On this episode of the Authority Builder Podcast, I’m joined by Megan Dowd, a certified equity-centred coach, former classical actress, and professional translator of “I swear this makes sense in my head”.

Megan helps neurodivergent small business owners and entrepreneurs find language for their work that feels good in their brains, in their bodies, and on the page.

We talk about how she pivoted from Pilates to copywriting, what really changed her visibility and client quality, and why simplifying to one offer can be the fastest route to clearer messaging and better-fit clients.

If you’re an enthusiastic overthinker (Megan’s words, and honestly, relatable), you’ll feel very seen.

Meet Megan: from Pilates to “Megan has good words”

Megan’s shift into copywriting wasn’t some neat, pre-planned rebrand. It happened because of real life.

After a cross-country move to rural Ohio where Pilates studios were thin on the ground, she started taking her work online. Like many of us, she did the “learn how to build an online business” route, then found herself constantly helping classmates with their websites, copy, and even Squarespace code.

She was still running “Megan does Pilates” (yes, delightfully literal), but she was having more fun fixing other people’s business messaging than doing her own.

Then came a turning point: her husband gently pointed out that people pay good money for the work she was doing for free.

That sparked an identity wobble, because Megan’s neurodivergent brain wanted the “proper credentials” before she felt allowed to charge. (Again: very relatable.)

The theatre kid advantage: “How hard can it be?”

Megan credits a lot of her skill (and her resilience) to her training as an actress.

The “show must go on” mentality is basically entrepreneurship in a sentence. If something breaks, you fix it. If you do not know how, you figure it out quickly.

It is a superpower… and it can also lead to over-extending yourself, especially if you are always learning new things instead of building systems that let you scale.

The day she burned it all down (and why it changed everything)

After leaving Ohio, the pandemic hit. Megan had her son, who (in her words) does not sleep… still.

By October of the year he was born, she realised she could not keep trying to force her business into a rhythm that didn’t fit her life.

So she took a full day and ran a no-consequences thought experiment:

• If I could drop everything, what would I let go of?
• What would I keep?
• What opens or tightens in my body when I imagine each option?
• If I started from scratch, what would I build?

What emerged was a single, clear offer built around what she most wanted to do: helping people bridge the gap between coaching breakthroughs and the language needed to communicate those breakthroughs to the world.

She created an offer called Bold and Booked (six coaching sessions plus key copy assets), and made one rule:

She would work with 10 clients before changing anything.

It took a year to reach those 10 clients, but the clarity (and the data) changed her business.

Why simplifying to one offer improves messaging and visibility

When you have too many offers, it is hard for people to understand what you do, who it is for, and where to start.

But when you commit to one offer, something shifts:

• Your marketing gets clearer, because you are repeating the same core message
• You build stronger recall, because people know what to associate with you
• You get better testimonials, because results are easier to describe
• You collect cleaner feedback, because you are not comparing apples and oranges

Megan also shares how simplifying helped her personally, because it aligned her business with her “now” identity (including the reality of motherhood), rather than chasing a return to a previous version of herself.

“Enthusiastic overthinkers”: niche language that calls in the right people

One of Megan’s best bits of positioning is how she names her people.

“Enthusiastic overthinkers” instantly connects with the clients she loves working with, because those people recognise themselves immediately.

And it is not just cute branding. It shapes how she works.

Megan wants the ramble. She wants the word vomit. She wants the messy version that “makes sense in your head”.

Because when you stop self-editing, the good stuff comes out:

• patterns in word choice
• rhythm and emphasis
• values hiding in plain sight
• the phrases that actually feel true in your body

Does offer clarity create good messaging, or does language come first?

Megan’s answer is both.

It is iterative. You often cannot think your way into perfect copy or a perfect offer. You have to test language, say it out loud, and notice what feels aligned versus what feels like performative marketing.

She shared a brilliant example: a client who deeply valued ambition but resisted naming it because of the cultural baggage around the word.

Once they owned it internally, they could express it externally in a way that attracted the right people and repelled the wrong ones.

The point: you do not have to change what you value. You have to find language that expresses it truthfully.

What changed Megan’s ability to attract better-fit clients?

One of the biggest shifts was surprisingly simple:

She started directly asking for referrals.

Not passively hoping people would mention her, but actively reaching out to past clients and trusted contacts and saying (in effect):

• If you know anyone who needs this, I’d love an introduction.
• I’m launching something soon. Would you share it, if it feels aligned?

She also named the emotional reality: asking is vulnerable, especially with rejection sensitivity.

So she gave herself a boundary: start with five asks. If her nervous system is fried after that, she can stop. If she feels okay, she can continue.

It is a practical approach that respects how many neurodivergent business owners actually operate.

Building authority in 2026: ordinary stories, told consistently

When we talked about what will matter most in 2026 and beyond, Megan’s answer was clear:

Tell ordinary stories about extraordinary people and extraordinary work.

Not constant aspiration. Not overly polished personal branding.

Human stories that build connection.

She also recommends finding your “spicy soapbox”:

What could you talk about for 10 minutes straight without notes?

It might be directly related to your work. It might be something delightfully niche. Either way, weaving that into your marketing helps people remember you and trust you.

Where to find Megan

Megan welcomes rambling DMs and emails, and she genuinely enjoys connecting people with the right support (even if it is not her).

You can find her on social media at @withmegandowd and at withmegandowd.com.

Listen to the episode

If you want the full conversation, you can listen here:

Listen on Buzzsprout: Simplify Your Offer and Attract Better Clients, with Megan Dowd

CTA: Want clearer messaging and better clients?

If you’ve been stuck overthinking your offer, struggling to describe what you do, or feeling like you’re attracting the wrong people, this episode will help you simplify and get back to language that actually feels true.

Click here to listen to the episode on Buzzsprout