E19 - Najwa Zebian: Poetry, Embracing Change, and Leading an Authentic Life

This week, we sit down with Najwa, a talented poet whose work navigates the complexities of identity and self-discovery. Join us as we explore the transformative power of poetry and the journey to living an authentic life.

Najwa shares insights on finding peace amid life's storms and learning to trust the chaos of change. She reflects on her personal evolution from the 'good girl' stereotype to embracing her true self. She discusses the difficult choice of valuing authenticity over belonging and the importance of sitting with questions rather than seeking definitive answers. The conversation touches on the delicate balance of showing vulnerability without oversharing and breaking free from cultural conditioning. Najwa emphasizes overcoming comparison, letting go of perfectionism, and being compassionate with life's changes. She also shares wisdom on trusting one’s feelings, being there for one another during tough times, and adopting a balanced approach to sensitivity. 

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0:00 Intro

1:28 The Calmness that Come From Chaos

3:50 From ‘Good Girl’ to True Self

9:30 Choosing Authenticity over Belonging

16:26 Closure? Sitting with a Question Instead of an Answer

19:56 Showing Vulnerability without Oversharing 

25:05 Her Story: Breaking Out of Her Cultural Conditioning 

33:53 Overcoming Comparison

38:33 Breaking Free of Your Boxes

41:32 Letting Go Of Perfection 

46:29 Being Compassionate with Life’s Changes

50:48 Balancing Performance and Humanness 

53:54 Learn to Trust Your Feelings

57:19 Being There for Each Other in the Tough Times

1:06:09 A Balanced Approach to Sensitivity 

1:19:15 Conclusion

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Najwa Zebian is a Lebanese-Canadian activist, author, speaker, and educator. Her search for a home was central to her early years as she struggled to find her place in the world. She became a teacher and a doctoral candidate in educational leadership and as Najwa began to write in an effort to connect with and heal her first students, a group of young refugees, she found that she was also writing to heal herself. 

After self-publishing her first collection of poetry and prose in 2016, she went on to sell over 250,000 copies of her three books. She recently launched a digital school, Soul Academy, and a podcast, Stories of the Soul. Her work has been featured in the New York Times, Glamour, Elle Canada, HuffPost, and more. Her TEDx talk “Finding Home Through Poetry” has been viewed over more than 100,000 times.

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