Read The Transcript

Connect with Paula
 https://seekerofthesoul.com/
https://allpoetry.com/PaulaG
https://www.bizcatalyst360.com/author/paulagoodman/
linkedin.com/in/paulagoodman1

Connect with Russ
russjohns.com
https://thepiratesyndicate.com/
https://nextstepnext.com/
https://www.linkedin.com/in/nextstepnext/

Introduction 0:02
Welcome to the pirate broadcast, where we interview interesting people doing interesting things where you can expand your connections, your community. Kindness is cool and smiles are free. And let's get this party started.

Russ Johns 0:23
And it's a pirate broadcast. I'm just amazed. We can have a pirate broadcast with Paula today.We are going to bring interesting things and I really appreciate the fact that you're here, Paula, and thank you so much for being here. I I'm looking forward to this conversation and sharing some of the things that you're doing and highlighting you and your gifts. So thank you so much for being here. Welcome.

Paula Goodman 0:53
Thank you for having me. I'm feeling a little bit nervous here, but bear with me.

Russ Johns 1:02
That's okay. So, you and I are connected on LinkedIn. You have a few connections and you've been on here for awhile. So give us the backstory. I just I want to find out about your journey, about how you got to what you're doing today because you've been on here and you've got over 70,000 followers, you maxed out on your counter. And it's really about the opportunity to focus on customer service, your words and poetry. It's some of the creative stuff that you're doing that is just amazing. I applaud you for sharing it. Thank you so much for being involved in the community. I really appreciate you.

Paula Goodman 1:49
Thank you. I was on LinkedIn a long time ago, but I, like anyone else, I think when it was first introduced, I was in my corporate career and I kind of used it as a resume place just to keep my profile up to date. It was my resume where anything that I got a certificate like that just kind of uploaded. For me it was my own personal record. But then when I was coaching other people, I would go to LinkedIn and start finding a lot of resources as well that I then incorporate into my training or presentations. So you would get lost, because I would just do a search and get lost in a link to a link to a link, but it was resourceful for me. And then I was in a situation where stress entered my life and life events and situations. So LinkedIn was on the back burner, as with any social media, Dealing with life and your situations, I don't want to call them hardships or problems or anything like that, because it just has a negative connotation to it. At the time, it was the worst thing that could happen to you and that's everybody gets that view when they are in this situation, because that's the only view they have. It's their view. It's about them. But I've turned that around and now I see those problems that people call them as situations, those failures. I do not like the word failure are situations to learn their lessons. So dealing with abuse, narcissistic relationships, a toxic workplace, put me in a situation where my mental health was affected. That, in turn, can affect your physical health. So yeah, I was off work for a little bit and dealing with those things. And it came to a point where I turned to LinkedIn, thinking maybe just a year and a half ago, thinking I'm gonna have to find something else. And I haven't had to apply for a job in a long time. How am I going to go about this? What do they do now? And the first thing that entered my mind was LinkedIn. So I hopped on board started watching LinkedIn and reading links. I had to keep quiet because I was still affiliated with my role. And I'm very careful of my electronic footprint as well my digital footprints so to speak, because I knew too that wherever I go is digitally and printed somewhere, no matter even if you delete it. It's something I've always told my kids as well because they grew up with this. I didn't. But I told them, whatever you publish, whenever you hit send, It can come back 20 years from now. What do you want to hear about yourself? What do you want your partners to hear about yourself, your friends, to hear about yourself? Think of your headline I would say to them, so being careful about what you put out there is always been important to me. So anyway, I'm back on LinkedIn and looking at how things are done and one of the first things I noticed was a lot of hardships, the desperation in people and not being able to believe in themselves and what to do where to go and something else was inside me thinking the same thing. But I also thought, I've encouraged people before, and I kind of thought there's something else for me here and that aside, I was in a position to where I wasn't even living in my own body. I was already mentally dead. I was in such a state of depression two years ago, that I did not want to be on the planet. I was fighting every day on how to just continue. It was that severe for me. And I was searching...I was doing the work, I was catching everything that I needed to do, getting the resources, getting the help. But nobody can tell you just get out of it in and yet, you want to get out of it. But then it's like this heavy cloak that you're wearing makeup in the day, and it's so heavy that you're just burdened with it. And I was able to get out of it. And be inspired by my own words in the background I've been writing my whole life. And part of me looked at LinkedIn, into different perspectives and I was thinking, what do I want to do? I don't really want to work for anybody else anymore. I kind of just want to help people after coming out of something. There was a different goal in my mind to help others. Because if I can do it, and believe me, it was a miracle. It's a miracle to me that I'm here. And that I can love life again and find the dignity needed because I didn't have any value, any sense of value. And that, once found. was something that was just transformational help others find that sense of value as well.

Russ Johns 7:40
Your story resonates with me because I know that coming out of challenging times, as I call them, sometimes we have challenges that teach us lessons that we need to know in order to grow in a direction that we have to move, and, if I look back on my history, there's many times where I shouldn't be here today. And I feel like as if I'm here for a reason. I get the sense that you may have that same feeling of like, I'm here, I have a purpose. I have a goal. I have a mission. And some of the words that you brought to the table and some of the gifts that you bring to to the community are really heartfelt. They're touching, they're real. And a lot of people resonate with that because I think there's a lot of challenging moments people have. My life has been threaded with suicide. It's been threaded with the loss of family members and friends and people in the loss of jobs. All of these things and we need to grasp something like the hopes and meanings in that process. I see you shining that light and saying, Here's something to look at and listen to and review. You've been writing all your life and then putting it out there more and more the way I see it. Is that true?

Paula Goodman 9:34
I think ever since I was little and discovered pencils, I would just go to my own little space and write and put it away. I might have shared it, but people look at it like, Oh, that's so cute, thank you It didn't get encouraged the way maybe it could have been. And I kind of ldon't regret anything. It was the process of time that God takes care of to me, and I just kept writing anytime I felt I didn't understand something or I couldn't get it to make any sense, I would write about things. And I look back and I did this yesterday, too. I was looking back at some old stuff, and it's like, wow, even I impressed myself with the these things that I wrote. Because to me, it resonates the fact that I believe it is a gift. We all have something that's given to us, we just need to realize what it is. For some of us it might be something more apparent, and we catch it sooner. Or sometimes we go through life and maybe we just said something, a couple of words to someone and change their direction in life and we don't even know it. The best gift in the entire world is when somebody tells you that you've changed them or you've helped them in a better way. You've made an impact. How that's the legacy that you want to leave behind. That you have made a difference for the better. That is one of the best gifts out there.

Russ Johns 11:19
It's funny that you say that because there's so many times where I've seen that happen in people where it's made an impact on you personally. And you may not say anything, you just know that it made an impact. So I know the ripple effect and what you're doing and what you're sharing is making an impact to a lot of people that you have no idea. Can you hear me okay?

Paula Goodman 11:53
Okay, there you go.

Russ Johns 12:02
Paula, you come back to LinkedIn after a challenging moment in your life and challenging duration. And so what are you going to be focused on now? What's your mission and purpose that you're working on now? Because I see a large body of work. I see a lot of things going on out there. I see a lot of kindness, I see consideration. You're really a true pirate. This whole community is such a giving, loving community that I just want to be able to share you with everybody. So it's one of those things that what are you going to be doing next? What what's next for Paula? And what direction are you headed?

Paula Goodman 12:55
The power of LinkedIn has really helped me evolve and I'm still evolving. Everything kind of turned around when that voice inside my head and the voice of God...it was time to share the words last year. And I made it a mission to get out there and slowly introduce words of positive power that make an impact and it kind of went from there and LinkedIn created the online poet here and it evolved that the word Jedi Poetess. The word Jedi was given to me by Michael Cortina and people started using it. The word poetess was anointed to me. I call him my godfather parameter engine. And I call him out, he'll be in my post sometimes and I'm like "my godfather!" So people told me to put this in my profile and now people are telling me they want a book. So that's what the plan is. To put one book at a time here, see if it's accepted or not. But all this work I do in the background is being compiled. So I do keep everything...I date everything and that's something I've always done. So it's almost something that was there for a long time has now come to fruition where it's out there.

Russ Johns 14:32
You're much more organized than I am. I've filled out reams of these journals over the years that it's like, I go back and look at them and thinking, I didn't date it. I didn't number it, you know, it's like, Okay, what was I thinking then? But I could relate to it. It's almost as if you're driving in the car and a song comes on and you hear that song and it takes you back to a certain place in your life. It's just the same experience. When you read some things that you were thinking, it takes you back in that moment. And it's therapy. Journaling, for me has always been therapeutic and being able to almost clarify what I'm thinking. I have a thought and I want to be able to process that thought. You have to kind of either talk it out, write it out, or act it out, and sometimes writing it out is the simplest and most effective.

Paula Goodman 15:39
It's very cathartic. I find that I dated everything and it's almost like I knew in the back, I always had this little thing in the back of my head going this is going to last longer than you. People need to know when it was written and I don't know why I would think that, it was just write the date, write the date And I've got piles and piles of this stuff. But it evolves and being able to believe in myself was when I was able to share it. That sense of value that came to me almost immediately after going on LinkedIn, it was almost like when everything was so bad, and I mentioned this before, somewhere, that moment on the floor, when my life was just at that moment where I can't do this anymore, I turned to God and I basically yelled at him and said, I can't do this. You gave this to me, I'm giving it back. You need to help me here and I'm coming to you and I need your help. And I need you to use those feet of yours and I'm thinking footprints in the sand, I need to be carried a little bit longer here, I need some help. And I gave everything back to him. That was a moment of hope that I was able to find again. And then it became faith when I gave it to him. And he was the one that said, I gave you something you need to share. It was so loud and clear in my head. It's time to share, those were the words, it's time to share. And I was on LinkedIn and I was like, Okay, here I go.

Russ Johns 17:32
Diving into the deep end of the pool.

Paula Goodman 17:36
I was sweating then. I'm sweating now, I was sweating then. The first time I hit send, I'm like, it's done. And then within a couple of days, that dignity started pouring in. When I started believing in me, other people were doing it too. It was incredible. This catalyst Dennis Pittocco was one of the first people to approach me and blew my mind that he really saw some value in what I was doing and I was able to join their community of writers. I was just like, Wow, It's working.

Russ Johns 18:11
It is working.

Paula Goodman 18:11
The greatest feeling was knowing that I could open up the DM's and I was getting messages from people going, I really needed to read this. This really helped me, I may not have made a comment on your post, but I needed to tell you, or they wanted to send a connection request or something, then I'd open it up and I'd get these messages. I would be in tears sometimes I'm like, oh my gosh. And the idea of helping others was the best kind of wage you can ever earn. So it became my mission. It turned around, it was like, you know what, I'm going to help people. This helping thing, it helps you. And it was my mission. You know, our number one birthright in humanity was dignity. It is dignity and I would do anything to make...it would overcome me. It's like you know what everything integrity, honesty, altruism, everything that you put out there, authenticity, it all comes down to your birthright of dignity. And if I can do anything to pass that around and remind people that they have value because that sense of value, everything's going to turn around and to me, that is my mission. I'm going to help you find your dignity.

Russ Johns 19:32
I love that. I love that. I want to do anything I can to help you succeed and share you with the world and share your work and your mission. You know, I would love the the pirate community to jump in and help out I know there's a lot of people that have been here that are really there, helping out and sharing the message. Angie's here. Good morning, y'all. Byron's in the house, relax. You're among friends. Good morning. Thank you. So, Kenyatta Turner. There she is Paula, on the pirate broadcast. And she says, Angie, good morning. Be the light. There's Lori. Paula, poetic genius and generous soul who genuinely inspires us all. Lovely. So Kenyatta Turner. Good morning. Hi, first time on board. Good session. It's our friend from Houston Gabriel and I think you know, Gabriel here and morning fellow pirates. Angie Good morning. Gabriel. Fantastic. Love it, Kenyatta back and forth. Lori Knutson is saying good morning, everyone. Gabriel says back at you Angie. Good morning, my friend. Then Lori. You know these are the kinds of conversations...Gabriel is such a giver, too. Paula Goodman is so awesome and amazing. And Kathy Spooner's here. Good morning. Lori Knutson is back at you. Good morning, my friend. Lonnie says I will make your book a best seller, Paula. So there you go. Good morning, Russ. Love it. dignity is free. I love that.

Paula Goodman 21:37
Yes, that's on my website.

Russ Johns 21:40
Howard is saying a very inspirational and honest reveal. Paula, thanks for sharing your journey. Is there one thing that you coach and tell yourself every day? That's a great question. Thank you for that. Let's talk about that. Is there something I mean, I like getting up and having the pirate broadcast and highlighting somebody in the community like yourself and, sharing some of these things to inspire other people and it's one of those things that I love to do. So, I know writing is something you love to do. Are there some other things that you love to do in your journey throughout the day?

Paula Goodman 22:22
When I wake up, I'm like, it's daytime, I made it. Just stay with gratitude. I mean, everybody, there's a lot of people that do that. I think it's the little things that matter. Just looking out a window. I have a place to live. I have clothes on my back. I have food on my table. There's so many things that I have that other people don't and that to me is just...I'm grateful. If there's something in the fridge, there's coffee made...the smell of coffee in the morning is sometimes, Whoa! I look forward to jumping up. My writing , it's been part of the days where I looked at the night before sometimes or I'll have something new that I'm going to share, I get that excited feeling. Because I mentioned the graphics, too, now are doing these little videos that really make an impact with it because I like the combination of an image or music. Music is so powerful that you get that going with a couple of words. Wow. So I get excited and then I'm like, okay, is it too soon to post. But I get eager to share with others. And then I'm diving into the dialogue with a cup of coffee with others. That dialogue in the morning because the engagement is the key. That to me, that's all that ever mattered. I just encourage people to, to speak up to say hi even if they don't want to see much and it's funny because some people will say things in a post, but in a DM it's completely different. But encourage them, encourage them. They showed up and that was a lot to me. So engagement in that is exciting for me in the day. I like doing other things, too.

Russ Johns 24:38
I love watching this conversation take place because, like Lonnie says there's power and surrender for sure. Ironically, true fulfillment, from giving away those gifts we've been given. That's absolutely true. If you're given a gift, it feels so much better when you can give it away. You know, it feels like free smiles. Smiles are free.

Paula Goodman 25:07
Exactly.

Russ Johns 25:07
I give them away all the time.

Paula Goodman 25:10
Yeah. I feel like smiling more often now.

Russ Johns 25:18
Joe says, you're smiling more now than ever.

Paula Goodman 25:24
I am. I feel like I'm making up for time that I lost not smiling, not knowing the value of smiling, not being happy. I didn't love myself. I didn't love me. And without loving yourself, you can't go out there and love anyone else. I mean, I have children. I believe that they were the essence of my hope too. They sparked it. There's no way I could continue with my thoughts doing that. Leaving them without a mother. That brought me back a lot of times. But I wasn't able to get 100% of me, if I didn't love all of me. So that was being able to forgive myself, too. I can't control the things around me. When you're under severe abuse, believing everything that you're told, it's not like somebody can tell you, oh, well, you stayed. You're trapped. Your fear freezes you. It was a whole new world. I mean, I remember going to a woman's shelter and having a talk with one of the counselors and I said, I don't understand. I took psychology. I was aware of this kind of thing. How did it happen to me? It blew me. So it goes back and she said, fear freezes you. It was the first time I ever heard it. And I'm like, you're right. That fear, or I was terrified a lot of my life. So this fear was an inhibiting thing. And then when I started looking further into it, fear what am I, I'm afraid of my own thoughts, what am I thinking? And that control of what I was able to filter out in my life and put into the journals, go back to the writing and read what I was actually saying. I saw something where...when I would write, it was like a trance. That to me was the gift. That gift was meant to share. But I also had to take heed of what was being written it was like a message to me. Now it's a message I share. Because it's it's hard to explain sometimes when people don't get it. It's my aha, you can go through life and know all this stuff. But you don't always understand it and then you get those aha moments and it's like now I get it. Now I get it.

Russ Johns 28:05
It takes a while, at times, to understand what we're feeling, what it is that we need to do with that feeling. There have been many times in in life that you know you have that anxiousness, that emotional upset that you're like, it's energy that you're not sure which direction to take it. And sometimes the self discovery of that process of identifying what needs to happen next is the journey everyone needs to take in order to accomplish awareness of who they are and why they're here. And it's really powerful when you can identify what it is that you need to do, and where your gifts are and how you need to share it. And I'm glad that you had the opportunity to go through that process. Even as challenging as it was I'm, I'm thankful and grateful that you're here. And and I love your work and thank you so much for joining the pirate broadcasts in the community. You're a pirate now. Poetess Pirate.

Paula Goodman 29:21
Somebody called me that, too.

Russ Johns 29:27
I just really appreciate it. And thank you so much for being here, Paula and any last words of wisdom that you want to leave with the community before we wrap up

Paula Goodman 29:44
It all comes down to trust your inner self. There's this little child that we grow away from and we take this journey in life, only to try and find that pure child again. So the closer you are to your inner self, because really we're born knowing everything we need to know. And we go out into the world with the external forces telling us, this is how to do it, when really, it's all inside you. And at the end of the day, the end of the time that you have on this planet, what did you do to make a difference? Just believe in yourself and know your value. Your dignity is your birthright. That's it.

Russ Johns 30:37
Thank you so much.

Paula Goodman 30:38
Thank you. Thank you and thank you, everyone.

Russ Johns 30:41
Everyone. Thank you so much, all the gratitude in the world for you being here. Thank you for sharing your gifts and your messaging and your comments and go out in the world because kindness is cool. smiles are free and you enjoy your day. Thank you, Paula. Gratitude.

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