We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Meghan Nutting. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Meghan below.

Meghan, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today Can you open up about a risk you’ve taken – what it was like taking that risk, why you took the risk and how it turned out?

In 2017, I decided to run for the Colorado House of Representatives. Running for office is both risky and personal. People aren’t voting on a theoretical issue– they’re voting on YOU.

I wanted to run for office not because I don’t love what I do. I honestly look forward to going to work every single day. I ran because I wanted to do MORE. When I see a problem, I want to help fix it.

It wasn’t an easy decision. Most, if not all, state legislatures aren’t set up in a way that makes it easy or convenient for people to serve and very few of them pay a wage that would adequately support a family. Since most state legislatures meet only part-time, legislators have to find other work that can be flexible and that they can do when they’re not serving. So lawyers, consultants, professors and others with flexible schedules often find it more accessible to run for office and serve. It’s more difficult for people like teachers, minimum wage workers, healthcare providers and others with full-time jobs.

I was one of six people that ran for the seat. I was the only woman, the only one who worked full-time while running, one of the few people who didn’t self-fund my campaign and the only one raising a child because at the time, I lived with my sister and my young niece.

Running for office while you’re working full-time is challenging. There are meetings you’re expected to do during the day, so much call time- for fundraising, for support, for votes. And that mostly has to happen during business hours and right afterward. You also need to knock a lot of doors and it’s hard to get it all done if you can’t knock during the day. So fitting in a full-time job on top of another full-time job is tough. But it’s critical that more people who have to work to support themselves become our representatives.

Beyond working, childcare and knocking doors, I spent all of my ‘spare’ time raising money, attending community events, meeting with potential supporters, filling out policy questionnaires, collecting signatures to get on the ballot, soliciting support from caucus attendees and doing the million other things that running a campaign entails.

But…. I ended up coming second in my race. Losing an election is a special kind of disappointment. You throw your heart and soul into something that is ultimately a referendum on you. It’s personal.

But it’s not the end of the world. Since that election, I’ve had to reassess how I can best serve my community and pursue the policy goals that are important to me. And I’ve found places where I can still make a huge impact as well as communities that are incredibly meaningful to me.

I took a huge risk– and failed. And it all turned out fine.

Meghan, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

In college, I studied environmental biology and lived in a dorm called Ecology House with all of the other hippie kids. We had lots of drum circles, performed the Lorax for local elementary schools and many of us were vegan. The committee of students that oversaw the dorm’s composting activities was very popular. I also co-founded a group called Kyoto Now! to push my university to adopt the standards of the Kyoto Protocol, the Paris Agreement of the 90s.

I started my career right after college working on environmental issues. I worked for a few different non-profits that fought for clean water and Pacific salmon restoration and that fought against the environmental destruction that is the result of hard rock mining. I also had an opportunity to serve as a Press Secretary for a U.S. Senator and as a Legislative Director for a NY state Assemblymember.

And then I found it what I wanted to do. What I REALLY wanted to do. I found clean energy. In 2009 I was hired by a small solar company that, at the time, no one had heard of. It was called SolarCity. I was one of the two founding members of a policy team at the company that eventually grew to a team of over 50 people. I worked across the country fighting for and changing laws and regulations that helped contribute to the meteoric growth of the solar industry. I was with the company when they went public and as they managed increasingly large growth. SolarCity has since been acquired by Tesla.

Seven years ago, I joined my current company, Sunnova. I am now the Executive Vice President of Government and Regulatory Affairs there. We’re the second largest residential solar and storage services company in the country and we operate in 32 states and territories. We facilitate the installation of solar and storage for homes, and are committed to saving people money and saving the environment. We went public in July 2019.

I am grateful to be able to live my values and work in an industry that is both exciting and that does good.

Are there any books, videos or other content that you feel have meaningfully impacted your thinking?

There are two. Both are TED Talks. The first is Amy Cuddy’s talk on power poses. Through her research, she found that when people take an open or expansive stance (think Wonderwoman) then they feel more powerful and are perceived by others as more competent and powerful. And you don’t even need to be taking that stance at the time– you just have to have done it recently. I’d encourage everyone to spend 2-5 minutes in the morning doing a power pose. At the very least, make sure to do it before you do any public speaking.

The other is Simon Sinek’s TED Talk on Starting with Why. Telling people what they should be doing isn’t inspirational and you’re not going to build a strong brand that way. But talking through why something is important and what your fundamental belief is can help you get to the next steps– how you’re going to create what you want to create and what that thing will be. But you’ve got to start with a fundamental understanding of your beliefs in order to make sure you’re perceived as authentic.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

As you grow within your career, it’s important to keep a few things in mind.

1. Be your own advocate. No one else thinks about you more than you do and no one else is going to look out for you like you will. So remember to speak up for yourself, ask for a raise, and push back on things that you don’t agree with.
2. Pursue leadership roles. Even if it’s in your spare time. This world needs leaders to run non-profits and boards and departments and companies and the government. WE are the leaders we’ve been waiting for.
3. Do not take credit for other people’s work. You’ll get plenty of credit just for knowing about the work they’re doing. But don’t take ideas without giving credit.
4. Ask for help when you need it and give help when others ask. None of us have gotten to where we are now without some significant help along the way. We can’t navigate our careers alone and while you may be very self-sufficient, you’re going to need help at some point. Don’t be afraid to ask. The worst someone can do is say no. And likewise, if there’s something you can do to help someone else, I encourage you to do it if you’re able.
5. • And finally, take chances. Even if it means that you might fail. Remember that you sometimes need to find 10,000 wrong ways to do something before you find the right way. My hope for you is that you both fail AND achieve greatly.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.sunnova.com
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meghan-nutting-6b1332b/
• Twitter: @MeghanNutting