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Welcome, welcome, welcome to another exciting episode of the Trap Nerds Podcast. This is not an episode. I'm pretty sure this is a promo. You know what it is. We in this piece. Trap nerds, trap nerds. Real n****s like you never heard.
We're giving you reliable gaming news with the best movie and TV reviews from a Blur perspective. All things inside and out of Blur culture. Listen to the Trap Nurse Podcast on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
What's good? It's Colleen Witt and Eating While Broke is back for season three. Brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. We're serving up some real stories and life lessons from people like Van Lathan, DC Youngfly, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and many more.
They're sharing the dishes that got them through their struggles and the wisdom they gained along the way. We're cooking up something special, so tune in every Thursday. Listen to Eating While Broke on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presented by State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Yo, it's Big Bank. Check out my podcast, Prospective with Bank, on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Each and every Monday, Prospective with Bank podcasts will feature individuals, all walks of life, who come together to share their unique perspective and engage in enlightened conversation. This podcast will explore all type of conversations from everyday people, your favorite celebrities. Every Monday, listen to Prospective with Bank on Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple
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Hi, I'm Katie Lowes. And I'm Guillermo Diaz. And we're the hosts of Unpacking the Toolbox, the Scandal Rewatch podcast where we're talking about all the best moments of the show. Mesmerizing. But also, we get to hang out with all of our old Scandal friends like Bellamy Young, Scott Foley, Tony Goldwyn, Debbie Allen, Kerry Washington. Well, suit up, gladiators. Grab your big old glass of wine and prepare yourselves for an even more behind-the-scenes Scandal.
We're tired of treating these children like they have feelings and emotions.
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then it is Valentine's Day. How are you doing on this here love day? Are you keeping Jesus as your first love? Are you keeping yourself near and dear to your own heart? Are you celebrating love? I hope you're not rolling your eyes because let me tell you, 2014, uh,
of February 14th on 2014, I was a single girly. I was a single mother with two kids and I posted something on Valentine's Day that was like, I'm not even hating on the people who have their Valentine because God has given me a beautiful love that started with myself and I have a lovely life and I love my kids. And I have to tell you the year before that, I probably was hating bitter. I'd really spent...
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of saying, I can love the skin that I'm in. So I'm praying that something similar is happening for you, or maybe even these words are just a seed in the right direction.
This month at Woman Evolve, we're talking about surrendering to becoming love. And I believe that part of the reason why we struggle with becoming love is because we look at our story, the marks, the things that we could have done differently or better. And we think to ourselves, it could be difficult to...
to come to a place of restoration and love after all that I have experienced and witnessed. And yet, truly, honestly, the greatest gift that we can give to ourselves is an acceptance of ourselves that is rooted in a deep knowledge that God has already accepted us and we can dare to do the work to accept ourselves.
I truly believe that this should be the starting point of any believer, any person who seeks to have purpose in this world or to do something meaningful. A lot of times we want to perform our way out of heartbreak. We want to perform our way into confidence, perform our way into love and relationships. If I do X, Y, and Z, then I will be worthy, then I will receive it.
But doing the work of truly having acceptance regardless of performance allows us to have purity when it is time for us to show up authentically in ourselves. And so while it may be tempting to try and put icing on a cake that is not done, I challenge you to do the work of fully embracing all of who you are, come out fully well done, and then let everything that you get to have in life be the icing on the cake.
Now, hear me clearly. That is not to say that my single girlies will not experience loneliness or wish that they had companionship. It just means that they will not fall for the notion that they are less valuable or that they do not have as much worth because they don't have that current connection in their life.
Loneliness can be a fleeting moment in our lives if we're willing to find a way to embrace the reality of where we are and to make the best of it. And there's so much beauty to behold, even outside of connection and companionship. Now, do I feel like the old woman in the club? Because I got a man. What's your man?
Possibly. I won't lie to you, but I'm just telling you that when I was in a position of singleness, that I found a way to not experience constant loneliness. And I believe the same thing is possible for you. And for those of you who you got something, you're working with a little something, your love cup is overflowing, or maybe it is trying to bloom into a little something, something.
Take a deep breath and soak it in. Don't wait for the other shoe to drop or wonder if it's going to fall apart. Don't allow yourself to talk yourself out of the goodness that is in front of you. Soak it all in. Marriage has ups and downs. It can be challenging. It can be so amazingly beautiful that you feel like you're living a real life fairytale.
And no matter what moment you're in, just know that when you have an opportunity to celebrate the good season, soak it all up. Because we know it's just those rainy days. They gonna come. Why does music have such a strong hold on me? Well, let's see this one.
We're going to talk about how we surrender to becoming love as it relates to owning our story, our truth. If you didn't hear my conversation with Erica Cruz last week, it was one that I really enjoyed. Her story has not been easy. She was so open and honest about it, but she has discovered a way to tap into accountability and compassion for herself and to tell her story in a way that makes us all feel seen and
I can relate to so many aspects of her story, though we haven't walked the same path. Isn't that amazing when it comes to transparency? Okay, I'm going to dig a little deeper into this, but first I got to mind your business. Y'all send the questions, I answer them. Send me your questions, podcast at womanevolved.com. This one we got from HeyYou as well.
And I also have some, some of you are not wanting to tell your business like on a video. Girl, I get it. Send me a letter, write me a letter at podcast at womanevolved.com and I will mind your business without sharing your voice because we don't need to, we don't,
always need everybody minding our business. You just want me to mind it and you want me to not say your name. I will come up with a fake name for you. I'm good with that. But for those of you who are like, girl, here's my audio, here's my voice, here's my business. You can do that the same way. Still sending in a video telling us your name. Let's hear this week's question. Hi, I am Chelsea. And my question is when you first wrote your book, what was the
What inspired you? You know, what actually made you say, let me write out what I was going through so that I can help encourage people? What was your inspiration to write it out on paper? Okay, so I...
I get this question a lot because there are quite a few people who want to share their story, but they're not exactly sure how do they get started? How do they have the courage and the confidence? The first thing I will say is this. A lot of times when we think about telling our story, we think that we are going to put our story on paper. And from that point that
it's going to automatically end up in the hands of everyone, including the people who may take issue with our story. And I just want to remind you when I say this is going to seem so elementary, but you know, I got to remind you that when you tell your story, the first person you're telling it to is just a computer screen.
it is just Microsoft Word or Notes or whatever you use to write your story. You get to write it and then read it and edit and decide, oh, I don't know if I want to say that. But the best thing that you can do is tell all of your story to just the computer screen. You could say, you know what? I don't need anyone to read this, but I needed to read it for myself. Or you can say, hey, there are some things that I think could be helpful for other people, but could be traumatic for my family. So I'm going to take this out.
But the first thing you have to do is get it out on paper. I will tell you that my first manuscript was 60,000 words because a lot of times people are wondering like how many words are, you know, an average size book. 60,000 words is like the size of Lost and Found, which if you haven't read that, that is my memoir. And it's the standard size for most books. Woman Evolved was 60,000 words. So was, so is Power Moves. I,
Contrarily though, all hope is found in lost and found just got confused in my mind, but all hope is found was I want to say 30,000 words. So 30,000 words,
In the publishing world, it was considered like a smaller trade book. So I definitely spoke about it at conference because our theme was hope and that was part of the reason why I was even sharing it. But just so like if you're holding a book and you're like, I'm wondering how many words are in this, All Hope Is Found was about 30,000 words and Woman Evolved was 60,000. Not to say that you have either of those books,
But if you want to go to Barnes & Noble and pick it up in your hand and say, okay, this is what my book would look like if I put it on paper there. Boom, there you have it.
Another practical tool when writing a book about your story, besides getting it out on paper and understanding the length of the book. Honestly, I kind of take the book, I take those words and I divide it into, you know, 12 chapters, 10 chapters. Think about your life and break it up into different segments. And then it'll let you know what the word count is going to be. Once you've been able to do that, take a deep breath and consider writing.
What do I want to leave people with? What do I want people to understand and know about divorce, about building a business, about pursuing your doctorate, about generational trauma, about generational blessings, about isolation, about immigration? Decide what it is that you want people to know and make sure that as you're writing your book that it is connecting to those things.
As far as courage, I will let you know that I did not intend to write a book about my life. I started a blog. For those of you who don't know, I started a blog. And on that blog, I was going through a tough season in my life and I just needed an outlet. I needed somewhere to pour my words, my thoughts, and my heart without fear or judgment. And a blog became the space that occupied that for me.
And once I finished blogging, I was approached by a publisher who asked me, did I want to turn my blog into a book or if I wanted to tell my story? And I chose to tell my story. Telling my story was not anything that I did because I was seeking validation from other people as much as it was me no longer wanting to hide my truth.
Many people, because I got pregnant before there was all these bloggers and stuff who would have reported it before I could embrace it, God knows, because I probably would have been even more traumatized and depressed than I was having to go through it somewhat privately. But many people didn't know that I was a teen mother and that I'd made some other...
exhilarating, dynamic choices with my life. And I didn't want to hide my truth. I wanted to say, this is who I am. People were following me because of the blog. And I also did not want people to feel like
I was pretending to be something that I wasn't. Like, I'm inspiring you, but if you knew my story, maybe you wouldn't be inspired was a philosophy that I had in my heart. And I just didn't want to hide behind anything. And through that authenticity, things continued to grow and blossom. And as I met other women and God gave me revelation and continued to heal me and give me perspective on what was possible for my life, I continued to write, to share that with other people. And I share my story now.
sometimes with trepidation when it's in unfamiliar places, but still with a level of courage because I learned really and truly that we overcome by the blood of the lamb and the word of our testimony. And it's one thing to be saved. It's another thing to share what you've been saved from. And
And being able to do that has been helpful for a lot of people. So I hope that that answers your question and the question that any other person may have as it relates to coming to a space in our life where we're ready to write a book or tell our story. Tell it to yourself, tell it without fear, edit what you tell if you're going to share it with the world, get organized about what that main point in story is going to be, and
And then release it because you are obedient, not because you're necessarily trying to build a platform and watch God reveal to you what else is in you. Here's a little secret. Most smartphone deals aren't that exciting. To be honest, they're barely worth mentioning. But then there's AT&T and their best deals. Those are quite exciting. They're the kind of deals that are worth talking about, like their deal on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.
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Masmerizing.
Also, we get to hang out with all of our old Scandal friends like Bellamy Young, Scott Foley, Tony Goldwyn, Debbie Allen, Kerry Washington. So many people. Even more shocking assassinations from Papa and Mama Pope. And yes, Katie and I's famous teeth pulling scene that kicks off a romance. And it was peak TV. This is new Scandal KC.
content for your eyes, for your ears, for your hearts, for your minds. Well, suit up, gladiators. Grab your big old glass of wine and prepare yourselves for even more behind the scenes. Listen to Unpacking the Toolbox on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Meet the real woman behind the tabloid headlines in a personal podcast that delves into the life of the notorious Tori Spelling as she takes us through the ups and downs of her sometimes glamorous, sometimes chaotic life and marriage. I don't think he knew how big it would be, how big the life I was given and live is.
I think he was like, oh, yeah, things come and go. But with me, it never came and went. Is she Donna Martin or a down-and-out divorcee? Is she living in Beverly Hills or a trailer park? In a town where the lines are blurred, Tori is finally going to clear the air in the podcast Misspelling. When a woman has nothing to lose, she has everything to gain. I just filed for divorce. Whoa, I said the words.
That I've said, like, in my head for, like, 16 years. Wild. Listen to Misspelling on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Welcome to Cheaters and Backstabbers. I'm Shadi Diaz. And I'm Kate Robards. And we are New York City stand-up comedians and best friends. And we love a good cheating and backstabbing story. Oops.
So this is a series where our guests reveal their most shocking cheating stories. Join us as we learn how to avoid getting our hearts broken or our backs slashed. Listen to Cheaters and Backstabbers on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts. I'm Angie Martinez. Check out my podcast where I talk to some of the biggest athletes, musicians, actors in the world. We go beyond the headlines and the soundbites to have real conversations about real life, death, love, and everything in between.
This life right here, just finding myself, just this relaxation, this not feeling stressed, this not feeling pressed. This is what I'm most proud of. I'm proud of Mary because I've been through hell and some horrible things. That feeling that I had of inadequacy is gone. You're going to die being you. So you got to constantly work on who you are to make sure that the stars align correctly.
Life ain't easy and it's getting harder and harder. So if you have a story to tell, if you've come through some trials, you need to share it because you're going to inspire someone. You're going to give somebody the motivation to not give up, to not quit. Listen to Angie Martinez IRL on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
One of the things that really stood out in my mind when speaking with Erica is how she mentioned that she focused so much on what she didn't want to do, who she didn't want to be, and she ended up becoming the very thing that she was afraid of. I relate to this so much because that is...
Definitely an experience I had as well where I thought to myself, I don't want to be a failure. I don't want to be damaged goods. I don't want to be thrown away. I don't want to be devalued. And I ended up making decisions that reflected what I had not yet wrestled with in my own soul. And I want to dig a little bit more into this notion of changing how we have immersed ourselves. I believe that...
Before we even recognize what we have been immersed in, that we're already in it. Let me try and explain that a little bit better. I am certainly not a psychologist, but I do a lot of work in just trying to understand people's habits and how they grow, how they change, how they're shaped by their environments.
And one of the things that I realized is that most of the time we are not taking note because we're in infantile stages, right, of the culture that we're being brought up in and how that culture defines the way that we do love our work ethic, how we value education, appearance, whatever. Many of the decisions that we have made are a result of the culture that we have been immersed in.
Without proper dissecting of those cultures and environments, we never fully learn how we came to be the way that we came to be and whether or not we are in agreement with those results. So that word immerse means to involve oneself deeply in a particular activity or interest. When using it to talk about liquid, it's to dip or submerge in a liquid. So let's imagine for a moment that your family is immersed
Red Kool-Aid. And you were born, and here you are, born swimming in red Kool-Aid. And you know how your fingertips get all red and pruney when you've been swimming? Well, okay, now you've got red pruney fingertips from Kool-Aid. And one day you look at your hands and you're like, you know what? I want to be blue Kool-Aid, or I don't want to be covered in red Kool-Aid at all anymore. But you can't really get out of becoming blue.
Out of being covered in red Kool-Aid because you haven't taken the time to understand like what part of my environment has contributed to who I am today. And if I want to do things differently, what counter actions, counter beliefs will I have to embody today?
to get a different result. Many of us want different results, but we do not create different environments. And because we don't have a different environment, we continue to produce the same results. And we think there's something wrong with us. God has given up on us. But the truth is that part of our faith journey is really choosing to say, you know what?
This is what I have been immersed in, but it is time for me to make a new decision. As always, I saved a portion of my conversation with Erica to talk a little bit more about what it means to immerse ourselves in something different.
I am. I'm learning Spanish. I knew Spanish in high school, but I am learning Spanish again, so I can become really proficient in it. And part of what she's telling me, my teacher who I meet with virtue is like, I can only get you 50% of the way. The other 50% is going to depend on you immersing yourself. So she gave me some movies to watch. She gave me some songs to listen to, some podcasts. She's like, it doesn't matter whether or not you know what they're saying, just turn it on so that it's
playing around you 24/7. And it made me think about what you said about you focusing so much on what you didn't want, which I didn't wanna be the girl who, you know, I was a statistic after becoming a teen mom. I didn't wanna be the girl who felt like damn is good. Like I had this whole list. I became all of those things.
because I think I was so immersed in what I didn't want that what I hear you saying is we really need to change what we are immersing ourselves in and have faith that what we are immersing ourselves in is available to us. Even if we don't understand the language, even if it feels foreign, even if no one else around us understands what we're being immersed in, if we're seeking wholeness, if we're seeking love, if we're seeking wellness and confidence, then we have to immerse ourselves in that world
and begin to believe that as we are immersed, that it's going to change us too. Yes, ma'am. Yes, ma'am. I totally believe that. I think that just the more we focus on what it is that we do want,
And the more we actually practice faith and be reminded that faith is believing, even when it doesn't even seem like anything's making sense. You know, because we claim that we're faithful, but we're always looking for explanation. We just won't have that. We just need to believe that whatever has been put on our heart is real.
And it will, we will be provided the tools to make it come to fruition. You got that heart, you got a house on your heart, God's going to give it to you. It will show up. But when it will,
Somebody told me one time the devil was in the details and now I see it every day. I'm like, yeah, you're trying to plan every minute down to the very second. It won't work out. Stuff will come up. But if you just believe that you want to make it to that destination, you'll get there. No matter if you get pulled over, no matter if there's a lot of traffic, you'll get there. Just know that you're on your way there. So that's where I'm at. I think that
you know, the whole jail thing and all that. It's just a little traffic, you know, it's just a little traffic. That's what I get for leaving the house late. You know, I should have left in a timely manner. I should, I should have been trying to do things last minute and do my makeup in the car on the way there. Of course you get in a car accident. You're trying to do your eyeline in the car on the way there instead of, you know, being at home, doing things in a timely manner, taking your time, just being more mindful of my,
actions, holding myself accountable and believing that whatever is coming up, it just is a part of the process and it's okay. And nine times out of 10, it's really protecting you from something else that will be even worse.
I like adding a little bit of Bible to ground anything that I'm talking about. And though I don't have a particular scripture for you right now, I am going to prove to you that God is a God of immersion as well. First of all, when he created the heavens and the earth, he created an environment called the Garden of Eden for man and woman to dwell in.
because there was a certain task that he wanted them to be able to fulfill. And he recognized that fulfilling that task would be impossible without first immersing them in an environment that would help them to become who he knew that they could be. Okay, so he created this environment and he put rules in those environments. They broke the rules so that environment was taken away from them. But that environment was
I want to, oh Lord, I'm talking to you like I'm preaching child. Even though they were no longer able to access that initial environment because they had access to God and God had given them a promise, the promise allowed them to begin to still live in the
consciousness of the environment without having access to the physical nature of the environment. Why is this important? Because there are going to be moments where you can steep yourself in an environment. There will be moments where it is possible for you to have exactly the type of environment necessary for you to lose the weight, save the money, work on your mental health. And then there will be moments when that is not possible. In the moments when that is not possible, you can still immerse yourself in
as is proven in the garden, where your access to God, your vision is so at the forefront of your mind that it is all that you have to work with. God comes to Abraham and he tells Abraham, get out of your father's house to a land that I will show you. And then he goes on to tell him all of these things that he can expect as a result of him moving. It sounds like he was just giving him words, but those words were an immersive experience. He gave, he painted a
picture for him. And in this picture, he tells him, this is what you can expect. And when God paints a picture for you, sometimes all you can do is immerse yourself in what God has said, because you do not see what has been said, but you can live in what has been said and forget what you have seen. That is what we call living by faith.
faith. When David was anointed king, he was out in the field, in the pasture with his sheep, and then he was pulled into the kingdom. And even though he was pulled into the kingdom, there was another king in place. God, I've been anointed for one thing, but now you're immersing me in an environment where it doesn't look like what you have anointed me for. But still, you have to be in the immersion of what you have been anointed for and what God has spoken
over what you are actually realizing. One last thing I'm going to say to prove it, I'm going to take it to the New Testament. Jesus comes up to a man minding his business fishing. He says, follow me and I'm going to make you fishers of men. You know me. Well, you don't know me. Maybe you do know me. I'd have grabbed my fishing pole and been like, Jesus, when? When we going at it? When we going at it? And instead they have him sit, the disciples sit back and watch because before you can do
you have to immerse yourself first. So what are some ways that you can begin to immerse yourself based off of the goals that you have? If the goal is to be a fitness girl, and maybe the people in your life don't necessarily take health and wellness very seriously, maybe you need to join a group on social media, follow some people who help you to be immersed in a culture of whatever health and wellness is. If it is rest, maybe you need to unsubscribe from some hustle channels.
and immerse yourself in environments where rest is not just something that is talked about, but something that is actively engaged. You may have to create your own immersive experience, similarly to the way that my Spanish teacher told me that I had to do the same. So boo, that is your homework. That is your challenge. If anybody can do it, I know that it is you.
Before we head out for today, we've gotten a lot of emails and comments about following Erica's story, wanting to understand what we can expect next from her, what's going to happen with her case. And so I asked her if she would unpack with us. She's got to go before the judge for her final sentencing. And because I know that she has so many aunties and cousins, I asked her to kind of give us some...
updates on what's happening in her life and what we can come to expect. So I'm going to let her share with you what she plans on saying before she gets in front of the judge. We're going to rescue somebody. And then I'm going to talk to you next week, boo. I think like what has been most important for me, like coming up is to share that, like just going through this experience alone has taught me so much about myself, including being accountable for my actions.
And so I know that going to jail can feel like it's deserved because of the pain and the agony that I put onto somebody else. And I want to be clear that I have been going through so much since that day.
It hasn't been a day that went by that I didn't think about her, that I didn't feel sorry for my mistakes, that I don't feel the need to go back in time and change that and wish that it never happened. But I can't do that. And now, as accountable as I want to be for my own mistakes, I also want to be mindful that there's other people involved who just do not deserve. They just don't deserve to be.
have to deal with my mistakes too. My grandmother, who's almost 70 years old, does not deserve to have to raise my son for me. My son, who's only three years old, who doesn't know anybody but his mom, does not deserve to live without me. And so if anybody has to be held accountable, can we please just find a way to hold just me accountable?
Just if there's any way, if there's anything that we can do, we're all to blame and all the fault can just be laid on my lap. Not my grandmother, not my grandfather, not my son, not even his dad. Like all the people who are going to have to rally together and figure this out without me being here.
Because my siblings depend on me. My aunt depends on me. My grandparents depend on me. What are they going to do without me? That's what I worry about. That's what I wonder about. Not what it's going to be like for me in jail, but what are they going to do without me? And so if there's anything that we can do so that they don't have to be without me, so that they don't have to figure it out, I'm just asking that we do that. If there's anything.
And if not, I understand, you know, and I appreciate just the time and the experiences that you allowed me and my family to have up until this point, because this is something that happened three years ago.
You know, this is not something that happened last month. This is not something I've been afforded a lot of time with my family since this incident. And so if this is, you know, if I just had to be appreciative of that time, then I will be. And I think that there's any way that we can just not make them responsible for my mistakes too. I would really appreciate it. I love that because you talk about basically not wanting to create more victims, you know, without. I don't want to do that. I don't want to do that. I watched my grandma, um,
And it's just like...
I don't want to be that person putting their responsibilities on somebody else. So my grandma just retired a few months ago. You know, she's supposed to just be living her best life at this point. Just a grandma. I'm like, I don't want her dealing with that. I don't want my son waking up every day. Just like, where's my mom? You know, like what's going on? Like, where's my mom? I'm on vacation right now. He's like, mom, when are you coming back? Like, when are you coming home?
I don't want my siblings to... My little sister's... One of my little sisters is 13 right now. The other one is nine years old. I don't want them...
to see me in that space and now they carry that identity with them. You know? Yeah. With so much going on already, the movies, the TV shows, the music, I don't want to be that example to my siblings too. I want to be what shows them that if you make poor decisions, you have to deal with your repercussions, that if you repent and if you believe, you will be given miracles. You will be forgiven. And, you know, I'm just hoping that
that's what I can showcase to them and to my family and just, you know, just continue to heighten their faith. I'm hoping that when I leave the courtroom that day, that they're like, you know, Erica, I be thinking you crazy, but you be right. Like God is real. He's here. You said, you said only speak positively. Everything that we talked about, it came true. Everything that you said to think on, it came about. So I'm really hoping that we be in the courtroom that day and everybody's like, yeah, you crazy, but it's working. Yeah.
Yeah. You crazy, but it's working. I like that. Yeah. This was amazing. I have to tell you, I don't know. We got to talk on the phone. So for those of you listening, so Trent, who is my trainer, it was his birthday and he was like, I only want one thing for my birthday. I want you to talk to Erica. So he calls Erica and we have a brief conversation and I was like, Hey, let's tell your story. Let's get on the podcast. And
And I knew then that I enjoyed you, but having an opportunity to experience your light has just made me so thankful for those random moments where God is like, here's another woman on a journey that you need to be exposed to your heart posture, your hope, the way that you are
resilient, aware, and so faithful is so inspiring. I have no doubt in my mind that everyone you encounter, judge included, is going to see you for who you are and not what you've done because I certainly see you for who you are and not what you've done. And I know anyone listening is going to do the same too. So thank you, thank you, thank you for being courageous enough to tell your story. I know some parts of it, if you're like me, can still make you feel a little tender or
on the inside. Yeah, I was holding some tears back. Yeah, I get it. I get it. But thank you for trusting us and for trusting me with your heart. Here's a little secret. Most smartphone deals aren't that exciting. To be honest, they're barely worth mentioning. But then there's AT&T and their best deals. Those are quite exciting. They're the kind of deals that are worth talking about, like their deal on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6.
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Masmerizing.
And yes, Katie and I's famous teeth-pulling scene that kicks off a romance. And it was peak TV. This is new Scandal.
Well, suit up, gladiators. Grab your big old glass of wine and prepare yourselves for even more behind the scenes. Listen to Unpacking the Toolbox on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I don't think he knew how big it would be, how big the life I was given and live is.
I think he was like, oh, yeah, things come and go. But with me, it never came and went. Is she Donna Martin or a down-and-out divorcee? Is she living in Beverly Hills or a trailer park? In a town where the lines are blurred, Tori is finally going to clear the air in the podcast Misspelling. When a woman has nothing to lose, she has everything to gain. I just filed for divorce. Whoa, I said the words.
that I've said like in my head for like 16 years. Wild. Listen to Miss Spelling on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
I'm Angie Martinez. Check out my podcast where I talk to some of the biggest athletes, musicians, actors in the world. We go beyond the headlines and the soundbites to have real conversations about real life, death, love, and everything in between. This life right here, just finding myself, just relaxation. It's not feeling stressed. It's not feeling pressed. This is what I'm most proud of. I'm proud of Mary because I've been through hell and some horrible things.
That feeling that I had of inadequacy is gone. You're going to die being you. So you got to constantly work on who you are to make sure that the stars align correctly.
Life ain't easy and it's getting harder and harder. So if you have a story to tell, if you've come through some trials, you need to share it because you're going to inspire someone. You're going to give somebody the motivation to not give up, to not quit. Listen to Angie Martinez IRL on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Welcome to Cheaters and Backstabbers. I'm Shadi Diaz. And I'm Kate Robards. And we are New York City stand-up comedians and best friends. And we love a good cheating and backstabbing story. So this is a series where our guests reveal their most shocking cheating stories. Join us as we learn how to avoid getting our hearts broken or our backs slashed. Listen to Cheaters and Backstabbers on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to podcasts.
Well, that wraps up another episode of the Woman Evolved podcast. I hope that you all have enjoyed our conversation about what it means to own our story and to also change our story, to change the remaining chapters that we have left. It is never too late to introduce a new story into your life and into your world. When we do that, we give other people permission to do the same. And I hope that you all have a great day.
And who knows, you may be the very key that someone is looking for to say, you know what? I believe that I can do things differently. And because of that, I'm going to give it a shot. I know that Erica is hoping that she can do that same thing for her sisters and brothers. And you know what? Maybe we should have some, you know, um,
I'm crazy. What she say? Uh, you crazy, but it's working. Maybe that will be someone else's testimony that what it looks like was crazy is actually us really stepping out on faith and seeing how God is showing up. All right. I'm trying to rescue y'all. I'm trying to keep y'all out here, you know, just,
at least a space of transparency where you can tell me the truth about what you out here doing and how you out here acting. I'm going to be honest, I don't think it's translating. Maybe it's one of those things where you had to be there. Maybe it was like a Facebook thing that we're just going to have to leave in Facebook. But what I will say is this, somebody did try to send me a rescue.
Her name, she didn't tell me whether or not I could say her name, but I'm going to say she's from Detroit. And I'm going to call her Sarah because it rhymes with what her actual name is. And let me tell you something. She needs to be rescued from gentle parenting. And you know what?
I concur. I agree with her. Are we rescuing us from gentle parenting? Matter of fact, let me flip it. Let me flip it. You know what we need to be rescued from? And are we? I don't know. Maybe y'all don't get it because I don't get it. We want to be rescued from gentle parent. We're tired of treating these children like they have feelings.
and emotions. We're tired of getting down to the eye level and creating space where they can say whatever it is they want to say to us. She sent us an email to podcast at womanevolved.com. And it says like, at what point did you and your sister become likable or even tolerable to each other? Because she's got two girls and one boy and the girls just cut up all
of the time, but she's trying to gentle parent. When she gentle parents, they say, mom, you never take my side. You never do this or that. She says, I'm always taking up for the youngest or the oldest and never hurt, which let me tell you something.
Mackenzie and Ella are seven years apart and you would think that they're twins because why do I have to treat you like you're 14? Why do I have to treat you like you're seven? You're right. I did treat you all differently, but I also want to create space where she can tell me that. And then I'm worried like, oh my gosh, is this going to be trauma? And then she's going to be talking about, I
just want to raise these kids the way my parents raised us. Ignorant. Ignorant to trauma. Ignorant to feelings and emotions. Can somebody send us a floaty? Anyways, she says that the oldest one neglects to remember that she is the one all
So we want to know, can we be rescued from gentle parenting? Y'all going to keep us out here just fighting for our life, just flailing on.
We'll be right back.
I'm going to say a prayer. You know what it is? Because the thing is, we are trying to fix our story and write better stories for our children at the same time. And guess what? We are tired. Okay. One of us is going to be healed. The other one is going to have to pull themselves up by the bootstrap and work on their own healing. And little one, it's looking like you. Lord, we need you. We're balancing so much. We have so many things on our plate and yet we
You know all, you hold all, and you order our steps when we consult you about our path and our journey. And so God, I'm praying that those who are listening to this podcast today would take the time to seek you out, to seek your answers, your wisdom, your strategy on every single area of our life.
How do we raise these children? How do we forgive ourselves? How do we own the choices that we have made without feeling so much shame, doubt, and guilt that we never lift our heads again? God, we know that you cause all things to work together for our good. God, we're not just asking you to work the things, but to work us together for your good. We want to serve what you're doing in the earth and partner with you in a way that
that allows us to reflect your glory on the earth. God, I pray that this week will be one of joy, of love, of comfort, of healing and restoration. May we encounter you in unexpected ways. And I pray that this podcast has been one of those moments for those who are listening. Bless them in Jesus' name. Amen.
Welcome, welcome, welcome to another exciting episode of the Trap Nerds Podcast. This is not an episode. I'm pretty sure this is a promo. You know what it is. We in this piece. Trap nerds, trap nerds. Real n****s like you never heard.
We're giving you reliable gaming news with the best movie and TV reviews from a Blurred perspective. All things inside and out of Blurred culture. Listen to the Trap Nurse Podcast on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
What's good? It's Colleen Witt and Eating While Broke is back for season three. Brought to you by the Black Effect Podcast Network and iHeartRadio. We're serving up some real stories and life lessons from people like Van Lathan, DC Youngfly, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and many more.
They're sharing the dishes that got them through their struggles and the wisdom they gained along the way. We're cooking up something special, so tune in every Thursday. Listen to Eating While Broke on the Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Presented by State Farm. Like a good neighbor, State Farm is there. Yo, it's Big Bank. Check out my podcast, Perspective with Bank, on the Black Effect Podcast Network. Each and every Monday, Perspective with Bank podcasts will feature individuals, all walks of life, who come together to share their unique perspective and engage in enlightened conversation. This podcast will explore all type of conversations from everyday people, your favorite celebrities. Every Monday, listen to Perspective with Bank on Black Effect Podcast Network, iHeartRadio app, Apple
Presented by AT&T. Connecting changes everything.
Hi, I'm Katie Lowes. And I'm Guillermo Diaz. And we're the hosts of Unpacking the Toolbox, the Scandal Rewatch podcast where we're talking about all the best moments of the show. Mesmerizing. But also, we get to hang out with all of our old Scandal friends like Bellamy Young, Scott Foley, Tony Goldwyn, Debbie Allen, Kerry Washington. Well, suit up, gladiators. Grab your big old glass of wine and prepare yourselves for an even more behind-the-scenes Scandal.
stories with Unpacking the Toolbox. Listen to Unpacking the Toolbox on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts. Meet the real woman behind the tabloid headlines in a personal podcast that delves into the life of the notorious Tori Spelling as she takes us through the ups and downs of her sometimes glamorous, sometimes chaotic life in marriage. I just filed for divorce. Whoa. I said the words that I've said like in my head for like 16 years.
wild. Listen to Misspelling on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.
