The Only Constant is You: Navigating Life’s Changes with Najwa Zebian

Episode 04

Hey everyone, Jen Hatmaker here, your host of the For The Love podcast. Welcome to the show. This series has been so good. We are in the Embracing Change series, and I can’t think of anybody in my entire life that this doesn’t apply to in some way. Whether you are in change that you are choosing or needing to choose or change has chosen you in some way, we’re all there. This episode, I think, is going to touch your soul in ways that you didn’t expect — including diving into the healing power of writing and reclaiming agency in the face of constant change and uncertainty. Our guest today is so remarkable.

Najwa Zebian is who we have today. She’s a poet, an author, and an advocate. Her words have been hope for literally millions of people around the world. She has millions of followers and you’ll see why. She has quite a story. We were just talking a second ago after we had finished recording, and she was like, “You’re such a good listener.” And I’m like, “You’re such a good storyteller. I just wanted you to tell me more and more and more.” I think you’re going to find a lot of points of connection. Even if we were raised in different cultures and with different circumstances, some of the themes of abandonment, a lack of care, uncertainty, and displacement are universal. She’s going to talk about what she learned, how she overcame, and how words were a part of that journey. Stay until the end, because we get to the crescendo at the very end of this interview, where she sort of steps into what felt like her life’s thesis.

So, let me tell you about her a little bit before we start hearing her story. Doctor Najwa Zebian is a Lebanese-Canadian actor, activist, author, speaker and educator. She’s got her doctorate in educational leadership. Najwa began to write to connect with and help heal her first students, which was a group of young refugees, which she understood. Then come to find out, she began writing to heal herself. She is the author of six books. She delivered the Ted Talk, “Finding Home Through Poetry.” She recently launched a digital school called Soul Academy and a podcast called “In the Clear.” Her latest book is called The Only Constant. It’s a powerful message of agency and autonomy and being able to trust ourselves as the primary leader of our own lives. You’re going to love this. You’re going to love her. Reminder, if you ever want to watch an interview, we video all of them over on my YouTube channel because, sometimes it’s just powerful to watch a guest tell her own story and Najwa is powerful to watch in addition to being spectacularly beautiful. So that’s over on YouTube if you’d like to watch it, in addition to listening to it. I am delighted that she was here and just moved by today’s conversation. So pour yourself a cup of tea and get ready to be inspired by the absolutely wonderful Najwa Zebian.