We were lucky to catch up with Natalie Goddard recently and have shared our conversation below.
Natalie , so good to have you with us today. We’ve always been impressed with folks who have a very clear sense of purpose and so maybe we can jump right in and talk about how you found your purpose?
Growing up, I was never the kid who knew exactly what they wanted to be when they grew up. I was surrounded by firefighters, astronauts, doctors and whenever the teacher would ask me, I had no answer. I was interested in many different things but never had one true passion. As I grew up, I started to recognize my strengths but found it difficult to adapt them to one specific job. So I tried a lot of different career paths. I travelled the world thinking that I would stumble across some hidden purpose deep in the jungles of Borneo or find a teacher who would guide me toward my path in the French rivera. As I eat, pray, loved my way around the globe I fell in love with the diversity of the human experience. People became my passion. I recognized that it was never the job that was meant to be my purpose, it was the firefighters, astronauts and doctors themselves who were my passion. I loved figuring out how people tic. I went back to school and received my Masters in Clinical Psychology and now spend every day working with the complexity of humans.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am the Director of Mental Health for the Boys and Girls Club of Sonoma Valley. I built and run a community mental health program for youth in the valley. Me and my team work with ages K-12, bringing them and their families access to mental health resources and psychotherapy. Working in non-profit has its frustrations but getting to see the community come together to support our youth is incredibly rewarding. Since the pandemic we are seeing how children were greatly effected developmentally, socially and emotionally. Learning to adapt, grow and provide help based on the needs the children are showing us, makes my job exciting and special.
If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?
Resilience, courage and integrity are qualities that have gotten me through a lot in my life and helped me become the person I am today. Resiliency helps you get up when you get knock down and reminds you that you are not as fragile as the world may think. Courage to take risks and do the hard thing will always prevail. Standing in your integrity will align you with your path and help you find your north star in times of distress. Lastly, always have a sense of humor and have fun. Life doesn’t need to be so serious, find the comedy in it, take yourself lightly and laugh as much as possible.
What’s been one of your main areas of growth this year?
Imposter syndrome is real y’all!!! As a woman I, more frequently then I’d like to admit, question my seat at the table. I have a lineage of strong women, who have done impressive things in the world but still societal norms creep their way into our psyche. I find myself questioning emails, wondering if I came off harsh or too firm. I second guess my decisions because I don’t wan’t anyone to feel like I overstepped. These feelings are very real for a lot of women and something I have been personally deconstructing for the past year. I am learning to feel like I belong at the table and to stop questioning how I got that seat. I worked hard for that seat and I deserve it. I hope every woman is able to recognize and own that seat.
