The Middle Child Podcast

What happens when the life you planned for yourself looks nothing like the life you're called to live? In Episode 68 of  The Middle Child Podcast , Royal Boles sits down with Pastor John Cobb for an honest conversation about transformation, grace, family, faith, business, and learning to stop running from what you're meant to do. John opens up about growing up in Pratt City, the choices he...

What happens when your life changes in a way you never expected — and you have to find the strength to keep moving forward? In Episode 67 of  The Middle Child Podcast , Royal Boles sits down with  Cherelle Hines  for a deeply personal conversation about being diagnosed with breast cancer at 30, keeping her diagnosis to herself, navigating treatment, rebuilding her confidence, and learning what res...

Sometimes you don't realize how much something has changed you until you stop and look back. In Episode 66 of The Middle Child Podcast, Royal Boles sits down for another solo conversation—but this time, Kiki and Jalisa are in the building asking the questions. And the conversation starts with a statement Royal has made before: “Podcasting saved my life.” What does that actually mean? For Royal...

What does it really take to build something that lasts? In Episode 65 of  The Middle Child Podcast , Royal Boles sits down with DJ Strick for a conversation about longevity, growth, consistency, finding your voice, and what happens when you stop looking for shortcuts and start developing your craft. DJ Strick has spent years behind the microphone, from radio and Strick City to podcasting, communit...

Sometimes healing doesn't happen because you finally understand what happened. Sometimes it starts when you decide you're going to do something different. In Episode 64 of The Middle Child Podcast, Royal Boles gets real about  healing fast, changing your life, and what it actually takes to create a sudden shift when you're tired of being in the same place. After talking about wanting t...

Success isn't always what you think it is. Sometimes success has a funny way of showing you the parts of yourself that still need work. In Episode 63 of  The Middle Child Podcast , Royal Boles sits down with  Ashley Williams  for a conversation about success, personal growth, identity, relationships, career, and what happens when you reach a level in life that requires you to become a different ve...

Not everyone is your friend. And not everyone is supposed to be. In Episode 62 of  The Middle Child Podcast , Royal Boles sits down with her friend  Jalesa  for a real conversation about friendship, faith, community, discernment, growth, and what it means to have  friends in the fire . Royal shares why having the right people around you matters, especially when you're going through difficult o...

Sometimes becoming who you're called to be means becoming someone you’ve never been before. In Episode 61 of  The Middle Child Podcast , Royal Boles sits down with  Courtney Dillard  for a powerful conversation about transformation, faith, identity, healing, self-love, boundaries, and learning to become the woman God is calling you to be. Courtney describes this season of her life as  “transfo...

In Episode 60 of  The Middle Child Podcast , Royal sits down with Zeus for a powerful conversation about faith, purpose, leadership, discipline, accountability, and what it actually costs to become the person God is calling you to be. Zeus explains why being “chosen” isn't always what people think it is. Sometimes being chosen means being broken, being tested, being molded, and going through s...

What happens when we stop looking at community development as just buildings and start asking who is actually benefiting from the work? In Episode 59 of  The Middle Child Podcast , Royal sits down with Birmingham native  Jarrod Sims  for a conversation about community, legacy, Black contractors, commercial construction, economic opportunity and the importance of making sure our communities have a...

I asked God to heal me…but deep down, I didn't want the healing. In Episode 58 of The Middle Child Podcast, Royal Boles continues sharing her healing journey and gets brutally honest about what happens when you pray for God to remove something from your life while secretly hoping He gives it back. Royal opens up about an eight-year relationship that became toxic and difficult to release, the t...

In this episode of The Middle Child Podcast, Royal Boles sits down with Shaun Bree-zy for a conversation about slowing down, taking care of yourself, finding balance, and learning when to stop overextending yourself. Shaun describes his life right now in one word: relaxed. He shares how getting older, paying more attention to his health, running a hat business, working a regular job, and simply re...

In this deeply personal solo episode of The Middle Child Podcast, Royal Boles gets completely transparent about an eight-year relationship cycle, heartbreak, rejection, faith, and what happened when God finally answered a prayer she had been making for years. Royal shares the story of a man she once believed would be her husband, the years she spent trying to make the relationship work, the heartb...

She used to be loud and bold on social media — just for the wrong side. In this deeply personal episode, makeup artist and outspoken believer Stephany Pippen sits down with Royal for real "girl talk" about her testimony: walking away from a lukewarm faith, getting delivered from cycles she couldn't break on her own, and learning to trust God's plan over her own logic — even when...

Nobody talks about what happens when you start growing. You change. Your relationships change. Your priorities change. Your family needs you differently. You start seeing yourself differently. And sometimes, the hardest part isn't becoming the next version of yourself — it's figuring out what to do with everything that comes with it. In Episode 54 of The Middle Child Podcast, Royal Boles s...

Are you healed, or are you just hiding? In this episode, Royal Boles sits down with content creator, TEDx speaker, and author LaDarrius Hutcherson (LHUT) for a deep, honest conversation about purpose, discernment, protecting your peace, and what it really takes to build something real without losing yourself in the process. In this episode, LHUT opens up about: ✅ The 2022 viral video that changed...

She's spent 15 years helping people see. In this episode, Royal Boles sits down with optometrist, author, and content creator Dr. Lori Croom Bush for a conversation about going viral by accident, writing a 365-page book in two and a half months, and what it really means to achieve for yourself instead of for approval. In this episode, Dr. Lori opens up about: ✅ The random pajama video that we...

He was temporarily paralyzed — and he never let it stop him from moving toward his purpose. In this episode, Royal Boles sits down with comedian and content creator Floss The Mack for a raw, funny, and unexpectedly deep conversation about setbacks, consistency, and finding your purpose in the most unexpected places — including a bathroom mirror. In this episode, Floss opens up about: ✅ Why he&#39...

You're not behind. You're just trying to be someone you were never made to be. In this episode, Royal Boles sits down with podcast consistency coach Jessica Smith (@thejessicassmith) — also celebrating Episode 50, a huge milestone — for a real conversation about why you can feel invisible even while working hard, why comparison keeps you stuck in the wrong lane, and what it means to actual...

Most business owners are building a business for themselves — not for the market. And that's exactly why they fail. In this episode, marketing strategist and business growth consultant Gilberto Herrera breaks down the real reason businesses stay stuck, how he went from undocumented immigrant to training over 8,000 entrepreneurs, and why personal brands are going to matter more than ever in an...

In this powerful episode of The Middle Child Podcast, host Royal Boles sits down with the inspiring Synetta Smith: entrepreneur, brand founder, and former Belle Collective cast member for a raw, transparent conversation about healing, self-love, identity, and what it truly means to become. Synetta opens up about the moment a therapist told her "you're not whole" and how those three w...

In this episode, I sit down with Detroit Reid to talk about the journey of fully stepping into comedy and what it really takes to bet on yourself. We dive into the sacrifices, the risks, and the moments that pushed him to pursue his passion without looking back. We also get real about fatherhood and how becoming a dad helped him build a better relationship with his own father. Through that experie...

In this episode of The Middle Child Podcast, I sit down with entrepreneur, designer, and creative visionary Olivia Anthony for a powerful conversation about alignment, surrender, purpose, and trusting God's plan even when it looks different from your own. Olivia shares her journey of building a brand while still in college, pursuing her dreams in New York City, and navigating the challenges th...

What does it really mean to be successful in this season of life? In this episode of The Middle Child, I sit down with Jennifer Williams for a conversation about faith, purpose, preparation, discipline, entrepreneurship, and the mindset shifts required to walk into the next chapter of your life. We discuss why being "booked and busy" is no longer the goal and how true success may actuall...

What if the things meant for you don't always require force? In this episode of The Middle Child Podcast, I sit down with Dr. Kurt Clark Sr. for a conversation about ministry, leadership, and the grace we all need while learning and growing. We talk about the importance of being patient with people, understanding that growth is a process, and why extending grace can often accomplish more than...