Alright – so today we’ve got the honor of introducing you to Meghan Greenwood. We think you’ll enjoy our conversation, we’ve shared it below.

Hi Meghan, thanks for joining us today. Let’s talk legacy – what sort of legacy do you hope to build?

Most people in my immediate circle think I’m busy. I often get the question, “How do you have time to do it all?”. While I enjoy being productive and accomplishing goals, I really want my friends, family, and colleagues to remember how I used my creativity to help people.

As a dance instructor, I am focused on getting people to move and feel better. I am a strong believer in the connection between improved physical health and better mental & emotional health. And I always provide a welcoming, non-judgmental environment for all ages. I love sharing my passion with others and if it sparks joy in their lives, joy that they can’t wait to tell people about, I have done my job.

As an accountability coach, I dig deeper into lifestyles. A lot of my clients are lost or lonely. Speaking with me for a few minutes per week not only helps them tackle their to do list, but also provides a source of comfort when challenges arise. I created the program to be affordable, convenient, and support people no matter what stage of their journey.

Lastly, as a medical writer, I have written children’s STEM books but also spent a good portion of my life writing clinical trials to help patients with a number of diseases. These works feed into bigger goals, such as helping young minds understand their worth and potential, and providing hope for the ailing.

I dream that one day I will be remembered for more than just being a doer.

Meghan, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?

I, along with my sister Brianna Pato, own BaM Choreography LLC, which provides dance and fitness classes for kids and adults. After many wonderful years training under the late Ms. Joyce Ellis of Washington, PA, we decided to begin this company to inspire movement. We started out by primarily traveling to different studios, businesses, and non-profits to provide on-site classes and choreography. We have since branched into a full-fledged studio, complete with a wide range of classes for all age groups and fitness levels. Because not one size fits all, we are constantly creating new class offerings and collaborating with other partners, all in an effort to make everyone feel welcome and confident. Movement shouldn’t be intimidating or only for the young or unattainable without proper training – movement is for EVERY body. We provide an atmosphere for growth and personal development, void of cliques, pricey monthly fees, and judgement. Some of our classes include Youth Hip Hop Dance, STRUT: Sassy Adult Dance, and Sit & Fit for Seniors. In addition, we are super proud of our group of volunteer adult dancers (the “BaM FaM”) who dedicate a few months out of each year to build community through a dance video project.

I am also the owner of Pgh Dreamer Productions LLC, which provides accountability coaching, professional writing/editing, children’s STEM books, and podcast interviews of local women entrepreneurs. My Accountability Buddy program works individually with people from all backgrounds to help achieve their goals. As a COVID project to help people feel less isolated and more connected, the program has blossomed into 1:1 calls with people all over the US. We talk about everything from careers to relationships to fitness to lifestyle changes. I always provide my thoughts, if asked, and come up with a reasonable schedule for my clients to be more productive. As a supplement, I also provide writing/editing help when it comes to resumes and cover letters.
The My Little Dreamer Book Series was developed after having my first son. He was super interested in books, and his ability to retain the information was incredible. I starting writing the first of now 14 books in the series after thinking back to my childhood and realizing how I never really understood what my parents did for work. I wanted my children to know our careers. The books are written for ages 10 & under and breakdown very esoteric careers into simple language young minds can understand. I am also really proud of my recent release, a tween/early teenage 5-year daily journal called “I Am One Of A Kind” – which is a way for budding adolescents to consider their wants and write their deep thoughts in a simple way.
I also host the Pgh Dreamer’s Pod on Spotify which provides short tips and also interviews of local Pittsburgh women entrepreneurs. I absolutely love hearing stories of how other creative women have been successful in their fields and hope that it inspires listeners to take a chance on their own passions.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

In our original business model, BaM Choreography traveled to teach. We did not have our own studio, but instead taught for other studios and collaborated with businesses and non-profits in and around the Pittsburgh area. We had been teaching at a well-respected studio when COVID hit. Our weekly classes that had developed a nice following were immediately paused and eventually completely stopped. Other organizations that would typically have us visit to provide sessions and choreography also ended their partnerships. To make matters more difficult, I was personally moving to the suburbs and knew that fostering the inner city connections would be challenging from 25 miles away.

Instead of letting all of this defeat the business, I moved our classes to Zoom from 2020-2021. My husband and I slowly converted our home basement into a studio, complete with vinyl flooring and mirrors. I also used the ‘down’ time to make connections with my new community recreation center, library, and senior care facilities. By the time the world reopened, BaM now had a home studio and several collaborative partnerships for all ages in our new town. We couldn’t have been so resilient without our patrons, and I can’t thank them enough for sticking by us during shutdown.

What’s a lesson you had to unlearn and what’s the backstory?

Hard work pays off. While I firmly believe hard work is necessary (sometimes), it doesn’t necessarily pay off if you’re doing the wrong kind of hard work.

For example, in the early days of BaM Choreography, I invested countless hours into dance choreography for weekly classes. I wanted to ‘wow’ the students; however, what I’ve learned is that it isn’t really the steps that excite people and more importantly, get them to come back to the next class. Instead, it’s the experience. Students are more likely to frequent your classes if you provide a welcoming environment, a little bit of a challenge, and an overall feeling of improving their own well-being. Our classes aren’t about me, they’re about them.

In addition, we’ve struggled with marketing for a long time. We’ve put emphasis on social media posts and ads that didn’t garner new clients. We’ve tried hosting events and collaborating with businesses who they themselves didn’t fully grasp our need to expand our reach. All of that took a lot of time and hard work. Recently, we’ve invested in smarter solutions to help with marketing – hiring external developers, utilizing sites like ClassPass, and doing a complete revamp of our website. We hope that this type of “new” hard work pays off!

Contact Info:

• Website: https://www.bamchoreography.com/
• Instagram: @BaMChoreography
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BamChoreography
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/BriMegChoreography
• Other: Email: bamchoreography@gmail.com
  ClassPass: https://classpass.com/studios/bam-choreography-venetia

Image Credits

Ashley Fortuna Photography
Phusion Photography