Megan O’Neill is an expert in reinvention. After years as a beauty editor for all of your favorite publications, Megan has added new roles to her already impressive list of accolades: first, becoming a mom to sons Lagos and Monty. Next, joining the shoe brand NAYLA as their new CEO and Creative Director. And through every chapter, Megan’s paved the way — for more moms, for more Black women, and for more dreamers to achieve whatever they put their minds to.
In our conversation, we talk to Megan about resilience, staying flexible, and how to find your own superpower.
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Let’s start by talking about the women who have shaped you — whether matriarchs, mentors, or other influential figures.
How would you describe the impact they’ve had on your life?
"My mom, god. She taught me everything about… everything! She raised me and my older brother in Manhattan as a single mom and somehow managed, without the safety net of money or having a spouse to share the emotional burden of raising children, to send us to incredible private schools, summer camps, and to feed us a nourishing, homemade dinner every night. Being a single mom is in and of itself just staggering. But then she also did it with an alacrity and a sure footedness that is just…out of this world. I don’t know if I could conjure such strength and peace of mind and discipline? Some days she would drop me off at school on the Upper East Side, run 2 laps around the reservoir in Central Park, go to work—she was a copy editor at various magazines and then at The New Yorker for 30 years, before retiring two years ago—pick me up after sports practice, make dinner (we’d eat at, like, 10PM and were sort of infamous for our late-night antics at my school), and then work on freelance projects deep into the night that she would take on to make our quality of life that much better. I don’t know anyone who’s worked more doggedly or mothered more intentionally or lovingly. Sometimes I feel like how a celebrity kid must feel; like, how on earth do I live up to my parent’s brilliance? I’m still in awe of my mom’s ability to have made it happen like she did. She’s honest and otherworldly. She’s my best friend. And the person who I bicker with the most. It’s very healthy stuff."
We’ve loved seeing you grow and evolve through the many chapters of life: learning from you as a high profile editor, feeling inspired by your motherhood journey, watching your creative vision come to life at NAYLA.
What have you learned about resilience through these many eras and transitions?
"One key to navigating it all, life and a career, is staying flexible. (The writer and activist, Jodie Patterson gave me that advice years ago, and it comes into play so much.) A lot of us have goals and can envision the sort of job or life we want in the near future, but I think it’s crucial to be able to veer away from that vision—without feeling like you’re giving up something or greatly compromising—if some other opportunity or unexpected, intriguing path reveals itself. I got laid off from goop a few months ago, and I thought I would finally write the book I always saw myself writing. But then this crazy thing happened, and now I’m CEO of a sustainable sandal company! And because that is all consuming—I am working on my first collection for fall and doing a complete rebrand—I just can’t write that book right now. I like that I was able to pivot. I like that life is what it is and that there are these twists and turns that you could never have fathomed. But to see these opportunities, I think you have to stay flexible and not be completely tethered to what your perception of success or actualization is.”
How does it feel to tackle a new medium through creative directing and leading NAYLA? How have your years of acting as an expert editor and curator contributed to the creative process working brand-side?
"The thing that makes you different, the thing that you might find deplorable, will be one of your superpowers. Promise.”
On note of life’s many lessons, you could offer one piece of advice — to your younger self, your children, or even other women building their own path — what would it be?
"Be authentically you! There is no other way to be, really. You can try to be someone else, but it’s a disguise that’s ultimately just too exhausting to don. The thing that makes you different, the thing that you might find deplorable, will be one of your superpowers. Promise."
Ritual is something we come back to often — those little anchoring moments that help us feel most like ourselves. And we know you’re an expert in that arena. So we please, share: are there rituals you’ve built into your days, especially during this busy season of life?
"LOVE rituals! Love taking care of myself and making sure I feel great. I drink two cups of green juice every single morning (kale, green apple, lemon, parsley, romaine lettuce, spinach, celery—refreshing, bowel-moving, and invigorating!) And of course I loooove gorgeous beauty formulas. A silky hand serum (omg, SIDIA!)., a life-affirming body wash (again, OMG SIDIA), a plumping face oil….it feels so, so fantastic to nourish your skin—and soul."
Megan's Ritual:
