-Meg the Legend! What's the story behind the person?
-I am on my journey in search of my personal legend. :)

-When you were diagnosed with skin cancer, which was your first reaction? 
-In my lifetime, the greatest learning moments have come at a time of tragedy and loss. From loss comes radical change, for it opens up a space that is yearning for something new. After the worst month of my life, I started to rethink how I was living my life. I came to this amazing realization… that the only thing stopping me from having everything that I ever wanted in life was simple: me.

-And how all that "journey" with your health led to the actual journey to all over the world?
-The year started interesting to say the least... I had been training for three years to do the Nose route on El Capitan in Yosemite Valley, only to fall 50-feet 2000 feet up the climb.
After a fall like that, you start to question everything -- from why am I putting myself into these scary situations, to what is driving me to seek out these ambitious climbs... basically what am I trying to prove to myself... or to the world?
Like something out of a movie, a week later, I was then hit by a car riding my Vespa and then diagnosed with skin cancer the week after that. In a month’s time, I was handed the trifecta of bad luck based on my life decisions that I had been making.
I think that most would lock themselves in a room after that, but I realized something pretty significant... I survived. The greatest learning moment that I believe anyone will have in their lifetime, is when he or she are at the bottom... because from that point on you realize that you can only go up. So there I was, in December after what for most people, would be the worst November of their lives... but for me... it was the greatest learning experience I have ever had to date.
I survived and I will keep on surviving (obviously learning from prior events)... but that this is not the time to stop, this is just the beginning.
Somebody asked me after the cancer diagnoses, "what is something that you have always wanted to do?" My answer.... visit the 7 wonders of the world in one trip.
I left soon after that, and I really haven't stopped. Living with the mentality to pursue every passion I have ever wanted to and not letting excuses get in the way of those dreams… to live more now.

-What inspired you more when you started traveling? What were your thoughts, changing places?
-Jumping from country to another continent within days of one another, you soon realized that it becomes easier and easier to communicate with anyone no mater what the language or cultural barrier may be and that at the end of the day, we are all simply human.
Traveling for me changes my perspective on life. With every trip I learn something new about myself and of the world to further develop a greater outlook on my life.
The Seven Wonders trip showed me that at our core as people, we are all searching for something to marvel at... to be amazed. At each wonder I would witness the joy and happiness

-What would you advise someone at their kick off point?
-The only regrets that I have in my life are from the missed opportunities that I never took a chance on.

-After all that adventure of yours, all that feelings and thinking, all that reviewing, what is the meaning of life after all?
-To have fun! Humans were born with a sense of humor and with a hunger to be happy, you can see it in the eyes of all children. 
Along the way we seem to loose that compassion, energy, and kindness to one another.  But, if we took a moment and believed that people are naturally good at heart  -- and that it’s only because of terrible situations that have led them to the paths they are on -- then maybe we can show compassion and realize that at the end of the day the best moments were filled with joy and love, not hurt and despair.

-What's your advice to all the people out there fighting their own fights like yours or even worst?
-You will hit a point in your life when you think that there is no way that it could get any worse... until it does. Then the greatest moment arrives when you wake up one day to realize that you survived and you were able to get through that moment even though at the time you never thought it possible.
You hold the power to decided how you are going to live each day, so you might as well make it the greatest day of your life.

-Greece, during the past years, has suffered of a deep economic crisis. This crisis has also penetrated the human affairs and souls. Is there a secret that could smoothen sometimes our pain in our souls?
-With loss comes an amazing opportunity to change your life by filling that void with something new. It has been at the time of tragedy where I have turned my dreams into reality.

 

Interviewed by Maria Satrazemi

 

Megan Sullivan, an award-winning producer and filmmaker, has extensive experience seeking out inspirational stories that have the power to shift the consciousness and narrative on a global scale through social impact storytelling.

From traveling to the 7 New Wonders of the World in 13 days to lighting up Half Dome and climbing the three passes of Everest, Megan seeks out adventure and experiences to further develop an ever-evolving outlook on creativity. This knowledge inherently blends into her professional work in commercial advertising as a Director and Creative Director for global brands including Apple, Google, lululemon, and Samsung.

Megan wrote and directed the award-winning documentary series Courage To Question. The series brings viewers face-to-face with women's rights activists across the globe as they fight for a world where women and girls can live free from gender-based violence. 

The series debuted and was exhibited at the United Nations Headquarters in NYC and was later shown in Geneva to help steer global policy reform to support the fight against gender-based violence.

Megan is a member of Women in Film LA and Women in Entertainment and uses her platform to advocate for gender equality and mentor others. She is currently finishing a documentary showcasing the work of a female doctor on a mission to eradicate neglected surgical diseases in Kenya and collaborates with Google and YouTube on multiple campaigns raising awareness against domestic and sexual violence, and racial justice with the #SayHerName social movement.