Hey friends, welcome back to The Blueprint Podcast. I’m Yanique — your host, your sister, and your friend.

In this episode, we’re joined by author Michelle Nicole Farley, who shares how her vivid recurring dreams became the pages of her novel All Bark and No Bite. We talk about writing as an outlet for confidence, healing, and reclaiming your voice — plus the real challenges behind publishing: fear, formatting, marketing, and showing up consistently online.

We also get into:

• Why she waited years to publish

• How TikTok helped her sell books

• Writing through abandonment wounds

• Reclaiming your time as a woman

• Balancing a career, family, and creativity

• Faith, self-care, and betting on yourself

If you’re a writer, creator, or a woman rebuilding her confidence, this conversation is for you.

CONNECT WITH MICHELLE

TikTok + Instagram: @MichelleNBooks

Website: https://michellennacobooks.com">https://michellennacobooks.com">https://michellennacobooks.com

Upcoming Event: Dallas (April) — Black Girls Who Read Summit

💛 SUPPORT THE PODCAST

Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theblueprint">https://buymeacoffee.com/theblueprint">https://buymeacoffee.com/theblueprint

FOLLOW YANIQUE / THE BLUEPRINT

Instagram: https://instagram.com/sisyouareher">https://instagram.com/sisyouareher">https://instagram.com/sisyouareher

TikTok / Instagram / Facebook: @yaniquetheceo

App: https://herreflectionspace.com">https://herreflectionspace.com">https://herreflectionspace.com

📖 Grab my book Sis, You Are HER:

https://a.co/d/1HbDkRX">https://a.co/d/1HbDkRX">https://a.co/d/1HbDkRX

A reminder: you can still heal, evolve, and reclaim your power — no matter how long you stayed.

If this episode blessed you, be sure to follow, rate, and share it with another sister.

What happens when you spend 33 years in a narcissistic marriage and don’t even realize what you’re living in until decades later? In this powerful episode of The Blueprint, host Yanique Walters sits down with Mickey, author of Cultivating Freedom, who shares her raw, unfiltered journey of surviving narcissistic abuse, enduring six years of legal battles, and ultimately reclaiming her peace, voice, and freedom. This conversation dives deep into:

• Early red flags of narcissistic abuse
• How childhood patterns shape adult relationships
• The emotional confusion before having language for abuse
• Why women stay — and how they mentally leave long before they physically do
• Financial control, isolation, and stonewalling
• What finally became the breaking point
• How to rebuild after losing yourself for decades
• Practical steps to protect yourself if you’re in a toxic relationship

If you’ve ever felt drained, confused, isolated, or like you were constantly questioning yourself in a relationship — this episode may help connect the dots.

📘 Guest Book: Cultivating Freedom

🌐 Website: https://cultivatingfreedom.ca">https://cultivatingfreedom.ca">https://cultivatingfreedom.ca

📸 Instagram: @cultivatingfreedom2024

Follow Yanique / The Blueprint:

Instagram: @sisyouareher

TikTok / Instagram / Facebook: @yaniquetheceo

App: https://Herreflectionspace.com

📖 Grab my book – Sis, You Are HER:

👉 https://a.co/d/1HbDkRX

A reminder that you can still heal, evolve, and reclaim your power — no matter how long you stayed.

🎧 Listen, reflect, and share this episode with someone who needs to know they’re not alone.

Episode Chapters:

00:00 – Intro: Losing Yourself in a Narcissistic Relationship

01:40 – Meet Mickey: Life Before the Labels

03:30 – Childhood Patterns That Shaped Adult Relationships

05:20 – Life Before Knowing It Was Abuse

06:50 – Early Red Flags She Ignored

08:40 – Why She Stayed for Decades

10:30 – The Moment Narcissistic Abuse Was Named

16:30 – The Breaking Point

21:00 – Planning to Leave While Still Living There

24:00 – Boundaries, Court Battles & Advocacy

34:00 – Rebuilding Peace After Leaving

36:00 – Traits of True Narcissistic Abuse

40:00 – Dating Someone With Narcissistic Personality Disorder

45:00 – How to Protect Yourself (Practical Advice)

48:00 – Cultivating Freedom: Book Message

51:00 – Rapid Fire Reflections

53:30 – Final Words on Healing & Freedom

In this episode of The Blueprint, Yanique Walters sits down with Gift Ijeoma, a faith-driven writer, budding entrepreneur, and plant biology student from Nigeria, for a powerful conversation about loss, abuse, homelessness, and rebuilding.

Gift shares her journey of losing family members, being separated from her siblings, and enduring physical and emotional abuse that deeply impacted her confidence and view of relationships. Through faith, forgiveness, self-awareness, and affirmations, she found the strength to heal and bloom — even in dark seasons.

This episode is a reminder that your pain does not disqualify you. With the right tools and faith, it can become your purpose.

🎧 In This Episode, We Cover:

• Growing up through loss, separation, and instability
• Physical and emotional abuse and its impact on self-worth
• Homelessness and choosing resilience over bitterness
• Faith, forgiveness, and healing in practical ways
• Boundaries, self-awareness, and protecting your peace

💬 Memorable Takeaways

• “Your pain can become your purpose when you stop hiding it and start healing through it.”
• “Forgiveness is not approval — it’s release.”
• “Self-awareness protects your peace.”

Guest’s go-to affirmation: “I am loved by God.”

⏱️ Chapters / Timestamps

0:00 Pain, purpose, and God’s strategy 0:48 Intro + what The Blueprint stands for 2:42 Gift joins the show 3:08 Life in Nigeria + plant biology 4:22 Her story begins 6:10 Family loss and separation 8:03 Homelessness and determination 12:53 Abuse and trauma impact 17:52 Healing through faith and forgiveness 24:58 Turning point and rebuilding confidence 29:01 Practical healing tools 34:03 Rapid Fire 38:11 Where to connect + book mention 39:02 Closing encouragement

🔗 Connect with the Guest

Facebook: Link coming soon 📘 Upcoming Book: Silent Bloom in the Dark

💛 Support the Podcast

Buy Me A Coffee: https://buymeacoffee.com/theblueprint

📲 Follow Yanique / The Blueprint

Instagram: @sisyouareher TikTok / Instagram / Facebook: @yaniquetheceo HER Reflection Space App: https://herreflectionspace.com

📖 Grab the book: Sis, You Are HER https://a.co/d/1HbDkRX