This month we are highlighting Meg Ambassador Marcie Beigel! Marcie is a family culture expert, public speaker, and, of course, a Meg client. Keep reading to discover more about Marcie’s unconventional career path, read her advice to first-time parents, and find out her favorite Meg pieces...she couldn’t pick just one!
Marcie wears the Oversized Blazer in Red.
Q: Tell us about yourself! Where are you from, and how did you end up in NYC?
A: I grew up in New Jersey with my mom, dad, and older sister. My parents still live in the same house we moved to when I was four years old. I moved to the Upper West Side right after college to go to Teachers College at Columbia University.
After many years of school and several apartments on the Upper West Side, I moved to Brooklyn. I have lived in New York for almost 25 years and love the energy, vitality, and uniqueness that come with living here!
Marcie wears the Oversized Blazer in Red.
Q: What inspired you to have a career working with kids and families?
A: From my first babysitting job, I always knew I wanted to work with kids. They are honest and transparent. I know when they are mad at me or when they like me. There is an ease!
I also had learning challenges myself as a kid. I was in a resource room for years, where Ms. Emilio taught me how to read. I had speech therapy. I also had a mom who would sit at the kitchen table and help me with my homework every night. Learning was hard and I was always given the message that I could do it!
That combination shaped my career; kids are full of amazing potential and adults around them need to reflect that to them. They become who we tell them they are, and I believe more kids need to be told they can/be/do anything that makes them happy! I am the product of that. Even while having learning challenges, I earned my doctorate by 29 because the adults around me always believed in me.
Not every parent knows how to believe in their kid. Not every kid responds to the parenting style their parents are accustomed to. Most kids don’t fit in neat boxes that parents are told about. So I help parents get out of the box, parent in ways that reflect their kid's needs, and build more happiness in their homes. There can be so much more joy in homes, more laughter, more harmony, and I want to help make that happen!
Marcie wears the Biggie Dress in Flame.
Q: What advice do you have for first-time parents?
A: How much time do you have for this answer? Trust your gut. You know your child better than anyone else. Listen to experts, but filter their advice through your instinct about what is right for your child and your family.
Mean what you say. This is the number one rule I work on with families. It builds trust and changes everything. It requires being clear with yourself first, which can be the hardest part. Take a breath before you speak and then say what you mean.
Take care of yourself. Your mental health is reflected in your parenting…you can’t be calm and kind to your kids if you have not cultivated calmness or kindness inside yourself. For you to be patient, you need to be resourced. So take care of yourself, as a means of taking care of your family.
Your children are watching everything! Model the behavior you want to see with them. Model what it is like to be angry and respond respectfully. Model what it is like to celebrate successes. Model what it is like to have kind relationships with a partner. Model what it is like to balance technology and work with in-person connection. Model what it is like to sit down and eat a meal with family. Model what it is like to be kind to others.
Q: What about your job brings you the most fulfillment?
A: My work has two components — my private practice working intimately with families, and speaking to large groups about mental health and conflict resolution. The balance between inspiring a room full of people (aka strangers) to take care of themselves better and the depth of connection I have with the families that I work with individually is probably the most fulfilling part of my work. I can impact people I will never have the pleasure of knowing personally and I can know the exact impact I have made with the families in my private practice.
In her home office, Marcie wears the Indy Jump in Sage.
Q: What inspired you to begin your practice?
A: I did not intentionally create my practice or my speaking career. Both began because people reached out to me. Before my private practice started, I was working through a company that contracted with the Department of Education to provide educational services to children under five years old. Parents started to get my name and number and would call me. They did not qualify for services from the city but needed help, heard I was good, and wanted to hire me privately. Not wanting to turn away families in need, I said yes. Soon my days and weeks were filled with families that had found me, rather than families from the company. It was then that I realized I had a practice and needed to put some business structures behind my work.
My speaking career happened the same. I would work with schools to support an individual student and they would ask me to come train their staff, so I did! Someone would see my content on social media and reach out. That is how I spoke at DoorDash. I would work with a parent who used my strategies with their staff at work. They would then ask me to come do training for their team, which then extended to their company. I would meet someone and be talking about changing behavior and they would invite me to do a keynote at a conference they were organizing. That is how I spoke at the Royal Australian Navy.
Q: What advice would you give to someone interested in your career path?
A: Come join me! The world needs more people who can help advocate for kids, who can advocate for mental health, who can help us all be a bit more human! It takes a tremendous amount of work on yourself to help others. Make sure you have a good therapist! I find that I learn about myself all the time and grow through experiences in my business. To help families find their happiness, I need to know where I find my happiness.
Running your own business is amazing and hard work. There is a glamorized version of being an entrepreneur that I see happening in the world. Running my own company is hard work, long hours, and can be exhausting. I also love it with all my heart and can’t imagine my career any other way. So dive in if that resonates with you.
My career path has unfolded over the past 25 years. Your work won’t look like mine if you are just getting started. You don’t have to do it all today. Just decide on one step you want to take today and do that. Find the one element you want to bring forward and do that. After that piece is in place, then do the next, then the next. One step at a time!
I have not done what others in my field have done. I have not followed the ‘right’ structures. I followed my gut and created a company and programs that feel right for me and help those who are reaching out to me. Do your career the way that feels right for you! Follow your path! Learn all the strategies, read the books, take the courses, talk to those who have come before…I have done all of this…and then do what is right for you!
If I can help, reach out! I am always happy to pay it forward for all the amazing people who helped shape my career!
Marcie wears Blu's Gown in Black (coming soon).
Q: How has therapy changed over the years you’ve been in practice?
A: There have been tremendous changes in the world of mental health overall and support for children. The biggest change has been around acceptance and openness. While there is still a long way to go, there are so many more conversations about mental health and the recognition of the need for support. There are so many more children receiving support and less of a stigma around receiving a diagnosis. Being able to talk about needing help is the precursor to getting help and there has been such a huge shift in this!
That said, I feel more able to talk about how I have changed over the years that I have been in practice, than how the culture has changed. My career started working exclusively with children diagnosed with Autism, providing individualized support directly to them.
About 10 years into my career, I realized that teaching parents was a critical element for success. The kids needed their parents to carry over and generalize the skills we worked on in sessions. I began working with parents, alongside their children. The parent training element changed the speed and impact my sessions provided.
My work was really about behavior change and education for children and parents. About five years ago, my career shifted to include more elements of mental health. I was called to support a school community following the death of a teacher. This opened the door to learning more about mental health and grief work. I have had the opportunity to support communities in crisis, from front-line workers during COVID-19 to unaccompanied refugee minors.
Now my work spans mental health and education. I am a behaviorist at heart who builds the bridge for families and organizations by providing the tools each unique group needs from a wide range of strategies in my toolkit.
Q: What are your hobbies and interests outside of your career?
A: Shopping at Meg! I also love learning! I think there is a deep connection between my interests outside of work and my work. I am constantly learning about myself and about how we work as humans. I’ve studied Cranio Sacral Therapy and Neuro-Linguistic Programming. I continue to learn about behaviorism and stay on top of what is unfolding in my professional career.
I meditate and do yoga, I’m certified as a yoga teacher and reiki master. I love learning about herbs and plants and food can help support our health. I’m also starting to learn about astrology and read tarot. I love a good jigsaw puzzle or a challenging sudoku. Things that make me think and have a solution. Honing my problem-solving skills is fun to me!
Marcie wears the Studio Jacket in Olive and the Painter's Jump in Railroad Stripe.
Q: How did you first come across the Meg brand?
A: It was years and years ago. I had first moved to Brooklyn, had a friend visiting from out of town, and roamed into the store. We both tried on a few things and I walked out with two new dresses (that I still have and love), a pencil skirt (that I still often wear for speaking engagements), and a pair of pants (that no longer fit and have been passed onto a dear friend). I loved the classic style that felt fresh. I loved that the clothes made me feel good in my body. Even the clothes that didn’t come home with me felt good to try on.
Over the years as I have come back again and again, I always feel good about my body in clothes made by Meg. I have brought friends who are all different shapes and sizes…and the clothes fit! I love Meg because the clothes are made for women! I never feel like my chest is too big or my belly too round because of the way the clothes fit and that is a unique gift!
Q: What is your favorite Meg piece?
A: You want to know one favorite? That’s not possible…it all depends on the event! I love the Disco Jump for when I want to feel as sparkly on the outside as I am on the inside. I love the Claudette Jump in Olive from last season for when I’m roaming around the world. I love the Biggie Dress in Orange for when I want to feel stylish and fabulous, with ease. I love the pencil skirt I have had for years for when I have a speaking engagement and need to feel professional, polished, and me.
Marcie wears the Oversized Blazer in Red.
Q: How would you describe your style?
A: A friend once reflected to me that I like to wear art. She was right! I like to wear things that are unique, colorful, vibrant, and make my heart happy. I like to wear things that are made by artists, especially when the artist is a person I can meet and thank for bringing their art to my world. My style is when the joy in my soul is reflected by the clothes on my body!
Thank you for these insights into Marcie. I’m Marcie’s Mom and even I learned something new about her. I never knew she was a Reiki master!!!