Meet your Coaches

Megan and Courtney Hughes are the coaches behind Building Better Basics. Megan and Courtney have a unique history which brought them together to growing Willow Oak and supporting small businesses. ⁠


To start to get to know your coaches, they have answered some business + personal Q&As here! 

Q: What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given? ⁠

Courtney

It's a toss up. Very early in my career, I used to be very quiet in meetings. A trusted colleague pulled me aside after an especially important meeting and said "If you can't think of anything to say, either ask a question or repeat what someone else said." ⁠

It was a gamechanger. Just getting used to hearing myself speak in meetings made all the difference, and by the next performance review I was told I spoke too much in meetings!! 

The other piece that I use as a guiding principle is that "If something feels to complicated, it probably is". I apply this to all my work and lead with simplicity. ⁠

Megan 

To say no to things that don’t light me up or to things that I don’t have the space for. I always felt like I had to say yes to avoid letting people down. I still love showing up for people but I have boundaries to ensure I’m protecting my energy and self. 

Q: If you could instantly learn any skill, what would it be? ⁠

Courtney

It would have to be singing. I am really good at memorizing lyrics. Like REALLY good. But I have a terrible singing voice which just feels unfair tbh.⁠

Megan

I would love love love to speak another language! ⁠


Q:What is your go-to coffee order? ⁠

Courtney & Megan 

Soy latte from @stircoffeehouse⁠

Q: If you didn’t get into HR/Finance, what other career would you have liked to do? ⁠

Courtney

I suppose something with food? I love cooking and  baking. 

Megan

I would have loved to be an interior designer or an architect. I love beautiful places, buildings and rooms and I’d love to learn the mathematics and data behind the structures and designs. ⁠

Q: What would your ideal day look like? ⁠

Courtney

Any day at the cabin is an ideal day for me. We have a family cabin in the middle of the woods, and I feel lucky every time I get to spend time in all of its internet-free, woodstove cooking glory 

Megan

Wake up to my little family. Have a quiet morning at home with a hot coffee⁠. Family walk or bike ride to a near by park⁠.

Really anything relaxing with fresh air and my fav people! ⁠

Q: Who is someone you admire and why? ⁠

Courtney

I am drawn to be people who are surefooted in their principles and morals and lead with transparency. Brene Brown is an example of someone who is unwavering in her vulnerability and courage work. I am drawn to people who are open-minded and willing to learn and could literally listen to what they have to say all day!

Megan

Jillian Harris has always been someone I admire and look to for inspiration. It started with her beautiful interior designs and grew with her business practices, leadership ways, her passion for the things she loves and that she shows the “real” moments in her life. Her page may look perfect but she doesn’t back down showing the chaos and imperfections that come along with life. ⁠

Q: What topic are you most excited to coach on in the Building Better Basics Program? ⁠

 Courtney

It’s a tough call, but probably Enneagram coaching. ⁠

It is such an effective tool for people to understand themselves better, and watching the light bulbs go off for people in how their motivations affect the way they run their business is really powerful. I truly believe that understanding yourself is the key to understanding the world around you, and love to focus on how your strengths can serve your purpose. ⁠

 Megan

Money Mindset . One of the reasons I founded Willow Oak was because I recognized the block that many entrepreneurs/people had when it came to their finances. I love helping people understand their finances so it becomes less scary and they can utilize their knowledge around their numbers to grow their business.

Now that you’ve heard a couple things about Megan and Courtney as individuals, are you curious about their history? ⁠

We could go on for a while but here’s a snapshot.  ⁠

  • They met at the age of 11 in dance⁠
  • Shortly after meeting, Courtney went out on a limb and invited Megan to a Pink concert. You could say she was looking to "Get the Party Started". ⁠
  • The Pink concert was the beginning of a wonderful and deep friendship. They continued to be great friends all through high school, getting into the type of trouble that teenagers seem to do. ⁠
  • By the time of their early 20s, they had started dating brothers, and ended up living together. 4 adults in a 2 bedroom, 900 square foot apartment. It was one of the funnest times of their lives. ⁠
  • Building on their dance careers, and beginning their ventures in business together, they taught Zumba to their local community for a few years⁠
  • They ended up marrying the aforementioned brothers and became sisters-in-laws⁠
  • After a year into Willow Oak, it was pretty clear to Megan that she wanted to share the experience of entrepreneurship and that Courtney would add great value to clients with a new HR lens. ⁠


You could say megan + courtney basically hold every relationship possible. Business partners, sisters, friends, accountability partners, everything. But they're also a good example of how opposites attract. One is introverted, one is extraverted. One is organized, one enjoys organized chaos. One listens to music when they work, one prefers silence. ⁠

What we believe is the most important piece to hold these opposites together is they support each other no matter what and in all aspects of their life. 

Willow Oak was created with the mindset that we all should work together to bring our individuals strengths to make wonderful things happen. The relationship of Megan and Courtney truly speak to that mindset! 

Thanks for listening and getting to know the coaches! We hope to learn more about you!

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