://theunperfectlife.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.8 / 5

18 ratings

Spotify

4.6 / 5

16 ratings

Contact Becoming is Messy

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.