Coming Home to Make Meaningful Change

Megan and her husband, Erik with their dog Macy. Eric helped her realize how her home town made her grow into who she is.

Hey hey, North Cackalacky. I’ve got another servant leader y’all need to meet. She’s just another big-hearted North Carolinian making a difference. Megan, please meet all o’ my friends across rural NC. All o’ my friends across rural NC, please meet Megan. 

A pillar of many communities in northeastern North Carolina, Megan Hiner is the proud owner of her own clinic, Mindful Tides, PLLC, where she provides counseling services to folks in need. 

Megan and I go back to the Washington Youth Tour in 2009. She had never heard of Alleghany High School or my co-op, Blue Ridge Energy. I had never heard of Camden County High School or her co-op, Albemarle EMC. But, like the other 30 rising seniors on the trip, our small public high schools and local co-ops set us on a path for success.

“It was great to see people who really deserve and need support, get support. Seeing folks who were once really struggling begin achieving crucial milestones is incredibly powerful. Generally, mental health services are incredibly stigmatized in our world. In reality, we all need support.”

Megan’s journey took her to Raleigh. She began her undergrad career at Meredith then transferred to NC State. Graduating with a degree in communications, she realized her calling was in the public sector.

“I care about identifying systems that are not working and making structural change,” she says. “I realized I was in an echo-chamber where the same voices were being heard. I wanted to make real, meaningful change for folks on the outside.” 

Lead by her convictions, Megan began working for agencies such as Albemarle Hopeline, a domestic and sexual violence agency serving Pasquotank, Perquimans, Camden, Currituck, Chowan and Gates counties. In the fall of 2015, she went a little further south to Florida State for a master’s in social work. 

“Time spent with Veteran’s Affairs was incredibly rewarding,” she says with sincerity. “I assisted countless veterans struggling with their mental health and housing insecurity. I also worked at a center designed to support housing insecure and truant teenagers.”

“It was great to see people who really deserve and need support, get support. Seeing folks who were once really struggling begin achieving crucial milestones is incredibly powerful. Generally, mental health services are incredibly stigmatized in our world. In reality, we all need support.”

Equipped with her Master of social work, Megan returned to NC and picked up where she left off. She returned to Albemarle Hopeline in the fall of 2017 and quickly started working on her licensure. From there, she took a position working with local health departments in Camden, Currituck, Martin, Pasquotank and Washington counties.

When asked what called her home, a familiar somberness fills the air. “I came back after losing some loved ones in my family. They needed me, so I came home. But I stayed because I was able to find a fantastic community.”

One person specifically in that community was a handsome fella named Erik Alnes. Erik works for the NC Division of Coastal Management, where he manages three different reserve lands on the Outer Banks. 

They were married earlier this year! Megan credits Erik’s individual journey for refreshing gratitude in her rural roots. 

“I did not really realize what home meant to me until I met my husband,” she explains. “He moved around a lot growing up. His story helped me reflect and be thankful for the strong foundation I was able to build in such a small community.” 

Well Megan, it was so great catching up with you. Huge congratulations to you and Erik! Excited to see what y’all will do next.