The Quantum Leap Blues: Navigating the Lows After Big Wins
Captured by: Eve Gagne
Hey friend, welcome back to The Glow Up Year Blog! I’m Meg—actress, model, and your behind-the-scenes bestie for chasing dreams, surviving the plot twists, and building something big. Around here, we talk about it all—the auditions, the photo shoots, the mindset shifts, and yes… even the messy, unglamorous lows.
Today is one of those lows.
This isn’t the post I wanted to write, but it’s the one I promised I’d share. Because if I’m going to be real with you, that means showing you the highlight reel and the hard lessons in real time.
So… let’s talk about what I call the Quantum Leap Blues.
The High Before the Low
If you’ve been following along, you know that Coco Rocha Model Camp was a massive goal for me this year. Four days of total alignment—I was surrounded by the right people, in the right place, doing exactly what I love. I felt more “me” than I ever have in my career. I was teary-eyed every day (in the best way) because it was pure joy from start to finish.
Captured by: Jeanie Stehr
Then… whiplash.
I went from that high straight into my regular day job less than 24 hours later. No transition period, no time to decompress—just a hard pivot from feeling like my highest self to being right back in my old routine. And honestly? It felt like two versions of me were colliding. The new me, full of momentum and confidence… and the old me, who knew how to shrink to fit an environment that didn’t always welcome growth.
When the New You Isn’t “Accepted”
On my first day back at work, I walked in determined to show up as this elevated version of myself. But one person—through jokes, judgment, and just plain unkindness—made it very clear they weren’t here for it.
And that one interaction?
It cracked the door wide open for self-doubt to come rushing back in.
Instead of brushing it off, I spiraled. My mindset went from empowered to brutal in record time. And when I spiral, I have an old coping mechanism that I thought I’d left behind years ago: binge eating.
Six Days of Self-Sabotage
For six straight days, I stuffed down every uncomfortable feeling with food I knew my body couldn’t handle. It’s not something I do regularly anymore—honestly, I haven’t been in that pattern for four years. But being away from my support system, my accountability, and my community? That made it way too easy to stay stuck in it.
And here’s the thing—binging never actually solves the problem. It just numbs it for the short time you’re eating, which means you have to keep doing it to keep avoiding the real issue.
The Fear Beneath the Spiral
When I finally sat with it, I realized this wasn’t just about feeling judged or having a bad workday. This was about fear of success.
Sounds ridiculous, right?
But here’s how it played out:
Captured by: Jeanie Stehr
I looked at my stunning new photos from camp—photos that made me proud—and then immediately thought:
What if I can’t handle it if my dreams actually come true?
What if I embarrass myself?
What if the workload is too much?
What if I get there and I don’t even like it?
Those thoughts became a wall between me and my momentum.
The Role of Community
Looking back, I know I could have pulled myself out of this spiral faster if I had reached out to my community. My people would have reminded me who I am. They would have helped me reframe my thoughts, re-center, and keep moving forward.
But I didn’t reach out.
I chose isolation instead, and isolation is where self-sabotage thrives.
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What I’m Reminding Myself (and You)
This low is temporary.
I don’t have to compromise who I am just to make other people comfortable.
My worth isn’t determined by how quickly I bounce back—it’s in the fact that I will bounce back.
The journey matters as much as the destination. None of this is wasted time.
So if you’re in your own version of the Quantum Leap Blues right now—whether you’ve just hit a huge milestone, taken a risk, or made a big leap—please remember:
This phase doesn’t last forever.
Lean on your community.
Feel your feelings.
And keep going.
Thanks for hanging out with me for this raw, unpolished chapter. Your glow up is unfolding—one bold move, one hard lesson, one big win at a time.
If you want to dive deeper, I’ve got a full podcast episode on this exact topic—go give it a listen!
See you in the next post, friend.
