Stepping Out With Meagan Good

Stepping Out with MEAGAN

GOOD

Meagan Good is a woman that I have always wanted to meet and interview. I’ve loved watching every movie she’s appeared in (coupled with the fact that she is an amazing actress). My opportunity came recently, during lockdown. It’s funny, the opportunities I have embraced in this season alone are so amazing, no one needs to tell me God is real, right?

Meagan was everything and more, which didn’t surprise m

Meagan is an extremely strong, beautiful, and talented Kingdom Minded Woman, who exudes spiritual confidence in her relationship with God. Even though we met virtually, the presence of God was strong in my office and, I’m sure, in her surroundings. The lessons from her life experiences are testimonies that I know women will glean from and want to emulate.

My interview with Meagan reveals how purposeful she is and how Purpose governs all that she does as a woman, wife and actress. She is passionate, friendly and -- above all -- a woman of substance.

I trust my interview with Meagan will give you a glimpse of the true person she is, which is why she is our Woman Stepping Out for Spring/Summer 2021.

WEWM: Who Is Meagan as a young girl between the ages of 10-15 years? What advice would you give this young girl now?

MG: I grew up in Santa Clarita, a predominantly white neighborhood where I dealt with a lot of racism. This included a teacher in my 5th grade year (when I was

10 years old) who was awful towards me. My mother put me in acting when I was four years old. It was a safe place and an outlet for me to express myself. By the age of 11, I knew this was something I wanted to do for the rest of my life and something that I was passionate about. Though I was still learning about myself, I knew that I wanted to seriously pursue acting. When I was 14, I landed a part in Eve’s Bayou. I knew that was the coming-of-age decision.

I didn’t see it as part of my Purpose just yet. I just knew that I was connected to art and freedom, and felt challenged by people who said that I couldn’t succeed, and it wouldn’t work for me. I was confident in proving them wrong and believing that, if I did the work and trusted God, then the sky wasn’t the limit. I didn’t embrace acting as a tool connected to my Purpose until I was about 19.

If I were to give someone of that age advice, I would say, “find what you’re passionate about and see why God has put that passion in your heart.” If it’s from God, it’s likely that it’s connected to your Purpose. I would also suggest praying specifically about it. When God says “yes” it doesn’t matter what anyone else has to say about it.

WEWM: Who was Meagan as a single woman finding her way through life? What advice would you give this single woman now?S

MG: Though I experienced a lot of racism as a young woman, I also got saved when I was 12. I was always reading my Bible and the word I would get was, “love your enemies,” (1st Corinthians 13) which always stuck out to me because it talks about unconditional love. It’s easy to love people who are nice or good to you, but can you love people who don’t treat you right? Can you love people who don’t have good intentions for you? Can you love people who try to bully you? I think at that age, I started building my character and determining who I wanted to be as a Christian. The experience of getting saved was intense because of how it all unfolded. In junior high there were two very popular girls in school that were a grade older than me, they were 13, Alicia and Barbara. Barbara’s older sister Jokeima was also friends with my older sister who was 14. Another friend of theirs named Gina who was 15, who was babysitting a 4-year-old girl named Jessica when they all got into a car accident. Jokemia died instantly. Gina died hours later. Jessica who was on life support died a week later. Barbara suffered severe brain damage. Alicia made it out the least scathed, but she suffered the most emotionally. She also had bad injuries. Her eyelid was ripped off and she had to use skin from other parts of her body to replace the skin. I remember a few months later we went on a retreat and Alicia came, and we were on the top of the mountain, and I remember Alicia crying out to God and getting saved. I thought, “that’s so interesting, because what she had just gone through would make me think she would stray away from God, but instead, she pressed into Him.” I was so encouraged by her and as she was someone who looked out for me, that it inspired me to get saved. That experience changed me as a young girl.

WEWM: What happened to the girls who survived the accident?

MG: I saw Alicia probably about 14 years ago. She was working on a movie studio set and we talked for a minute. I didn’t get the chance to tell her that she was the catalyst for me getting saved, but I try and talk about it more, now hoping it will get to her. In a big part, I am a lot of who I am because she set an example. I haven’t seen Barbara since the days of youth group following the accident, but I remember that her family was taking incredible care of her.

WEWM: What was life like for you as a single saved young woman after that experience?

MG: First, I was ultra-religious, a bible thumper, very judgmental. I knew that I wasn’t going to have sex until I got married. When my older sister LaMyia lost her virginity, I cried thinking she was going to hell. Although I was very religious, I’m also in the same breath very wild. Hanging out at my best friend Amy’s house, not necessarily getting into trouble, I was more mild than other girls who were sexually active. I loved sneaking out - hanging out late and having a drink. But I was still the girl who was having a drink, dancing around, and then talking to someone about how worthy they are and how much God loves them. I’ve been a little bit of both, with Christ leading the way, a wild child and a free spirit. When it came to relationships, I think I had a lot of baggage. My mom and my dad separated when I was very young, which didn’t make sense to me because they never really

argued. It made me weary of trusting men. I approached every relationship reserving protection over my feelings so no one could hurt me. Every relationship that I went into, I gave a percentage and saved a percentage. In dating, I think I was more like a boy, not over emotional and able to recover quickly. By the time I was 26, I had a few serious relationships. There was one relationship from I had from 26 to 29 that made me realize I wasn’t allowing myself to be loved fully. I had foregone my rules of protection and to be honest it didn’t end well, but my experiences have taught me a lot. It’s been quite the spiritual journey with relationships, starting from my first love, the one I thought for sure I’d marry and because of that, ultimately lost my virginity to at 19. I always remember my godfather Jim Brown telling me, ‘you’re in love now, but you’re going to fall in love many more times in this life’. After my first serious relationship I realized that Jim was right: this was a journey. During the few amazing relationships I was able to have along the way, it was good to remember that, “this may not be forever, but I can learn something and teach something.” Whether it was a year, two years, nothing was in vain because you always learn and take something with you that teaches you either what you appreciated or what you don’t want.

As a young Christian woman, growing up, this was what my single life was like. I did my best to get the lesson God allowed and to give however I felt led. However, I will say that a lot of that experience was shaped by my parents. Protecting myself was paramount and, the one time I didn’t, the relationship left me with a lot of trauma to work out, and I’m thankful for even that. That experience transformed me into a better woman for the man I now get to call the most incredible on the planet!!

WEWM: What would you say to another single woman or even a single black woman who was in your shoes back then about relationships?

MG: I would say that we are strong, resilient, and capable. Adapt to attitudes knowing this is a season in your life. It may not be a lifetime -- and that’s okay. Let’s allow ourselves to grow in this season, let’s allow this to be an awesome chapter in our lives, if it’s God's will. Then let’s do our best to make it worthwhile and get the best that we can in that moment, without it necessarily having to be forever. I would also add know your worth, know that you are perfectly imperfect, and God adores you and you deserve His Best. Don’t settle, or do anything that’s beneath what you deserve, but also be intentional and be thoughtful about what you want to accomplish.

WEWM: Who Is Meagan as a Christian Married Woman? What life lessons have you learnt in this journey so far?

MG: In the beginning I struggled with the idea of submission. I was like, “what does that exactly mean?” Learning to submit was a process, because I began to learn overtime that the reason that God gave me to this man is because he is here to help me grow, help me love purely, unconditionally, bring healing, and help me better understand God’s Love for me and be my truest Purpose-partner as I become the woman that God has called and created me to be.

When the bible talks about a helpmate, I think we miss that we don’t have to get married. It’s not a necessity, it’s a gift. It’s a blessing and in terms of staying in a marriage, no matter what season you’re in, it’s really about, “this person was sent to help you live up to the highest potential of who God has called you to be; the fullness of who you are and all that has to do with love, relationship, growth, self-love, healing, connection in Purpose, it’s all of those things.

When God brings your partner in Purpose, there’s so much to get out of it. It’s not just about having great days, it’s about being challenged, it’s about someone saying “I’m going to hold you to the highest standard and help you get there. That’s what’s been so amazing for me and learning that submission doesn’t mean just doing what my husband tells me to do, it’s really about being there for him, supporting him, being his backbone, covering him, praying for him, allowing him to protect me, to give me good advice, allowing him to challenge me and tell me the truth, and knowing that I don’t stand behind him, I stand beside him, but letting him be my king underneath my King.

It’s fun to know even 9 years later, I continue to learn and understand the fullness of what that is in a marriage. It’s been great, it’s healed me, helped me massively, revealed how much God Loves me beyond what I could even comprehend that I thought I knew. I’ve never known love this way: it’s not like mom love or sister love; who I can’t help but love so deeply or the people you cherish who have known

you from the moment you entered this earth. It’s someone entering your life and “choosing” every day to love you unconditionally.

WEWM: What advice would you give to a newly wedded bride?

MG: Do not lose yourself. Know that God is First and Foremost. Understand that after God comes your husband before anyone else. Crazy as it sounds, before your mother, sisters, before everyone. Guard and protect your marriage, do not talk to people who are not married about your marriage issues, because their goal is going to be about protecting “you” and to make sure that you’re okay. There’s a big difference when you talk to people who are married about married stuff: they want to make sure the marriage is okay, they want you both of you to win, they understand that you are a unit, and that together you’re one. It’s not about you or about him, it’s about both of you.

WEWM: How can a woman not lose herself in marriage?

MG: A woman in marriage must have ownership over her Purpose and know that God has called her to fulfil that as well as fulfil the corporate Purpose that she has with her husband. Knowing that she came to earth alone and will one day leave earth alone, and one day God will ask her what she did with her life. He won’t ask her mother, her friends, or even her husband. She has a responsibility to the Purpose in which she was created. Even if part of that is being a wife, she still has a responsibility to her life’s calling. Also knowing that even though you are one with your husband, you’re also one with God.

WEWM: What is your understanding of a Kingdom Minded Woman?

MG: Kingdom mindedness is making God first and every day seeking to know Him better, and seeking to hear Him clearer, seeking to know His will for your life, being in a true relationship with Him and being so connected that you help or encourage others. Being confident in your walk because you know Him as much as you can know Him and you know for a fact that He truly knows you. Have a deep relationship with Him. It doesn’t matter what anybody says, it only matters what God says and that you’re clear on what He’s saying.

WEWM: How do you marry your relationship with God and your role as an actress, when there is so much pressure to conform in the movie industry?

MG: I don’t conform. I have very strong convictions. I don’t want this industry or success by the world’s standards more than I want God. When I stand on Him and when I say “no” because of Him, I believe people respect me more. I believe I get to do great things in the field of art that I love because of God, not in spite of Him. Whenever I say no, God always brings me something better. Earlier in life, when I was 19, still trying to discover my Purpose and transitioning from a child actor to an adult actor, I literally had to ask God whether this is what He wanted for me. I was in this weird season of in-between. I wasn’t booking jobs. I was watching people around me working and I realized that I never asked Him if this is what He wanted me to do. I want what God has for me, more than what I want for myself and that was when I had a clear revelation that this is what God wanted me to do. It’s not about the work, nor is it about the industry, it’s about using the platform that He has allowed me to have and given me to build the Kingdom. To talk about Him and use every single part of my life to glorify Him and to point people to Him. There are more attractive people and talented people than me, but He has allowed me this platform to honor Him and I will continue to honor Him and to use the platform to build the Kingdom in whatever way He says I should.

WEWM: Do you feel that Christian Women can live up to that image of a Kingdom Minded Woman?

MG: One hundred percent. I think it’s not simple. It’s very much about seeking the Kingdom of God first and everything else will be added to you. I’m not saying it’s easy to get the answers, I’m not saying seeking doesn’t take effort and pressing in, praying, getting on your knees and being very intentional. But when you don’t make it about seeking the job, or seeking the fame, or seeking the man or the husband, but about seeking God, all the right things get added to you.

WEWM: What has been some of your wilderness moments and how did you get through them?

MG: There’s been lots of wilderness experiences. When DeVon and I first got married, there was a lot of backlash about the dress I wore to the BET Awards, that was definitely a transitioning moment in my life. I was used to being bullied as a black girl

growing up in my neighborhood, I was used to being bullied because I’m an actress, but I’ve never been bullied by the Christian community and I was not ready. I didn’t see it coming. Of course it wasn’t the whole Christian Community - there were those who prayed and covered me, and loved on me "As a Christian, and as a one hundred percent - but the reaction I got that night was black woman, it’s part of traumatizing and painful, because the my responsibility to use Christian community was my safe place, and I was being the platform God has so assaulted in my safe place. It wasn’t about right or wrong, it graciously given me;" was about how they handled me. I don’t have a problem with someone having a problem, I have a problem with how we handle other people as Christians. It took years to walk through the trauma because it was so intense for me, so painful and shocking and I did not feel safe being a part of some of the community. It made me not feel comfortable attending church -- not because I was angry or that I couldn’t stomach potential correction but because I basically had PTSD. I just didn’t know who was going to say something, because so many of those attacks lacked any love or a true intention of being helpful and some were just completely brutal. I just needed to do what was necessary to keep my heart from being broken and becoming bitter. I needed to protect my spirit so that I could continue to love them properly regardless of how some treated me. I had to get to a place where my focus wasn’t on what others said but rather what He says and thinks about me and letting that be the only thing I focus my energy on. I needed to protect myself, my space, my marriage and keep my eyes on God and not on what other people say or think, because they don’t know me, but He does. They don’t know my heart, but He does. That period was a process for sure, but it was also a shift because if anything it only brought me closer to God. He was the only one I could depend on to protect me; He was the only one who could heal me and provide a safe place of refuge. It made me have stronger convictions of who and why I am called to be who I am. I know I’m not for everybody and everybody is not for me and that’s okay. It’s also been wonderful through the process to have my tribe revealed, to connect with women and men that don’t quite fit into any box and are not going to be appropriate to some people, but they know for a fact who God has called them to be. Those who are supposed to get it will and those who don’t, that’s okay, love them even harder because it just builds the character of who God created you to be.

WEWM: I know you’re very passionate about racism and the social ills that black lives experience daily, as a role model, how are you addressing this and how does that align with your faith beliefs?

MG: That’s a deep question and there are so many layers to it, but the core or the bottom line is, when people are being oppressed and abused and there’s no justice, those are the people that we must fight for. That’s what God‘s Word calls us to do and it’s something I’m intricately connected to as a black woman. It could be as simple as the racism I experienced growing up or the racism I go through every day as a black actress - being paid significantly less than my white counterparts; it could be being told that we would like to hire you for this part, but we don’t want the lead to be black, so we’re going to give you the best friend role. It could be something like that. Or it can be

all-consuming like someone being senselessly murdered because of the color of their skin. As a Christian, and as a black woman, it’s part of my responsibility to use the platform God has so graciously given me; to be out there and be spirit led on how I can do my part, because we can get angry, we can get sad (which we are warranted to feel), but it’s about being productive and not just talking but doing what you can to make a difference. It’s so important to make sure that I’m God-led because I do get very angry, hurt, and frustrated. However, my overall thought is to lean into, “what would God have me do?” Lord, how do you want me to do it? Is it okay to post this? I really feel like I want to write this, but I don’t feel like that’s what You’re calling me to do. And just being specific and intentional and knowing that He has given me this platform and it belongs to Him.

WEWM: What was it about acting that attracted you to the profession?

MG: When I was younger it was a safe place for me to express myself and to have an outlet. When I got older, I loved challenging myself and seeing how I could grow as an actor, seeing what other skills were in my toolbox, which ones I needed to learn, what terrifies me and where I need to grow. Comedy is one of those things. It’s a scary challenge. I don’t know if I’m going to be funny, I can only hope so. I’m that person who loves to tell jokes, but I also can be terrible at them. I look forward to exploring that insecurity and ultimately finding freedom to trust myself with what God has put inside me.

In acting I love discovering who this character is, building the back story, finding out what they went through before they got to the moment of when we get to live and breathe them in the movie. I like lessons in movies. I love that, when I was a kid seeing certain movies, they really painted the way I saw the world. They showed the possibilities for me. I want to do that for others. I honestly enjoy acting: it’s fun, freeing and often therapeutic.

WEWM: What kind of characters do you enjoy acting?

MG: Right now, I really want to play a vigilante in an artistic activism project, where I can do something for us, getting justice, something that makes your soul and your spirit full just watching it. I’ve done a lot of drama, but I’m loving physical comedy like Lucille Ball right now.

WEWM: I love the films you’ve acted in, especially Think Like a Man; The Intruder (which I watched on the plane). How do you decide to choose the films you act in?

MG: It really comes down to whether I’m excited about the character or project as a whole. Will it stretch me? Is this something I haven’t done before? And then ultimately just feeling in my spirit that this is something I feel like God is leading me to do. There’s a permissive will and a submissive will; there are things I feel in my spirit that He wants me to do and there are some things I feel in my spirit that He allows me to do. I’m always trying to find something that I’m excited about or something that I feel is important because the Spirit of God is leading me to do it.

WEWM: Tell us about Good Girl Wrap and the idea behind it?

MG: I wear dreads a lot and, when I worked out, I realised that every time I jumped up and down during training, my hair would fall in my face. I found this old wrap that I got when I was about 12 or 13 and I started wearing it to help me contain my hair. It wasn’t too tight and it didn’t come off. I realised that I could wear it to sleep, too, and my braids would not go all over the pillow and I found that I could sleep comfortably. I started doing work out videos and people with long hair would watch me on Instagram, wanting to know where I got my wrap. I decided to redesign it. I choose protective materials that compliment me - they don’t overheat and keep me cool. I then started making them available for everyone. As black women, our hair needs are very specific. It is hard to sleep with braids, twists and dreads and it’s also hard to work out with them. So I wanted to create something that was a gap in the market and for people to use to make life easier for them.

WEWM: Where can our readers access your Good Girls Wrap?

Readers can access Good Girl Wraps at: meagangood.myshopify.com

WEWM: Have you ever thought of starting your own production company?

MG: I do have a production company called “31 ENT.” I’ve also produced quite a few films and recently just produced, co-directed and costarred in my directorial debut “If Not Now, When?” The film was released in January 2021 and is available on-demand on Apple TV, iTunes, and all platforms.

God is so good. It’s crazy to think I truly believe this is just the beginning.