Today we’d like to introduce you to Megan Lininger.
Hi Megan , we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
My career has taken a few different forms, but looking back, there’s a pretty clear thread connecting them all: I’ve always been fascinated by the body, movement, and what helps people feel more like themselves.
I grew up dancing, earned my BFA in Dance from Stephens College in Columbia, MO, and then spent 12 years in New York City, where I pursued a professional career in dance and choreography. For a long time, my relationship with my body and food was very much rooted in the mentality I had learned as a dancer… work harder, push through, eat as little as possible, exercise more, and assume that discipline was the answer to everything.
As I got older, that approach not only stopped working; it completely backfired. I began experiencing a long list of health issues, from gut issues to HPA-axis dysfunction (adrenal fatigue) to PCOS and histamine intolerance. Not to mention just a total disconnect from my body and a very unhealthy relationship with food.
Instead of trying to constantly override my body, I slowed down and began learning why it responds the way it does. And it completely changed the way I viewed health, food, exercise, and the female body.
That curiosity eventually led me to the Institute for Integrative Nutrition, where I became an Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, and later continued my education in hormone health. I founded The Grace Co. as a way to help women build a healthier relationship with their bodies through nutrition, movement, nervous system support, and lifestyle practices that are actually sustainable.
Over the years, my work has continued to evolve alongside me. Today, I primarily work with women navigating stress, burnout, hormonal changes, weight challenges, and the transition into their late 30s, 40s, and beyond… many of whom feel like they’re doing “all the right things” but still don’t feel well. Being able to bring both my education and lived experience into this work has been a gift, and I’m deeply passionate about helping women feel more informed, supported, and at home in their bodies.
I’m also an instructor in The Suite at MOJO Cycling Studio on the Plaza here in Kansas City, and I continue to teach two dance classes a week at DanceFitFlow. Both have allowed me to stay connected to my roots in movement while blending that part of myself with the work I do in women’s health.
Where I’ve landed in my career is much less about helping women become better at controlling their bodies and much more about helping them understand and work with them. My own journey has taught me that health isn’t about doing everything perfectly. It’s about learning how to listen, adapt, and create a life that supports the person you’re becoming.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
This question made me laugh and immediately think of the quote, “If you want to make God laugh, make a plan.”
The journeys to health, self, and especially business are rarely smooth. But I also think the challenges are often what open the door to the most meaningful growth.
The health issues I faced for years were incredibly defeating. I spent a long time exhausted, inflamed, overwhelmed by symptoms, hopeless, and feeling like I was constantly fighting my body and food. Getting to a place where I actually felt vibrant, symptom-free, and at home in my skin had very little to do with finding the perfect diet or exercise plan and much more to do with coming home to myself, reconnecting with my body, and learning how to meet its needs.
One of the biggest lessons I’ve learned through health, healing, and my own personal growth is that there really is no final place of arrival. We are constantly evolving. Finding peace along the way has required me to accept that and learn how to meet myself where I am, over and over again.
Now take all of that and add being a dancer and choreographer who decided to start a health coaching business right before a global pandemic changed everything.
The learning curve was massive. I went from getting paid to create art and say “5, 6, 7, 8” to suddenly learning social media, systems, web design, marketing, sales, and all of the behind-the-scenes pieces that come with building a business from the ground up.
There have been plenty of moments when I’ve wanted to throw in the towel on all of it. Business has challenged my confidence, patience, identity, and willingness to keep showing up when the path forward wasn’t always clear. But passion and a sense of purpose have continued to pull me forward.
If anything, the struggles have made me much more comfortable with the idea that success doesn’t always look like a straight line. Sometimes it looks like adjusting, rebuilding, changing direction, and continuing anyway.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
The Grace Co. is a women’s health and wellness coaching practice rooted in the belief that women shouldn’t have to spend their lives fighting their bodies to feel healthy or good in their skin.
I primarily work with women in their 30s, 40s, and beyond who are navigating things like chronic stress, burnout, hormonal changes, stubborn weight changes, low energy, digestive issues, and the frustrating feeling of doing “everything right” but still not feeling like themselves.
My approach is very holistic, but also incredibly practical. We look at nutrition, blood sugar, hormones, digestion, movement, sleep, stress, nervous system health, and the rhythms of everyday life rather than isolating one symptom or handing someone another restrictive diet to follow. I want women to understand why their bodies are responding the way they are and give them tools they can realistically use in their actual lives to see real results.
I think what sets my work apart is that I’m not interested in helping women become more disciplined or giving them another set of rules to follow. Most of the women who come to me are already trying incredibly hard. They don’t need more pressure; they need better information, individualized support, and often permission to stop approaching their bodies like a problem that needs to be fixed.
My background in dance and movement also plays a huge role in the way I coach. I spent many years in environments where being smaller, working harder, and pushing through discomfort were normalized. Having personally moved through health challenges and rebuilt my own relationship with food, exercise, and my body gives me a perspective that goes beyond what I learned in a certification program. I understand both the desire to change your body and the cost of allowing that pursuit to consume your relationship with food and exercise.
Through The Grace Co., I offer private health coaching and educational programs centered around helping women nourish themselves well, support their hormones, build strength, regulate stress, and create sustainable habits without losing their lives to wellness.
What I’m most proud of is the philosophy the brand has grown into. I started this business thinking my job was largely to teach women how to eat healthier. Today, I see my role very differently. I want women to leave my world understanding their bodies, trusting themselves more, and feeling empowered to make decisions about their health without constantly looking outside themselves for the next diet, trend, or person telling them what they should be doing. That evolution feels like the heart of The Grace Co. and, in many ways, a reflection of who I have become as a person.
What quality or characteristic do you feel is most important to your success?
Resilience, without question. I used to think success required confidence, that you had to believe in yourself completely before you could move forward. I’ve learned that isn’t true. Some of the most important decisions I’ve made have happened while I was uncertain, scared, or questioning myself. Resilience has been the ability to keep showing up anyway, adapt when something isn’t working, and trust that a difficult season doesn’t mean I’m on the wrong path. And then I’d probably bring in patience as part of resilience: learning that health, business, and personal growth all happen on timelines we can’t completely control.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://thegrace.co
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gracefully_megan/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheGraceCobyMeganLininger/
