October 26, 2021 • 19 mins
This ‘5th thing’ episode is full of a lot of different things! First Kat & Amy chat about adulting and doing self exams to check for breast cancer. Also, have you ever heard of pink washing?? This was something new they just learned about and it’s a very interesting thing to be aware of during Breast Cancer Awareness month. Later in the episode, Amy shares a conversation she had with Meegen Pearson about nipple restoration. Meegen has been on the podcast before talking about micro-blading Amy’s eyebrows…but now she’s taken her tattooing skills a step further to help women feel more like themselves after mastectomies and reconstructive surgeries. It’s very cool what she’s able to do and it’s changing the confidence of so many women! Meegen’s tattooed nipples are 3D and look so real. Check out her Instagram, @Beauty.By.Meegen, for pictures! You can also see her brow work on that page! She is the best in town, so check her out if you’re in Nashville and want to get your brows done!!
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Happy Tuesday. Welcome to the Fifth Thing with Amy and
Cat And we always start the Tuesday episodes off with
a quote, and mine is a meme from Instagram. That's
what I'm bringing to us today. Cats. So, my friends Sunday,
who has a shop in Southern Pines called Mockingbird on
broad she posts the best memes on her Instagram, and
she put up one that said, I'm just going to
(00:26):
get gas in the morning. This is one of the
worst decisions you make as an adult, and I agree, Like,
yet I continue to adult this way. So I even
reposted it on my Instagram because I thought it was
so amazing. And yeah, there's two types of people in
the world. Those that will get the gas at night
to be responsible so they wake up in the morning
they're good. Or those that wake up and are like,
(00:47):
oh no, I have to get gas. So which are you? Cat?
What do you think I am get gas at night? Sorry,
I'm gonna get gats in the morning because I'll get
up early and I'm gonna have like so much time
and then I'm late to whatever I need to go to.
I forget. Yeah, I was just trying to give you
a little hard and encouragement that you're going to be
the responsible adult. But yes, I know that you lean
(01:09):
more like I do with that you are responsible, high
functioning adult, but we are very irresponsible when it comes
to gas. I don't know what it is that I
like hate doing it, so I like postponent and me too,
I will ride until below zero. Oh no, I won't
do that. I give I have a lot of anxiety
about that. So when I have to get gas in
(01:30):
the morning, like I probably so you are a responsible
gas person. So I just thought that that would be
sort of a lighthearted quote slash meme to share at
the beginning of this episode, which we're gonna be talking
about breast cancer awareness today. I know it's the end
of the month, it's the end of October and all
month long, places all over have been focusing on breast
(01:51):
cancer awareness, and I think it's a it's a conversation
for all times. Those of you that know my mom's story,
you know that she went through cancer and and she
passed away in two thousand and fourteen, but it was
not from breast cancer. Somehow that people just assume my
mom had breast cancer, but she did not. So I
personally don't have experience with that type of cancer, but
(02:12):
I do with others because my dad also had cancer.
My mom had a know my dad had throat so
the chemo, the radiation, the surgeries, a lot of that
can look the same. But for women um in our breasts,
like there's a certain level of connection and confidence that
comes to that. And when we're losing um a part
of us, if you've had to have amystectomy or a
(02:34):
double mestechtomy. My friend Megan will be popping on. At
the end of this, I'm going to share a clip
of a conversation we had because Megan, who also has
done your eyebrows, she does microblading, but now she's doing
this three D tattooing, And I'm going to share a
conversation that we had that's helping give women confidence that
need it. But let me just ask you, because you're
(02:55):
thirty one, Cats thirty one, I'm forty and I had
a amograham i mid thirties for something else, and then
now that I'm forty, I have to get a mamogram
every year. Have you had a mamogram yet? No, I
haven't even thought about it. Well, I don't think you
need to be thinking about it at thirty one according
to professionals, and less of course, breast cancer runs in
(03:16):
your family. My friend Laura, she would say, everyone should
try to get checked if that's possible for them. But
you can do self exams. And I'm the worst at
doing any sort of self exam. What about you? Yeah,
but I did see that. Yeah you're worse or yeah
you do them, you know, like, yeah, I'm like not good.
I think that I just avoid it. Yeah, kind of
like I avoid putting gas. Yeah, Like, but that wouldn't
(03:38):
happen to me, so I don't need to do anything.
But in the reality is it could happen to anybody,
so I should probably put more attention to it. Yeah.
Like my friend Laura, who's she's married to Ray on
the Bobby Bones Show if you're a listener of that,
and she said early detection saved her life, so she
wants to urge everybody to be doing things. And I
had a conversation with her last night because I knew
(03:59):
I was going to be recording us because I saw
her post something on Instagram the other day about how
she has a love hate relationship with Breast Cancer Awareness
Month because it can be very triggering. So I will say,
if that's something for you, then then maybe this episode
is one that you skip and you pass on. Obviously,
she wants the awareness out there, and she wants the research,
and she wants the fundraising. But she also taught me
about pink washing, which I never had heard of before.
(04:22):
I just thought, oh, look at all these companies doing
pink and guess they're giving back to breast cancer research,
which said a lot of companies get on board in
the month of October and they just make everything pink
so that people gravitate towards their items more thinking that
they're supporting, but really there's no support, which is crazy. Yeah,
well it makes me think about like when like sports
(04:43):
teams are like changed and wear pink, whether it's like
their socks or their gloves or whatever. I'm like, what,
that's really cool and that brings awareness, but we should
be actually paying attention to what is this doing outside
of like, Okay, now we're thinking about breast cancer in October,
how is this actually helping? Well, I don't know if
the sports team. I don't know. Don't either teams are goadiding,
but I I had no idea that companies did that.
(05:05):
I thought if they were pink that the minage and
some companies, Yes, there is a percentage that's going I'm
not even going to name company names. Now she named
some for me, but I'm not going to do that
here on the podcast. If you want to do your
own research on pink washing. I just was fascinated by
the fact that some companies. I guess I shouldn't be
that shocked, but corporations would make an executive decision to
(05:26):
just make things pink for the sake of selling more
in October versus and are then thinking they're helping. Yeah,
it's tricky. So yeah, it's called pink washing. Learned something
new every day. And really I saw another article to
just talking about how half of women say they do
not regularly check themselves for signs of breast cancer. So
(05:47):
that's what I want to take away here to be
is that we all need to be aware. But I'm
sure a lot more people are checking their breasts in
October because it's where you turn. You're seeing things that
remind you of that, which is awesome, But we need
to be doing at every every month, every week. I
don't know, it's not even that big of an ordeal
to do a self exam. But yeah, and if you
(06:07):
don't know how to do it, there's videos on YouTube,
there's different pamphlets at your doctor's office. Maybe this is
a reminder to to get your yearly at your O
b G y N. I am not an adult when
it comes to making doctor's appointments for myselves, for myself,
like on two people for myself, but I am starting
to be more responsible. But I would go years without
going to the O b G y N. And I
(06:29):
do feel privilege in that I have good insurance and
I can go do that. So I know that that's
not everyone listening. But if you do have access to care,
early detection even on other types of cancer, cervical stuff,
even like the anal things like my mom had to
go through, Like now I'm obsessed with you know when
you go to the guy in collegists say, well, occasionally
(06:50):
stick their fingers places up the but and it's uncomfortable.
But I want early detection, like if if there's something
there I want and she knows how to feel for it.
And last time my doctor did that, she said that
she's caught things earlier before. For people. And if you
can catch certain cancers early, it's amazing, but if it
gets to stage three, stage four, it's very difficult. But
(07:12):
some of them at stage one very manageable. I mean,
of course, there's a lot of trauma you have to
go through and the treatment and whatnot. But all this
to say is that we just want to take an
opportunity here to remind women to do it, and then
also set up a conversation that I'm going to share
with you from Megan, which I love what she's doing
(07:33):
for women and I think it's super cool. And I
never knew that three D nippling or nipple tattooing was
a thing, which I mean, cat your therapist, like, what
can something like that do for a woman's confidence? I mean,
I could probably give an answer, but it's something a
therapist and I know, but you're the therapist. So I
was like, why not ask a license therapist like how
(07:53):
we're impacted by things? Well, what I get into my
conversation with Megan, and maybe this is more what you
can speak to is that I don't want everything to
be focused on looks. But I've bet Megan and that's
what I share with her, that She's probably made women
cry when she puts brows on them, and she's definitely
made women cry when she gives them their nipple back
(08:13):
or the appearance of a nipple so that they look
how they once looked. But then there's this weird fine
line of like not wanting to make it all about looks,
but yet we can feel super confidence. Maybe that's the
part you can speak to. Yeah, well, I think it
can be different for everybody, But I'm thinking about when
she's doing the areola tattooing, it's more about like allowing
you to feel like yourself again. I've never gone through
(08:37):
something like that, so I don't know what it's like
to lose a body part essentially, but I wonder if
that's just allowing people to like feel like themselves again
or feel normal again, whatever that means. And the same
with the eyebrows, Like yet's not all about like what
we look like, but it's more about like allowing somebody
to like feel like a person again, whatever that means
(08:59):
to them, giving them that level of contact. Okay, well
that's what you'll hear me talk about it with Megan,
And if you're in the Nashville area, you should definitely
check her out and uh, here is our little chat
(09:22):
so comped. My friend Megan can come on and talk
about something that she is doing that is pretty amazing
and so cool to help give women confidence back, especially
after they've been through something so difficult such as breast
cancer and then breast reconstruction. And Megan, you may recognize
her voice, say hey Megan, Hello, she has come on
(09:43):
the podcast before. She has a microblading and lip blushing
business called Beauty by Megan. And I met Megan because
she did my brows. I had a really horrible microblading
experience somewhere else and then ended up getting referred to
me again. I think like Kelsey Ballerini or somebody posted
you and maybe I wasn't even referred. I referred myself
(10:05):
on Instagram. So then I slid into her d M
s And then she is actually who introduced me to
Carry who's the Nashville beauty girl who does my whole
skincare routine. Because you're like, you gotta get these lasered off,
So Carrie lasered them off. I came back to you.
You did the correction, uh micro blading on my brows.
And since then I've been coming back for a little
(10:26):
touch ups. But obviously we follow each other on Instagram too,
and I keep up to speed with what she's doing
in life. And you just started doing the Ariola reconstruction,
So just breakdown what that is. And I'm just so
people are aware that that's that's an option that's out
there and that you're even someone that does it. Yeah, yeah,
thank you. I can't believe we've come a long way.
(10:48):
It's been like three years now since we've we first
did your your beautiful brow, my brow reconstructed your brow.
That was definitely definitely it. But yeah, so, um, I
have wanted to do reala tattoos for years now. I
mean it's something that when I started micro blading, I
saw that people did that and I just knew, like,
you know what, one day, I'm going to do that.
(11:08):
But um, what really put the fire under my butt
is actually two years ago this month, my mother was
diagnosed with breast cancer. And uh, three years before that,
my father he had died of colon cancer. So cancer sucks,
as we both know, it's just go into that for days.
But um, yeah, so mom was diagnosed and walking through
that journey was something that I will just never forget.
(11:31):
We lived together during the whole time, and um, just
seeing how strong those women are and everything that they
go through is I mean, as you know, it's so
hard to see the person you love go through that.
But you know, we finished the journey. She had to have,
you know, six round of chemo radiation double by ladder
and was sectomy, and um, I remember her telling me
that like she felt like Frankenstein, you know, and like
(11:53):
just hearing your mom say that, just you know, it hurts.
And I remember the first time I saw her. My
daughter had run into the shower and she had just
gotten out of where she's letting naked and sorry mom,
but um, but I remember seeing her and just seeing
her chest and just it's like that reminder that you're sick,
you know, just like when your hair is gone, your
eyelashes are gone, you know, your brows are gone. All
(12:13):
those things they make you look and feel sick. So
when these women are finally on the other side of
their journey and they're you know, healed physically as well
as you know, getting you know, mentally healed, it's just
that constant reminder that you don't look like yourself, you know,
and that you are sick and you don't feel like
a woman is you know what these women tell me?
(12:33):
So yeah, I decided that it was time to go
and learn how to do ariolas. So I had done
an art class for about a year online. Art is
my background. I love drawing, painting, so um, it felt
very natural to me. Well, you have to be an
artist too. I mean when it comes to browse on
a face, I feel as though you're you're looking at
your canvas and trying to figure out the best way
(12:57):
to make it look aesthetically. I don't know even I
know you say that there's brows. Aren't twins their sisters,
So no, no brows are two brows are gonna look
the same. But like you're an artist. Yes, I'm just
validating your your art skill for the face. Because whenever
I saw you post a nipple for the first time online,
the tattooed work because you have to make it three
(13:19):
D because it's it's not it's flat, but it looks
like all of the nipple. So I was like, oh
my goodness, and I think I was blown away by it.
But I thought, oh, well, she's she's an artist. I
shouldn't be surprised by this because you're so talented at
you know, looking at someone's face and figuring out, oh,
if I do your brows like this is gonna look
(13:40):
you know, good for your face. Yes, And that's why
I you know, with brows, with arials, with everything I do.
You know, some people use template and they kind of
do you know, and not to knock anyone's work, but
you know you'll look in like a lot of the
work and the brows kind of as the same flow,
the same art, the same you know, it's brow mapping,
you know that they do and I don't do that.
I draw it out specifically for your bone structure, just
(14:01):
you know, with Aeriel's like I mean, the scars could
be completely off or people um can do nipple grafting.
A lot of times they do end up failing and
going flat though it's almost just as easy to work
with a flat surface, but that's something they can discuss
with their doctor and you know, talk about options for them.
But you know, placement of everything. But it's just so
cool and even you know, the scars. It's like, when
(14:22):
I get done with ariola, women just tell me they're
like I don't even notice my scars anymore because you
just really look at the nipples and that's kind of
all your eyes are drawn to. I'm an EmPATH, so
it's like every time we hug and we cry and
it's it's I can't even explain how amazing it feels
to give that back to women love brows and I
always will love doing those. But can I say though, too,
(14:42):
that I know the nipples there's more emotion there, Like
I even have goose bumps as you're saying it because
of what they've been through or what some women have
been through with their cancer journey and yes, being on
the other side and you're helping give their confidence back.
But I don't I don't want you to sell short
what you do with brow too, because for some people,
I'm sure they've looked in the mirror and cried. So
(15:03):
just to be relatable to to all women listening, there
might be and not that put focus on looks or
that you have to look a certain way or have
this part of your body looking a certain way to
feel complete or whole. But if it's something where you're
looking in the mirror and that's something you want or
you've lost something or you've never even had, Like I
(15:24):
had a half brow. Like as a kid, I was
teased like I would draw them on, but if I
go swimming, they would come off. Kids would be like,
oh halfbrow, half brow. And so for that stuck with me.
I'm not comparing that to the whole nipple situation by
any means, but I'm just thinking of the women, the impact,
excuse me, that you've made on women before you even
(15:44):
got into this line of work. But I am so
thankful that you know, you're getting into the microplating lead
to this, because yes, you are with the aerial of
reconstruction like you're I mean, I can't even imagine. Yeah,
the emotions that some of these women are feeling, it's
so special, it's so I mean, I'll have husbands sometimes
that come in with them, and you know, because again
it's just the journey you walk through. I think the
(16:05):
more people that you surround yourself with, you know, loving people,
it just you know, feels good. So a lot of
times I encourage them like, yah, bring a best friend,
bring a husband, bring a daughter, you know, bring someone.
It was a couple of weeks ago, literally me and
her and her husband all just like cried afterwards, you know,
like and it was just one of those things that
that they'll just tell me, like you just have no idea,
you know. It really truly makes you feel whole again
(16:27):
and feel you know, like a woman again, which is
just something that I'm so so so honored and privileged
to be able to do that. That's where my heart is.
My I am like fired up about it, and i
just want to you know, there's not actually a lot
of people in town that do it that I'm aware of.
At least I've actually done several kind of with your
brows like reduced I guess whatever, reconstructions on a reconstruction
(16:51):
of women who have you know, a doctor or someone
a nurse has done it in office, but not to
bash their skills at all, but they're just not really
trained in like the three D aspect, so it kind
of just kind of just like a blob of of
a pink color or something. So um, I've had several
women who have actually been able to redo those and
make them look more realistic and beautiful wonderful. Special Times
(17:11):
Insurance covers it, which is really nice. Um it's part
of their reconstruction surgery, so just all around, it feels
really good to be doing it. Oh yeah, that's amazing
about the insurance part. And if anyone listening wants to
check out what Megan's talking about and her work, And
I'm just thankful too for women that are listening right
now that might need what you're doing. And they I
don't know if they'll live in Nashville, but Megan's located
(17:33):
in like Nashville Franklin area, UM which is next to
Brentwood if you're from here, But if not, maybe you'll
be able to find someone that you trust near you
because you who knows, if you knew this whole three
D thing was an option, or if you're listening and
you have a friend or a loved one or anybody
or who knows this is something you keep in your
back pocket and a few years from now you know
of someone that might benefit from what Megan does. I
(17:56):
love that you're doing it, and I want to help
spread the word and boost the confidence of so many
women out there. So where can they look at pictures
and your work? Yes, so right now my Instagram is
the best place to look. I'm redoing my entire website,
so I haven't gotten all of my aerial of pictures.
It's going to kind of be a separate little website,
(18:16):
so that will come very soon. We're working on that.
But if you go to my Instagram, which is beauty
dot by dot Meghan M E G E N you
can find pictures of my work there and then again
I'll have them on the website and stuff soon. But yeah, sadly, now,
the statistics are one out of every eight women will
have breast cancers. So unfortunately, I feel like we all
(18:38):
have a you know, close connection to it and stuff.
So I definitely unfortunately, like I said, that's it's the
thing that we all, uh we all somehow touches us.
But I'm so happy to help women however I can
and just make them feel beautiful and whole and and
you know just better. Well, I'm proud of you. I
know you worked so hard to to get this U
Nipple certification. Well, thank you, thank you, well, thank you,
(19:00):
thank you for spreading the word so many people and
being so passionate about you know, helping other people with
from brows to two boobies. You know, Amy has You've
helped him a journey a lot. I appreciate you so
much thanks for coming on especially during this important time.
And obviously this is a conversation for year round, but
on in October. A lot of times it just makes
sense to bring all the awareness to different things people
(19:23):
are doing that have been affected by breast cancer and
people like Megan that are stepping in to help those
women out. So thank you, Thank you Vegan. So throw
your Instagram out one more time. It's beauty dot by
dot m E E G E N Megan Boom and
you'll see all of her stuff there, all right, Thanks Megan.
(19:44):
Than
Happy Tuesday. Welcome to the Fifth Thing with Amy and
Cat And we always start the Tuesday episodes off with
a quote, and mine is a meme from Instagram. That's
what I'm bringing to us today. Cats. So, my friends Sunday,
who has a shop in Southern Pines called Mockingbird on
broad she posts the best memes on her Instagram, and
she put up one that said, I'm just going to
(00:26):
get gas in the morning. This is one of the
worst decisions you make as an adult, and I agree, Like,
yet I continue to adult this way. So I even
reposted it on my Instagram because I thought it was
so amazing. And yeah, there's two types of people in
the world. Those that will get the gas at night
to be responsible so they wake up in the morning
they're good. Or those that wake up and are like,
(00:47):
oh no, I have to get gas. So which are you? Cat?
What do you think I am get gas at night? Sorry,
I'm gonna get gats in the morning because I'll get
up early and I'm gonna have like so much time
and then I'm late to whatever I need to go to.
I forget. Yeah, I was just trying to give you
a little hard and encouragement that you're going to be
the responsible adult. But yes, I know that you lean
(01:09):
more like I do with that you are responsible, high
functioning adult, but we are very irresponsible when it comes
to gas. I don't know what it is that I
like hate doing it, so I like postponent and me too,
I will ride until below zero. Oh no, I won't
do that. I give I have a lot of anxiety
about that. So when I have to get gas in
(01:30):
the morning, like I probably so you are a responsible
gas person. So I just thought that that would be
sort of a lighthearted quote slash meme to share at
the beginning of this episode, which we're gonna be talking
about breast cancer awareness today. I know it's the end
of the month, it's the end of October and all
month long, places all over have been focusing on breast
(01:51):
cancer awareness, and I think it's a it's a conversation
for all times. Those of you that know my mom's story,
you know that she went through cancer and and she
passed away in two thousand and fourteen, but it was
not from breast cancer. Somehow that people just assume my
mom had breast cancer, but she did not. So I
personally don't have experience with that type of cancer, but
(02:12):
I do with others because my dad also had cancer.
My mom had a know my dad had throat so
the chemo, the radiation, the surgeries, a lot of that
can look the same. But for women um in our breasts,
like there's a certain level of connection and confidence that
comes to that. And when we're losing um a part
of us, if you've had to have amystectomy or a
(02:34):
double mestechtomy. My friend Megan will be popping on. At
the end of this, I'm going to share a clip
of a conversation we had because Megan, who also has
done your eyebrows, she does microblading, but now she's doing
this three D tattooing, And I'm going to share a
conversation that we had that's helping give women confidence that
need it. But let me just ask you, because you're
(02:55):
thirty one, Cats thirty one, I'm forty and I had
a amograham i mid thirties for something else, and then
now that I'm forty, I have to get a mamogram
every year. Have you had a mamogram yet? No, I
haven't even thought about it. Well, I don't think you
need to be thinking about it at thirty one according
to professionals, and less of course, breast cancer runs in
(03:16):
your family. My friend Laura, she would say, everyone should
try to get checked if that's possible for them. But
you can do self exams. And I'm the worst at
doing any sort of self exam. What about you? Yeah,
but I did see that. Yeah you're worse or yeah
you do them, you know, like, yeah, I'm like not good.
I think that I just avoid it. Yeah, kind of
like I avoid putting gas. Yeah, Like, but that wouldn't
(03:38):
happen to me, so I don't need to do anything.
But in the reality is it could happen to anybody,
so I should probably put more attention to it. Yeah.
Like my friend Laura, who's she's married to Ray on
the Bobby Bones Show if you're a listener of that,
and she said early detection saved her life, so she
wants to urge everybody to be doing things. And I
had a conversation with her last night because I knew
(03:59):
I was going to be recording us because I saw
her post something on Instagram the other day about how
she has a love hate relationship with Breast Cancer Awareness
Month because it can be very triggering. So I will say,
if that's something for you, then then maybe this episode
is one that you skip and you pass on. Obviously,
she wants the awareness out there, and she wants the research,
and she wants the fundraising. But she also taught me
about pink washing, which I never had heard of before.
(04:22):
I just thought, oh, look at all these companies doing
pink and guess they're giving back to breast cancer research,
which said a lot of companies get on board in
the month of October and they just make everything pink
so that people gravitate towards their items more thinking that
they're supporting, but really there's no support, which is crazy. Yeah,
well it makes me think about like when like sports
(04:43):
teams are like changed and wear pink, whether it's like
their socks or their gloves or whatever. I'm like, what,
that's really cool and that brings awareness, but we should
be actually paying attention to what is this doing outside
of like, Okay, now we're thinking about breast cancer in October,
how is this actually helping? Well, I don't know if
the sports team. I don't know. Don't either teams are goadiding,
but I I had no idea that companies did that.
(05:05):
I thought if they were pink that the minage and
some companies, Yes, there is a percentage that's going I'm
not even going to name company names. Now she named
some for me, but I'm not going to do that
here on the podcast. If you want to do your
own research on pink washing. I just was fascinated by
the fact that some companies. I guess I shouldn't be
that shocked, but corporations would make an executive decision to
(05:26):
just make things pink for the sake of selling more
in October versus and are then thinking they're helping. Yeah,
it's tricky. So yeah, it's called pink washing. Learned something
new every day. And really I saw another article to
just talking about how half of women say they do
not regularly check themselves for signs of breast cancer. So
(05:47):
that's what I want to take away here to be
is that we all need to be aware. But I'm
sure a lot more people are checking their breasts in
October because it's where you turn. You're seeing things that
remind you of that, which is awesome, But we need
to be doing at every every month, every week. I
don't know, it's not even that big of an ordeal
to do a self exam. But yeah, and if you
(06:07):
don't know how to do it, there's videos on YouTube,
there's different pamphlets at your doctor's office. Maybe this is
a reminder to to get your yearly at your O
b G y N. I am not an adult when
it comes to making doctor's appointments for myselves, for myself,
like on two people for myself, but I am starting
to be more responsible. But I would go years without
going to the O b G y N. And I
(06:29):
do feel privilege in that I have good insurance and
I can go do that. So I know that that's
not everyone listening. But if you do have access to care,
early detection even on other types of cancer, cervical stuff,
even like the anal things like my mom had to
go through, Like now I'm obsessed with you know when
you go to the guy in collegists say, well, occasionally
(06:50):
stick their fingers places up the but and it's uncomfortable.
But I want early detection, like if if there's something
there I want and she knows how to feel for it.
And last time my doctor did that, she said that
she's caught things earlier before. For people. And if you
can catch certain cancers early, it's amazing, but if it
gets to stage three, stage four, it's very difficult. But
(07:12):
some of them at stage one very manageable. I mean,
of course, there's a lot of trauma you have to
go through and the treatment and whatnot. But all this
to say is that we just want to take an
opportunity here to remind women to do it, and then
also set up a conversation that I'm going to share
with you from Megan, which I love what she's doing
(07:33):
for women and I think it's super cool. And I
never knew that three D nippling or nipple tattooing was
a thing, which I mean, cat your therapist, like, what
can something like that do for a woman's confidence? I mean,
I could probably give an answer, but it's something a
therapist and I know, but you're the therapist. So I
was like, why not ask a license therapist like how
(07:53):
we're impacted by things? Well, what I get into my
conversation with Megan, and maybe this is more what you
can speak to is that I don't want everything to
be focused on looks. But I've bet Megan and that's
what I share with her, that She's probably made women
cry when she puts brows on them, and she's definitely
made women cry when she gives them their nipple back
(08:13):
or the appearance of a nipple so that they look
how they once looked. But then there's this weird fine
line of like not wanting to make it all about looks,
but yet we can feel super confidence. Maybe that's the
part you can speak to. Yeah, well, I think it
can be different for everybody, But I'm thinking about when
she's doing the areola tattooing, it's more about like allowing
you to feel like yourself again. I've never gone through
(08:37):
something like that, so I don't know what it's like
to lose a body part essentially, but I wonder if
that's just allowing people to like feel like themselves again
or feel normal again, whatever that means. And the same
with the eyebrows, Like yet's not all about like what
we look like, but it's more about like allowing somebody
to like feel like a person again, whatever that means
(08:59):
to them, giving them that level of contact. Okay, well
that's what you'll hear me talk about it with Megan,
And if you're in the Nashville area, you should definitely
check her out and uh, here is our little chat
(09:22):
so comped. My friend Megan can come on and talk
about something that she is doing that is pretty amazing
and so cool to help give women confidence back, especially
after they've been through something so difficult such as breast
cancer and then breast reconstruction. And Megan, you may recognize
her voice, say hey Megan, Hello, she has come on
(09:43):
the podcast before. She has a microblading and lip blushing
business called Beauty by Megan. And I met Megan because
she did my brows. I had a really horrible microblading
experience somewhere else and then ended up getting referred to
me again. I think like Kelsey Ballerini or somebody posted
you and maybe I wasn't even referred. I referred myself
(10:05):
on Instagram. So then I slid into her d M
s And then she is actually who introduced me to
Carry who's the Nashville beauty girl who does my whole
skincare routine. Because you're like, you gotta get these lasered off,
So Carrie lasered them off. I came back to you.
You did the correction, uh micro blading on my brows.
And since then I've been coming back for a little
(10:26):
touch ups. But obviously we follow each other on Instagram too,
and I keep up to speed with what she's doing
in life. And you just started doing the Ariola reconstruction,
So just breakdown what that is. And I'm just so
people are aware that that's that's an option that's out
there and that you're even someone that does it. Yeah, yeah,
thank you. I can't believe we've come a long way.
(10:48):
It's been like three years now since we've we first
did your your beautiful brow, my brow reconstructed your brow.
That was definitely definitely it. But yeah, so, um, I
have wanted to do reala tattoos for years now. I
mean it's something that when I started micro blading, I
saw that people did that and I just knew, like,
you know what, one day, I'm going to do that.
(11:08):
But um, what really put the fire under my butt
is actually two years ago this month, my mother was
diagnosed with breast cancer. And uh, three years before that,
my father he had died of colon cancer. So cancer sucks,
as we both know, it's just go into that for days.
But um, yeah, so mom was diagnosed and walking through
that journey was something that I will just never forget.
(11:31):
We lived together during the whole time, and um, just
seeing how strong those women are and everything that they
go through is I mean, as you know, it's so
hard to see the person you love go through that.
But you know, we finished the journey. She had to have,
you know, six round of chemo radiation double by ladder
and was sectomy, and um, I remember her telling me
that like she felt like Frankenstein, you know, and like
(11:53):
just hearing your mom say that, just you know, it hurts.
And I remember the first time I saw her. My
daughter had run into the shower and she had just
gotten out of where she's letting naked and sorry mom,
but um, but I remember seeing her and just seeing
her chest and just it's like that reminder that you're sick,
you know, just like when your hair is gone, your
eyelashes are gone, you know, your brows are gone. All
(12:13):
those things they make you look and feel sick. So
when these women are finally on the other side of
their journey and they're you know, healed physically as well
as you know, getting you know, mentally healed, it's just
that constant reminder that you don't look like yourself, you know,
and that you are sick and you don't feel like
a woman is you know what these women tell me?
(12:33):
So yeah, I decided that it was time to go
and learn how to do ariolas. So I had done
an art class for about a year online. Art is
my background. I love drawing, painting, so um, it felt
very natural to me. Well, you have to be an
artist too. I mean when it comes to browse on
a face, I feel as though you're you're looking at
your canvas and trying to figure out the best way
(12:57):
to make it look aesthetically. I don't know even I
know you say that there's brows. Aren't twins their sisters,
So no, no brows are two brows are gonna look
the same. But like you're an artist. Yes, I'm just
validating your your art skill for the face. Because whenever
I saw you post a nipple for the first time online,
the tattooed work because you have to make it three
(13:19):
D because it's it's not it's flat, but it looks
like all of the nipple. So I was like, oh
my goodness, and I think I was blown away by it.
But I thought, oh, well, she's she's an artist. I
shouldn't be surprised by this because you're so talented at
you know, looking at someone's face and figuring out, oh,
if I do your brows like this is gonna look
(13:40):
you know, good for your face. Yes, And that's why
I you know, with brows, with arials, with everything I do.
You know, some people use template and they kind of
do you know, and not to knock anyone's work, but
you know you'll look in like a lot of the
work and the brows kind of as the same flow,
the same art, the same you know, it's brow mapping,
you know that they do and I don't do that.
I draw it out specifically for your bone structure, just
(14:01):
you know, with Aeriel's like I mean, the scars could
be completely off or people um can do nipple grafting.
A lot of times they do end up failing and
going flat though it's almost just as easy to work
with a flat surface, but that's something they can discuss
with their doctor and you know, talk about options for them.
But you know, placement of everything. But it's just so
cool and even you know, the scars. It's like, when
(14:22):
I get done with ariola, women just tell me they're
like I don't even notice my scars anymore because you
just really look at the nipples and that's kind of
all your eyes are drawn to. I'm an EmPATH, so
it's like every time we hug and we cry and
it's it's I can't even explain how amazing it feels
to give that back to women love brows and I
always will love doing those. But can I say though, too,
(14:42):
that I know the nipples there's more emotion there, Like
I even have goose bumps as you're saying it because
of what they've been through or what some women have
been through with their cancer journey and yes, being on
the other side and you're helping give their confidence back.
But I don't I don't want you to sell short
what you do with brow too, because for some people,
I'm sure they've looked in the mirror and cried. So
(15:03):
just to be relatable to to all women listening, there
might be and not that put focus on looks or
that you have to look a certain way or have
this part of your body looking a certain way to
feel complete or whole. But if it's something where you're
looking in the mirror and that's something you want or
you've lost something or you've never even had, Like I
(15:24):
had a half brow. Like as a kid, I was
teased like I would draw them on, but if I
go swimming, they would come off. Kids would be like,
oh halfbrow, half brow. And so for that stuck with me.
I'm not comparing that to the whole nipple situation by
any means, but I'm just thinking of the women, the impact,
excuse me, that you've made on women before you even
(15:44):
got into this line of work. But I am so
thankful that you know, you're getting into the microplating lead
to this, because yes, you are with the aerial of
reconstruction like you're I mean, I can't even imagine. Yeah,
the emotions that some of these women are feeling, it's
so special, it's so I mean, I'll have husbands sometimes
that come in with them, and you know, because again
it's just the journey you walk through. I think the
(16:05):
more people that you surround yourself with, you know, loving people,
it just you know, feels good. So a lot of
times I encourage them like, yah, bring a best friend,
bring a husband, bring a daughter, you know, bring someone.
It was a couple of weeks ago, literally me and
her and her husband all just like cried afterwards, you know,
like and it was just one of those things that
that they'll just tell me, like you just have no idea,
you know. It really truly makes you feel whole again
(16:27):
and feel you know, like a woman again, which is
just something that I'm so so so honored and privileged
to be able to do that. That's where my heart is.
My I am like fired up about it, and i
just want to you know, there's not actually a lot
of people in town that do it that I'm aware of.
At least I've actually done several kind of with your
brows like reduced I guess whatever, reconstructions on a reconstruction
(16:51):
of women who have you know, a doctor or someone
a nurse has done it in office, but not to
bash their skills at all, but they're just not really
trained in like the three D aspect, so it kind
of just kind of just like a blob of of
a pink color or something. So um, I've had several
women who have actually been able to redo those and
make them look more realistic and beautiful wonderful. Special Times
(17:11):
Insurance covers it, which is really nice. Um it's part
of their reconstruction surgery, so just all around, it feels
really good to be doing it. Oh yeah, that's amazing
about the insurance part. And if anyone listening wants to
check out what Megan's talking about and her work, And
I'm just thankful too for women that are listening right
now that might need what you're doing. And they I
don't know if they'll live in Nashville, but Megan's located
(17:33):
in like Nashville Franklin area, UM which is next to
Brentwood if you're from here, But if not, maybe you'll
be able to find someone that you trust near you
because you who knows, if you knew this whole three
D thing was an option, or if you're listening and
you have a friend or a loved one or anybody
or who knows this is something you keep in your
back pocket and a few years from now you know
of someone that might benefit from what Megan does. I
(17:56):
love that you're doing it, and I want to help
spread the word and boost the confidence of so many
women out there. So where can they look at pictures
and your work? Yes, so right now my Instagram is
the best place to look. I'm redoing my entire website,
so I haven't gotten all of my aerial of pictures.
It's going to kind of be a separate little website,
(18:16):
so that will come very soon. We're working on that.
But if you go to my Instagram, which is beauty
dot by dot Meghan M E G E N you
can find pictures of my work there and then again
I'll have them on the website and stuff soon. But yeah, sadly, now,
the statistics are one out of every eight women will
have breast cancers. So unfortunately, I feel like we all
(18:38):
have a you know, close connection to it and stuff.
So I definitely unfortunately, like I said, that's it's the
thing that we all, uh we all somehow touches us.
But I'm so happy to help women however I can
and just make them feel beautiful and whole and and
you know just better. Well, I'm proud of you. I
know you worked so hard to to get this U
Nipple certification. Well, thank you, thank you, well, thank you,
(19:00):
thank you for spreading the word so many people and
being so passionate about you know, helping other people with
from brows to two boobies. You know, Amy has You've
helped him a journey a lot. I appreciate you so
much thanks for coming on especially during this important time.
And obviously this is a conversation for year round, but
on in October. A lot of times it just makes
sense to bring all the awareness to different things people
(19:23):
are doing that have been affected by breast cancer and
people like Megan that are stepping in to help those
women out. So thank you, Thank you Vegan. So throw
your Instagram out one more time. It's beauty dot by
dot m E E G E N Megan Boom and
you'll see all of her stuff there, all right, Thanks Megan.
(19:44):
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Amy Brown
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