The Heart Behind GODfidence

Before the conversations, before the lessons, before the becoming… there was a quiet whisper from God that grew into a calling. In this opening episode, I’m sharing the tender beginnings of GODfidence — the moments, the stretching, and the grace that shaped this space.

This is the story beneath the story: the journey of learning to trust God with my voice, my healing, and my becoming. Here, I’m inviting you into the softness, the honesty, and the faith that brought this podcast to life.

If your heart is longing for a place to grow, to breathe, to rediscover God’s nearness in your everyday becoming… you’re home.
Let’s begin, together.

Transcript

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Welcome to the Godfidence Podcast, where everyday life meets God's truth. My name is Shalom, and here we choose presence over perfection. We're navigating everyday life with Christ at the center, allowing his truth to define who we are in this ever-changing world. So take a deep breath, settle in, and let's journey together. Welcome to the very first episode of the Godfidens Podcast. As you know, I'm your host, Shalom, and I'm so grateful that you're joining me today. This space is for the person who is growing, healing, stretching, and becoming all at the same time. For the one who wants to walk in partnership with Christ, and we're not talking about perfectionism, we're talking about intentionality. For the one who knows that there's more, and they're ready to step into it with God leading the way. And if that's you, well, you are in the right place. This episode is to share a bit more about myself, how confidence came about, and what to expect. So diving straight into it. Growing up, I struggled a lot with my identity. Even though I was raised in a Christian household, I didn't truly understand whose I was. I knew about God, but I didn't yet know who I was in Him. So we fast forward to grad school. I decided to compete in my first ever pageant. I used to love watching pageants growing up, so this was a dream come true. And if you know anything about pageantry, you know confidence is more than half the battle. As days were leading up to the pageant, I had an encounter with Christ. This encounter shifted everything for me. I made a decision to be more intentional in my walk with God. And without even realizing it, confidence was beginning to take root. God was teaching me a personal lesson that would eventually become the Godfidence podcast. So back to pageants. I was often told, you're so confident. And without hesitation, my response was always, it's all God. And that's how Godfidence was born for me. The more I competed, the more I realized something. Confidence that is rooted in appearance, performance, or perfection will always shape. But confidence rooted in Christ, in knowing whose you are, that's the kind that stays. That's where confidence comes from. From learning that my identity isn't in crowns, titles, or how well I show up, but in who God says that I am. So when I talk about confidence, I'm talking about a confidence that doesn't come from your accomplishment. It doesn't come from your appearances, it doesn't come from your status or your own strength. So this podcast, it wasn't just a good idea. To me, it was a prompting of the Holy Spirit, a nudge to stop hiding, to stop waiting until I felt ready, to stop disqualifying myself from the rooms God already opened. I wanted to create a space where we can grow together and build the kind of confidence that comes from God alone. So I've been doing a lot of cleaning in my house, and I came across an autobiography I wrote of myself in my early 20s, titled I Am That Diamond, and I want to read it to y'all. At the age of six, my life changed when we were told that we would be moving to the United States. I was not sure exactly how to feel because I did not want to leave my home. Even though we didn't have much, it was still my home. On the other hand, I was looking forward to seeing my mother again. When we arrived to the US, I remembered being fascinated by everything, most especially the snow, because I did not know what it was. I had never seen white things falling out of the sky before. I have to say, none of us were prepared for the cold though. I know I was wearing skirt, a skirt and sandals. I was very skinny due to illness, and I was freezing cold. Then I saw my mom and I forgot about everything. I charged towards her warm embrace. So we fast forward several months later. We began preparing to go to school in the U.S. And the U.S. educational system was different from Nigeria's, so I had to start back in a grade I had already completed. We did move around a bit when I was younger until I got to the fifth grade. As I was transitioning into this new culture, this new environment, trying to find my place, I experienced a lot of hardships. One that comes to mind so vividly was my first bully. Looking back now, I find it interesting that she was a dark-skinned female just like myself. And from day one until the day I left that school, she hated me. I vividly remember her sending her older sister after me one day in the bathroom. That day was the first day I feared for my life. It was truly a scary experience, y'all. So moving ahead to middle school, I was made fun of day in and day out about my accent, my ethnicity, and my weight. Again, the people making fun of me were my skin color, so I did not quite understand. This is around the time I began to be self-conscious about my weight and my identity as a Nigerian in America. As a freshman in high school, my insecurities about my weight were at an all-time high, and I was having an identity crisis. I began trying to be who I was not. However, it was never enough because I was not African enough for the Africans and I was not American enough for the Americans. I felt lost. The only person I could talk to was my mother, but she had other things to worry about as a single mother raising six children. So I kept most of it inside and hid my hurt with a smile. As time went on, though, I was determined to take ownership of my life. I stopped letting life just happen to me. Thus began my journey to self-love and self-discovery. During my freshman year of college, I saw two quotes that spoke so deeply to me. The first became my goal. Work until you no longer have to introduce yourself. And the second has become a daily reminder. My ability to conquer my challenges is limitless. My potential to succeed is infinite. Everything I have gone through in this is the reason I am here today. Growing up, I felt lost, unheard, like a shadow, like I did not have control, like I had no voice. There was no self-love, and I did not feel wanted. I have experienced many hardships in my 23 years on this earth. These hardships are why I want to make a change in the world, one person at a time. I want people to feel heard, to feel wanted, and to feel loved. I want to motivate others to be their best selves. I want to be a person of influence. I want to make the world a better place than I than it was when I arrived. People may say that my dreams are too big, but if my dreams did not scare me, then I am not dreaming big enough. People may say that my hopes and goals are too high, but I do not listen to them. I have found my purpose, and there is no stopping me, because I am too positive to be doubtful, too optimistic to be fearful, and too determined to be defeated. And I want to close out with a quote. Y'all, when I read this, this is me at 23, and this is what I wrote about myself, and truly that has not changed. I am still so determined to be a person of positive influence, to truly leave the world better than I admit it. And I want to leave with a word for you that you don't have to have it all together to start. You just have to be willing, willing to trust, willing to grow, willing to take one step at a time with God at the helm. God isn't asking you to be perfect, he is asking you to partner with him. And the beautiful thing is he can do more with your simple yes than you could ever do with your own strength. So, wherever you are, whatever season you're in, let this be a reminder. Your willingness is enough for God to work with. And this podcast, this journey, is just the beginning of what he wants to build in you. So thank you for tuning in to my very first episode of the Godfidence podcast. I'm so excited for this journey we're stepping into together. Make sure to follow and don't miss episode two because we're going even deeper. And until next time, walk boldly, walk gracefully, and walk with confidence. Thanks for spending time with me today. My prayer is that this conversation helps you feel a little more seen and a little more grounded in who God has called you to be. And remember confidence grows in the places where God's truth takes root. And until next time, stand firm in whose you are and walk in your confidence.