We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Megan Sweet a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Megan , thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. Did you always know you wanted to pursue a creative or artistic career? When did you first know?

I have always had an interest in comedy in any form: stand-up, improv, and sketch. As a young girl, I watched “Saturday Night Live” weekly and wrote and performed sketches for my family and stuffed animals. I am an only child and feel fortunate to have grown up pre-internet. I was often bored, and it led to my creativity. I also struggled with anxiety, depression, and ADHD since I was a child and did not realize, at the time, that comedy was my way of coping. I never considered that I could do anything professional with comedy. It wasn’t until my second son was born. I was diagnosed with Postpartum Mood Disorder, and I knew pursuing a career that utilizes comedy to take care of my mental health and empower others to use humor and social-emotional learning to take care of their mental health at the same time would be the best plan for me.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

Hi, my name is Megan Sweet. I am a New Jersey/New York City-based comedian. In my early twenties, I started doing stand-up comedy as a hobby in the Philadelphia area. In my late twenties, I moved from my home state of Pennsylvania to Seattle, Washington. I had never been there but always envisioned myself there. While I lived in Seattle, I continued my stand-up comedy hobby and worked with some sketch comedy groups. It was my favorite thing to do, but I never had the self-confidence to seek a professional comedy career. At that time, I also decided to get a Master’s Degree in Couple & Family Therapy at Antioch University Seattle. I always had an interest in this career and had past social work jobs.

I left Seattle and moved back to the East Coast after completing my Master’s Degree. I got a job doing home-based family therapy and I met my future husband soon after. I stopped working when my first son was born in 2014. My second son was born in 2018, and four months later, I was diagnosed with Postpartum Mood Disorder and went through an outpatient hospital program. Going through this experience, I learned that I had to take care of my mental health. I realized I had let go of doing any comedy as a hobby and decided to bring that back into my life because it always helped me. Getting out there ito perform stand-up comedy with young children is not easy, and I am grateful for such a supportive husband.

I also started thinking about comedy with my therapy background. After doing some research, I found out about Applied Improvisation. Applied Improvisation utilizes the same principles of Improv comedy but in any workplace setting instead of on the stage. One of the most essential principles utilized in improv is the ‘Yes, and” Principle. The ‘Yes, and’ Principle teaches the importance of accepting another person’s idea/point of view even if it differs from theirs. This Principle is a powerful lesson in the therapeutic setting and is very helpful when trying to avoid conflicts with the people in our lives. I found a part-time job as an Applied Improv Instructor for Therapists looking to add improv games and activities to their sessions. Applied improv offers a way to practice all the things therapists empower clients to do, such as active listening, increasing self-confidence, boosting creativity, social support, and more, in a fun and experiential way.

Gaining more confidence in applied improvisation, I decided to go further and start my own business, IMPROVed Mind. IMPROVed Mind offers classes/workshops utilizing Applied Improvisation, humor, and social-emotional learning in educational and community settings. These classes/workshops provide a fun, cost-effective, and unique way to empower individuals to connect with their silly side and strengthen their social skills and growth mindset. IMPROVed Mind can also offer consulting to any person/business wishing to utilize applied improvisation to increase positivity, empathy, and social support in the work setting.

Is there mission driving your creative journey?

I think increasing mental health and creative arts services for children and their families is more crucial now than ever. We are living in times of uncertainty after the pandemic and with so many environmental stressors (that are not new). I created IMPROVed Mind to provide services that empower individuals to build positive relationships with themselves and others through applied improvisation, humor, and mindfulness. Applied improv activities and games give participants practice in everyday social skills like active listening, embracing imperfection, social support, creativity, mindfulness, and so much more. The beauty of these games is that you don’t even realize you are doing all those things. It’s all about laughter and fun in a safe and supportive environment. My favorite thing about teaching improv for social-emotional learning is helping individuals to get out of their heads and fully engage in whatever situation they are in. If we can learn to get out of our heads, listen, and be present, we can start forming healthier relationships with others. I also love teaching others to embrace imperfection. I wish someone taught me to embrace this when I was younger. It would undoubtedly have increased my self-confidence.

Can you tell us about a time you’ve had to pivot?

I could write a novel on this subject. So, I will give you a short chapter instead. Though I designed my business, IMPROVED Mind, for persons of any age, it would be most beneficial in the school setting. I hoped a school would want to utilize these workshops during the school day to incorporate applied improv in the classroom. With the increasing school violence, I feel engaging in positive relationship-building in the classroom is most important.  The declaration of the pandemic set me back as schools were closed. I got some remote work doing after-school improv and sketch comedy classes, but it was not enough to make a living. I am not giving up on my business. I am eager to offer these services as often as I can.

In the meantime, I pursued other part-time work. I am a paraprofessional at my son’s school, the social media director at the American Comedy Institute, and I have facilitated trainings using applied improv to support adult social emotional learning and well-being for educators with my close friend and founder of WellEducator. I just got licensed as an Associate Marriage & Family Therapist to pursue a career working with children in the school and their families. I plan to use applied improv in my sessions. All the things I have done and am doing go hand in hand. I don’t regret the risks that I have taken. I have learned to embrace my imperfections and feel more prepared for life’s many challenges and any future pivots I might encounter.

I am always looking to connect with people in the creative community. I also hope that my mental health journey can help others feel less stigmatized and promote the importance of emotional well-being in all settings.

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.improvedmind.net
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/megan_e_sweet/?hl=en. https://www.instagram.com/improv.edmind/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MS.IMPROVedMInd
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-sweet-527193110/

Image Credits

Feature Photo by Zack Westenhoefer