Get your fix in the cozy and hip space that is Meg’s Good Earth

home away from home at meg's good earth

We’ve all visited places we felt were made just for us—many refer to them as their “happy place.” From the paint colors to the decor, and the menu to the way we were treated by staff, each person has specific vibes they just tend to connect with. For Megan Henderson, The Good Earth Coffee & Tea House in Oroville was her happy place—the drinks were delicious, everyone knew her by name, and the atmosphere spoke to her. She dreamed of one day opening a café exactly like it, but when the shop was listed for sale in 2020, she decided to skip the creation phase altogether and purchased her favorite place instead.

“The original owner, David, opened the café in 2010.” Megan recalled, “I remember being completely in love with it from the first minute I walked in. My ex-husband found it and took me in one day; I just couldn’t believe how perfect it was. The space was beautiful, it was always packed, and the vibe was just something other coffee shops I had visited didn’t offer. You could tell David had a vision, and he poured all of his love and energy into bringing that vision to life. Everyone was allowed to just be who they were there. You didn’t feel out of place or like other people were judging you. It was relaxed, welcoming, and always comfortable. Plus, it always seemed to inspire creativity.” The Good Earth truly was a creative space, as it was the birthplace of Megan’s exhusband's business—Elijah House Living, an alcohol and drug rehabilitation center in Oroville. As it would turn out, the success of the business would give Megan the funding to purchase The Good Earth herself.

“When the business first sold in 2017, I noticed quite a bit changed.” Megan remembered, “I told myself if it ever went up for sale again, I would buy it, and I did in September of 2020. I renamed it Meg’s Good Earth Coffee & Tea House, and I’ve been working to restore it to its former glory ever since. We’ve come a long way in the first year since purchasing it too—we’ve quadrupled our average daily revenue, our regulars are returning, and tons of new customers are checking it out for the first time. It’s just amazing!”

The reinvigorated success comes as no surprise when you see the passion and love Megan has for the business. She truly has gone all-in, reviving old customer favorites, inventing new menu items, and partnering with local shops to provide even greater variety for her customers. “We have tons of tea options and flavors including honey tea lattes, flowering teas, and more.” Megan smiled, We can turn any drink into a tea flavor and serve it blended, iced, or hot— whatever our customer desires. We also have tons of syrup flavors which really allow us to have some fun. Our iced lavender black tea has been the most popular tea, and our blended toffee crunch tastes like a Heath candy bar—it’s our top seller.”

To round out their tea and coffee offerings, Meg’s Good Earth also offers food and beverages that are keto-friendly along with protein boxes, lunch wraps, and pastries from Oroville’s Early Bird Donuts and Flick of the Whisk. Though they have plenty of delicious menu options, Megan attributes their success to having an incredible staff. “They’re absolutely amazing!” Megan exclaimed, “I couldn’t have done any of this without them. Customer service is our number one priority, and our staff is like one big family. They bring everything to the table and truly care about our customers’ experience. They remember everyone’s order and make the space feel like home.”

Megan hopes to someday expand her vision to Chico and beyond, bringing that same joy to customers across the Northstate. For now, she’s perfectly content with giving her customers a special place they can go to feel like she did all those years ago. To top things off, she offers a 50% discount to first responders with proper identification. Check out Meg’s Good Earth and see what everyone is raving about! The café is located at 980 Oro Dam Blvd East in Oroville, and don’t forget to check them out on Facebook and Instagram.

Words Have Power

JESSICA DARLING WILKERSON, MA, LMFT 104464 LICENSED MARRIAGE & FAMILY THERAPIST EMDR CLINICIAN

Words have power. How we talk to ourselves is just as powerful as the way we speak to others. Most people are considerate and respectful to the people in their lives. Strangers, colleagues, friends, and acquaintances can be on the receiving end of some encouraging and uplifting acknowledgements. Accolades for others and admonishments for ourselves is a very human communication trait. We compare our full story to another person’s highlight reel, and then we fall short. Our inner voice can become pretty negative in an effort to encourage us to be or do better. “I always get passed up for promotions because I don’t have what it takes.” Or “I’m never going to be a good parent, I’m too emotional or too quick to anger. Susan is so patient with her family. Of course they love her more than mine loves me.”

Woah! That sounds pretty harsh hearing it aloud, but those are mild statements compared to some we’ve heard. People often try to justify why they feel hurt by using this inner voice, and they feel more empowered, but that’s false security. Our inner statement also has power to motivate by saying, “I can ask my mentor how I can grow so I can be ready the next time advancement opportunities arise,” and “I can go to counseling to learn how to work through my emotions and bond more with my family. It doesn’t have to be like this forever.”

When we learn HOW to speak to ourselves, we can avoid our inner voice adding insult to injury. We don’t need to beat ourselves up for being human, but we can learn how to inspire, grow, and help ourselves reach our goals in healthier ways that also increase daily happiness and relationships.

There are a few reasons for this:

→ We need to see the ways others are doing well because this confirms for us that we’re safe in their company.

→ When people around us feel good, they stick around!

→ Being noticed for doing something well inspires others to continue the positive behavior we want from them.

→ We don’t have the same perspective for others that we have for ourselves.

We have our lifetime of flaws and failures in our memory, and we only have a limited understanding of others’ successes and struggles. So, we give them patience while we motivate ourselves through negative inner dialogue.

Jessica Wilkerson, MA, LMFT is a licensed marriage and family therapist in Chico, CA. She is an EMDR clinician as well as the owner/operator and clinical supervisor of Inspired Life Counseling. For more information, visit www.jessicawilkerson.com and www.inspiredlifechico.com. Jessica can also be reached via phone at (530) 809-1702