Reginald D Sits Down With Letha Goodman: Inspiring Lives And Making A Difference (Motivational Speech)

Reginald D interviews Letha Goodman, a motivational speaker, author, and host of her own podcast (Letha's Real Talk). Letha shares about her childhood, Letha has found motivation in wanting to help others and be a positive influence. 

Despite challenges at a younger age, Letha is determined to make a positive impact on others. She believes in the importance and power of encouraging and inspiring people, focusing on the positive, and helping others overcome their struggles. Letha hopes to spread happiness and motivation through her work.  Follow Letha's Journey of inspiration.  Watch the video interview on: YouTube: https://youtu.be/NRyOrRbXmhs

Letha's Real Talk Website

Letha's Real Talk Blog

Purchase Letha's Book

Facebook Page

Instagram:  @lethasrealtalk.
 

YouTube: https://youtube.com/@lethasrealtalk

Transcript

Reginald D
00:00 - 00:26
Welcome to Real Talk with Regina D. I'm your host, Regina D. On today's episode, I have Letha Goodman. Letha is a motivational speaker, author, a host on the Everyday Woman TV network, and the host of Letha's Real Talk podcast. I had the pleasure of being on Letha's podcast back in March and decided to have her on my show. She's an amazing woman and has been touching lives and doing amazing things with her life. Welcome to the show, Letha. 

Letha Goodman
00:27 - 00:31
Thank you. Thanks so much for having me here. Thank you. 

Reginald D
00:31 - 00:51
I am honored to have you. I remember when you interviewed me on your show and I left there and I was like, man, I really enjoyed myself. I really enjoyed talking to you. Seemed like our hearts was in the same place. So I was like, well, I got to get her on my show also. So let's, let's talk a little bit about your childhood. You say you grew up in Mississippi. What was your childhood like? 

Letha Goodman
00:51 - 01:34
Well, I think I had a pretty decent childhood. I will say that I was blessed to be able to be raised around my mother's parents as well. I was blessed to be able to be raised a lot around my dad's mother. I mean, made to go to church, go to school, you know, got disciplined when you got out of order. I can pretty much say, honestly, me being older now, you know, we don't think back then, but I can truly say I've had a blessed childhood until I was 17. But other than that, as far as my upbringing and everything, I can truly say that I had a pretty decent, well-structured childhood. 

Reginald D
01:34 - 01:47
Yeah, and I think that's very important. People got to understand sometimes it's important that the parents or the leaders of a family set the foundation and things like that with the kids. So 17, what happened at 17, if you don't mind talking about it? 

Letha Goodman
01:47 - 02:22
I got involved in a bad car wreck with my mom, and that's when I lost my mom. Yeah, so, you know, I was one of them troubled kids that just always wanted to do stuff and break rules. So, I can remember that October 13th, Friday, it was actually Friday, October 13th, 1995, is when I brought home my last disciplinary slip to my mom, because October 14th, Saturday, October 14th, 1995, I was involved in a head-on collision by a drunk driver, and that's when I lost my mom. 

Reginald D
02:23 - 02:58
Wow. Wow. I didn't know that. So I know that had to be devastating to you and that had to really at that age, it can derail you and go to all kinds of directions, questioning all kinds of stuff. But I look at you today and I'm like, Wow. You know, cause I did not know that. We didn't talk about that when we talked last time, but I look at you today and now it makes me really, really appreciate more of the woman that you are and all the great things you're doing to inspire people and things like that. So let me ask you this. What drives you to be a difference maker? 

Letha Goodman
02:58 - 05:43
I'm just one of those people. You want people to do better. You know, you want them to be better. So why not do that? We're trying to reach as many people as possible. As far as me, I believe that people from all walks of life, from all places, I believe that, and I'm not trying to get overly biblical or overly churched here, but people are truly the church. I believe that God has a calling on my life, and I think it's important to reach as many people as possible wherever I am. You want people to do better. You know, you want people. People need to be inspired. It's enough negativity going on. And I know constantly listening, seeing a lot of negativity or dwelling on your negative state or your negative situation. That doesn't help. You know, dwelling doesn't help. Not if it's negativity that's dwelling. So it's important to help encourage people. You know, I wasn't like that all the time. I wasn't, but at some point when you start wanting more for yourself and you start working on being a better person of who you are, it's hard not to try to make a difference on a positive level if you're striving to be better on a positive level, not perfect, just some type of daily progress. It's hard not to want to encourage people. I don't like people hurting. I don't like people struggling. I don't like people wondering if their love Those are empty places to be in. They truly are. And I know how those thoughts affect other people. I know how those thoughts can affect the individual. I just don't want them to feel a certain way or not have or not be motivated to do something that you truly want to do. We need upliftment. If you're going through a season in your life and it's a troubled season, you don't need a reminder of all the chaos you got going on. You know, if you constantly reminding yourself that it doesn't help you, I don't think it helps. But if you're constantly focusing on chaotic situations or your struggles or whatever it is, it doesn't help because that's what you're focused on. Focus on some things that can help pull you out of there, but you got to be focused on some positives. And I think that we need to focus more as a world, more on positive things and getting out of those comfort zones and not making excuses. focus on better habits. I like to see people smile. I like people happy. That's the way it's supposed to be. 

Reginald D
05:43 - 06:09
Right. Yeah. So, and that's the thing you hit on a lot right there. And I like that because people always go back to the moment that they're in or the moments that they have. And sometimes you got to understand your moment is just a moment and you can't lay down. You got to rise above the moment so you can get momentum, you know, in life. I know you had obstacles in your life and stuff like that. How did you overcome them? 

Letha Goodman
06:09 - 06:12
Oh, it took years. 

Letha Goodman
06:12 - 09:52
Oh, years. One thing that helps, you have to get around a different set of people. That's very important. It's a group of one, two, three, four, five. It's a group of five of us. And these are ministers, pastors, motivational people. have you want to call it, I'm not one big on labels. Some people are not. I'm the youngest in the group. And I've been the youngest in this particular group. The oldest in the group, I want to say it's probably almost somewhere between maybe 75 and 80 years old. It's when you have people in your life outside of your, I'm gonna say this, you need people in your life that are going to just reach out to you and tell you to have a good day. But you need people in your life that are going to keep you inspired, keep you motivated. You have people in your life that, you know, it helps when you have older people in your life. And I need to say this. It's important when you're around people and you're the youngest, even though we're grown, but I'm still the youngest. And these people that have experienced different things and they've conquered so many things, and when you're welcomed in a space to where there's no judgment, there's no down nosing, that truly matters. That really matters. A place where people just may jump in and say, hey gang, love you all, miss you all. That stuff truly matters, to let you know that you matter. We know we matter, but it's important. You know, when you got people who check on you just not to ask you for anything, that matters. You know, I know we have our family, I understand that, but how often, you know, my phone doesn't ring too often with somebody asking me how I'm doing. Well, unless it's my sister. I have a sister that does that all the time. However, these group of people are very smiled upon people, but it's not because of their caliber, or their titles is because of who they are in their heart. And when you know that you're around people who help people cope, help make people smile, or help try to make a difference in the education level, help try to make a difference as far as clergy matters, help try to make a difference when it comes to the medical industry, and because of who people are in their hearts and they just make space just for somebody to have space for me in that that helps that helps and so you get showered with all of this love and all of this encouragement and it's hard for that and I've also had other people to help me that was a season in my life I went full-fledged in the ministry And I had some things that was holding me back. And I had a couple. They was a married couple. They was around my age. They as well was just some good down to earth people. People that just can love on you in spite of it all. That helps encourage you. That's what I'm saying. People don't always need to be reminded of the negative stuff. Some people just need hope. They need love. They need hope. They need encouragement. And they just need to be heard. 

Reginald D
09:52 - 10:23
Exactly. And the thing about it, and people don't understand that sometimes people like you and I, and I can speak for myself, that you're carrying a lot on your back every day. You're trying to make a difference and you're trying to do this. And when I walk out my door, the people who's connected to me cause I'm in leadership think I'm Superman. But when I come home, sometimes I just need that phone call or my wife called me during the day. So I love you. Or when the grandkids call from out of town, you know, I love you or whatever. It just makes the whole difference when it's all said and done. 

Letha Goodman
10:23 - 10:26
It makes a difference. Yes, it does. 

Reginald D
10:26 - 10:30
So tell us about your podcast. Why did you start your podcast? 

Letha Goodman
10:30 - 12:44
Oh, cause I like to talk and rant. I prefer, I don't like scripted, I don't like scripted things. Also, it's a lot of things that I feel like need to be addressed. A lot of conversations that I feel like people are not having enough of. People are having the conversations, but enough people are not having the conversations. My podcast is just to bring awareness to things that I truly feel like are important. If I think it's going to help Mr. Reginald D. be better, it helps the community be better. So it's about helping people. If you can help touch somebody on an individual level, regardless, it still helps collectively. And so I want to be able to talk about whatever I want to talk about without somebody telling me what I can or can't talk about. Of course, in a respectable manner, but That's what my podcast is about. I've always ran it and it's a lot of issues, so many issues that we could deal with. It's just, it's not enough to keep up. But I like talking about things that truly, truly matter because there are things that I truly have a passion for as a whole when it comes to people as a whole. And I think people just need to hear more of what's required and what you need to do and how we need to conduct ourselves in our lives for us to get these positive results and get some of these grand things and people need to hear it. We're such fast paced that we fast paced on one end but to me another positive insightful things are not being shared on another end and I just want to be a part of a community where I can utilize my platform to touch as many people as possible. Literally on a positive note while also bringing awareness and hopefully some change. 

Reginald D
12:44 - 12:49
So you hit it on the head. So basically each one teach one, right? 

Letha Goodman
12:49 - 12:51
Each one teach one. Yes, sir. 

Reginald D
12:51 - 12:59
Yeah. Yeah. So let's talk about the Everyday Women TV Network. How did you come up with that? 

Letha Goodman
12:59 - 14:12
OK, so I was actually invited in this space back during COVID. And COVID, we was on our phones, and we was just connecting and connecting and connecting and connecting with people. And so actually, one of the founders of that particular network reached out to me, and she had already viewed some of my material. And she invited me a part of that platform. I'm not on there anymore, you know, but she did invite me platform and I was on the platform Almost a year. I want to say I was a part of that. I've been on a station out of Atlanta I'm currently on a local podcast and station here so it's just basically doing what I Was uncomfortable with doing which was called network I've been very uncomfortable with networking up until about maybe six, maybe seven months ago. So I had to start networking with people and it's amazing because people be watching you sometimes and you don't even know. 

Letha Goodman
14:12 - 14:13
Right. 

Reginald D
14:13 - 14:22
Right. Wow. You've been a busy woman because now you have a book. It's called What I'm Sorry, Bondage, Freedom, Hurt, Pain and Joy. 

Letha Goodman
14:22 - 14:24
Yes, sir. Yes, sir. Yes, sir. 

Reginald D
14:24 - 14:30
So tell us a little bit about that book. So did you, were you writing this book last time we talked? 

Letha Goodman
14:30 - 18:36
The book, when we talked, the book may have just launched. Yeah, it may have just launched. That's another thing about me. I've always liked to write. I like to read. I've always loved to write. I like little poetry type things and all the kind of stuff. I've always been like that, but I went on and put some things on paper that I wanted to do. Basically what that book is, it will help anybody, and it is on Amazon and Kindle I think, but it'll help anybody. But however, that book is just a book where I'm pouring out letters to different people in my life without specifying their names. And it's also where I'm adding some encouragement to women. But if you read it, it will encourage you as well. You know, we gotta break some of this. Once you say you're sorry, you just need to be done. You shouldn't have to live in apologizing or you shouldn't have to live in if you made a mistake yesterday that you're trying to redeem yourself every single day. We should not have to go through that. I was a person that I'm constantly, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You know, all these type of things just because of mishaps that I've had myself in the past or some negative decisions that I have personally made that has affected so many people. But at some point, I had to pull myself together. If I'm not that person anymore, that's not who I am. I don't have to live in that. I don't have to keep apologizing for who I used to be. I don't have to even apologize for anything right now. If you're gonna, you know, remind me of things and I'm constantly mentally confined and mentally held bondage or mentally shackled. just because I need that validation, then I had to start reforming my own mindset. It took years for me to get to that point. It took years, but when you get around people, not just older women, when you get around people who may have had hiccups in the past and they remind you that you don't have to live right there, you don't have to live right there in that negative self, in that negative state. Those are the things and those are the type of people that help pull me from it. Some people are attached to drama. Not that they like drama, but they're so attached to negative things. They're so attached to, you know, things not going well. Sometimes people get so attached that they don't know how to pull themselves through. So God started blessing me with people in my life who were truly overcomers. And overcomers who didn't see anything wrong with me, even if I shared or confided certain things in them, happened to be people who understood, happened to be people who have experienced certain type of things and certain type of situations. You don't like to hear that people go through things, but it does give you a little bit better feeling when you know it's not just you. So if they are okay, then I can be okay. But these are the kind of people I have to surround myself around. None excuse me, people that are okay with who they are right now. People who are not trying to dwell on who they used to be. And so that book was just me giving myself a personal mental cleansing, but I'm not going to keep apologizing for things, right? just because I'm not going to do that. And so the book offers some encouragement as well to women, but to anybody, really anybody would read it. They will see how it gives you more encouragement. And it just reminds people that you don't have to keep saying, I'm sorry, but I literally open up and I'm like, apologize. 

Reginald D
18:36 - 19:19
So we got a lot in common. I think that's why I really connected with you the first time because It seems like your experiences, such as my experiences, we've grown through that and we've grown how to change our mindsets from the stuff we've been through and we've taken what we've learned and what God has shown us and we've gone out and blessing people with what we have. Because one thing I've learned about you and I'm noticing about you that you are a woman or a person that understands her assignment in the kingdom. A lot of people don't. So, what would you say to people that feel like they could get ahead in life, feel like that the odds are always against them? 

Letha Goodman
19:19 - 25:03
First, you gotta start meditating. And you need guided meditation is my recommendation. I'm sharing with you all what I do and how I start. You need to start listening to, like, while you sleep. Nothing but good stuff right now, okay? so you can go to youtube you can look up some positive guided meditation if you sleep for eight hours they got them on there for like eight to ten hours you need to go to bed listening to good things like watching the news on tv or checking them group me's if it's work related all this negative stuff do not go to sleep on that Go to sleep on good stuff. Go to sleep inhaling and exhaling and breathing and visualizing the lake and visualizing taking a walk down the lake and visualize dancing in the trees and the sun and visualize. You know, go to sleep knowing that you have purpose and you're good and you're awesome and go to sleep on positive things. I highly, highly, highly, highly encourage positive guided meditation okay now if you are person and you have certain religious beliefs they have positive meditation for those also so you need to utilize positive that you need to hear you need to hear it like it needs to be heard going to sleep listening to good stuff for eight hours do you know when you wake up in the morning your whole drive is different Like your momentum is different. Your mind has been reset on a positive level You know, you still got these challenges But you done drifted off to sleep in and out your sleep and you got this positive stuff still talking to you It's all the positive meditation Also, you can't save everybody. We're not here to save everybody. That's not what we're here for So stop trying to rescue people to rescue yourself. It's too exhausting. It's too dry. Stress is an out loud, solid kill. You can't want more for people than they want for themselves. So put more energy into making you a better person. When you make you a better person, you're watering, you're watering the grass. And people may think you've gone cuckoo for a little while and that's okay. You know, chant positive things to yourself. It's okay to be in a grocery store talking positive things to yourself. It's okay to wake up and look in the mirror and say something positive to yourself. Put more positive energy into you. When you feel better about you, you automatically put better things in the atmosphere. No matter what your challenges are, and you're still able to sit up and wake up in gratitude, and you're still able to be grateful, and you're still able to tell people thank you, and you're still able to walk around with a smile, you are sharing, you're putting it in the atmosphere, so you're technically helping people based off how you operate on a day-to-day basis. And surround yourself around people who want to see you thrive, who want to see you thrive. people who are not intimidated by your growth, whatever level of growth that you may be growing into. So those things truly, truly, truly matter because when people are not intimidated about you and they're okay with you doing good and they okay with, you know, great things happening for you and they're not turning their nose up at you just because, oh, you know what, Mr. Resnick, D and his wife, they got that beautiful, you know, they got that beautiful plan in their home. I'm saying something good about it versus they just always able to decorate their house and do what they want. You need to be around positive people. You don't need to be around all this moping and dragging and complaining. No, you don't need that. You're in your space to help yourself be better. And once you help you be better, you can help the world, because you can't help the world if you're not better. You cannot help nobody if you're not better yourself. You're only as good to people as you are to yourself. You encourage people to encourage yourself. You see good in people, see good in yourself. You're encouraging somebody to go back to school, and you know you always want to go to school, get up and go to school. Do it for yourself. You're encouraging people to travel the world, and you know you always want to travel the world, guess what? Start traveling the world. You're telling people they need to take time for themselves, guess what? Make time for yourself. Find something that you love to do, that you love. that don't involve nothing and nobody else but you. Nothing and nobody else but you. My podcast, my blogs, that's me. That's a me thing. That's something I want to do. It doesn't involve my family. It doesn't involve my wanting to have friends. It doesn't involve that. It involves because this is what I want. And when it's something you want and it's something you love, you're going to be dedicated to. And you're going to make sure that your mind is right. I don't want to be a negative person. I don't want to. And I have my moments. I'm nowhere near perfect. I probably give myself like a 65% or 70% right now. However, when you're better, you put it in the atmosphere. When you put it in the atmosphere, you're technically having to work. 

Reginald D
25:03 - 25:54
Absolutely. Absolutely. That was amazing. That was amazing. Because I always tell people, you got to find your peace. You got to find that peaceful place sometimes in your life, because sometimes the hustle and bustle is going to be there. But you got to know when it's all said and done, you got to find peace somewhere to get your mind to focus on you. and help you. Because a lot of times I walk out of my door and all I hear all day is resident, resident, resident, resident, resident, resident. And it's overwhelming. So I get home, my peaceful place is get my speaker, turn my Bluetooth on, listen to music, and sit outside on my patio and listen to whatever I want to listen to that night, that evening. So it just brings me back and winds me down. I find that peaceful place. But that was greatly said, Letha. So let me ask you this. How can the people listen to your podcast and then find you on social media? 

Letha Goodman
25:54 - 26:43
Well, social media, hashtag Lethal's Real Talk, hashtag L-E-T-H-A-S-R-E-A-L-T-A-L-K. Well, I have some more things I have to upload on my YouTube, so I'm so behind on that. But if you literally type in, even if it's on YouTube or any social media, if you type in, Hashtag L-E-T-H-A-S-R-E-A-L Talk. Leave Us Real Talk. You're going to see even recent stuff that I recorded with other people on my podcast. So you're going to see all of that at www.leaveusrealtalk.com. Email leaveusrealtalk at gmail.com. So leave us real talk. 

Reginald D
26:44 - 26:56
That's it. There you have it. Letha Goodman. Letha, I'm so glad that you took the time out to stop by and chill out with me for a minute. It's been great. It's been great. And I really appreciate you. 

Letha Goodman
26:56 - 27:02
Thank you so much. I appreciate you for allowing me the opportunity to be here, Mr. Reginald

Reginald D
27:02 - 27:05
Yes, and there'll definitely be more to come. 

Letha Goodman
27:05 - 27:07
Thank you so much. 

Reginald D
27:07 - 27:08
Thank you. 

Letha Goodman
27:08 - 27:09
You're welcome. Be blessed. 

Reginald D
27:11 - 27:32
Thanks for tuning in Real Talk with Reginald D. If you enjoyed the show, please share with anyone you feel that needs to take this journey with us on being a better you. See you next time. Would you like me to speak at your event or are you in need of life or motivation and coaching? Go to www.realtalkwithreginald.com to the book online page and book me today.