Meet Megan Dena

We had the good fortune of connecting with Megan Dena and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Megan, can you walk us through the thought-process of starting your business?
I received the inspiration for Intended for Good after being in a dark time in my life. In 2021 I experienced a great loss of self. I isolated myself because I felt like nobody would be able to understand what I had been through. After taking time to heal and find community, I started therapy. To further my healing and help put my thoughts into words, my therapist suggested I try to write down what I could remember about what had happened. In the beginning it was very hard for me to do but it slowly transformed into the story you can now find on my website. At first I thought I might just have a personal blog but after so much prayer and time spent with God, my perspective started to change. I felt called by God to start a platform that would share the stories of so many others as well. I wanted to create a place to bring people together by telling our stories, encouraging people to come out of isolation to find healing, and start tough conversations to gain understanding.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I think the Intended for Good mindset sets us apart. Our name came from Genesis 50:20.

“you intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. Genesis 50:20”

Realizing this truth, that whatever the circumstances may be, they are intended for good, requires an understanding of who God is and of how we are defined by what God says and not our circumstances. Living it out requires belief and trust in the unconditional love of God and listening to His voice of truth rather than feelings based on the voice of “the accuser.” I hope you might take away that understanding and living by this “intended for good” truth will not remove difficulties from life, but will enable us to go through difficulties with a different perspective that will develop character, bring spiritual maturity, and open our eyes to the fulfillment of God’s promises through our pain.

I am most excited for and proud of the many people I have met with such cool testimonies of transformation. I know it isn’t easy to open up and talk about loss, mental health struggles, tragedy, betrayal, etc. but these people are ready to share their experiences with the world. I feel very proud and honored to have the platform where those stories will be shared.

I am so thankful for the platform I have but it definitely hasn’t been easy. There are so many moving parts like designing my website, editing and publishing the stories, managing the social media, creating the social media content, meetings with the storytellers, organizing photoshoots, etc. I do most of this alone all while being a grad school student and holding a few odd jobs here and there. It is a very exciting and busy time in my life; I wouldn’t change a thing.

I think the biggest thing I learned is to let people in. It is hard to share about something that requires me to be so vulnerable but that is one of the main things God has taught me through this experience, it is better to be vulnerable. Allow people to hold you up when you can’t stand on your own. Tell someone what happened. Cry in front of people. Lean not on your own understanding; but on the peace that surpasses all understanding!

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
My friends and I have had so many fun nights together out in the Fort Worth Stockyards. We love to shop in all of our favorite western stores, listen to live music at Second Rodeo, grab ice cream at Melt, and go dancing at Billy Bobs. My sisters and I love La La Land for a coffee (I prefer their matcha), a visit to the Dallas Arboretum, and Hudson House for dinner. You also can’t miss a visit to the fun exhibits at the Perot Museum of Nature and Science or The Fort Worth Science and History Museum. I would also recommend a Sunday service at Watermark Dallas or Fort Worth or their Tuesday night young adult service The Porch. They have built a very welcoming community there.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I think I would dedicate it to the friends that came alongside me in my healing journey. During that dark time in my life I believed that I had been abandoned by God and I was running away from His love. Through the people around me He showed His love for me. Just like God’s love, my community expressed no judgment, there was patience, kindness, and relentless pursuit. They have cried with me, prayed with me, always seem to check in on me when I need it most, stay up late listening to my ramblings and revelations, send me messages filled with encouragement and truth, and they let me be angry and sad in moments where those emotions need to be felt. They are proud of me, and I have no doubt they have petitioned on my behalf to God for healing. I have been so blessed. I also thank my heavenly Father God everyday for showing me the purpose in my pain and transforming my suffering into strength. I’m so glad He has guided my every step in this long healing journey.

Website: https://www.intendedforgood.org/

Instagram: @intendedforgood

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/megan-dena/

Image Credits