Megan Bartley is a woman of many hats or, as she would probably prefer, aprons. She is the founder and owner of Blessed Mess Baked Goods, a baking business dedicated to delicious treats and sweet smiles. Though there are many components to her story, she describes Jesus as “the foundation of everything” she does; being a follower of Jesus is “the reason I’m alive and I’m able to do what I do. That is what’s most important.”
I first met Megan in 2017 while we were both studying abroad in Edinburgh, Scotland. We met in church, bonded over our love of Jesus and singing, and cemented our friendship in her tiny flat’s kitchen by baking a triple-layered chocolate turtle cake. The years since have been an exciting adventure of big dreams, big messes, and life-changing international friendships.
Megan is currently in her third year of Boston University’s Doctor of Occupational Therapy program. I was able to catch her for a chat as she drove to Craig Hospital, where she’s on placement in the Spinal Cord Injury unit. It was incredible to witness the threads of Occupational Therapy, baking, and God’s guidance weave together over the course of our conversation.
Megan, your story is full of dreams! Tell me a bit about the dream behind your baking business, Blessed Mess Baked Goods. What are its roots and what is the vision?
So, in 2007, my dad was in a bike accident, resulting in a TBI [Traumatic Brain Injury]. A lot of his rehab was through OT [Occupational Therapy]. That’s where I was introduced to OT. I think at around 12 years old, I had a dream and woke up knowing that I was going to be an OT one day. I know that sense of direction was very God-led and that’s very important to me.
Occupational Therapy is a huge part of my story, along with baking, which is one of my biggest passions of all. My family has a large Amish-Mennonite background, so I grew up baking. Both of my grandmas bake. I remember baking from when I was able to hold a spoon.
A huge part of my baking journey actually didn’t start until college, my junior year when I moved to Scotland, to Edinburgh. There I met a lot of wonderful people from around the world and I realized that they didn’t know how to bake. To me, it’s second nature. It’s what I love to do and how I like to love on people. I was kind of flabbergasted! I began inviting people over, and we would bake together. That was one of the best parts of my week.
After that, when I moved back to the States, I was like, “Wow, I want to keep this going; how can I keep this going?” Katie, you are a huge part of this transition. We had all the dreams flowing and together dreamed up Recipe for Life, which became my baking ministry. It started at KU [University of Kansas] and then transferred to BU [Boston University], both times through InterVarsity [Christian Fellowship].
I really pursued what it would look like to start selling my baked goods on a regular basis when I was at KU. I had a lot of people saying, “Hey, I think you should sell these.” I was like, “Nah, not really, it’s fine.” Then I sat down and questioned myself and said, “If I do this, what would it look like and what would it mean? What would be the heart behind it?”
I was preparing to go into grad school [at that time] and grad school’s not cheap! So I thought it could be an avenue for helping pay for some of those school necessities. But I really struggled for a long time putting prices on my baked goods because I wanted them to be a gift. We came up with a donation-based system and that’s how Blessed Mess ran for the first year or so.
The real goal at the start was to make delicious goods that bring a smile to your face accessible. My OT passion and my baking passion really collide in that accessibility piece. The real vision behind Blessed Mess is not only to make Jesus known through happy tummies and smiling faces but also to be an accessible platform. Since shifting business over to our website, it’s been cool to interact with my customers; if something is out of their price range, they come to me and we negotiate and we make it work.
Ultimately the heart behind Blessed Mess is to share this passion I have with those around me and celebrate in all their occasions across their lives. It’s sharing the love that I’ve been given.
It’s a powerful thing to love what we do and share that with others. What would you say inspires you to keep doing what you’re doing, considering all the other demands on your time and particularly on those days when you really don’t feel like baking?
I rarely have a day where I don’t feel like baking. Baking for me is sometimes procrastibaking, but, most of the time, it is a time set apart from the rest of my day where I just get to meet with God. I rarely actually eat what I bake because for me it’s about the journey. It’s about the process and making something beautiful.
I’m not a painter or a sculptor but baking is my form of creativity. My art form is baking. When I can just put on some tunes and enter into the presence of God through the process of baking something for someone and knowing it is going to bless somebody in some sort of way… That’s my motivation. That’s what keeps me going.
You mentioned baking is your form of art. I think it’s fair to say that many folks wouldn’t immediately categorize bakers as “artists.” How would you define creativity? What makes someone a Creative?
If it’s anything that is made with the intent to bring someone joy, whether it’s yourself or someone else, maybe somebody you don’t know… If it’s made with the intent to bring joy, I think it counts as creativity. I use Biblical texts as reference here. Everything that God did, He did for us, whether it was making mountains or having people jot down the Gospels. It’s all to be enjoyed. God is a creator and I think he’s given each of us in our own unique ways this ability to create.
This understanding of creativity, your identity as a follower of Jesus being of prime importance — what message out of these things do you wish to communicate through Blessed Mess?
The meaning behind the name of Blessed Mess is that I get real messy in the kitchen, but I can also be a mess in life sometimes. Never once has my mess turned God away from loving me. I hope that some day the name and meaning of “Blessed Mess” itself can stand: even in your suffering, even in your hardships, even in all the mistakes that you make, the mess that your life seems to be, there is this blessing poured over you.
When you embrace that reality, you can acknowledge that you’re going to make mistakes, you’re human and you’re imperfect, but we love a perfect God. Nothing could ever separate us from Him. That’s the message, the meaning behind the name. Every time I write “Blessed Mess” in a customer note or put a “Blessed Mess” sticker on a package, I am hopeful that the baked good will be a blessing in the midst of your potential life mess.
You’re a dreamer of big, beautiful dreams. That’s kind of your MO—
Guilty!
What are your dreams for Blessed Mess? What do you dream of it growing into?
The first thing I would like to do is create a physical bakery. Right now, a lot of my baking is out of my home or in various kitchens across the country, wherever I am at the moment. Creating a physical bakery is where OT and baking collide for me. I would love to hire vulnerable or at-risk youth and give them a place where they can build upon existing skills or develop new skills. I would love to see poverty cycles broken and physical and mental health needs addressed. To create a place where they can have a good contact for references for college or other jobs that’ll get them off the ground and into what they want to do. To give them a place to dream as well.
You’re right: I am a big dreamer and I do believe in the power of dreams. I want to give others that opportunity as well. We’ll see where God leads and how things happen post-graduation later this year.
To finish us off, two slightly silly but very important baking questions. First, what is your favorite recipe to make and why?
Oh gosh. Right now, I really love making French Macarons. I love the process and they’re really hard. It’s the precise, very small details that intrigue me. I made a S’more Macaron this past summer for the local Farmers’ Market and I love that one for a variety of reasons. Mainly because I get to use my blowtorch to toast the marshmallows.
And, I know you said you rarely munch your own baked goods, but what is your favorite baked good to eat?
That’s a hard one too! For my birthday cake this past year, I made a vanilla chai cake and that was really good.
But I’m also a sucker for a solid chocolate chip cookie.
I would like to thank Megan Bartley for her time and stories (and making a seven-hour time difference work)! It’s always a fun time chatting with this big-hearted baker; even now, I’m reminded to dream big and run after the passions God’s placed in our hearts and hands.
There are many ways you can support Blessed Mess Baked Goods.
- Donate through Venmo to @BlessedMess18
- Follow along on Instagram and Facebook
- Order baked goods (including her favorites, French Macarons) from anywhere in the US through www.blessedmessbakedgoods.com. Delivery options available if you’re in the Denver, Colorado area.
- Sign up (yourself or your friends!) for a “Subscription Box” through Patreon; baked goods delivered to your door every month.
Remember, every time you support a small business, you’re helping bring a dream into reality!
Tune in next month for another Chat with a Creative! Follow the blog or subscribe to Katie’s newsletter to receive an update as soon as it’s posted.
