If You Want Something & Believe You Can Have It, Do This | Meagan Good on Impact Theory

Talk to me about the power of [music] doing the work, of work ethic. Why does it matter? You know, it's interesting. It sometimes it happens without it, but I don't think it sustains without it. Um, and what I learned is for the things that I'm wanting and believing, I just have to do everything possible that's within [music] my power. And there's some things that aren't within my power, and that's where I trust God. But what is it within my power? It's [music] whether it's getting the proper sleep, whether it's learning your lines, whether it's researching the character, whether it's watching movies for reference, whether it's picking up a subject matter, a person to [music] study, or working out, or eating healthy, or, you know, whatever it is that you need [music] that's going to make you better at what you want to do. It's doing every single bit of that that you can possibly do, [music] and and going above, you know, not just doing just enough to get by, but going above. And then after that, it's like, if it's supposed to happen, it will happen. And chances are, if you do the work, it likely will happen. Hey, everybody. Welcome to Impact Theory. Our goal with this show and company is to introduce you to the people and ideas that will help you actually execute on your dreams. All right, today's guest is an actress and best-selling author who's famous for her roles in such high-profile films as Friday, DC's superhero comedy Shazam, Anchorman 2, The Love Guru alongside comedy legend Mike Myers, and the number one box office smash Stomp the Yard. For her amazing star-making turn opposite Samuel L. Jackson in the unnerving Eve's Bayou, she received an NAACP Award and much critical acclaim, making it easy to see why she has continued to get cast in coveted roles since she was a child. In addition to her work in film, she starred in over 40 national commercials, countless music videos with massive stars like Will Smith, 50 Cent, and Tyrese, and an unbelievable string of critically acclaimed television shows including Minority Report, House, Law & Order, and Californication. She's also launched her own production company, Freedom Bridge Entertainment, and with her sister, the Greater Good Foundation, aimed at enhancing the quality of life for all young women. And as if all of that wasn't already enough, she's also written a best-selling book with her husband about celibacy called The Wait. So, please help me in welcoming the star of the upcoming thriller The Intruder, the incredibly talented multi-hyphenate Meagan Good. [laughter] [applause and cheering] Thank you. I am super excited to have you. Yay. Your career has already been long and it feels like you're just getting started, which is extraordinary, and I love what you're doing on the foundation side. And the thing that stopped me in my tracks when I was researching, I went to your Instagram page, and at the top there is a quote, and I would like to read that quote [laughter] because I could feel this in every interview you gave, everything you do. Like I feel this resonating. And it says, "Some women are lost in the fire, some women are built from it." Mhm. What is the fire? What do you mean by that? And how do we make sure that we're one of the ones that's built by it instead of getting lost? The fire has been a lot, a lot of different things. Um one of them, I grew up in a predominantly white neighborhood where for some reason there was just a lot of racism. Um I had teachers who told me that I wasn't going to be successful at what I wanted to accomplish. You told me I wasn't pretty enough, I wasn't talented enough. Um and then finally in breaking into the business, it was a number of years before I got my first opportunity. And um at one point I had lost my work permit and I couldn't act for a year, and that's when I really knew that it was something that I wanted to pursue for the rest of my life. And then even, you know, along the journey, there's a lot of times where I've been told outright, you know, "We want to give you this role, but we can't because you're black and, you know, that that's not going to sell overseas, but we'll give you the best friend role and we'll beef it up for you." Um there's been times where, you know, kind of making that transition from child actor to adult actor, it's a very hard transition for anybody and a lot of people don't get to the other side. So for me it was like, "Okay, how do I make that transition?" And so I kind of took the sexy girl route, where I kind of became like the sex kitten. And after a while that actually began to hurt me because people didn't take me seriously. Um they thought that there wasn't any more to me than just the outward appearance. Um and it's just like all of it, it's it's been a a long journey, but a good journey, you know? And I think I guess how you let the fire build you is you let it make you more determined. Every time someone told me no, I was like, "Okay, I'll show you, you know? I'll show you in love, but I'll show you. I got it." Why do you think so many people get lost in the fire? Cuz I I'll agree with you, I think the standard path is to have difficulties come your way, they tear you apart, they break your sense of self-esteem, self-worth. Yeah. Um but why? Why does that happen? And what what's the like sort of daily practice that one can do to get out of that? Yeah, I think um I think it happens because we all have insecurities, you know, and we're not perfect and we have things that we struggle with internally and personally. And then when people point those things out, it becomes even more intense. And so I think you know, it's it's a journey for for every person, but I think you just have to keep fighting to get on the other side of it and that has to be the only option. There is no other option. And so, you know, it's just about each season pressing forward, you know? Now that's really interesting. It's the only option. You have to make it the only option. So, I love that. I think that's really powerful. Um you work a lot with young women. Mhm. Um you work a lot with women in prisons, which I found really, really interesting. How do you help them with that? Because I think if if people could really adopt that notion of Yeah. I am going to be successful no matter what, and you know, I'm going to keep focused on that, that it would be a pretty radical change. So, how do you help them with that back sort of backing themselves into a corner essentially? Yeah, I mean, I think I'm a believer that everything we go through in life is for a reason. And there's things that happen that you're like, "God, why would this happen to me? Why would I have to go through this?" And what I've learned is that the reason we go through it is so that we can help someone else. So, you can look someone in the eye and say, "I've been through that." And they're like, "No, you don't know." And it's like, "No, I know. I've been there, you know?" And I think the most important thing in life is giving back to each other and helping each other. Um so, for me, you know, speaking with women in prison, um whether it's, you know, younger girls, older women, um it's really about pouring into them and letting them know that there is something around the corner, no matter what they've been through, no matter what's been done to them, no matter what they've done or where they've been, um that God always has more for them. And actually, the things that they've been through that are negative, he will turn around and use for their positive. But they have to have the mindset and the perception to try to see it that way and begin to do the work so they can meet God halfway, and he does the rest from there. Now, talk to me. You're so driven and obviously pushing yourself to be better all the time, and you know, we all get to watch you improve and grow every day, every role. So, how do you take that yin and yang of love yourself exactly right now today, exactly as you are, Yeah. and yet also, it's okay to strive and want more and to push yourself to be better? Yeah, I mean, for me, I I always want to continue to learn. I think that all of us will be learning till the day that we die. And I want to be the best version of myself, and I'm always on a journey to that. I I've gotten to a place of like, I'm good with who I am. I'm great about where I am right now in life. But, I want more. I want when I leave to know that I used it all up, that I did everything that I was supposed to do, that I touched or impact or allowed myself to be touched or impact in every single way that I was supposed to because you know, life isn't just short, it's also very precious. And um while we're here, I think it's important to literally be everything that we were called to, and to walk away one day with them there being nothing left, you know? Leaving it all out on the field, basically. That's amazing. I want to talk about your process for learning. So, that's really intriguing. So, looking at your career, you've never been afraid to try something new, to break out of the confines, not let people put you in a box. Um and I love that you start out feeling like, I don't know if I can do this, which is where I think we all live most of the time with all of the things that we want to do. It's just that most people, because they're so afraid that they won't be able to do it, they never take that first step. Right. What advice do you have for people? Like, what's your learning process? What are the walls you ran into? How did you put yourself in a position even to run into a wall? Right. Who do you begin to ask? Like, where do you start? Is it a Google search? Is it calling a friend? Like, what is that I know nothing about it, I just know I need to learn about it. What's that process? I think it's it's it's kind of just what you think. It's like, okay, let me Google the information. Let me ask a friend. Let me read a book. Let me see what this person did. Like, how did Jennifer Aniston do it? How did, you know, Reese Witherspoon do it? Like, following and looking at the stories and following kind of the yellow brick road and then putting it together and what it means for you. Like, with directing, I literally walked on that set petrified. And honestly, every time I direct, like, I just directed my first movie in July, and every single time I walk on a set for the first time, I feel like I'm going to throw up. I'm like, I've no idea what I'm doing. And then it starts to just come to me. The more I trust myself and I trust my instincts, and whenever I get scared and I'm like, okay, is this the right thing to do? I just go, you know what? I'm just going to commit to this is the right thing to do. And if it's wrong, I'll figure it out. And if it is wrong, it's like, okay, now I learned, and let's keep going. Um and so, for me, obviously courage is is not not being afraid. It's being petrified and doing it anyways. And so, that's really try to how I try to live my life is just keep pressing forward and trusting my instincts, because what I do know is my instincts are unique, and they're mine, and nobody else has them. So, the more I trust what I put into the world, I the know the more I know I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing. How do you handle grief in all of this? So, a door gets slammed in your face, and sometimes it's got to suck at a really real level. How do you process through that and get moving again? [snorts] For me in the beginning, it was like very devastating and frustrating, and then I just fixed my mind to just say, like, what's for me is for me, no one can take it from me. And what's for someone else is from someone else for someone else, and I can't take it from them. And that's how I taught myself very early to not compete with other women, and just, you know, I want to see them win. And what belongs to them, I can't take it. And vice versa. And so, um in terms of the grief of you know, the frustration of certain things not working out or not being fair, I just fixed my mind to say, okay, so, sometimes these things aren't fair, and I have a choice. I can be mad, I can be upset, I can be hurt. Um I could be, you know, jilted and have a chip on my shoulder, or I can choose to say, let me just do what I can do to change things for the little girl behind me. Let me continue to push forward and be very thankful and happy for the things that I do get a chance to do because I could be doing something else, you know? I could be working somewhere where I'm not happy and not doing the things that are really in my heart and not following my passions, but I get to follow my passion every day. So, to be grateful and to be humble and to have my perspective really be about I am thankful to do this. You know, this is exciting and um to not get upset. If it was mine, I would have it, you know? And so, I I've just changed my mind about how I look at it and how I think about it. And of course, there's those roles you go in for and you're like, "Ah, I really wanted that." But, I just choose to say, "You know what? I'm going to get really excited for who did get it." You know? And get excited for the thing that's mine that's coming. So. I love that you say that's a choice. Yeah. That you choose to be excited for the other person. I think that's really strong. Yeah. Your attitude and the way that you carry yourself and all that make you a hero to a lot of a lot of people, first of all, and then a lot of young women, especially. You've said that your mom is your hero. Oh, yeah. Why? Uh, Mommy. She's amazing. Sorry. I'm going to cry. Um She's just you know, she's done so much. You know, she was married when she was 19 and my older brother um he stopped breathing when he was a baby and he got brain damage. And she raised him by herself. And then she got remarried to my sister and I's father. And they were together for 10 years and then my dad was LAPD for 26 years. He was, you know, constantly working. So, she raised me and Lamaiya by herself. So, it was me and Lamaiya, my older brother Colbert, and then she adopted my younger sister. And she raised all of us by herself. And there were times where you know, we had this three-bedroom house and we had one extra room built on the back. And I look up and 18 people were living with us because my mother would literally take in everybody and literally care for everybody. And she really gave me that heart. Um but she is just an incredible person. She's a lover, she's a giver, she's given every last thing that she can to my sister and I, to my sisters and I, and my brother. And um she's just my hero. I just love her and appreciate her and know I wouldn't be here without her and when I was a kid I asked her me and my sister asked her "Do you think you could quit your job and maybe manage us so we could do this full time?" And she did. Wow. And by the grace of God we were successful at it but she had to know in her heart and she had to believe in us enough to say this is going to work out. Cuz who in their right mind quits their job and's like I believe my kids can do this unless they really have faith. And she did and I'm sitting here now because of it. Mhm. So, um you put a quote up from Martin Luther King Jr. that said faith is stepping on the first step when you can't see the rest of the staircase. How do you or maybe what did your mom teach you about that? Like Yeah. What does she say about taking that leap of faith and that first step? Um it's interesting because the way my life is framed is it is literally that quote. Just doing what I do every day it's a faith walk. It's a faith walk that I'm going to do well. It's a faith walk that I'm going to have another job. It's a faith walk that I'm going to go in the direction I want to go. Every time I get off a movie or a TV show I have to have faith that I'm going to get another job. I have to hope and pray and believe that I am. And so my mother just taught us very young that if you have the faith and if you do the work that it'll happen. So, one thing I know that you learned early on and and I love that it ties back to your mom. So, your mom says you have to have the faith and you have to do the work. Yeah. And you said you learned early on from doing TV what work ethic really is. Yeah. Talk to me about the power of doing the work, of work ethic. Why does it matter? It does it you know, it's interesting it sometimes it happens without it, but I don't think it sustains without it. Um and what I learned is you know, it's like even with um Shazam. Like I decided two years prior that I wanted to be a superhero. I was like, I want to be a superhero. I want that to happen. So, I'm just going to start training for it. And so, I started training. I started learning Taekwondo. I started learning um Capoeira and I just started training with a trainer like five, sometimes six days a week for like two years straight. And then it just happened, you know? And it was interesting because I fully expected it to happen, but I think sometimes we are more comfortable hoping and praying than than when it actually happens. Um and so, I just learned very early that for the things that I'm wanting and believing, I just have to do everything possible that's within my power. And there's some things that aren't within my power and that's where I trust God. But what is it within my power? It's rather it's getting the proper sleep, rather it's learning your lines, rather it's researching the character, rather it's watching movies for reference, rather it's picking up a subject matter, a person to study or um working out or eating healthy or you know, whatever it is that you need that's going to make you better at what you want to do. It's doing every single bit of that that you can possibly do and and going above, you know, not just doing just enough to get by, but going above. And um and then after that, it's like if it's supposed to happen, it will happen. And chances are if you do the work, it likely will happen. Talk to me about going above. This is an area for me that I think is where all the juice happens. Yeah. People either do enough as you say or they really go above and beyond. And the way that I explain it to people is your job, whatever you're trying to be great at, your job is to leave other people in awe. And nothing else will do because that's the nature of the human animal. The only thing that they're um going to remember is something that really hits them and really leaves them with that moment of like, "Whoa." Yeah. How has that served you and how do you get to that level? [snorts] Um mental toughness. As my my trainer May T would say, you know, when we we first started working out, for the first year he would always say there's going to be a point in time where that mental toughness kicks in and I didn't know what he meant. And what it meant was when you've done everything that you can do and you really have put in the work, there's another gear that kicks in where when you push yourself beyond what you think is capable, you suddenly realize how capable you are and you're able to just keep pushing and cranking and something magic happens. It's like almost like in your brain something happens that just takes you to another level of what you thought was even possible for you. Um rather it's physically, emotionally, spiritually, whatever it is, there's another gear that we can tap into when we push ourselves more than we think we can. Um and I don't mean push yourself and make yourself get hurt, but I mean just like, you know, pushing past um pushing past everything, pushing past your fears, pushing past what you think you're capable of, pushing past um what people say you can do. And I do think that is where the magic happens and and I think that's when you feel your strongest and you begin to start to uncover um that there's more there than you even realize. Um and that's just the start. That's just when you start to uncover, you know. Do you know David Goggins? No. Oh my god, I think you would love him to death. So, he when he was born, he said he believed that he was the weakest man God ever created. Wow. And he [snorts] was abused just the abuse was crazy. Wow. And he grew up as the um only African-American in a neighborhood entirely of white people and they were like uh like 20 mi or something from one of the uh major um chapters of the KKK. So, he grows up they're spray painting horrific stuff on his car and his binders, everything and just realizes nobody's coming to save me. And [snorts] he says one day he just decided he was going to become the toughest man alive. And so, he ends up doing uh the most [snorts] ridiculous training ever. He goes through as only person to make it through four different elite um special ops training. So, he does Delta Force. Wow. Um he does SEAL training, he does BUD/S um Hell Week three times, gets through it Yes. twice. Just crazy. Wow. Uh Air Force Rangers and just like transforms himself body and mind. And he said in all of that, in being pushed like that well past his comfort zone like you're talking about, he clicks into that point where he realizes exactly what you were saying that you're capable of so much more than you think. Yeah. And so, he said when you're like broken, you can't go another step. Yeah. He said you're only 40% of the way to your actual capacity. Right. Wow. Like that always gave me the chills. And it's just that most people don't end up ever pushing themselves like that. So, how do you get yourself psyched enough cuz to tap into that zone that you're talking about? Like your body, your mind is screaming Yeah. stop. Yeah. Go in the opposite direction. Yeah. So, how do you get yourself there? Well, first of all, that just inspired me to go even further. [laughter] Um to me it's just um that there's got to be more, you know? And I don't I don't know how I necessarily tap into it. It's just I start to feel that when my mind and my body is screaming, if I push just a little bit further. And then when I push further, I realize that I can push just a little bit further and I just keep going as far as I can. And once I know that I can get to this level, the next opportunity I have, I start pushing past that next level. And um I don't know. I guess it's I don't want things to be the same. I want to continue to go to the next level. I don't ever want to get comfortable and say this is good. This is enough. I want to be um satisfied and thankful with this is good and this is enough, but I don't want to get comfortable in the sense of like I know that I can access more. And I again, I want to access everything that there is for me to get until there's nothing left, you know? Dude, I love that so much. Like that is the driving force in my life is to be at the same time to be like, I love my life. I'm way grateful, but it's me versus me. And I want to see like how much more can I do. So when people ask me like what's the purpose of life? For me the answer is very simple. How much of my potential can I turn into actual skills? Like how much of this can I ring out where I'm I'm now able to do something today that I wasn't able to do yesterday because I was very disciplined and I came and I showed up every day and I pushed myself and I got to the point where I didn't think I could give any more and I pushed a little more and then the next time I come back and I'm like, "Hey, remember where you were and you didn't think you could do any more and now you did a bit more." Yeah. And that like continual push, there's something about that I really respond to people that have that hunger. Yeah. Um and my question to all of them is how do you stay hungry when you've been as successful as you've been? I mean, your your credits alone, if all you do is look at what you've done in the entertainment industry, which truly is only a part of what you've done, but even if I just look at that, it's already insane you could rest and say, "Well, I've done it. I've had number one box office hits. I've acted with some of the biggest names on the planet." It's like you're part of franchises that are going to be remembered. So it's like, how do you stay hungry? I feel like I'm just starting. I don't know. Something about it I just feel I feel like I've been doing it forever and I feel like I'm just getting started. And I don't know why I feel that way. I just am excited about what's next. And I don't think But I do think there is truth to like, you know, we often think, "Well, if I just accomplish this, this, that, and the other, then, you know, that'll be good." And then you get there, and I think everybody pretty much always realizes is that once you get there, you're like, "Oh, man. Okay, well, if I just accomplish this, this, this, this, that, then I'll feel, you know." And I think that um sometimes it's an endless cycle in a negative way for some people. Um because they think once they accomplish those things, they'll be happy. And then sometimes it's a positive cycle for people because it's just about continuing to elevate. Um for me, I don't know. I just feel like there's so much I want to do that I haven't done yet. Um and there's so many um so many different things to tap into that I haven't even begun to scratch the surface. Talk to me about what you're doing now to push yourself. The Intruder looks awesome. Thank you. Dennis Quaid, super exciting. Yeah, he's awesome. He's great. So, how do you keep pushing yourself to do something new on screen, to reinvent? Like, what's your process with creating a character that's going to be unlike anything we've seen you do before? Like, so many actors, you can just sort of see them get stale over a career, but that hasn't been your case. Thank you. Um so, how did you approach The Intruder? Like, how do you keep it fresh? Yeah, um I try to be conscious of that that everything is different, you know? And sometimes these are parts of yourself. I mean, there's always a part of yourself in it to some degree, even if you get rid of everything about you, there's still parts of you because it's how you download and process and emote. Um but for me, I try to be conscious of making sure that every single character is different. Um and sometimes that means picking case studies, you know, people that I feel like are similar to this person, and looking at the reasons um not what they do, but the reasons why they do. And then there's why they do what they do, and then what's like the the deep-rooted thing that's below that, and just kind of, discovering what that is. And then, um, yeah, I mean, it's it varies for different characters. So, sometimes it's something that's inside of me that I completely understand that I don't get to express, um, and in this way I can express it exactly how I'm feeling it without any filter or any judgment. It just is. And then other times it's someone that's so different from me that I kind of don't even know where to start, and so I just start to pick apart the the behavior and what kind of person this is and what they've been through and what is the backstory. And then other times it's case studies. It's like, wow, this person is very much like this person. Let's find out what is kind of the science of everything that she is. And so, um, I just try to be conscious of finding different things every single time and and um, by the grace of God, there's been such some great stuff I've got to do along the way, and I think for me, the biggest thing is saying no sometimes. So, what was it about The Intruder that drew you to this particular project? Yeah, I was excited about this character because I also loved her heart. You know, there was something about her that to me was something that about me that a lot of people don't see unless you know me well or unless we're talking like this. But, I just have such a heart for human beings. I'm I'm very, um, empathetic and and compassionate. So, when I see someone else cry, it makes me cry. And when I see, you know, someone on the street, it breaks my heart. And when I, you know, it's it could be anything. And so, there's so much of that inside the character of Annie, where she just she's not, um, 100% naive. She's just the type of person who wants to believe the best in everyone and really gives people the benefit of the doubt, and probably to a fault. Um, but, um, yeah, I just thought it'd be a fun character to play. That's really cool. Speaking of something else that you're fully in and involved with, tell me about your marriage, which from the outside looks beyond extraordinary. What are some of the tools and tactics that you guys use to make your marriage as extraordinary as it is? Um there's a lot of things and thank you. Literally just like thinking about him makes me smile. Um because he is literally like one of the best things that's ever happened to me. And when I say best things like God being like the top best thing. So um Why is that exactly? Which part? Why is he such a good thing in your life? Um because he has brought a lot of healing. I was already on kind of a road to healing and growth at the time we started dating. And when we got together because I had you know I didn't I didn't have like a bunch of bad relationships or anything, but I had stuff from my dad not being in the house. I had stuff from past relationships. I I'd been in a relationship that was verbally abusive. And I just had stuff from the years. And so when I got into a relationship with with DeVon, it was very I was very protective over my space, over my independence, over a lot of things and he really helped break a lot of those walls down with love. And one of the biggest things for me the common theme in my life whether it was the neighborhood I grew up in, whether it's what I experienced growing up as an actress in the business, as a black actress, as my father not being all these different things the common theme for me was that love was very conditional. If I do this, then I'm loved. If I fit into this person's box, then I'm loved. If I go about, you know and um I knew that that wasn't right. And so I didn't accept that. However, it hurt me very much that I could not get the love the way that I wanted outside of my mother and sisters, and that was enough for me. But in terms of relationships, I had resigned myself to this is a very conditional thing. So, if it works for me, I'll do it. If it doesn't, I won't. And in our relationship, it was being accepted for exactly who I am. Like I remember when we first started getting premarital counseling, and at the time I had been smoking for like 11 years. And so, I remember we were in this pre- pre-engagement counseling, and we were talking talking talking, and one of the things that came up was me smoking. And Devon said, "Well, I you know, I'm not going to marry a smoker." And for me, it was like it like crushed my entire spirit because I was like, "I'm not enough. I am enough, but I'm not enough to him because I smoke." And so, she asked me, she said, "The therapist said, you know, how does that make you feel?" And I said, "That made me feel like I'm not accepted. Like yet there is another person in my life who is telling me I'm not good enough because I don't fit their standard when I know I'm good enough." And I said, "And I would rather not get married then. Not because I don't want to quit smoking, which I don't want to quit smoking right now, but not because I don't want to quit smoking, but because I'm not going to change who I am in order to be loved. You either love me or you don't." And we kind of left that it there, and it was very awkward, and then me and him went to dinner, and it was awkward dinner. And he could just see like how much that broke my spirit, and he could see how much it affected me. And instantly, he was like, "I'm sorry that I said that, and I love you exactly the way you are." And the day that we got married, he said, "If you never change anything about you, I will love you exactly the way you are until the day I leave this earth." And that impacted me so greatly because it was finally, you know, finally somebody else gets that I'm good enough. And um and then after that I quit smoking like 2 years later because not because he wanted me to, but because I realized that smoking for me was a way of being defiant. Smoking for me was a way of saying, you you know, um every time someone would come up to me and and say like, "Oh, you're too pretty to smoke." I'm just like, "What is too pretty to smoke?" Or like, "Oh, I can't believe you're a smoker." Like I'd be like, "Yeah." And then I'd practically like want to blow the smoke in your face cuz I'd be so aggravated. Um but that's like child actor trauma stuff. Um but for me it was a way of saying, "You guys aren't going to tell me what to do anymore. I'm going to do what I want to do. And anyone who doesn't like it, guess what? Oh, well." Um and what I realized is that I was actually really just hurting myself. And um and so when I quit smoking it was because it's time. It's time to let go of like something that I had held on to for so long to be defiant because I didn't need to be defiant anymore because that love was pure and because I loved myself. And um it's just a good good I don't know, really good thing. And also I want to be around and have babies and be healthy for as long as I can, hopefully till the day I deserve. So, yeah. I respect that. Yeah, it's really interesting watching you guys. You have an amazing dynamic. The fact that you wrote a best-selling book about waiting, about celibacy. Um that was really really interesting and I think that your whole notion around healing and stuff is is really pretty special. Um do you guys have any particular um communication tools that you use to make sure that you're talking Sounds like you guys use therapy even before you got married, which is very powerful. I don't know if you've continued that or Oh, yeah. Yeah, I mean, we we try to do it every once in a while for maintenance to be proactive instead of reactive. Um we did 4 months of pre-engagement counseling so that it wasn't um like premarital counseling which is like there's pressure now because, you know, you're getting ready to get married and you got this thing has to work. So, it was like before we even got engaged, let's sort through the stuff. And there was a lot of stuff on both ends. Um and then now it's, you know, we do it for maintenance and um the biggest thing is communication. We have those hard conversations that sometimes, you know, can be slightly brutal because we will be so honest with each other, but if you aren't that honest with each other, then how can you expect the other person to know? And we never um assume that the other person knows how we're feeling, even if it's like, "Okay, you're supposed to know me almost better than anyone else in the world. You're married to me. You live with me every day." Um we don't make those assumptions and we um communicate we communicate rawly. Um and uh yeah, and then just that like one of the things I learned in the beginning was never establish anything you can't live with for the rest of your life. You know, that was a big thing for me. It's like, "I want to go into marriage and I want to be fully myself. And there's some things that I do that he does differently or some things that I do these like, you know, if I go if I go out to the karaoke, it's not his favorite thing. He might go once in a while, but that's not really his thing." Um but I had to establish that I am someone who likes to go to karaoke often and I am someone that, you know, who'll have a glass of wine or whatever it is. He doesn't drink at all, but it was like, "I have to establish who I am out the gate so that I can continue to be myself." And whatever growth that happens within me happens within me, but it happens because it's between me and God versus trying to be someone that someone wants me to be or vice versa. And so, we kind of threw that stuff out of the window where it's like, "You be you and I'll be me. We don't always have to agree, but let's have mutual respect and let's have unconditional love." That is some really good advice. And that whole through line about being yourself, finding your voice, and having the courage to stand by it, I think is extraordinary. Thank [snorts] you. Tell people where they can see The Intruder. Tell people where they can find you online. These are very amazing things for people. Um The Intruder will be in theaters on May 3rd. Um and um all my social handles are @meagangood. Um m e a g a n g o o d and yeah. That's there and yeah. Yes, you should be. [laughter] I will speak very highly of your Instagram account, which I think is extraordinary. Thank you. Um so people should definitely check that out. Thank you. What's the impact that you want to have on the world? I want to encourage and inspire people um to be unapologetically who they were created to be and to follow what's in their spirit um and to live up to their full potential and um but I want them to be free, you know? I really, really want people to be free. I work at being free every day um but free to just live and be exactly who you're supposed to be without any um fear um of anything except for potentially not being that. It's a damn fine goal. Guys I don't know many people in the public eye that have been able to find their own voice and stick to it the way that she has. I think it's really extraordinary. If you haven't seen the trailer for The Intruder, go check it out. It looks amazing. Not only does she look awesome, Dennis Quaid looks to be in rare form. I think this is one you're going to want to watch. So, be sure to check that out. Megan, thank you so much. That was extraordinary advice for people and thank you so much for coming on the show. Thank you for having me. My Hey, bring it in. But, it made me stronger. There's nothing I can't get through. There's nothing I can't overcome because regardless of what people try to bring me down, like [music] inside I found like, "Oh, cool. I can I can push through. These people can't tell me that I look gross and and whatever and I can't do this." Like, "No, I'm I'm going to push through and I'm