Annie Meehan | Dynamic speaker, author & entrepreneur

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Why Me?

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Why Me? A Fresh Perspective on an Age-Old Question

Today is October 12, and I’m celebrating the release of my 12th book, Why Me?: A Fresh Perspective on an Age-Old Question.

The book was supposed to come out in April, but life had other plans. Now that it’s ready, October 12 feels like the perfect day to share it. It’s also a special milestone for our family: Matthew celebrates six months sober today. I’m holding both moments with deep gratitude.

Since 2015, I’ve released a book every year. I couldn’t let this year go by without adding another one. And in case you didn’t know, this is my 12th book! My best-known titles sometimes get the spotlight, so I wanted to make sure you heard about this one, too.

A different way to ask “Why me?”

When something painful happens, many of us ask, “Why me?” We may think, I’m a good person. Why did this happen to me? We may even look at the struggles around us and wonder where goodness and faith fit into it all.

I don’t believe we need to pretend that pain isn’t real. We live in a broken world, and every one of us faces difficulties. Some people carry more than anyone else can see. But our hardest experiences don’t have to tell the whole story of our lives.

What if we also asked “Why me?” when something good happens?

Why me—the chance to wake up and begin again? Why me—the beauty of a sunrise, a walk with my dog, or a career I love? Why me—the people who love me and the moments that make an ordinary day feel like a gift?

Why Me? invites us to notice those blessings and to ask, even in the middle of hardship, “God, how might You bring something good from this?” It’s a fresh perspective—not a promise that life will always be easy, but an invitation to keep looking for hope, goodness, and meaning.

A little gift of perspective

I hope Why Me? encourages you to notice the good that can sit alongside the hard. It also makes a thoughtful gift for the holiday season: for a friend, a family member, a coworker, Secret Santa, or a Christmas stocking.

For a limited introductory price through the end of the year:

  • Kindle: $4.99
  • Paperback: $9.99

In January, the prices will change to $9.99 for Kindle and $20 for paperback.

Thank you for supporting me and cheering me on through this journey. Every book is a chance to share a story, a lesson, or a little encouragement. I hope Why Me? helps you keep a positive perspective and notice the goodness in your own life—even in the middle of the hard.

https://a.co/d/0j4f4WS3

Serving others always blesses yourself

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A Little Food Can Carry a Lot of Love

I love to cook, especially with someone else. Greg and I balance that well. He enjoys doing some things on his own, and I enjoy doing many things together.

I like trying new recipes, adding spices the recipe didn’t call for, and seeing what happens. Lately, I’ve been experimenting with soup. Some of those experiments are keepers. A few are still under review.

But I especially love to bake—and one of my favorite parts of baking is sharing what I make.

We live in a condo, so sometimes I leave a treat in the lobby. Even better, I love bringing something to someone’s door and saying, “I thought of you. Here’s a little something.” A loaf of banana bread, a batch of chocolate chip cookies, or a pan of bars can be a simple way to show someone they matter.

This month, I’m hoping to bake a few times and share with the people working so hard here on Fort Myers Beach. More than four years after Hurricane Ian, I still see people working from early morning until evening in heat, wind, and rain. A homemade baked good won’t change the conditions they’re working in, but it can offer a moment of comfort and say, “I see you. Thank you.”

The joy of serving

Service has helped me through difficult seasons. As a young girl, I struggled with sadness. Whenever I could volunteer, help someone, or bake something to give away, I felt a little more joy. It didn’t make every hard thing disappear. It helped me look beyond the sadness I was carrying and connect with someone else.

That’s one of the beautiful things about serving: it can draw us out of ourselves. We don’t need to solve someone’s whole life to make a difference in their day. Sometimes the invitation is simply to notice someone, make something, and share it.

Gathering around food

I’m blessed to have friends who love to cook and share. My dear friend Anne-Marie makes soup and brings people together around food. Another friend and her husband invite people over every Sunday night. They make the main dish, and guests bring salads, soup, potatoes, or whatever they’d like. Everyone is welcome.

Some of the people who gather are in recovery. Some are connected through church. They come together, share a meal, and make room for one another.

I miss my dining room table sometimes. Over the years, it held family dinners, birthdays, baby and wedding showers, Mother’s Day brunches, youth group gatherings, and so many conversations. I’m remembering all those meals as I write this. Food was part of the celebration, but so was having a place where people could sit down and belong.

Friends invited us to dinner last night. It was such a treat to share food, play games, talk, and care for one another. It reminded me that feeding people is one of my favorite ways to give and receive love. Food brings a certain comfort and joy to a world that can sometimes feel lonely and hard.

One person this week

Jesus called us to care for “the least of these.” That care doesn’t always require a big plan. It might look like soup for someone who lives alone, a sandwich for someone who is working outside all day, or a cookie delivered to a neighbor who has been on your mind.

This week, choose one person to remember. It doesn’t have to be a crowd, and it doesn’t have to be perfect. Make something simple or invite someone to join you for a meal. Reach out to someone who is widowed, living alone, or feeling alone.

Sometimes a little food carries a lot of love.

May your week be blessed and peaceful. May you find a simple way to serve someone—and may the joy you share find its way back to you.

Who could you cook or bake for this week?

cooking baking and sharing food is a key to a joy filled life because serving others takes us away from our own challenges

Kindness wins in the long relationships and referrals

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Kindness Wins: Why I’ll Always Lead with Hope, Not Fear

This week, I shared a video about leading with love instead of fear. A visit to the dermatologist reminded me why that message matters—not just in sales, but in every interaction where someone is trusting us with a decision.

After years in sales, I’ve noticed how often people try to persuade with fear:

“If you don’t buy this, your marriage could fall apart.”

“If you don’t buy this, you’ll never lose weight.”

“If you don’t buy this, your business will never succeed.”

“If you don’t buy this, you’ll never become a professional speaker.”

Fear can create urgency. But pressure may get someone to say yes in the moment without giving them a reason to trust you afterward.

I’ve always preferred a different approach. I want to share what might be possible, explain what I value about a product or service, and help someone decide whether it’s right for them. I’m a hope dealer. I believe in what’s possible, even when life is hard. I don’t want to persuade by making someone feel more anxious than they already do.

A couple of years ago, I went to a dermatologist for a routine checkup. I had a spot on my shoulder that had been there for as long as I could remember. It hadn’t changed, but the doctor strongly urged me to have it removed and described frightening possibilities if I didn’t. I left feeling more scared than supported. I decided I wouldn’t go back.

This week, I finally made another appointment because I had a different spot on my leg that I wanted checked. I wasn’t sure what it was. I have sensitive skin, and sometimes even a small irritation can look dramatic to me. I just wanted someone to take a look.

The dermatologist was warm, funny, and kind. She explained what concerned her and what she was looking for. She respected that it was my body and my decision. She made me laugh, helped distract me during the procedure, and made me feel safe enough to ask questions.

She removed the spot on my leg. It didn’t hurt. And by the time we’d talked for a while, I felt comfortable enough to ask her to remove the old spot on my shoulder, too—even though I’d gone in hoping she wouldn’t need to.

That experience reminded me: kindness changes how people feel while they’re making a decision. It can help someone feel seen, respected, and safe. It can turn a stressful appointment into a human connection.

I know medical decisions are personal, and I’m not offering medical advice. I’m grateful I went in and had both spots checked. I’m sharing the experience because the way we communicate matters—especially when someone is already worried.

People often arrive with their own fears and worst-case scenarios playing in their minds. Whether we work in healthcare, sales, coaching, or another service profession, we can take care not to make that fear worse. We can explain clearly, answer questions, and respect the person in front of us.

You might close a sale with pressure. But pressure alone won’t build the kind of trust that creates a lasting relationship. If we want lifelong clients and genuine connections, we need to care more about the person we’re serving than about closing the deal.

So here’s a question for all of us: When we’re trying to persuade someone, are we leading with fear or with hope? With intimidation or with kindness?

Kindness wins. And a little humor and human connection can make a hard moment feel lighter, too.

Love-Led Rather Than Fear-Led: How Are You Showing Up?

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What would change in our workplaces if more of us were love-led rather than fear-led?

Fear-led leadership worries about being wrong, losing control, looking weak or not having all the answers.

Love-led leadership doesn’t mean avoiding accountability or difficult conversations. It means approaching people with curiosity, courage, compassion and connection.

It means asking before assuming.
Listening before reacting.
Seeing the human before the title.
Choosing connection over judgment.

Whether you’re leading an organization, a team, a family—or simply yourself—we all have opportunities to decide what will lead us.

Fear or love?

Before your next conversation today, ask yourself:

How would I show up differently if I let love lead?

That one question might change the entire conversation.

#Leadership #WorkplaceCulture #HumanConnection #BeTheException #LoveLedLeadership

We make countless decisions every day about how we’re going to show up—with our coworkers, families, friends and even ourselves. Sometimes those decisions are driven by fear without us realizing it. What if we learned to recognize fear and intentionally choose to lead with love instead?

What does it mean to be love-led rather than fear-led? Annie Meehan explores how choosing courage, compassion, curiosity and connection can transform leadership, relationships and everyday conversations.

Who do you Trust? Where do you find Truth?

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Truth and Trust: Where Do You Find Solid Ground?

Who do you trust? And how do you decide what is true?

I’ve been thinking about those questions lately.

We live in a world overflowing with information. Stories, headlines, opinions, videos, and confident voices compete for our attention. Some encourage us. Others leave us anxious, angry, or afraid.

Sometimes we share something before we know whether it is accurate. Sometimes we hear something so often that it begins to feel like a fact.

But repetition doesn’t make something true. Neither does popularity.

Greg and I talk about perception and reality. We can look at the same situation and see it differently. Our experiences shape our perspectives, but our perspectives don’t always tell the whole story.

That makes me pause—not only before believing something, but before passing it along.

Am I sharing truth? Am I adding understanding? Or am I adding more noise to a world already overwhelmed?

Then there is the more personal question: Who can I trust?

A friend? A neighbor? A colleague? Someone from church?

I believe there are trustworthy people. I have been blessed by many of them. Yet people are human. We misunderstand, disappoint, and sometimes hurt one another. I know I don’t always get it right either.

The foundation I trust completely is God and His Word.

That is why I don’t simply read the Bible. I soak in it.

Many mornings, I wake around 4 a.m. Before my feet touch the floor, I pray:

“Lord, help me be more like You and less like me.”

I begin with Scripture and prayer. Then I listen to devotionals—sometimes reading along, sometimes closing my eyes and letting the words settle into my heart.

Lately, I’ve been spending time in Job.

His story is difficult. There is suffering, loss, confusion, and questioning. Job doesn’t pretend everything is fine. He grieves. He wrestles. He brings his anguish to God.

That speaks to me.

Faith doesn’t require us to silence every question. Sometimes faith means bringing our hardest questions to God and staying in the conversation.

I also read through the New Testament. In the evenings, Greg and I watch The Chosen, often revisiting episodes and discussing what they stir in us. The dramatization helps us imagine the people and settings, while Scripture remains our foundation.

These rhythms help steady me. They don’t remove every hardship, but they remind me that I don’t have to face it alone.

I’ve also been thinking about artificial intelligence and connection.

I use AI to help organize my thoughts and clarify my words. If you’ve ever heard one of my run-on sentences, you know that can be a ministry all its own!

But every tool needs its place.

A polished answer still needs discernment. Encouraging words on a screen cannot replace the depth of human relationships—the listening, honest disagreement, curiosity, and love that help us grow.

I want to keep making room for those conversations.

Especially with people I love who don’t share my faith.

My heart longs for them to know the hope I find in Jesus. Yet loving someone does not give me control over their journey. I can listen, share, pray, and live what I believe. I can invite without pressuring.

I can trust God with what I cannot change.

That is why the Serenity Prayer means so much to me: serenity to accept what I cannot change, courage to change what I can, and wisdom to know the difference.

There is freedom in remembering that I am responsible for my words, choices, and actions. I am not in charge of everyone else.

Jesus says, “I am the way, the truth, and the life.” —John 14:6

When the world feels confusing, that is where I return.

To truth that grounds me.

To love that guides me.

To hope that helps me take another step.

As you care for your spiritual health this Thursday, what helps you discern truth and return to peace?

Before my feet hit the ground tomorrow, my prayer will be the same:

“Lord, help me be more like You and less like me.”

Authentically Annie

Thank you for seeing and caring for our kids

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Tuesday Testimonial: For the Ones Who See

This morning I had the privilege of delivering P3 Pineapple Packages to the beautiful staff at Bonita Springs Middle School — teachers, aides, school nutrition teams, security staff, nurses, and specialists who pour into children every single day.

As I stood there, bags in hand, heart wide open, I felt emotional.
This week marks my brother Paul’s birthday and the anniversary of his passing.

And I was reminded of something tender and true:

No matter how much kindness we spread in the world,
it never erases the pain of our past.
But it does give that pain purpose.

Paul was a little boy who didn’t always feel seen.
He struggled in school.
He felt labeled.
He believed he was the “bad kid,” the “troublemaker,” the one who didn’t quite measure up.

But here’s what I know now:

There are no bad kids.
There are children carrying hurts we cannot see.
There are young hearts needing patience, safety, encouragement, and someone who believes in them.

So today, my Tuesday Testimonial is bigger than one school.

It’s for every teacher who looks a child in the eyes and says,
“I’m glad you’re here.”

For every aide who kneels beside a desk to offer quiet help.

For every school nutrition worker who serves meals with dignity and care.

For every nurse who tends to worried hearts and scraped knees.

For every security staff member who stands watch so children can learn safely.

For every adult who chooses curiosity over judgment…
compassion over labels…
connection over criticism.

Because when a child feels seen and valued,
their whole world can change.

Today I honor the Pineapple People in our schools —
the ones who stand tall, see people, crown others with worth, and lead with sweetness and strength.

You are shaping lives more than you know.
You are healing hearts you may never hear about.

And somewhere, a child who feels unseen
is quietly being reminded:

“You matter.”

🍍

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