Success at 70 with Julia Goodman (Words by Jasmine Khan)
“I was the first person on the playground to get divorced and I kind of wore it like a badge of honour, because I was taking control of my life.”
Julia in Beaux Stratagem
I sat down for a virtual chat with actress, turned CEO, turned author, Julia Goodman to find out - what does success look like at 70 and how can I achieve it? I wanted to discover what creates a woman as fierce as Julia, and how younger women like me can pursue success with the same focus.
“If you look at the women in my family, they’ve all been pretty strong.”
Julia described a colourful childhood, one full of glamour but also rife with hardship. Julia’s mother, Pearl, was a singer before she married, and Pearl would frequently delight her children with stories of being chased about the stage by handsome, talented men. Julia’s father was a “maverick” and an artist. When he and Pearl settled, Pearl became both breadwinner and homemaker so that Julia’s father could pursue his creative career.
When the family struggled, Julia recounts her mother milking 40 cows a day by-hand to keep the family afloat:
“As a child I thought she was amazing, but as I got older, I thought why aren’t you doing what I’m doing?”
Julia explained that although her mother was happy and found much satisfaction from her marriage, Pearl also missed the stage. For Julia, it has always been important to have both career and family, however, she cautions “There’s always a cost.” Julia admits that her divorce, which in part occurred so that she could continue to pursue her passions, was a difficult time for her two children. “They struggled to understand my reasons for breaking up the family until they were older and that was hard.”
As a child, Julia describes herself as adaptable and ambitious. She recalls writing herself into Shakespeare’s Henry IV, so that she could appear alongside her mother on stage. It wasn’t so much about being on stage for Julia, she simply “loved that feeling of being able to get a connection and keep it.”
Julia spent summers among Lawrence Olivia’s theatre troop where she was inspired by “truly great acting.” But it wasn’t until she was 15 that Julia felt properly connected to her purpose.
At school “I was quite rebellious, not deliberately, I just didn’t really think ahead that much.” Yet Julia still “somehow” managed to secure a Prefect position. In this role she was asked to make a speech about the dangers of smoking to the school assembly hall. A smoker herself, Julia was not particularly passionate about the subject matter. She just remembers thinking:
“Wow! I’ve got something to say and people are going to listen.”
Julia enchanted the assembly hall with her “sprinkling of bulls**t” and again affirmed her passion for connection and public speaking. At 18, Julia’s mother Pearl suggested that Julia take her talents and pursue a career as an actress.
“I was always able to express myself and I was always able to sit down and have a chat with anyone. That helped with acting, and it helped later on with my business.”
After Drama school, Julia embarked on an incredibly varied and successful acting career, appearing widely on screen in productions such as ‘The Brothers’, ‘Inspector Morse’, ‘Coronation Street’ and ‘The Bill’ - and films including ‘Those Glory Glory Days’. Julia featured widely in Shakespearian productions, including playing the iconic feminist role of Lady Macbeth. She also Co-founded the British Actors Theatre Company alongside Kate O’Mara.
When I asked Julia what it was like to be an actress in the 70’s she responded, “We were at the forefront of the women’s liberation movement.” At the time sexism and unwanted sexual advances were laughed off. “I was always a strong character which made it easier to brush off unwanted advances”. Reflecting, she says, “Blimey, what I put up with.”
Julia recalls a particularly scary experience when she was 16 years old and on holiday. She was held at gunpoint by a man who she’d been conversing with and he demanded she perform sexual acts on him. Julia was so outraged and so “angry” that she rose up and struck the man continuously with her handbag until he ran away.
“Men are frightened of angry women” she explained.
I asked Julia if she thought things had improved and she replied: “It’s not necessarily that the behaviours have gotten better, but we’re more aware of what’s okay and what isn’t. We realise that not everyone is confident, and we need to protect those people as well.”
As Julia approached her late 30’s she became dissatisfied with acting, “It didn’t stetch me anymore”. After a brief flirtation with a TV presenter, Julia realised that she was no longer fulfilled by her marriage either. She decided to leave both. And it is this commitment to her truth and her needs that Julia stresses drives success.
“I was the first person on the playground to get divorced and I kind of wore it like a badge of honour, because I was taking control of my life.”
At the start of the recession Julia was broke, divorced and she had two children to care for. Four years later in 1989 she founded Personal Presentation Limited which provides ‘personal communication coaching rooted in the psychology and techniques of the professional theatre’. “To begin with I was just camping out in a friends office space. Those first few years were just about building a client base and getting people in the door.” Now Julia’s company provides coaching for big corporate clients including the Bank of Ireland and Terra Firma.
At a cross road, the idea for Julia’s company came to her in the bath just like Archimedes. She wanted to give us normal people the same, almost un-moveable, confidence that actors possess. According to Julia this confidence is in everyone, we just need to learn to express it!
“You need to figure out what success means to you; it can’t be about anyone else.”
Her team was initially made up entirely of woman, which was pretty much unheard of at the time, and Julia turned over her first million after just three years.
When I asked how Personal Presentation had managed the challenges of the pandemic, Julia was quick to let me know that as soon as lockdown hit, the team had set up a plan to transform their in-person coaching methodology into a virtual masterclass. “Online is a really democratic space, so it lends itself to coaching.”
Julia’s proactive response to change and hardship is clearly another reason for her success. She explains that it’s okay to feel fear, “You have to accept that there will be tough times, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t trust ourselves to be the best that we can be.”
The final thread of Julia Goodman’s triple treat success is her latest venture as an author. At 70, Julia released her first book: You Brand' – a manual for self-confidence. The book explains Julia’s methodology for successful communication informed by her expert experience as an actress and coach. It further highlights to readers the importance of being true to oneself if you want to be fulfilled.
Whenever we speak publicly, we are representing ourselves and our brand. This could be something as small as a 1:1 progress meeting or as big as a conference with thousands of people. By following the books strategy, Julia helps you tap into who you are and how you can express that to people around you.
“The methodology teaches people how to be their consistent selves regardless of the space or audience. We need to invite people in and make them feel comfortable in our space if we want to connect.”
That said, Julia cautions readers, “Its acceptable to be yourself, but it isn’t going to please everyone.” Part of being committed to success according to your own definition means that you won’t be liked by everyone.
Comfortingly, Julia provided me with a few practical suggestions for success. She encourages young people to engage properly in visualisation. “You’ve got to know what it looks like so you can go after it.” She also emphasised that we have got to, “Ride the waves of self-doubt.” and, “Believe that you have something to offer.”
Julia Goodman, finished this inspiring interview by quoting Georgia O’Keeffe: “I’m absolutely terrified of everything, but it hasn’t stopped me doing anything” Julia wasn’t born with any particular special talents. Rather, it is her determination to ‘feel the fear and do it anyway’ that drives her success. And this is something we can all learn from.
Written by Jasmine Khan
Jasmine Khan is a journalist, public speaker and mental health advocate. Having achieved a Masters in Global Ethics and Justice, she now hopes to use this knowledge to promote practical changes for social justice across the UK and beyond. Jasmine also runs bespoke mental health masterclasses, for inquiries please see @jazwritesjazspeaks