Across four careers and just as many continents, Yza Shady’s journey through life can be described as many things, but plain isn’t one of them! In this conversation, we talk about Yza’s extraordinary career pivots, starting with her dancing days in 1980s’ NYC go-go bars and Parisian cabaret clubs, as well as cruise ships; to her time as an off-Broadway actor; then her transition to teacher at an elite boarding school for protege golf and tennis students; and finally her  move to the corporate world as a proposal writer. We also dive into what it was like growing up in a multi-cultural, Hispanic/Black family; her experience traveling solo at 15 to live abroad in South America for a year; and some of the prejudices she’s faced being a “dark-haired, dark-skinned” artist, beginning as an eight-year-old ballerina. And through all these experiences, Yza shares several surreal, sometimes life-altering, moments in time that have shaped her, as well as some adversities, including a couple near-death encounters; an unexpected divorce; and workplace inequity. We end by talking about Yza’s dream to eventually become an author and share her autobiographical essays with the world. And at the very end, Yza graces us by reading one of her essays, and it’s packed with so much emotion!

Disclaimer: Not Your Average GOAT is produced and edited by Teisha Gillespie with music by Anton Vlasov, Serge Quadrado and Coma Media. All content is copyrighted and should not be reproduced, recreated or reused without explicit permission. Please visit NotYourAverageGOAT.org/Contact for questions.