Shikha Goodwin

Shikha Goodwin is on the verge of something so big, women everywhere may soon be rejoicing in perpetuity. 

Unlike many people featured on this platform, Goodwin’s origin story begins across the Atlantic, in Meerut, India.

During the eighties and nineties, Goodwin lived in Meerut, located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. 

During that era, opportunities were scarce for women, and often young girls like Goodwin were not encouraged to dream beyond the confines of domesticity and marital obligations. 

“Back then, there was still the challenge of women not having a voice, ownership of their thoughts, or being granted the freedom to be themselves,” Goodwin says. 

Fortunately, the intellectually curious Goodwin was able to receive an education while growing up, which then paved the way for her to attend university. 

Of course, getting to college was a battle, as she was one of the few hundred that was selected to attend her university. Every year the pool of students who applied increased and the students were selected based on very rigorous and competitive exams. 

After she earned a degree in chemical engineering from Harcourt Butler Technological Institute (HBTI) in Kanpur, she left India and embarked on a journey to the United States, a nation internally accosted by overzealous media conglomerates, but to foreigners like Goodwin, America represents much more than what is disseminated on the evening news. 

“I have been lucky to come to America and overcome a lot of the barriers that exist back in India,” Goodwin remarks, taking a sip of the tea she has prepared for us on this windy yet balmy September morning.  

“Living here has given me choice and opportunity, and I’m eternally grateful for that.”

Upon arriving in the United States, Goodwin enrolled at Georgia Tech to earn her master’s degree, and then she left the more neutral climate of Atlanta and headed north to the oft-frozen city of Minneapolis. 

In America, a person is allowed to choose what they want to study, and thus Goodwin made a choice to study the brain after spending a decade in engineering/programming and mathematics. 

While in the Twin Cities, Goodwin’s academic pursuits culminated with her achieving a PhD in biomedical engineering from the University of Minnesota. 

During her doctorate work she discovered how categories are formed in the brain and paved a way for the next level of work in schizophrenia.

Between Meerut, colloquially known as the “sports city of India,” and American cities Atlanta and Minneapolis, Goodwin has witnessed firsthand the differences between the two mega-nations.

With each country, citizens of all socioeconomic classes experience highs and lows, which offers insight into what it means to be an Indian and an American.

“There are no libraries in India,” Goodwin reveals, then sharing that while growing up, if she wanted to read more than what her school prescribed, her dad would have to purchase new books. 

Also, most of the time, buying a book that is not your textbook is not something that’s a priority, in terms of spending money, because there are many things necessary for human survival that need the attention of that money. 

That being said, kids in India normally don’t grow up reading books like kids in America. This is a fundamental difference between the developed world and the developing world- availability of resources. 

“Therefore, the first time I went to the library at Georgia Tech, I was amazed, because there were so many books, and they were free,” Goodwin says.

Goodwin may be one of few who capitalize on the vast expanse of knowledge readily available at public libraries, but beyond the page there is something equally riveting about America to the Meerut native. 

“I love the houses here because there is carpet, and you can sit on it,” she says with a beaming smile, radiating a confidence that soon comes out when we shift our conversation from the past to a much more serious topic. 

“Quentin, everyone reading this article has something in common with you and I, and that is that we both have/had a mother. A mother provides unconditional love to a child, but imagine not having a mother or a mother somehow losing that ability because of any condition,” she says. 

“That much is obvious, but what I want to do is ensure that when future women give birth, they are provided for.”

For context, Goodwin is not talking about subsidizing motherhood in a charitable, government-operated kind of way.

Instead, her ambitions extend to creating a support system for mothers and families so that new mothers feel less burdened, and in turn, are less likely to develop postpartum depression. 

“I am a mother of two, and I can tell you firsthand that I love my children,” Goodwin happily shares, before once again vacillating the tenor of the conversation.  

“In some ways, I find it almost inconceivable that a woman would be unhappy after a child is born, but there are a host of factors that can lead to that feeling, and that’s what I’m working so diligently to rectify.”

To be clear, Goodwin does not believe that women choose to struggle with the obstacles that becoming a mother presents.

She then cites that there is scientific backing for why some women spiral into bouts of hopelessness and anguish after delivering a baby. 

“The brain totally morphs, and for mothers, their central priority becomes taking care of this beautiful organism that came out of their body,” she says, adding that after childbirth women quickly develop an attachment to their offspring that can override and even supersede their own physical and mental health. 

That, coupled with the reality that life is inherently taxing all on its own leaves some women feeling vulnerable, and if they don’t have the proper support systems in place, that’s when a whirlwind of negative emotions can feel too much to navigate. 

For her part, Goodwin is seeking to destigmatize these feelings so that new mothers don’t feel alone or helpless.  

“Because of the shame attached to labels like depression, people are less likely to reach out for help,” Goodwin says, which can prove problematic when new moms are trying to adjust to the hurdles of motherhood.  

“These women, they need meals, a warm place to sleep, activity, and work, if that’s what a woman wants to do. For some families, it is easier to facilitate these things because they have more resources, and that’s at the heart of what I’m trying to do, which is bring security and happiness to as many mothers and families as possible.”

There will be few who disagree with Goodwin’s sentiments, but actually alleviating these stressors is an easier said than done proposition. 

That’s why Goodwin and her team are developing an instrument that will allow women to combat the mental and emotional rigors of motherhood. 

“This device [named Nina] would be able to read patterns in the brain so that adjustments to certain emotions could be made accordingly,” Goodwin says, but her efforts don’t stop there. 

She is also planning on building satellite locations across the country that will cater to women who could use support. 

“These centers will be a place for meals, relaxation, and exercise,” Goodwin says, “and it’s free. Absolutely no questions asked.”

Lastly, there will be a digital component to all this, a virtual community where women from across the globe can connect on a practical and emotional level. 

“A lot of people live online these days, and this platform that we’re building will serve as another resource where women can go in order to get help,” Goodwin notes. 

All in due time though, because nothing happens overnight, and nothing will ultimately get done unless those who need help are actually receiving the support they so desperately need. 

“We want to save as many lives as possible,” Goodwin announces at the conclusion of our talk.

“The future is bright, and in 3-5 years I want Nina to be a reality. I want each woman in the world to have a place very close to their home where they can go and get anything and everything they might need on a daily, weekly, or even moment-by-moment basis. Plus I’d like to see having that help available at the touch of a button. Sometimes, unconscious thoughts are harder to decipher, and sometimes women have a hard time focusing on themselves as they always want to make the world around them better.” QS

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