Peaches McCahill is first and foremost a professional, but formality crumbles when she begins describing her passions—her family and her career. Although she has lived through her share of heartache, the formation of her company—The McCahill Group—–has been sincere.
Peaches was seventeen when she moved to Grand Rapids from her home in East Lansing. She was blessed with a family that never left her wanting, but at the same time never squelched her drive to create.
“My mother always said to me, ‘Always make sure you can buy your own lipstick.' ...Life changes, things happen. You have to be able to have your own worth and go forward, and have your own dreams, too.”
Peaches was studying to be a nurse at Blodgett School of Nursing when she met her late husband, Ray. After their wedding, she made Grand Rapids her permanent home and started off on a path of health and well being as a receptionist for the Grand Rapids Public School district by day, and as an exercise assistant for the handicap at night.
She calls that time in her life the “Jane Fonda era,” and she eventually used her nursing knowledge and keen passion for wellness to design pre- and post-natal classes at Blodgett Hospital. Peaches spent the early '80s designing health risk assessment classes at Blodgett and found her way into the Steelcase world. She had the opportunity to design a fitness center for the corporation, and without hesitation, but with some unease, she jumped at the chance.
“Sometimes when you get an opportunity in life, you think ‘Oh my, can I do this? It’s way beyond what I can do. But I’m going to do it,’” Peaches said.
She worked with Steelcase for sixteen years running the corporation’s food service and wellness programs while making friends and mentors along the way. In the twenty years since, she has done private consulting while standing at the helm of fifty programs similar to Steelcase including spas and wellness structures for Dow Chemical, and Amway, among other giants of the region, and nationally.
Her work through The McCahill Group supports a well-rounded lifestyle through health, fitness, and beauty. Whether it is her clients or her employees, Peaches empowers, Peaches mentors, and Peaches strives to provide individuals with the same dream come true opportunities that got her where she is today.
Peaches McCahill was featured on the inaugural issue of West Michigan Woman in August 2012. Click here to read more about her advancement up the corporate ladder, her dedication to her family, and her inclination toward mentorship.
Written by: Erika Rose is West Michigan Woman magazine's staff writer. Photo: Kelly Braman
