Listen Linda Media Network

Send us Fan Mail

Being the black sheep can feel like you’re getting punished for telling the truth. When you’re the one who finally notices the dysfunction everyone else has normalized, you don’t just stand out you become the “problem,” the “difficult one,” the “too sensitive” one. I’m putting language to that experience and naming what’s really happening when growth collides with denial.

We talk about why families and communities often protect unhealthy patterns before they protect the truth, and how the person who chooses healing gets isolated for setting boundaries. If you’re the cycle breaker, you know the weight: you’re the first to say the trauma stops with me, the addiction stops with me, the abuse stops with me, the silence stops with me. That choice can make people uncomfortable, especially the ones who benefited from things staying the same.

Then we go to Genesis 37 and look at Joseph, who was rejected by his own brothers because he carried vision, favor, and purpose. His story is a reminder that rejection isn’t always a sign you’re wrong sometimes it’s proof that your difference is your assignment. If you’ve been shrinking yourself to fit into spaces you’ve outgrown, let this be your permission slip to stop apologizing for becoming who God created you to be.

If this hits home, subscribe, share it with a fellow cycle breaker, and leave a review so more people can find the conversation. What’s one boundary you set that changed your life?

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Somebody in your life keeps making you the problem, and deep down you can feel it: the real issues are never addressed, only your reaction to them. We get honest about scapegoating, the toxic group habit of projecting frustration, anger, insecurity, and dysfunction onto one person so everyone else can dodge accountability. If you have ever been labeled “difficult” for speaking up, “messy” for defending yourself, or “disrespectful” for setting boundaries, this conversation puts language to what you have been living through.

We also talk about why the scapegoat is often the truth teller, the emotionally aware one, the cycle breaker who refuses to keep pretending. When your healing exposes what others normalized, you become “threatening,” and the room tries to restore comfort by making you carry the blame. That pattern can crush self-esteem over time, leaving you second guessing your personality, your voice, even your appearance, just to keep other people from feeling challenged.

Then we take it to scripture with John 8 and the woman caught in adultery, where Jesus flips the focus from public punishment to personal accountability: “He that is without sin among you, let him cast the first stone.” We unpack how hypocrisy fuels scapegoating, how healthy environments handle conflict differently, and how to stop carrying guilt for dysfunction you did not create alone. If this message hits home, subscribe, share, and leave a review, then tell us in the comments: have you ever been the scapegoat while the bigger picture got ignored?

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

The hardest part of launching a book is not writing it. It’s realizing the people closest to you might never be your biggest buyers, loudest sharers, or most consistent readers. We get honest about the question authors keep asking: should friends and family automatically support your book, or is that expectation setting you up for disappointment and unnecessary conflict? 

We talk through why “no support” is not always rejection. Sometimes people are dealing with money stress, mental load, or they simply are not book people. That truth stings, but it also frees you to stop building your author confidence around who claps first. From there, we shift into practical book marketing and audience building: how to find real readers who value your message, why relying only on people you already know limits growth, and how consistency and visibility create momentum over time. 

We also address the habits that quietly sabotage a book launch, like guilt-tripping on social media, posting shady statuses, and expecting big results with low effort. If you want professional outcomes in self-publishing or traditional publishing, you need professional inputs: editing, design, branding, and a real marketing plan. We even dig into why “free publishing” is often a myth and why analytics can reveal an audience in places you never expected. 

If you’re ready to market smarter and keep creating even when your circle stays quiet, listen now, then subscribe, share this with an author friend, and leave a review so more writers can find the support they actually need.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

The hardest part of growth is not the work, it is the reaction. When you finally stop asking for permission and start walking in purpose, some people do not just disagree, they take it personally. We talk about that shift and why it happens when God gives you a vision directly, especially if someone has gotten comfortable acting like the “middleman” to your gift.

We unpack the word of the day, “anointed,” and get honest about the blurry line between mentorship and control. Support is healthy. Community is healthy. But when guidance turns into ownership, the relationship starts demanding compliance instead of celebrating maturity. We bring Scripture into it, including John 10:27, to ground the core message: God can speak to us directly, and obedience to God can offend people who benefited from our hesitation.

We also revisit David’s anointing in 1 Samuel 16 and Joseph’s dream in Genesis 37, because this pattern is not new. People misjudge who God selects. People cling to the old version of you. And when your gift starts making room for you, some folks only reveal their true posture when they can no longer manage your movement. If you have felt the pressure of gatekeepers, shifting goalposts, or spiritual control dressed up as “covering,” this conversation gives language, clarity, and a path forward rooted in discernment.

If you’re ready to stop shrinking and start building what God told you to build, press play. Then subscribe, share this with a friend who needs freedom today, and leave a review that helps more people find the show.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

The moment you start healing, somebody close to you might call it “acting different.” We get real about generational sabotage, the kind of toxicity that hides behind family titles, fake loyalty, and tradition. When you refuse manipulation, gossip, emotional abuse, and control, your boundaries don’t just protect you, they expose what others have normalized for years. 

We talk about why families often say they want healing until you become the one who names the dysfunction out loud. That’s when the “curse” can seem like it fights back through familiar faces, through shame, guilt, and that loaded line: “You think you’re better than us.” We also speak directly to the so-called black sheep, the one who questions unhealthy cycles, chooses therapy and growth, and stops surviving what should’ve been healed generations ago. 

Along the way, we connect the cycle-breaker journey to powerful faith examples and the hard truth that being the blueprint can feel lonely. Obedience and wholeness can cost relationships that only worked when dysfunction was the price of admission, but freedom is still possible, and peace is still worth it. If you’re breaking generational trauma patterns and building a healthier legacy, press play, then subscribe, share with a friend who needs courage, and leave a review telling us what cycle you’re refusing to repeat.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Getting published should not feel like a high-pressure sales call. We hear from first-time authors all the time who are trying to figure out whether they are talking to a legitimate hybrid publisher or a vanity press dressed up with big promises and shiny branding. So we get specific about what “hybrid publishing” really means, why paying for services is not automatically a scam, and where the line gets crossed into secrecy, manipulation, and exploitation.

We walk through the red flags that show up again and again: emotional pressure instead of professional education, control of ISBNs and royalties without transparency, no real access to your KDP or sales reporting, and the nightmare scenario where you pay but cannot leave with your files. We also talk about “receipts” and why a publisher’s track record matters more than their titles, their hype, or their claim that they can guarantee bestseller status. If marketing is included, we explain the kinds of questions you should ask so you know what you are actually buying and what results are realistic.

You will also hear why communication is a non-negotiable. When deadlines get blurry and responses get quiet right after the invoice clears, that is not normal business, it is a warning sign. Our goal is to help you protect your book, your brand, and your intellectual property with clear contracts, clear access, and clear expectations.

If this helped you, subscribe, share it with an author friend, and leave a review so more writers can avoid expensive mistakes. What publishing question do you want us to answer next?

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Your book isn’t frozen in time just because it already hit publish. We kick things off by celebrating Fee Davis and the breakout success of Alabaster Heart Deluxe Edition, then we answer a question we hear constantly from authors: can you republish your own book as a deluxe edition if you previously used a different publisher?

We walk through what republishing really means and why it’s often a sign of author growth, not a mistake. If you’ve outwritten your first version, found typos, outgrown your original cover, or finally understand your voice, audience, and branding, a revised edition or expanded edition can be the clean, polished version readers deserve. We also talk about what makes a deluxe edition worth buying: updated content, bonus chapters, exclusive material, stronger formatting, and a more intentional design and story experience.

Then we get practical about author rights and publishing contracts. We explain why owning the rights to your story and controlling your royalties changes everything, and why you should clearly label the release so readers aren’t confused. We also touch on what to do if you don’t have rights or you had a bad publishing experience, including safer ways to revamp without crossing legal lines.

If you found this helpful, subscribe, share it with an author friend, and leave a quick review so more writers can find Ask the Publisher.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

If you’ve been praying for more, but your life still feels stuck on the same loop, we get into the uncomfortable reason why: alignment. We talk about the gap between what we ask God for and what we keep allowing around us, from distractions and confusion to old doors we keep reopening. Alignment isn’t perfection. It’s intentional movement where your spirit, your decisions, your environment, and your assignment finally point the same way, and that kind of clarity can cost comfort, access, and old versions of you.

We also push the question that makes everything real: does my current lifestyle align with the life I keep praying for? That means looking at toxic communication, gossip, how we treat people, and even money habits when we’re asking for financial relief but still overspending. We reflect on seasons that are over and how maturity looks like stopping the grief for what already expired. Sometimes growth is letting go, sometimes it’s letting other people learn, and sometimes it’s admitting we’re not ready yet.

Then we shift to gifts, because too many people hear “gift” and only think platforms, followers, or popularity. We break down the quieter gifts that still change lives: encouragement, writing, teaching, listening, creating, praying, leading, surviving, and making people feel safe. We talk Romans 11:29, why your gift survived every version of you, and why restlessness might be purpose trapped under fear, insecurity, or exhaustion.

If this hits, subscribe for more, share it with someone who needs a reset, and leave a review with the word you’re focusing on right now.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

Betrayal doesn’t always come from an obvious enemy. Sometimes it comes from the people who sit closest to you, clap the loudest in public, and quietly resent you in private. We get real about what “betrayal disguised as support” looks like when someone wants your updates, your secrets, and your access, but can’t bring themselves to celebrate your growth. If you’ve felt the energy change the moment you started winning, this conversation will put language to what you’ve been sensing.

Then we pivot into family trauma and the dangerous comfort of normalized dysfunction. We talk about households where yelling becomes “how we communicate,” where the silent treatment becomes control, where nobody apologizes, and where boundaries get treated like disrespect just because you share DNA. We also unpack how people twist loyalty, religion, and “honor your parents” into a lifetime pass for emotional damage, and why healing sometimes includes grieving what you deserved but never received.

If you’re the black sheep, the scapegoat, or the one trying to break generational cycles, you’ll hear the reminder you needed: you’re not wrong for wanting peace, asking hard questions, and protecting your children from repeated harm. Listen through to the end, then subscribe, share this with someone who needs it, and leave a review with the boundary you’re choosing next.

Support the show

Send us Fan Mail

People are giving up on love fast, but real covenant does not fold the first time life gets loud. We sit down with best-selling author Dr. Velma Bagby to talk about the kind of lasting love you cannot fake for social media, the kind built over 50 plus years through prayer, patience, and a whole lot of fight. Her book, *My 70s Love Story 50 plus Years Later*, is a reminder that enduring marriage is not a fantasy. It is a decision, a discipline, and a faith walk.

We go back to the beginning: who she was as a focused teen, why she wrote a “husband prayer list,” and how she learned the difference between surface preferences and the character that actually sustains a relationship. From intentional dating and old school courtship to a yearbook moment that felt like a movie, we talk about what makes connection deeper than attraction and why preparation matters as much as chemistry.

Then we get into the reality most people skip. Dr. Bagby shares the sting of financial pressure and bankruptcy, the humility of starting over, and the spiritual lens that helped them keep moving. We also unpack a powerful turning point she calls “moving out so God can move in,” plus what it means to be “refined by fire” when you are emotionally tired and ready to quit. If you want practical, faith-based relationship advice on forgiveness, communication, and commitment, this conversation brings it home.

Subscribe, share this with someone who needs hope, and leave a review if it speaks to you. Do you believe old school love still exists today?

Support the show