Ft Myers Beach - Good Neighbor

FMBGN-RESIDENT-Annie Meehan-Kindness In A Prickly World

• "Cabo" Jim Schaller • Season 5 • Episode 43

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A blueprint for kinder leadership and sharper communication, told through the journey of speaker and author Annie Meehan. We sit down with Annie, a Certified Speaking Professional, to unpack how she transformed a personal story into actionable strategy that audiences can use right away—especially when attention is short and expectations are high. From weathering the loss of 110 bookings in 2020 to finding a new home on Fort Myers Beach, Annie shares how her “why” kept her moving: words change choices, shift mindsets, and heal.

What stands out is Annie’s “pineapple person” principle—stand up straight, wear a crown, be sweet on the inside. It’s a memorable framework for modern life where civility feels scarce and online shade travels fast. We talk about essential skills like eye contact, presence, and sincere compliments, the kind that lift strangers and rebuild trust. Annie explains how professional speakers can turn stories into strategy, give tangible tools in less time, and serve audiences who crave both inspiration and practical steps. We also explore human connection in an AI world—why a live keynote still sets the tone for culture, engagement, and belonging.

Wrapped in the rhythm of island life—daily beach walks, local music, and bike rides—this conversation offers a calm, actionable reset. You’ll learn how to turn your experience into frameworks that stick, how to choose curiosity over conflict, and how small kindnesses can create big change at work and at home. Want more from Annie? Find her books, videos, and coaching by searching her name across web and social.

If this episode brought you sunshine, tap follow, share it with a friend who loves good vibes and practical wisdom, and leave a review to help other good neighbors find us. Then tell us: what will your next small act of kindness be?

Annie Meehan
(952) 994-8356
annie@anniemeehan.com
anniemeehan.com

Ft Myers Beach-Good Neighbor
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Intro/Close:

Welcome to 45 feet podcast. No change, just on five, following, of course. Four fire speed. Lights of paradise. Here's the good neighbors and businesses that allow us to solve our computer at first local storage on divide of island life. Here's the celebrating all the mixed Fort Fire Speech. Lights of Paradise we all love. Full of a beach chair, grab a drink, make this island feel like home. Here's your host, Cabo Jim Schaller.

SPEAKER_01:

Welcome, good neighbors. Today we have good neighbor Annie Meehan, a certified speaking professional. Wow, I better watch what I say, I guess, right? Or I'll say it.

SPEAKER_02:

No judgment, no shade.

SPEAKER_01:

All right, okay. All right. Well, thank you for that. And you're a coach, you do a lot of different things. So let's jump right into it. Why don't you share a little bit with our listeners first about what you do?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, so I'm a professional speaker, and what that the difference between a public speaker and professional is professionals get paid to speak. So I have been doing this for 14 years. I speak 50 plus times a year all over the world. I've written 11 books and I coach and consult with individuals and organizations to help them have more sunshine and less shade in their life.

SPEAKER_01:

I love it. I love it. So how did you get involved in all that to start with?

SPEAKER_02:

Um, I started in the financial world. So I grew up in the financial world nine years, five promotions, stayed home with our three kids for a couple of years. Then I bought my first gym in a small town, a bigger gym a year later. I built in a big city. And people kept asking me, How are you so positive? I want to be like you. I want to be like you. And I started speaking the faith community, then the finance, and then corporations and organizations just kept sharing my name. And now I speak for a large different audiences and different topics. But I love hospitality and I love the symbol of pineapples to teach people how to be a pineapple person, which is sweet in a sometimes prickly world. So I get to do lots of cool things.

SPEAKER_01:

I love that. I love that. And so running a business about that, you found your passion, number one. You know, that's important. You gotta follow your passion, and you know, sometimes it leads you to somewhere you didn't even think about, but you got to follow it, and you're doing that. And I love that about you. But uh creating a business out of that, what type of challenges did you come across? You know, hey, I've got an idea, I know I'm good at this. What do I do next? Kind of scenario.

SPEAKER_02:

That's a great question, Jim. A lot of people think they want to be speakers because they have a good story, but a story people might listen, but they won't pay. You've got to figure out how to take your story and put it into strategy so that it's something for the audience, not just for you. Um, and yes, definitely, Jim, super challenging. In 2020, I lost 110 speaking engagements. I thought it was a fluke that was gonna go away, but it didn't. And it gave me the opportunity to fulfill another passion, and that was to come explore Fort Myers Beach and consider living here. But um in the face of adversity, I remember my why. Like my, I think words are powerful. My written and spoken words help people heal, help people make better choices, shift their mindset, shift their leadership. And the reward of the hard work is that the difference it makes. But the challenge of rejection or people just wanting to listen to you but not pay you is ongoing. I've been doing this a long time and it still comes up, those challenges. So I think the passion behind it, like I love my work, but more importantly than me loving my work, I love the impact that it's been able to make on people's lives. And people say, You changed my life, you heal my life. And I always say thank you. And I don't have that much power, but I do have the power to invite them to make the changes they need to make so they can live an extraordinary life. So I think the reward of the result keeps me going. Even if I quit some nights because I'm so tired, I get up in the morning and go, all right, I'm ready to start again. So yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

And and the crazy part is you never know how many people or who you're touching. Because I get at it a lot with me sometimes with my posts or things that I do. People are like, I didn't even know you found me, I didn't even know you liked me, but they're they come up to me and say, Thank you for posting what you do, thank you for doing what you do. And I'm like, I, you know, wasn't even aware I touched you, but uh you appreciate it.

SPEAKER_02:

I love that total, 100%, especially with my books. Well, I don't always know my audiences either. I have about 50,000 connections on social media, and people often ask me, How do you know this person? And a lot of times they were in my audience and they followed me, but I don't actually know them, but they feel like they know me. But with my books, I don't even know who orders them or where they go a lot of times. And people will write me a letter and say, Four years ago, I read your book, it changed my whole life. I quit my job, I started a business. I and you're just like, Wow, how cool is that that we get to be a positive influence in a world. So it's a beautiful thing, right?

SPEAKER_01:

And help people follow their passions, right? Absolutely. So talking about passions, you mentioned you weren't from here originally. Where are you from originally?

SPEAKER_02:

It's a complicated question for me. I was born in San Francisco, then I lived in Illinois, and then I moved to Minnesota. By the time I was 18, I had moved 83 times. Minnesota is where I lived the majority of my life and where we raised our three kids. But every spring we came to Southwest Florida, whether it was Fort Myers Beach, Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita, we came for 30 years and I dreamed someday I'm gonna live here, someday I'm gonna live here. And so um we moved from Minnesota where we raised our three kids and where they still live to Fort Myers Beach, and we're blessed to have them come visit us here. And I still do about 40% of my work in Minnesota, so I'm back there a lot, but I do not miss the snow and cold. I love looking out at the sunshine and the beach.

SPEAKER_01:

So I exactly mess, especially when it's minus two up there right now, and you're kind of like, well, it's 80 down here. I'm okay with that, right? Exactly. Snow shovel, we don't need one of those. What's that all about?

SPEAKER_02:

We went for Thanksgiving to Minnesota and they said it was the coldest Minnesota in Thanksgiving in 11 years. I was like, oh, what are we doing here?

SPEAKER_01:

So you know, when I was born in Wisconsin, grew up in Illinois, I did live in Minnesota for a year and a half, so I understand the cold winters. It would it would get so cold up there that the snow wouldn't melt and it would just get rutted on the road because it could plow it ice or salt on it. It just was crazy. I'm like, that's too cold. I like my drinks cold, but that's about it.

SPEAKER_02:

That's right.

SPEAKER_01:

So be doing what you're doing, do you see certain things maybe trending or evolving in your industry?

SPEAKER_02:

Sure. Lots of things. The first thing that comes to mind, Jim, is that I think we've lost sight of kindness and kind of how you say Shansign and No Shade, we decide Jim's different than me. I don't like him. And therefore, because I don't like him, I don't have to be nice to him. And then I can't work with him, and then I'm gonna quit my job. And one thing in my industry is I get to help people shift that. Like, what if we could be different and still be civil? We kind of have this, like, people are waiting to be offended or to be mad or to not like you. And as a speaker, it's a pretty vulnerable position to take the front of the room and you have to have a level of confidence to do it. But for me, being able to show people what if instead of judging that person and they're different than you or you don't like them, what if you are curious about why they think the way they do, what they believe, how they speak, how they do that. So a theme has really been more challenging to expand people's minds, I think, than when I started 15 years ago, because people used to come hear us to want to learn and expand and be inspired. And now sometimes a percentage of the room is waiting to prove that you're wrong or to prove that you're you're challenged. And I always say, like, for me, I teach people to be professional speakers, to take their story and put it into strategy. And I say, I don't care about standing ovations. I don't even care if people like me. And that has taken me years. But really, what it is is remove the ego and care about them liking themselves better, care about them taking away tangible tools that they can implement right away. As a keynote speaker, it used to be just tell a story, inspire us, make us feel good. I think more is expected and in a shorter period of time. It used to be 60 minutes, inspire us, and now it's 45 minutes, inspire us, educate us, um, give us something, keep our attention in a noisy, distracted world full of cell phones. How do you get people to not look down, to stay engaged, to be inspired, to take action and to go out? So I think expectations higher, but I love that and I love a challenge. But there's a lot of threads on the importance. Plus, we live in an AI world. So how do we remind people that we need human connection in a disconnected? I don't even need you, I can figure it out myself. Does a keynote speaker still have value? And the organizations that get it are like, you're amazing, you set the tone for this conference. But some people are like, no, we're not doing that anymore. We don't have to pay, or everything's on AI. I'm like, we still need human connection and kindness and sunshine. We need all that.

SPEAKER_01:

So I don't know if that answered your question, but no, I I I love that I love that and I agree. I mean, so many times nowadays, I mean, customer service is a whole nother animal, but people are so confrontational when they meet people now. It's kind of like, why do you feel that way? Why don't you feel like me? And it's like now you've got that friction between each other before you even get to know somebody and you're starting out. So it's you know, it I always say put yourself in their shoes, understand why they believe that way, appreciate that they have a different opinion, and appreciate just like you want them to appreciate your opinion, appreciate their opinion. And hey, we can agree to disagree. We don't have to like everything all the same all the time.

SPEAKER_02:

I mean, I'm gonna be nice to you, Jim, and you're from Wisconsin, and we are scared of those green, and I'm wearing green, but you know, all the cheese heads, you can still be friends with cheese heads, even if you're from Minnesota. So, I mean, that's the thing. I think civility that just who cares if we're different, like we can still be friends, and we can be told. I have friends, I have such a diverse eclectic group of friends of all the people that are drunk every night at the bar, all the way to the Bible study every day, and everything in between. And I love that about my life. All people have stories and sacredness and value. And if we can keep our minds open and curious, we can create amazing relationships. So, yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Exactly. It's I mean, I I same with you. I I talk with a lot of people of all different walks of life, appreciate their their input and their value. But my my tone is I'm not here to change your opinion, I'm just here to understand more about why people think that way, and maybe in down the line, maybe that changes my view or or vision or whatever. But yeah, the more you learn, the more you're power empowered to become the person you're supposed to be and decide who you want to be. So I love that. I love that. So, what is one thing that our listeners need to know about I don't know, what what you do and how you can help them that maybe they're not aware of.

SPEAKER_02:

I grew up with the learning difference. Some people would say I was disabled, I have dyslexia and ADHD. But what happened is everybody that bet against me became my inspiration for instead of hearing you'll never make it, I heard I dare you. And so I shifted that in my brain. And I also learned something about myself. I learn in pictures, not words. And so I want to teach as simple as possible symbols, and I want to be memorable, not about me, but about what I'm teaching, so people can implement it. And so in 2018, someone called me a pineapple person. I didn't know what it meant, and then they taught me the poem, how to be a pineapple person, stand up straight, wear a crown, be sweet on the inside. And it was cute. But I believe, Cabo, that everybody has a story behind their story. And I asked myself, how can I take this poem and turn it into a principle? What's the story behind it? And people remember pineapples. They don't always remember me, but they remember pineapples. And the pineapple says stand up straight. And I think, I honestly think if I only spent the rest of my life teaching the world to stand up straight, take out your headphones, put down your phone, and actually look people in the eye, actually see people. We've lost what used to be called soft skills, I say are essential. How do we look at people and actually see them, be present, be focused and look them in the eye and make them feel seen? The second one is wear a crown. So the crown could be like ego or royalty, but really to me, the crown is value. When we value ourselves, we get up, we drink water, we take a walk, we do something, but then we value other people. We look at them and we think they're valuable, they look different, they think it doesn't matter. They're valuable and I'm valuable. And when we're sweet on the inside, the keyboard kills me because I think people can sit home and write real mean things about you. You and I don't do that, but a lot of people do that. And they like to lay shade and get in fights. But if we're sweet on the inside, we use our words to encourage, to inspire, to uplift, to see, to compliment, to value. Like I spend a lot of time on airplanes. I request the middle seat because I can make two friends. If I bug one, I got another option. I compliment people as I walk through the airport. I look for earrings I like, or I look for an outfit and I just say, you, that's so cute. Or like people are almost startled. For one thing, they're so turned in. And so that's what I want the world to do. Think about a pineapple, it's an easy symbol and use it to remind you to stand up and actually see people. People are so lonely. Value yourself. And if we don't value ourselves, it's hard to value others and be sweet on the inside. Use your words to spread kindness, encouragement, and love in the world. So that's kind of my like, I teach on a lot of different things as I've written 11 books. I get requested to speak on different books. But if people remember just one thing about me, it is to be a pineapple person to themselves first so that they can be it to other people in the world.

SPEAKER_01:

And I think you bring up a good point too about complimenting people because the second you compliment somebody, what happens? It puts a smile on their face. I mean, you you've seen the way I dress, you know. Uh, you know, I got my my funky pants and you know, colors, and people remember me that way. But it's it's so interesting because so many people will walk up to me and say, I love your pants. And you know, I said, I did I put a smile on your face? And I said, You absolutely did, and that's what it's all about, you know. Um, it's come to the point now that if I don't wear right clothes, people are like, Are you okay today? Are you feeling okay?

SPEAKER_02:

I'm like, I'm fine, I'm fine. I know the same way. And think about this when we compliment someone, not only does it make that person feel good, it makes us feel good. It's nice to be nice, it's fun to be kind, it's fun to do random acts of kindness, like it is just it's just joy. So, yeah, I love it.

SPEAKER_01:

Because, yeah, you as a person who doesn't like getting a compliment, right? Absolutely, right. End of the shade, we that's why we do it. So, um, what else do I need to talk to you about? I I I guess, all right, I'm gonna back up for a minute. I should ask you this before, but being from Minnesota and living down here in Southwest Florida, I know you got a very busy schedule, but when you get a moment of free time, what do you enjoy doing down here in Southwest Florida?

SPEAKER_02:

Well, every day, every single day, one to three times I walk the beach. Uh, a big reason we I love Fort Myers Beach, I've loved it for years and years, but a big reason we decided to buy here is that it's a dog-friendly beach. And I have a little teeny dog that loves to walk with me. So, first thing every morning, he bosses me around and we go to the beach. Now he lollygags. So oftentimes I will bring him for his walk, bring him back, and then I'll go for a walk myself. I love to walk the beach. I love listening to music at the beach bar. Like that's one of our favorite things. My husband and I we try our best when we're not going to the airport to never get in our car. We either walk or ride our bikes everywhere. I love that that it's seven miles of flat and you can walk. You can ride your bike, there's the trolley, not to add to traffic. And also just, I love that Florida is such an active community. We have six pickleball courts here where we live at Ocean Harbor. Um, we live next door to Publix. We go to Junkinal a lot next door. Um, but we just love exploring on the beach and we feel like we both still work, my husband and I. And so we work full-time from our home. But when we look out on our Lanai or sit out there, we see the water and it's like you're working and on vacation every single day. So we love the beauty and the nature of Fort Myers Beach, but we also love the music and the people and and the activity. So we do lots of things, but more than anything, I walk the beach. I I love to walk the beach every morning and every afternoon. Um, I tend to be working during the middle of the day, but first thing and last thing, I walk the beach and watch the sunset and think about this.

SPEAKER_01:

It's very peaceful. There's something calming about walking the beach and listening to waves and being involved in nature. But you know, the other side of it too is you know, this is the island life. We're taking we're actually on an island, and it's funny because there's times during the week where I'm like, I haven't been off the island in days now. And it's like, and you go off and you're like, oh my god, I'm back into the real world, put me back on the island. I want I don't want to be out here.

SPEAKER_02:

That's so funny. I just flew in two days ago from Scottsdale, Arizona, and I had my final speaking engagement in Michigan, and then I had a conference in Arizona, and I said to my husband, I came home, and I'm like, I'm not used to being around people, like not at conferences I am, but just the city, like the streets were all busy, and there's all I'm like, we're so chilled here. It's like coming back to the beach, everything's just relaxed and more grounded, and there's so many amazing writers on this beach. In fact, at the South End, and that's books is having a book signing for all of us local authors because people come here to relax and they write books because it's like you're slowed down and calmed down and you have this freedom to write. So there's lots of cool things happening. Um, there's lots of hidden treasures on Fort Myers Beach. So it's kind of there we go.

SPEAKER_01:

We don't want you to give them all away because we're people need to come here and discover themselves, and we don't want to get them too crowded, right? Like my little beach spot. I want it to be quiet. I don't want to be there.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, and I live center island, so I have a fairly quiet area that I live. People go to publics, but when I go to the beach, there's always plenty of space. You know, I'm not down by Times Square in the busy social area, more I'm in the more quieter area, so right.

SPEAKER_01:

I'm down on the South End, so I think it's even quieter down there. It's it's nice because you know, well, some of the condos aren't open yet, so there's nobody around there. Nobody around bad, good and bad. But we got that nice beautiful big bridge down there now that it's built.

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, we our son's an engineer and he's coming on Christmas Day, and he I think he's more excited to see the bridge than us because he builds bridges and he's kind of seen the progress. Like, I want to see the bridge. And I'm like, You and Dad can walk over it. So yeah, there we go.

SPEAKER_01:

Perfect, perfect. So, how would our listeners go about contact in Europe? If they wanted to learn more or wanted some of your guidance, want to pick up one of your books?

SPEAKER_02:

Yeah, um, my website, uh everything about me is Annie Meehan. So my website's Annie Meehan, my LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube, Instagram are all Annie Meehan. So just Googling my name, I should pop up and you should be able to find great ways to connect. My website has a place for you to send me a note. Um, so whatever, however, I can encourage you and support you, I try to release a lot of videos on YouTube. So when people can't afford to work with me, I can still encourage them. So I do that.

SPEAKER_01:

I love it. Any last words for listeners today?

SPEAKER_02:

Please join me in being a pineapple person. Please join me in seeing other people and valuing yourself and others, and I'm being sweet on the inside and using your words written and spoken to encourage one another. Merry Christmas.

SPEAKER_01:

Perfect. Annie, it's been a pleasure getting to know you. Thank you for being being such a good neighbor here on the beach, and we'll see you at the beach soon or junk canoe, right?

Intro/Close:

Sounds good.

SPEAKER_01:

All right. Thank you. See you later.

Intro/Close:

Thanks for tuning in to the Fort Myers Beach Good Neighbor podcast. If you loved what you heard, share it with a friend and keep the good vibes going. Until next time, remember to cobble until you wobbo and keep being a good neighbor. Also, to nominate your favorite neighbors, local legends, heroes, or local businesses to be off the show. Go to fmbgoodneighbor.com. That's fmbgoodneighbor.com or call 2-39-42-74100. We want to send out some island love to air tips from Edward Jones, State Insurance USA, the Tiki Pub Fort Myers Beach, and Kurt Riders FMB. They are the good neighbors and businesses that allow us to share the soul of our community with every listener, from local stories to the positive vibe of island life. Here's to celebrating all that makes Fort Myers Beach the slice of paradise we all love.