Mind Bully

What happens when you obey God, but everything seems to get harder?
In this episode of the Mind Bully Podcast, Norense Odiase sits down with fashion designer and entrepreneur Tiarra Smallwood for an honest conversation about faith, obedience, career burnout, sacrifice, and starting over.
Growing up in Elyria, Ohio, Tiarra discovered her passion for fashion at an early age. After studying design at Kent State University, she landed a coveted position at Abercrombie & Fitch. But behind the professional success were overwhelming stress, burnout, and the growing conviction that God was calling her to walk away.
She eventually resigned without another job lined up, only to face unemployment, depression, and a season when she felt God had gone silent.
Tiarra shares how she found the courage to move to New York City, accept a lower-level freelance role, sleep on an air mattress, and sacrifice the comfort she once knew while pursuing a bigger vision for her life.
Together, Norense and Tiarra explore faith during uncertainty, overcoming negative self-talk, the hidden cost of pursuing your dreams, and learning to trust God's direction when the destination isn't clear.
**Apologies on the video quality towards the end! We shot the video at night, noted for next time!**
In this episode:
Leaving a successful career to pursue a new direction

Recognizing burnout and knowing when to walk away

Trusting God when He seems silent

Overcoming depression and uncertainty

Starting over in New York City at 30

Sacrificing comfort to pursue your dreams

Building confidence after professional setbacks

Confronting comparison, self-doubt, and negative thoughts

Finding purpose through serving others

Sometimes the greatest sacrifice isn't your success. It's your comfort.
Follow the Mind Bully Podcast for conversations about faith, identity, purpose, resilience, and confronting your inner critic.

What happens when your life changes, but your mind is still holding on to who you used to be?
In this episode of the Mind Bully Podcast, Norense Odiase explores the challenges of navigating life transitions, overcoming negative self-talk, and learning to embrace who God has called you to become.
Drawing from his own experience of moving to New York City, Norense shares how uncertainty, past mistakes, unmet expectations, and the pressure to perform can distort the way we see ourselves.
Through Scripture, including Philippians 3, Joshua 1:8, Colossians 2, and Romans 12, he challenges listeners to stop allowing their circumstances and emotions to define their identity.
In this episode:
Navigating uncertainty during life transitions

Letting go of your past identity

Overcoming negative thoughts and self-doubt

Finding your identity in Christ

Renewing your mind through God's Word

Learning to surrender your emotions

Understanding what it means to be a living sacrifice

Moving forward with faith instead of fear

Your feelings are real, but they don't have to have the final say.
Subscribe to the Mind Bully Podcast for conversations about faith, identity, purpose, resilience, and overcoming your inner critic.

What happens when the pain you experienced as a child becomes the voice you hear as an adult?
In this episode of the Mind Bully Podcast, Norense Odiase sits down with former college soccer player Nina Carlson for a vulnerable conversation about childhood trauma, sexual abuse, bullying, betrayal, identity, faith, and healing.
Nina shares how painful childhood experiences shaped her self-worth, led her to seek validation through achievement and relationships, and influenced the way she spoke to herself.
From navigating rejection in friendships to competing in college athletics and transitioning into life after sports, Nina opens up about the struggle to separate her identity from performance.
Together, Norense and Nina explore the importance of therapy, community, renewing your mind through God's Word, and learning to replace negative self-talk with truth.
In this episode:
How childhood trauma shapes identity and self-worth

Breaking cycles of shame and unhealthy relationships

Bullying, betrayal, and the fear of rejection

Finding validation through sports and achievement

Navigating identity after college athletics

Overcoming perfectionism and fear of judgment

Healing through faith, therapy, and community

Confronting your inner critic with God's Word

Your past may have shaped your thoughts, but it doesn't have to define your future.
Content note: This episode includes discussions of childhood sexual abuse, bullying, abusive relationships, and suicidal thoughts.

The biggest risk in your life right now isn't failing. It's not taking chances on yourself.
Fresh off a weekend at Culture Con at the Brooklyn Navy Yard, where thousands of artists, actors, filmmakers, and creatives packed rooms from keynote to workshop, Norense shares what stood out most. It wasn't a panel. It was a moment in line for a drink, when someone elbowed him out of the way to pitch their accomplishments to the person they thought had power. The executive just pointed her somewhere else. Then sat down and talked with Norense for a long time.
That moment became this episode: a look at how anxiety turns us into a shell of ourselves in the rooms we've worked hardest to get into, why promotion was never going to come from a person, and what it looks like to walk in with dignity, curiosity, and a heart to serve instead of posture.
Then Norense opens Luke 7 and the story of the centurion, a man who understood authority so well that he told Jesus, just say the word.
In this episode:
What Culture Con taught him about anxiety, networking, and showing up as yourself
Why over-explaining and leading with accomplishments isn't attractive, but leading with values is
Promotion comes from God, not from the person you're trying to elbow your way to
Why nobody you put on a pedestal has anything more than you in God's eyes
When you're anxious, you can't see or serve anyone else in the room
The faith of the centurion in Luke 7: authority, submission, and the power of God's spoken word
You can't want the hand of God without submitting to the heart of God
Why faith comes by hearing and hearing, and why repetition is how truth gets in
A daily practice for taking anxious thoughts captive and speaking the Word over them
You may experience anxiety, but it is not who you are
Key Truth: "You may experience anxiety, but anxiety is not your identity. You were made in the image of Almighty God."
Key Verse: Luke 7:7 — Say in a word, and my servant shall be healed.
If this episode hit you:
Rate and review the Mind Bully Podcast. It helps this message reach more homes and hearts, one conversation at a time.
🎙️ New episodes every week | @mindbullypodcast | @kingno_

Five years. Every single Monday. Since September 2021.
This week marks the five-year anniversary of the Mind Bully Podcast, and Norense marks it the only way he knows how: raw, unscripted, from his new Upper East Side apartment with the rain coming down and the sirens going off outside the window.
It almost didn't go this way. A guest episode for the Central Park series was supposed to drop this week, but the audio failed 20 minutes into an hour-and-45-minute conversation. Frustrated, Norense took it to God in his quiet time and heard something he didn't expect: slow down. This is your five-year mark. Maybe this moment is meant to be yours.
What follows is a reflection on why the podcast started (a season in Germany marked by prejudice from a coach, performance identity, and suicidal ideation), what it has cost (family, friendships, finances, and a vision that hasn't been lucrative yet), and why he's still standing. It's also a word for anyone tempted to quit their God-given dream because the results haven't shown up.
In this episode:
The new mission statement: confronting lies and restoring truth, one conversation at a time
Why you can't start something on emotion and expect emotion to carry you home
"Make your values verbs": turning what you say you believe into daily practice
Principles vs. pivots: why what's built on biblical principle stays good in 2059 while the world keeps pivoting
Express, don't suppress: why submission to God starts with honest expression in your quiet time
A practical morning routine: phone out of sight, and prayer, praise, and supplication with undivided attention
Looking for "shifts": how to find your stories in the small moments of change in your days
Why confidence and taste only come by doing, not by thinking
The honest truth about five years in: impact he's grateful for, and a vision that still hasn't paid off financially
Why God wants you to win for His name's sake
Key Truth: "Don't build on past pain. Use past pain for a purpose, and build on principles. Principles stand the test of time."
Key Verse: Philippians 4:6-7 — Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
If this episode hit you:
Rate and review the Mind Bully Podcast. Five years in, it's still how this message reaches more homes and hearts, one conversation at a time.
🎙️ New episodes every week | @mindbullypodcast | @kingno_