Paula Jane Newman shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Paula Jane, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What battle are you avoiding?
The biggest battle I have been avoiding is reaching out and asking for myself. Frankly, aggressively marketing myself and my cause feels at odds with the intuitive, compassionate nature of my work. I would rather every dollar go directly into creating transformative experiences for communities, not into advertising budgets. I realize that to serve people, they first have to find us. So I am now stepping into that uncomfortable space and asking for your help – please buy the new book – Pain to Punchlines: Stand-up Comedy a Transformation Superpower . I wish to make a documentary and need the space and support to produce – Stand Up Comedy Healing Course for my nonprofit. If anyone has tips on grassroots marketing, wants to volunteer their skills, or has a space where we could host an event, we would be so grateful. This platform is a wonderful start, and I am open to any support that allows us to grow our mission without compromising our values.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
I’m Paula Jane Newman, the founder and CEO of Aware Meditation Inc., and I am determined to shatter the stereotype of the spiritual leader. You won’t find an old white dude with a long beard here. Instead, you get a friendly, energetic woman sharing down-to-earth, and often funny, wisdom. My background as a professional performer, meditation teacher, Laughter Yoga instructor and immigrant having raised a child in an interracial family allows me to infuse every lesson with realness, heart, and humor. My nonprofit Aware Meditation Inc (outreach Rise Up Comedy) is the go-to place for anyone tired of the game, ready to get their hands dirty with practical techniques, and join a truly innovative, transformative community where every facet of you is welcome.
Amazing, so let’s take a moment to go back in time. What’s a moment that really shaped how you see the world?
The moment that truly reshaped my world was my mother’s terminal cancer diagnosis and the emergency surgery that coincided with my birthday—a day already marked by my father’s abandonment. On the table, they lost her; she had a near-death experience where she was met by figures from her past but refused to go, declaring, “I can’t die today. It’s Paula’s birthday.” When she told me this, I became aware of the pure, divine energy of unconditional love—a mother’s will to not compound my pain. It shattered my selfish perspective. I had been mourning the life I hadn’t yet built for myself before she died, but I suddenly understood she was living on precious, borrowed time and what a birthday gift! I stopped loving her conditionally and now only wanted to bring her joy and laughter. That lesson is now my foundation: I see that most people’s actions are about their own journey, not mine. It allows me to navigate life without being completely shattered, when rejected and to offer compassion without taking on their burdens.
What have been the defining wounds of your life—and how have you healed them?
The defining wound was the profound abandonment of my father leaving on my eighth birthday, refusing to even stay for my party—a deep seed of ‘not being enough’ that shaped my life for decades. Though amends were made, the core wound of unworthiness remained, manifesting as crippling CPTSD and even chronic physical pain for over twenty years. The healing began when I confronted this through our own methods at Aware Meditation Inc., using meditation and, most powerfully, stand-up comedy. I learned that the intense urge to flee right before taking the stage was my body’s old fear screaming to be released. By leaning into that discomfort, I transformed it into my purpose. This journey from pain to punchline is the heart of my book – Pain to Punchlines: Stand-up Comedy a Transformation Superpower -proving that these wounds don’t have to be a life sentence—they can become the very fuel for your destiny, empowering you to help others do the same.
So a lot of these questions go deep, but if you are open to it, we’ve got a few more questions that we’d love to get your take on. What are the biggest lies your industry tells itself?
The biggest lie the wellness industry tells is that there is only one true path to healing, and it’s always their own. This myth is too often wrapped in marketing and a desire for survival, pushing a model of dependency rather than empowerment. It reminds me of a chiropractor selling endless supplements or a therapist constantly uncovering new issues to explore; the goal becomes return business, not resolution. True wellness should be about teaching people to be self-sufficient, to listen to their own inner voice, and to learn from their own mistakes. I’ll be honest—sometimes it’s challenging because the goal is to help people so well that they don’t need to come back, and not everyone is ready to do that deep, honest work on themselves. But that’s the systemic problem I’m here to transform: to transmute this codependency into empowerment and guide people toward becoming their own greatest resource.
Before we go, we’d love to hear your thoughts on some longer-run, legacy type questions. If you knew you had 10 years left, what would you stop doing immediately?
If I learned I only had ten years left, my first step would be to turn outward. I would immediately reach out to my community—through social media and email—and ask them a simple, profound question: “Based on who you know me to be, what do you believe I must do with this time?” I deeply believe our loved ones can see our path sometimes more clearly than we can; they hold a mirror to our forgotten dreams. For instance, I have a soul-deep knowing that I’m meant to do spiritual work—which absolutely includes comedy and healing—in New Zealand, but the path hasn’t revealed itself yet. Someone in my community might be the key to unlocking that door. After gathering their wisdom, I would go deep into meditation to process it all, listening for the resonance of truth. This vulnerable act of sharing the news itself would be a powerful filter, instantly revealing who is truly there to walk the path with you.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.paulajanenewman.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/paulajanenewman?igsh=NTc4MTIwNjQ2YQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qr
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@paulajanenewman?feature=shared
Image Credits
Credit for image of personal photo only. Jill Petracek
