Today, we’d like to introduce you to Azeezah Goodwin.
Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
My name is Azeezah Aazrah Goodwin. I’m an influencer and the founder of the wellness lifestyle brand La Vie de Zee. La Vie de Zee is centered around a community-based approach to wellness. So much of what we focus on regarding our health and self-care centers around us as individuals. However, so much healing happens in the community.
I was born and raised in Columbia, South Carolina, where I lived until I graduated high school. Upon graduation, I moved out to sunny LA to attend university at the University of Southern California, where I studied international relations and global business. Although my parents pushed for a more prestigious school, I was lured to California by the amazing stories my Mom—who used to be a student there herself—would tell me about her time there. It was a perfect mix of academic rigor, collegiality, fun, and exploration.
I remember frequenting frat parties on “The Row,” going to Santa Monica and Hermosa Beach with friends, celebrating birthday dinners in The Grove…generally having an amazing time. Upon graduation, I decided to go to law school, as it seemed the “practical” thing to do for someone still unclear about their life path. I attended the University of Virginia School of Law for 2 years, spending the third year in Paris, France, completing my double diploma at Sciences Po Paris, where I received a Master’s in Economic Law and my J.D.
After graduating from UVA Law, I moved to NYC to work at a prestigious “white shoe” law firm.
Although I was incredibly grateful to have the opportunity, it wasn’t necessarily a choice I was excited about, as the rigor of Big Law legal practice can be intense. A stressful working environment and a new city, combined with the pressure of dating, making new friends, etc., pushed me close to the breaking point. I struggled to establish a support network, and every “vice” I had quickly came to the surface, forcing me to rise to the occasion.
I grew up with a pretty strong “wellness” background thanks to my Mom, who raised my sister and I as vegetarians from birth and introduced us to yoga, meditation, Louise Hay and Eckhart Tolle at a young age. Many of these good habits had gone to the wayside as I’d ventured out on my own, but the pressure cooker I’d found myself in forced me to revisit them and build upon them to stay healthy and sane. As part of my course correction, I started doing wellness influencing on the side via my then-blog La Vie de Zee, which I’d repurposed from an eponymous Blogspot I’d dedicated to my study abroad blog posts during my first time in Paris during undergrad.
I lived and worked in NYC for almost five years, leaving during the pandemic to stay first with family in Vancouver and then to work remotely in Miami. In 2021, I made the transition to influencing and content creation full-time. Learning from my past experiences, I placed an early emphasis on building community. The transition hasn’t been without its challenges, but living in a place that inspires, motivates, and supports me has been incredibly helpful.
I documented my journey of overcoming post-quarantine social anxiety and building my friend group for my TikTok audience, who loved seeing the videos of me going to fun events around Miami. One of the most frequently asked questions I received was, “How are you hearing about all of these events?” which led to the creation of The Miami Events Newsletter in 2022.
At the same time, I started hosting my wellness events after having members of my TikTok community request them. To date, we’ve assembled at private group Reformer Pilates classes, barre classes, and breathwork classes. Now, La Vie de Zee is a lifestyle brand that focuses on a community-based approach to wellness. Under the La Vie de Zee umbrella, we host events, share articles and interviews with wellness leaders via LaViedeZee.com, and publish The Miami Events Newsletter and its new sister newsletter, The NYC Events Newsletter, via Substack. My sister Saahirah helps me publish The NYC Events Newsletter and The Miami Events Newsletter.
Miami is a wellness hub with so many events, studios, and activities to choose from. What we at La Vie de Zee hope to bring to this environment is an emphasis on connection in addition to physical wellness. Our content and activations are designed to foster a sense of safety, openness, and joy. We want to encourage happiness and interconnectedness alongside good health and well-being.
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
It’s definitely been a challenge, but one that has helped me grow as a person.
One of the main challenges has been figuring out what to do on a day-to-day basis. I thought that if I made good content consistently, I would eventually be brought on to work with brands, but there has been a lot of additional work behind the scenes. Truly treating it like a business, down to subscribing to influencer marketing newsletters and learning how to pitch effectively, has helped me feel safer internally, which has led to positive momentum.
I also underestimated just how much my mindset would be a factor, as I constantly faced (and still do occasionally) internal quips questioning whether or not influencing and content creation is a “real job.” There have also been challenges in terms of keeping yourself to a high standard in a market where there are many attempts to underpay creators unless you’ve established yourself as upper-echelon.
Being a curvier black woman and now a public figure in a space with a pre-defined beauty standard has also been a challenge. There’s a lot more inner work and self-care that is required when you are in the public eye than when working for an established firm or company.
I honestly could go on and on, but each challenge has reaffirmed my faith in God and myself and made me more confident and resilient.
I appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
I am an influencer on TikTok and Instagram (@azeezahgoodwin), I run a wellness website called La Vie De Zee (laviedezee.com), and I publish weekly newsletters via Substack called The Miami Events Newsletter and The NYC Events Newsletter. I’m known for my Pilates content and for showcasing premium events and locations around Miami, Palm Beach, and New York City.
What sets me apart is the “Marvel Cinematic Universe”-esque setup of my online brand. I love writing, interviewing, capturing content, and narration. So, having these different facets that feed into each other like an elaborate web suits my personality quite well. It’s a balancing act, but I love that I provide my followers and subscribers with a really immersive, fulsome experience. I’m able to provide deeper dives via the website and Substack on things that maybe I only touch upon in a TikTok.
Or, maybe I’m able to share links to the clothes I’m wearing via Instagram Stories for people who come across my TikTok content and are curious about where I shop. It’s also a great adaptive mechanism for someone with a very active mind who can get bored easily. I’ve built in enough structure to keep myself consistent but enough variety to keep it from getting stagnant.
Do you have recommendations for books, apps, blogs, etc?
Wow, so many! I’m really loving the Ahead app right now. It’s such an amazing supplement to therapy in that it helps you become aware of your emotional patterns. It references so many great studies as well to provide useful tools to help you overcome difficult emotions. I started using the Pomodoro method, thanks to Ahead!
I also love Duolingo. I finally committed to learning Spanish this year, and it’s been such a fun journey! I have a foundation from my time in school, but having the daily activities helps keep me in a learner’s mindset. I’ve started speaking Spanish with my friend group and people I come across in Miami, and it’s been a nice way to connect with others on a deeper level.
I love listening to the Alix Earle podcast Hot Mess. Her TikTok content showcases her having fun, but the podcast really showcases her work ethic and business savvy, which I admire. I also love watching her journey as a fellow new-ish Miami girl-turned-influencer.
I’m big into inner work journals. I love the Inside Then Out journals. The founder—Nya—is also a really amazing woman and a Miami local. I used my Lucky Girl Journal from TikTok, and I also completed the Shadow Work Journal. I was also just gifted a journal called Romanticize Your Life, which seems very promising, also by a Miami resident. I’ve even asked AI for journal prompts for issues I want to overcome. Meta AI is very good for this, so here’s a pro tip!
I’ve been upgrading my relationship with money after leaving a pretty lucrative and stable career path to become an entrepreneur. I love The Psychology of Money. I also attended an excellent Dow Janes webinar about money, which women tend to view and approach differently. I’ve found that having to talk about money via negotiations on an almost daily basis was a struggle at first since that’s not a conversation that was often had in my household growing up.
As an attorney, I was used to going “hard in the paint” on behalf of a client, but I’ve been learning to use that zealous advocacy for myself and my brand, as well. I’m loving the transformation, though, and have found it quite empowering!
Pricing:
- A monthly subscription to The Newsletter via Substack (which includes The Miami Events Newsletter and The NYC Events Newsletter with no paywalls and other paid perks) is $15 per month.
- We work with brands looking to promote wellness and beauty products or events in NYC and Miami to a discerning, social, and active audience via The Newsletter. Pricing is available upon request.
- I also offer social media consultation services, specializing in Substack and TikTok. Pricing is available upon request.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://Laviedezee.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/azeezahgoodwin/
- Facebook: https://www.tiktok.com/@azeezahgoodwin
- Other: https://laviedezee.substack.com/
