So, I have always believed that, as women, we have an obligation to uphold and protect our reputations. As girls, most of us were taught to have respect for ourselves so that others would respect us in return, and to me, this tradition and way of thinking should continue well into adulthood. Meaning, we should also show great respect for everyone around us, both personally and professionally, and we should safeguard the brands and platforms God has given us. But sadly, this doesn’t always happen—virtually or in person—but as of late, this has become much more noticeable than ever before on social media. Which is the reason I’m just going to go ahead and state what most of us already know: When it comes to creating a social media presence for ourselves, our purpose, and our businesses, there is a right and a wrong way to do it…and for the sake of this particular conversation, there is certainly a right and a wrong way to present our brands and platforms. Because let’s face it, regardless of whether our purpose requires us to offer products or services, we should always use certain protocol and exhibit the highest level of professionalism—and present ourselves to the masses as true women of God. In today’s episode, I talk about your purpose and your business reputation on social media.

So, here’s the absolute truth: The enemy is a loser, and God wins every single time…in every single situation. Which also means that even when we lose—or at least when we believe we’ve lost a certain battle or even lost someone we love—in the end, God still wins, one way or another. And the reason He wins is because the enemy is simply no match for Him. Although, I will say, that, no matter how much we know that God is the Ruler of all rulers, and that He can do absolutely anything, what we also have to remember is that the enemy is very real and that his primary goal in life is to destroy us. Which means we can never underestimate him or allow him to catch us at our weakest moments. Because when we do, we offer him an opportunity to take control of our lives. We willingly invite him into our presence, and before we know it, he begins taunting and whispering at us. He quietly and politely attacks us, and soon, we begin making horrible decisions. In today’s episode, I share three things you can do to prevent this from happening.

As a published writer, I have made it a point to handle my business with as much integrity, decency, and diplomacy as possible. Of course, there have certainly been times when I have had to stand up for myself and when I have shared my thoughts and opinions about things I don’t like as they relate to my books and events, or when I simply just don’t feel something is being handled in the best way possible. But at the same time, no one is ever going to tell you that I have cursed them out in the midst of any of our conversations or that I have hung up on them whenever speaking to them by phone. I do admit, though, that, over the years, I have definitely had some unfortunate debates with folks in business who don’t believe you should question anything they’re doing wrong or folks who mostly just believe women should know and stay in their places—and that they should just be happy they’re in business at all—still, this is not a reason for your or me to act out in a way that doesn’t represent God. In today’s episode, I share some of my personal experiences and how you, too, can be successful without jeopardizing your faith.

So, there is something I have always believed to be true, which is the fact that your childhood really will affect you for the rest of your life…regardless of whether you were blessed to grow up having lots and lots of happy times or if you had more bad times than you care to think about, still…what we experience as children will remain with us from now on. But at the same time, when it comes to those painful, disappointing childhood experiences, we don’t have to let them define us. Instead, we can make a decision to move beyond our past and thrive in the present. And the way we can begin doing this is by facing our childhood issues head-on. In today’s episode, I share some of my own childhood pain and disappointment, as well as three things you can do if you’re struggling in this area, too.

In January 1999, when my mom’s neurosurgeon and radiologist jointly told her and me that they’d done all they could do for her, I remember feeling as though a knife had sliced my body in two. It was the most painful news I’d ever been told, and at that very moment, I began wondering how I was going to live without her. I wondered why this was happening to my mother, the woman who always went out of her way to do for others…the woman who always had the same smile on her face, even when she became ill. It was way too much and learning that my mom was terminally ill became, by far, the worst and most heartbreaking experience of my life. Which is the reason that even though my mom quickly found peace with her diagnosis and then tried to comfort and console me and prepare me for what was to come, it didn’t help much. And worse…for the first time in my life, I became angry with God—something I never believed I would ever do or that I was even capable of doing—and my faith in Him dwindled to an all-time low. I was angry, devastated, and confused because I just couldn’t understand why this was happening. In today’s episode, I share my own experience with losing faith, how I regained it, and why you should never give up under any circumstances.

So, here’s the thing…whether you’re trying to discover your purpose, start a business or start a women’s ministry of some kind—or maybe you simply just have a certain project you need to begin working on. Well, if this is true, then today I am encouraging you to incorporate what I call my 4-P Process. I am encouraging you to Pray, Plan, Practice—and then Proceed. Because no matter what you are preparing to do, these are the four steps you need to take to accomplish your goals. Or at least for me, these are certainly the steps I have taken over the years for many different things. I’ve done so because executing the 4 Ps is what keeps me focused and organized, which is very important because without structure, we can sometimes become frustrated and confused about what to do first or next even. In today’s episode, I share an example of how I’ve used this process and how you can use it as well.

So, I have a question for you. “Do you compare yourself to others?” If so, you are certainly not alone, because unfortunately, comparing ourselves to others is a normal characteristic of human behavior. Still, it’s not necessarily a good thing—especially if it causes you to feel less than or not good enough, which is usually what happens more often than not. And in this day of social media, the idea of comparing yourself to others can become even more tempting than usual because as you browse through your various social media timelines, you will sometimes see the people you follow, posting everything from luxury homes to exotic vacations to expensive vehicles to lavish weddings or elegant birthday bashes to so much more. In today’s episode, I discuss this very thing, including why we compare ourselves to others and how we can finally stop doing it.

The whole idea of not judging others can sometimes be very hard to understand—especially when people continue saying and doing some truly awful things. But as women of God, what we still have to remember—what we still have to keep in mind—whether we want to or not, is this: We don’t always know that person’s heart or their entire story. We just don’t know their complete history. We also don’t necessarily know what they’ve been through in terms of childhood pain, or some other kind of pain or abuse that they may have endured once they became an adult. Or they might even be struggling with mental and emotional issues that haven’t been diagnosed or properly treated. Because while none of what I just mentioned justifies bad behavior—nor does it give anyone an automatic pass when it comes to treating others badly, there are times when we may need to think before being so quick to judge or criticize someone or cut them off completely. In today’s episode, I discuss The Golden Rule and how important it is to treat others the way we want to be treated.

One of the most important things women can do is support other women. This, of course, is something that should happen automatically, but sadly, support from some women can sometimes be nonexistent. I mean, there is no doubt that none of us will ever be able to directly support every single woman alive, but what we can do is celebrate all women in our hearts—whether we know them personally or not. In today’s episode I ask you the following questions: Are you your sister’s keeper? Are you happy about the success of other women? Or does another woman’s success cause you to struggle with feelings of anxiety or jealousy? Is it hard for you to compliment or congratulate another woman? I also discuss the true essence of sisterhood, and I share three things you can do to help you become even more supportive than you already are.

When I was in my twenties, my mom told me that not everyone wishes you well. But while I certainly understood what she was saying, and I appreciated her wisdom, it wasn’t until years later, in my early thirties, that I began experiencing what she’d tried to prepare me for. I mean, it is true that I may have slightly experienced it a bit earlier, but when I began writing my first book and telling a few people about it, that’s when I discovered that not everyone was happy about my new endeavors. I remember being so excited about becoming a writer and about the idea of potentially being published, but after I began sharing my news with certain folks, I quickly realized how much of a mistake I was making by telling them at all. So how about you? Can you relate to any of this? In today’s episode, I talk about how I learned to accept the fact that not everyone can be happy for us, and I offer three things you can do to accept this truth as well…and still accomplish everything God has given you the desire and ability to do.