Only Human

Besides looking forward to “touring, traveling everywhere and anywhere, and hugging everyone” in a post-COVID world, Meg Donnelly has been very, very busy: filming, table reads, choreography lessons, and auditions. filming, table reads, choreography lessons, and auditions. (The Z-O-M-B-I-E-S franchise is returning to Disney Channel for the threequel.) “I wouldn’t trade this for anything,” she says. “It’s just a matter of trying to make everything work. I always pack my schedule because I like being busy. I like working.” When asked how the pandemic has affected her, she says she has gone from being in control of everything to not knowing what would happen. She credits music as the source of her wellness in these challenging times. “Finding, listening to, and making music, even with friends on Zoom, have been the most therapeutic thing,” says Donnelly, who released her debut album, Trust, in 2019.

Like all of us, she’s taken the time to focus on herself on a journey to understanding self-love and finding her purpose. “I’ve been trying to see the positive in all of it and feel like I’ve changed so much as a person. I have really had time to sit with myself and figure out what I want to do. Before, I would just hang out with anyone, and I would distract myself from myself,” Donnelly describes. “The pandemic has forced me to be alone, and it has made me realize, ‘Woah, I’m actually an acquaintance with myself.’ I have taken time to work through issues and anything I was battling with. I feel like I’m in a better place than I was before.”

While bringing these thoughts to the surface, Donnelly writes them down and talks to herself. “I know it sounds crazy, but talking to myself helps me so much. I’m an only child, so I feel like that’s part of it,” she says. “I’ve been doing it since I was younger. You know, in your head, everything seems like such a bigger problem, even if it’s a simple thought. But when you write it down and look at it on paper, you’re like, ‘Oh, I can work through this.’ You look back on it months later, and you’re like, ‘Wow, look how much progress I’ve made.’”

It’s also important for her to build relationships and form partnerships with non-profits, such as To The Moon And Back and Children’s Health Fund, to help children in need feel less alone. Most of her philanthropic activities have shifted to Zoom, but she’s also expanded her efforts to connect with those who need support. “I’m trying to do stuff with mental health, as well, especially with kids. Being a teenager is the most confusing part of your life. So having to deal with mental health on top of that is just a lot. Feeling like you’re alone and no one else has the same brain as you is hard. It’s something I went through, so I want to make sure people don’t feel alone,” she affirms. “It’s definitely scary, because it’s something that not a lot of people know about me, but I realized that maybe if I start speaking about it and start partnering with people who are doing things for mental health, then maybe one person would feel understood. That would make my day, because when I was younger, that’s all I wanted.” 

Writer: Jacqueline Kirk

Photographer & Videographer: Blake Eiermann

Photographer Assistant: Sebastian La’ Bianca

Stylist: Kim Mesches

Editor: Eiko Watanabe

Special thanks to EPK Media (@myepk & @epkmedia - epkmedia.com)