Duel Roles: Balancing The Mic And The Badge

 In this episode of Struggle2Success, Sterling shares a raw reflection on duality—wearing the badge and holding the mic—while healing from injury, showing up for family, and staying true to purpose. From a sponsor shout-out to a powerful story sparked by his daughter’s show-and-tell, Sterling unpacks how pain can be repurposed, how systems built on good habits drive success, and why showing up—step after step—changes everything. 

Chapters

• 0:00 Introduction and Sponsor Message
• 1:03 Reflecting on Health Challenges
• 2:39 The Show-and-Tell Moment
• 4:02 Understanding Life's Duality
• 6:32 Building Habits and Systems
• 9:22 Episode Closing and Next Guest

Transcript

Sterling Brown: 0:00

Hello, my Wonderful People. This is Sterling Brown, host of Struggle2 Success Podcast. In this episode, I want to give a shout out to our sponsor, Cali Marketing Solutions. To be quite honest, they have been with me from day one. Starting my brand wasn't easy and I was juggling so many different aspects of the podcasting business. They helped me channel my passion and deliver what you hear today a clear message that is filled with positive energy in every episode. So if you're starting a small business or your brand is in need of a makeover, Cali Marketing Solutions can help your business stand out, reach more customers and stay ahead of the competition. They offer flexible payment plans and most forms of payment are accepted. Let them tell your story the right way, your way. Contact Cali Marketing Solutions today at Cali. mktgsol@ gmail. com. Se habla espanol.

Sterling Brown: 1:03

Before we get into today's episode, I want to take a moment to reflect on the last one, my interview with Dr Sarah Wright and her team. That episode was personal, powerful and honestly necessary. As someone who's always moved with hard charging, work ethic, having not one but two surgeries in the same year was more than just a setback. It was an uphill battle, not just for me but for my entire family. I had to learn how to slow down, how to sit still, how to heal, and that healing it wasn't just physical, it was mental, emotional and spiritual.

Sterling Brown: 1:40

Sarah didn't just treat my arm and shoulder. She treated the part of me that was frustrated, burnt out and tired of being told no. Through her passion and training, she helped me realize that I had limited mobility in my right arm, which was later discovered to be a torn rotator cuff. This crucial discovery was a game changer. It could have cost me everything later on down the line. She listened, she advocated, she cared, and that's what we talked about. What happens when pain goes unseen? How careers get delayed or worse or let go? How people carry silent injuries that no one acknowledges. Sometimes the system sees you as a liability before it sees you as a person. You saw me when I couldn't lift my own arm, and now I'm back behind this mic doing what I'm called to do.

Speaker 2: 2:29

If you have ever been told by someone that you're not capable of attaining success, if you have made mistakes or lived in an underprivileged neighborhood, then this podcast is for you. You are now locked in to Struggle to Success. Struggle to Success aims to inspire individuals to navigate life's challenges with courage, fortitude and unwavering determination. So if you're in your car jogging or somewhere else trying to find the calm in the storm, then join Struggle to Success airing every other Saturday. Remember life is trials. Stay focused.

Sterling Brown: 3:15

Let's talk about duality, what it really means to wear more than one hat, carry more than one burden and still rise every day with purpose and power. And sometimes that duality shows up in the most unexpected places, even in the hands of a child trying to make sense of who you are or who you are becoming About. Four months ago my daughter had a show and tell in her school. She was so excited to bring in some of my correctional gear. We packed her bag together with my duty belt, cuff case and a crisp uniform shirt. That next morning, like clockwork, she grabbed her backpack, gave me a kiss and headed out the door with pride. She had her show-and-tell bag in one hand and her regular bag in the other, ready to show the class what her daddy does. When she got home that evening I was eager to hear how it went. I was expected to hear how cool the cuffs were and how her classmates reacted to the shirt. But what she said next it hit me in a way I didn't expect. She looked at me and said I told them that you got hurt and had to have surgery and you couldn't play with us like you used to. Man, I was crushed. I stood there holding her words like they were weights. I was ready to lift Her out was a man known for being fit, disciplined and hands-on, reduced to a memory of what I used to do, not because I didn't want to, but because I physically couldn't.

Sterling Brown: 4:34

That moment just didn't sting. It exposed something deeper. You see, people see the badge, they hear the podcast, they respect the uniform, they quote the motivation, but they don't always see the man in between. And that's similar to what happens to many of us, whether you're a mother, your father, your provider, your uncle. They see the many hats that you put on, but they lose focus of the person in between. So here I was, a man who was juggling fatherhood, trying to get back into physical fitness and just trying to get back into the vine of life and dealing with trauma, the man who's powering through therapy, fighting to recover not just physically but emotionally. I realized right then this injury wasn't just robbing me of mobility, it's chipping away at moments with my family, my identity, ultimately my joy. And that's the duality right there Wearing the badge serving others but feeling powerless in your own home, dropping knowledge on the mic or probably fighting pain that won't let you lift a gallon of milk or hug your child the same way, being respected publicly but feeling limited privately. This ain't just about work-life balance. This is about working through life with invisible weights, as many of us do, but still showing up. It's about being the protector and the patient, the motivator and the one needing motivation. But through all this, I'm still learning, but I learned something. Motivation but through all this, I'm still learning, but I learned something Duality doesn't divide you. It develops you.

Sterling Brown: 6:16

I didn't have to choose between being a man with a badge and a man with a message. It was both, and you can be both too. And yes, there are days when I walk into the facility and I say, can I do this job? Am I ready to do this job? But the biggest thing is just showing up. Just show up. Don't give yourself any excuses. Just show up and let everything else fall in place. But I know something that's better now. God didn't waste my pain. He repurposed it. So every time I touch this mic, every door I check in the facility is part of my mission. Now I don't wear the badge to flex power. I wear it to protect peace. I don't speak into this mic for attention I speak, that somebody out there can finally breathe.

Sterling Brown: 7:05

Some of you are listening are balancing your own battles, your own struggles. You're trying to be a father, a mother own battles, your own struggles. You're trying to be a father, a mother and a dreamer, a provider and a student, a man of faith, a woman of love and concern, just to rebuild some part of all of your life so you can make a better future for you and your family. You are not behind. You are not broken. You are evolving. You are proof that purpose survives pain. And if no one told you today, you're not crazy for caring a lot, you're courageous for trying.

Sterling Brown: 7:40

The saying that the first step is always the hardest one rings true with everything we're going to do, especially when you're trying to level up. So I'm going to say continue to take that first step. So, whether it's the right foot or the left foot, continue to follow up with the next step and the next step and the next step. Before you know it, you're going to be looking back and say how did I get here? Because you kept pushing forward. And I'm going to tell you something else too there's good habits, there's bad habits, and what I've learned is that our habits make up our systems. So if you develop good habits, if you keep putting a foot forward and you keep showing up, those habits are going to turn into a habit that has a system that is powered on its own for success. So good habits plus systems equals success. No matter how many times you have to go forward, let's develop those systems.

Sterling Brown: 8:38

If this episode spoke to you, I need you to do two things Share it with someone who's juggling more than they show. And, number two, dm me your story or topic you want me to cover. You never know who else needs to hear it. I've got the mic, I've got the badge, but this movement it's in your hands too. Before we wrap up, I just want to let you know that the next episode of Struggle2 Success Podcast, I'll be sitting down with Carrie Kurtz, founder of Reentry Synergy and a powerful voice in the reentry space. With over 20 years of experience, she brings wisdom, passion and real solutions to the table. Trust me, you don't want to miss this one. This is Sterling Brown and you've been listening to Struggle2 Success Podcast. Remember life is trials. Stay focused.

Speaker 2: 9:31

Thanks for checking out this episode of Struggle2 Success. To connect with the show, you can email us at struggle2success. p@ gmail. com. Make sure you like and subscribe so that you never miss an episode and remember life is trials.

Sterling Brown: 9:48

Stay focused.