Why getting to know yourself & your values is the path to true happiness│The Dream Catcher Podcast

We're all on a quest to discover ourselves, internalizing what we witness through experimenting, learning, and reflecting as we go along. To find real freedom, we must enter our interior world's gates.

One person who mastered the ability to self-reflect and operate from a place of authenticity is Sidney Poitier. The legendary Bahamian American actor, director, and producer broke the color barrier in the U.S. motion-picture industry by becoming the first African American to win an Academy Award for Best Actor in 1964 for Lilies of the Field.

He came to defy the odds against him thanks not only to his extraordinary acting talent but also to his ability to successfully cultivate an inner world that sustained him during the trials and tribulations he faced during his long career in Hollywood.

To discuss the life of this pioneer in entertainment and the wisdom we can glean from his life when it comes to cultivating a rich interiority that can serve us, I invited Aram Goudsouzian.

Aram is the Bizot Family Professor of History at the University of Memphis, where he teaches courses on the civil rights movement, the modern United States, and the history of American sports, as well as survey courses on African American History. He has written several books in his area of expertise, including a biography of Sidney Poitier.

To learn more about Aram Goudsouzian and his books, visit: https://www.aramgoudsouzian.com/

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Interview timestamps:

05:00 ︳Why Aram chose to write a book about Sidney Poitier and how did the process change him
09:37 ︳Aram’s analysis and insight on Sidney Poitiers character and why he’s inspirational
11:15 ︳Sidney’s upbringing in the Bahamas shaped his internal world
16:10 ︳How to create an environment where we can develop a relationship with ourselves
20:00 ︳What influenced Sidney’s movie and role choices, and what it teaches us about living in alignment with our values
25:00 ︳Why was Sidney conscious about how he portrayed black people at a time when they were subject to stereotyping 
31:58 ︳How Sidney handled racial discrimination throughout his life as an actor and as an individual
33:45 ︳The challenges that Sidney faced when he moved to the United States
36:25 ︳What Sidney’s struggles can teach us about the struggle of scrambling for our livelihood and dreams
39:25 ︳The importance of humility and knowing our flaws
40:18 ︳What are the three different personas framework created by Sidney, and why it’s significant
46:40 ︳The key life lessons we can glean from Sidney Poitier’s life