Meet Zena Goodwin

We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Zena Goodwin. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Zena below.

Zena, first a big thank you for taking the time to share your thoughts and insights with us today. I’m sure many of our readers will benefit from your wisdom, and one of the areas where we think your insight might be most helpful is related to imposter syndrome. Imposter syndrome is holding so many people back from reaching their true and highest potential and so we’d love to hear about your journey and how you overcame imposter syndrome.

If I’m being honest, I can’t say I’ve “overcome” imposter syndrome because it doesn’t completely go away. It returns every so often. But I will say I’ve learned how to manage it by giving myself grace, radically accepting myself and my journey, and making a point not to compare myself to others.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?

Last we spoke, I was getting ready to start a new position as a Family Based Case Manger! I’ve been in this role for about 7 months now and I love every part of it. It’s just as rewarding as it is challenging, I have a great team, and I’m grateful to work with the families that I have as well as the ones to come.

I’m proud to say that ‘Poets for Justice’ is still going strong! For those who are unfamiliar, ‘Poets for Justice ‘ is a platform originally designed to create a safe space for artists to express their sorrow, anger, and unrest in response to the murder of George Floyd in 2020. Since then, it has evolved into a beautiful family and movement as a result of collaborations and much love and support. We’ve done 6 shows within the past 4 years; each has had its own theme and people have been impacted by each one.

We have another show planned for Sunday, August 3rd at Musikfest, which is the largest free music festival in the country! This will be our fourth time at Musikfest and we have an amazing line up of spoken word artists, singers, and our first dancers! I’m really excited and it’s going to be amazing! Please pull up of you’re in the the Bethlehem, PA area! I’d love to see you!

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

If I had to sum it up, I’d say, “Be humble, be kind, and be authentic.”

With every new opportunity I get, my mom is always telling me to stay humble and I do my very best to do so. Because pride and arrogance are two characteristics that can and will bring you down. It might not be immediate, but when it does, it’s often in public and extremely messy. I don’t want that to be me.

I was taught the Golden Rule growing up. What is the Golden Rule? To treat other people the way I would want for them to treat me. Regardless of their color, culture, creed, faith, gender, age, socioeconomic status, or sexual orientation. People act like it’s so hard to be kind when it’s really not.

You can never go where you’re meant to, meet who you’re supposed to, or live the life you’re meant to live if you spend your whole life either pretending to be something you’re not or living your life for other people. Be real and be true because this world will only get 1 you.

Okay, so before we go we always love to ask if you are looking for folks to partner or collaborate with?

I’m always looking for new talent, new venues, new partnerships, and new opportunities! I would love to take ‘Poets for Justice’ on the road after getting an opportunity to perform for the first time at the Dreamcon Open Mic in Houston a few weeks ago.

I’m looking to work with people who are serious about their art/craft and are looking to make a positive impact in this world and the generations to come. If you do spoken word, sing, dance, act, or paint we’d love to have you!

If you would like to collaborate with me or ‘Poets for Justice’, feel free to contact me via:
– Email: poetsforjustice820@gmail.com
– Phone: (484) 373-9832
– Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/15hZraZHQt/?mibextid=qi2Omg

I’d love to hear from you.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @ladee.zee
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/18F6QzPRg6/?mibextid=qi2Omg

Image Credits

Ms. Lillian June Robinson