Graced & Growing Part 1: In Part 1 of this episode, I’m taking you behind the scenes of my own “becoming” story — because growth doesn’t happen overnight. It happens in the in-between… the messy middle… where grace does its best work.

Here’s what we cover in this episode:

• The truth that becoming her is a process, not a performance
• How confronting insecurity and old labels can become the soil for growth
• Why passion over profit led me into purpose
• How community and spiritual alignment helped me get in position and start fulfilling the assignments He has given me

A little behind the mic: Last week brought some tech hiccups — and truth is, I still haven’t had the chance to grab new headphones or a mic. So here I am again, recording this episode on my iPad.

• Because I’m learning to give myself grace.
• To show up even when it’s not perfect.
• And to remember: the key isn’t perfection — it’s obedience.
• It’s doing what God said… even when the setup isn’t ideal.

Want to go deeper? Download your FREE Carried by Grace Companion Journal

Reflect, journal, and rest in His peace as you walk this journey — one grace-filled step at a time.

Hello, and welcome to the Transformational Teacher Podcast.

I am your host, detoya, and thank you so much for being here.

I really appreciate each one of you.

This week we are on week three of our Carried by Grace journey.

So far, we have talked about beginning again.

We talked about finding peace in the storm, and today we are going to talk about what happens in between.

Because this journey of becoming her is not overnight.

It's not always clear, but it is grace.

And you are still growing.

I am still growing.

That's the thing about God.

We are forever growing.

But we want to make sure we are growing in the right direction.

So our episode today is graced and growing.

But this message, it was so full as I was sitting and writing it.

So I decided to split it up into two parts.

So in part one, I talked to you a little bit about behind the scenes, what I call my own messy middle, but how God showed up and how he was really there from the beginning.

And in part two, we'll talk about how the labels that I was labeled with tried to limit me, but it became my launch pad for my purpose.

So let's take a breath, grab your journal, and let's lean into his grace that meets us right there in that messy middle.

So I'm going to take you back to episode one, where I talked about my.

Yes, the moment at the altar when I told God, this time I'm for real.

And I tell you, I was for real that time.

But I didn't know all the things that was going to happen after that.

Yes, but the thing that I didn't share fully with you yet, I believe, is that before this, I didn't think I was enough.

I.

I didn't think I was smart enough.

I didn't even think college was for me.

I was walking through my high school gym during college day, which I really didn't really want to go to.

I hadn't planned to stop again.

I wasn't even thinking about college like that.

But something drew me to A&T's table.

I didn't know it then, but that moment was part of God's plan for.

For my life because he was planning me in a place where I would grow in wisdom, in purpose, in identity.

Now, even after saying yes to God, I still had some things to work through.

And, you know, when I first said yes, I really thought, okay, life is about to be good.

But I didn't realize there were still things I had to work on.

I had to Work through insecurities, repeating old cycles and shame from past choices that I made, lies about who I was and what I could do in school.

Again, it wasn't easy.

I had been labeled.

I had an IEP in school.

I was told what I couldn't do.

And for a long time I believed that I started living out the labels instead of living out the truth of what God said I was.

But God started tearing those lies down.

When one by one, when I said yes to him through community, through his word, moments of realization that no, I am who he says I am, I can do what he says I can do.

I started standing on scriptures, especially Philippians 4:13, that I can do all things.

Through Jesus Christ who strengthens me.

And another one that comes to mind is Philippians 1:6.

It says, and I am certain that, that God who begun the good work within you will continue his work until it's finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns.

And I'm telling you I am seeing the good work that God is doing in my Life.

Then Romans 8:28, it says, and we know with great confidence that God, who is deeply concerned about us, causes all things to work together as a plan for, for good, for those who love God, to those who are called according to his plan and purpose.

So I believe things can work for our good as we love the Lord.

And that plan, again, it didn't stop at healing old wounds.

It started planting, planting fresh purpose in me in places I didn't expect.

When I got to A and T, I started out as a nursing major, not because I was really passionate about it, but because it made more money.

My aunt was a nurse.

I had became a CNA in high.

School and I thought, hey, this is the path I want to take.

But when I was in those pre nursing classes, they didn't really do anything for me.

They didn't move me.

I would go back to my room, lay the books down, and guess what?

I would just stare at the books.

There was no passion there.

I.

I didn't want to open the books.

So you can about imagine how the test that I had to take were.

Until one day my advisor asked me, do you want to make money and be miserable?

Because we were talking about what I really wanted to do.

And then she was like, or do you want to love what you do and live within your means?

That moment changed everything.

I changed my major to Child Development and my heart lifted, lit up.

It was like, okay, God, this is it.

I found joy.

I started to find my purpose.

I Started say, okay, this is the direction.

And eventually I found myself earning not just my bachelor's in child development, but also two master degrees, one in early childhood education and one in school administration.

And I say this because, remember, in the beginning, I did not like school.

I.

I really didn't start to love school until college.

And that was again, once God had to peel back those layers and he showed me that there was greatness in me.

So again, I didn't do this in my own strength.

God is the one that helped me get these degrees.

God gets all the glory for that because he showed me, no, you're smart.

It's in you.

You have to allow God to pull it out.

So once the lies were peeled back.

Once I started walking in alignment with.

God, receiving sound teaching from my pastor, that is why it's so vital to be planted in the right ministry.

Being connected to church, family, they helped me to grow.

They started pulling those gifts and things out of me that I didn't know was there.

And finally I started to see what my mom saw and what some of my other family members saw, the ones that did speak greatness over me.

Because before that, I.

I couldn't see it.

It was like they seen it, but I didn't see it.

I only seen the labels that I had received.

So here, everything shifted.

And maybe your story doesn't look like mine completely, but I wonder, have you ever questioned your worth?

Have you ever wondered if you were even qualified to walk in, what God.

Called you to do?

Let me tell you, you are.

You are called to do great things.

And here is the thing.

When not all called to do the.

Same exact thing, because we're not the same people.

Now, we both might be called to a job, let's say teaching, but we're going to uniquely do it the way.

God designed us to do it, because.

We are uniquely different.

So here's the thing.

I want us to pause right here with part one.

Go ahead and download your companion journal.

If you haven't already.

I'm going to link the link in.

The the show notes, but you can also head to thetransformationalteacher.com to download.

And I want you to take a.

Few quiet minutes to walk through the first three prompts for this week.

Let the Holy Spirit speak to you as you write.

Reflect and make space for truth.

Now, here are the prompts.

Where do I see evidence of God growing me, even if it's slow?

What lie do I need to replace with truth?

Because we want to replace all of those lies.

We want to give those over to God.

We don't want to entertain those lies.

And we want to receive his truth from His Word.

What area is God maturing me in through grace?

Now again, you are not just journaling, you're partnering with the Holy Spirit to renew your mind and align with who.

God says you are.

God has created you to do great and awesome things which we have to live out the plan that he has for us.

So thank you again for listening to part one.

Stay tuned for part two where I'll share how these labels that once limit to me became the very foundation for how I lead and teach today.

With grace, with compassion, with purpose, and with Jesus by my side.

So whatever God has called you to.

Do with him, you would do a wonderful job at it.

So meet me back here for the second half of Grace and Growing.

And in the meantime, keep this before you.

If you're growing, you're not failing.

If you're rooted in him, you're exactly where you need to be and you will flourish.

Well again, thank you so much for taking out the time to listen to this episode.