Long before she joined the retirement living team at Pacific Springs, Megan Leonard discovered she loved hearing people's life stories. Today, as an assistant retirement living consultant, she carries that same curiosity into her work. Megan has been part of the Immanuel family for more than a decade, but her journey started long before she ever stepped into a sales role.
As part of Immanuel's My Story, Our Mission video series, Megan reflects on how her path has been shaped by a love of getting to know people, listening to their stories, and helping them feel at home long before move-in day.
From high school server to retirement living consultant
Megan joined Immanuel in 2015 while she was still in high school, working as a server at Lakeside, a sister community to Pacific Springs in Omaha. Encouraged by her mother, who also works for Immanuel, Megan took her first job in the dining room and quickly found herself drawn to serving older adults.
“Here at Immanuel, everybody's all about growth,” Megan said. “When this position came open, I applied for it, and that's kind of how I got here.”
Even with years of experience at Lakeside, making the move to a new community felt like a big leap. Her mother and sister both worked at Lakeside, making it a familiar and comfortable place.
“I was really nervous,” Megan said. “But when I came to Pacific Springs, everybody was just so welcoming. It was like I fit in right away.”
Today, she laughs about how quickly that nervousness disappeared.
“It's been a year, but it feels like I've been here forever because everybody's just been so kind.”
While culinary services and retirement living consulting may seem like very different careers, Megan says the transition felt natural. The hospitality skills she developed in dining services continue to shape how she works with future residents and their families.
Food often becomes part of those early conversations, too.
“Food is so important,” Megan said. “That's how a lot of people spend their days. They spend their time with family and friends around the table having a meal.”
As one of the first people prospective residents meet when visiting Pacific Springs, Megan understands the trust people place in her. Many are exploring retirement living for the first time and are unsure what to expect.
“I'm just so grateful. I get to be the one who guides them and helps them figure out this whole new world,” she said. “A lot of times, they come in, they don't know anything about retirement living. I'm the first person, sometimes even their first tour.”
That role is one she does not take lightly. She enjoys helping people feel at ease, answering questions, and serving as a resource throughout the process.
For Megan, the experience does not end when someone decides Pacific Springs is the right fit. She continues to stay in touch with future residents while they are on the waitlist, inviting them to events, activities, and opportunities to get acquainted with community life.
Whether it is a happy hour, a musical performance, or another gathering, these moments help future residents become familiar with their future neighbors and the team members who will welcome them home.
“We also want them to come here and not just form a relationship with us, but residents that live here and other staff members,” Megan said. “They feel like they're home before they move in.”
Ask Megan what she enjoys most about her work, and her answer comes quickly: people. Throughout her career, whether serving meals, managing a dining room, or helping prospective residents, she has always been drawn to getting to know others and hearing about their lives.
“I get to hear all about their life stories,” she said. “I get to know them and form relationships with them. That's definitely my favorite part, and they have such cool stories and such cool experiences.”
In fact, one resident helped shape Megan's career path years ago. While still in high school, she was assigned a school project and asked a resident if she would be willing to be interviewed. The resident happily agreed, sharing stories about her childhood, experiences, and life journey.
“I just remember getting like that was my first experience getting to know her entire life story,” Megan said. “I remember, ‘Okay, this is it. Like, this is what I want.’”
That conversation left a lasting impression and reinforced what she loved most about working in senior living: the opportunity to listen, learn, and walk alongside older adults as they share their stories.
Megan’s story shows every conversation is a chance to learn something new, and every person who walks through the doors brings a story worth hearing.