Empowered women empower women - just ask Meghan King. Although the Real Housewives star is based in California, her heart resides in the work she does in South Africa.
After visiting the country, she began working closely with the female-founded loungewear brand LULUSIMONSTUDIO.
Meghan designed her own line with 100% of the proceeds being donated directly to The By Grace Foundation, which helps to educate, employ, empower, and elevate South African women.
Meghan’s deepest passion is supporting women in South Africa to be financially independent, something easier said than done - and something Meghan knows the importance of all too well.
Thus, her philanthropic work aligns completely with the By Grace Foundation.
“When I heard about The By Grace Foundation, I immediately knew we’d be a perfect fit. Educating and empowering women who may not otherwise have the opportunity to provide for the family is so important to me,” the charitable television personality exclusively tells GLAMOUR South Africa.
“When my ex-husband left me I didn’t have any access to his money and I feel so lucky that I had my own money so I didn’t have to go back to a toxic relationship, but many women don’t have this same opportunity.
I see myself in all of them and if I can lend my light to show them it’s better on the other side while By Grace gives them resources and support to see this mission through, then I know I have done my job.”
Meghan designed an intentional collection, consisting of uplifting and inspiring t-shirts with inspirational messages of hope to break the cycle of generational poverty.
Read on how Meghan’s work is making a real difference.
Tell us a little about yourself
I'm a thriving single mom of 3 preschoolers, a fashion and lifestyle blogger, a former cast member on The Real Housewives of Orange County, an active philanthropist with The By Grace Foundation (which helps train women to sew and create career opportunities in South Africa), an avid adventurer (find me on my YouTube channel Meghan on The Rocks), a lover of animals, hot yoga, traveling, and karaoke.
How do you juggle being a single mom of three and your career?
I have no idea! I wish I could give some helpful tips but I feel like I’m barely getting everything done. I’ve learned that I can do it all but I can’t do it all as well as I want.
I can also do everything but then I can’t do it all. Does this even make sense? Basically it’s been a lesson in prioritizing and delegating.
I’ve had to become comfortable with asking for help and hiring help to fill in the gaps. Gardening? Forget about it. I’d rather do hot yoga during that time. The pie (time) is only so big so how much can we fit in it?
What does wellness mean to you as such an empowering female role model and what are some daily rituals that keep you motivated?
I’m so flattered! Thank you! I prioritize mental health and to me that means not losing my identity as an individual.
I was just talking to my best friend today about how easy it is for mothers to lose their identity outside of parenting - which is totally understandable - but I make conscious choices to combat this: I have a healthy social life, I set aside time to work on my YouTube or blog, I make sure to unplug and unwind at the end of each day - even if it’s only for ten minutes!
I try to make myself look put together every day because to look good is to feel good. I also have a great support network of spiritual advisor’s who help keep me grounded and on track.
The By Grace Foundation does an incredible job supporting South African women. What initially drew you to the cause and why is this collaboration so important to you?
When I heard about The By Grace Foundation I immediately knew we’d be a perfect fit. Educating and empowering women who may not otherwise have the opportunity to provide for the family is so important to me.
When my ex-husband left me I didn’t have any access to his money and I feel so lucky that I had my own money so I didn’t have to go back to a toxic relationship, but many women don’t have this same opportunity.
I see myself in all of them and if I can lend my light to show them it’s better on the other side while By Grace gives them resources and support to see this mission through, then I know I have done my job.
Plus, by building a sewing center in South Africa we are also helping combat poaching (through the creation of legitimate occupations as opposed to black market and illegal activities) and helping to save endangered species.
How did the idea for your collaboration with LULUSIONSTUDIO spark and what brought you two together?
I’ve been wearing LULUSIMONSTUDIO tees for years - they are the best fitting graphic tees out there - and I knew I wanted to collaborate with a woman-owned business.
What I wasn’t expecting was how eager LULUSIMONSTUDIO would be to help support The By Grace Foundation through my proposed collaboration that then became a reality! My role was everything! I sent them a random Instagram message asking if they’d be interested in a collaboration!
You can’t make this stuff up! And when they said yes and asked me to design the tees I laid on the floor and started sketching. I am NOT an artist by any stretch of the imagination and I had no idea how any of this worked so I winged it - and it worked!
I scanned in my pencil drawings and through a couple rounds of samples the tee shirts were set into motion.
What was the process like of creating an intentional and charitable collection?
I created three tee shirts that could be worn with or without knowledge of our mission in South Africa.
Two women holding hands with the word WOMAN in all caps is pretty straightforward: despite our race or ethnicity we come together to support one another.
My second tee says “Wildlife” and depicts 9 pairs of sunnies. This is a simply cheeky take on wildlife and depicts the diversity within one simple accessory. And finally my “Wild” pocket tee has a pair of Lion eyes... I saw several lions up close and personal in the bush in South Africa, the King of the jungle is a beautiful, strong, and powerful creature.
100% of the proceeds from this collaboration goes straight to The By Grace Foundation and is helping so many women and girls in South Africa.
Are you planning to get involved in any other philanthropic projects in the future?
Yes absolutely. Locally I support the all-girl high school I attended, Nerinx Hall, and regionally I support St Jude Hospital. There are so many incredible causes it’s hard to just pick one!
If you could offer one piece of advice to women and girls, what would it be?
To be your authentic self! Listen to your gut and always do what feels right, not what you think you should be doing. Fitting in is so passé.
