What does choosing joy really mean when you’re living through pain, pressure, or exhaustion? In this deeply personal solo episode, Choosing Joy host Deborah Joy Winans Williams sits down—not as an actress or celebrity, but as herself—to answer your questions, share her heart, and reflect on what joy looks like when it’s uncomfortable, spiritual, and hard-won.

Deborah opens up about motherhood, mental health, faith, grief, self-worth, and how she learned (and is still learning) to choose joy daily—not just on stage, but in real life. From the lessons of her Winans family legacy to her girls' trip epiphany with Merle Dandridge to the quiet prayers that sustain her, this episode is a soulful, grounding invitation to go deeper.

Whether you’re a woman of faith, an artist in progress, a mother in motion, or just someone trying to pour from a not-so-full cup—Deborah’s raw honesty and wisdom remind us that joy isn’t a mood... it’s a decision.

Chapters

00:00 – What Choosing Joy Means to Me
01:00 – Unpacking My Relationship with Joy
03:00 – What Life Has Taught Me About Grace
05:00 – The Power of Choosing Yourself
07:00 – A Girls' Trip That Changed Everything
09:00 – How My Faith Guides My Work
11:00 – My Morning Routine of Gratitude
13:00 – 6AM Prayer, Grandma Winans, and Simplicity
15:00 – Staying Grounded in a Chaotic World
17:00 – What My Family’s Legacy Taught Me
19:00 – How My Uncle Bebe Changed My Perspective
21:00 – Seeing People as Ministry
23:00 – Navigating Motherhood, Germs & Balance
25:00 – Rest, Vitamins, Vaseline & Olly Multis
27:00 – Playing Charity on Greenleaf
29:00 – Grace for Imperfection & Finding Your Way
31:00 – Advice for Young Women in Music & Acting
33:00 – Final Reflections & Your Invitation to Joy

#DeborahJoyWinansWilliams #ChoosingJoyPodcast #GreenleafCharity #BlackWomenInFaith #JoyIsAChoice #FaithAndMotherhood #ChristianWomenPodcast #WomenInEntertainment #HealingWithGod #SoulfulStorytelling

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What happens when your purpose feels too heavy to carry? When the grief, burnout, or self-doubt start whispering louder than your confidence?

In this heart-centered and life-giving episode of Choosing Joy, Emmy-nominated journalist, media personality, and host of Healed Girl Era Gia Peppers sits down with Deborah Joy Winans Williams for one of the most raw, uplifting, and spiritually rooted conversations of the season.

From growing up immersed in Black excellence in D.C. and Maryland to navigating loss, therapy, and self-reinvention, Gia shares the full spectrum of her journey. She opens up about losing her grandmother, surviving depressive episodes, and how therapy and faith helped her find joy again.

Whether she’s talking about being on 106 & Park, the inspiration behind Healed Girl Era, or why joy must be an intentional daily choice—Gia reminds us: healing is possible, even in the middle of the storm.

✨ This episode is a love letter to every woman figuring it out in real-time. To every woman choosing herself, one sacred step at a time.

Chapters

00:00 – Intro & Sponsor Message
00:46 – Why Gia Peppers is That Girl
02:00 – Growing Up in the DMV & Black Excellence
04:00 – Howard University Influence & Community Impact
06:00 – Her Dad’s Legacy in Journalism
08:00 – Early Dreams of Hosting & Performing
10:00 – Inspired by Free on 106 & Park
11:30 – Interning with Donnie Simpson & Black Radio Roots
13:00 – Navigating the Cutthroat Industry with Kindness
14:30 – The Power of Representation for Black Girls
16:00 – Teen Girlhood, Beauty, and Identity Today
18:30 – Choosing Joy in the Midst of Transition
20:30 – Letting Go of Self-Doubt with Therapy
23:00 – Choosing Grace Over Pressure
25:00 – Joy as a Choice, Not a Feeling
26:30 – How the Pandemic Revealed Deep Emotional Shifts
29:00 – Grief, Loss & Losing Her Grandmother
31:00 – Breaking Generational Silence Around Mental Health
33:00 – Creating the Healed Girl Era Podcast
35:00 – Finding Purpose in Her Own Voice
37:00 – Vulnerability, Impact & Stepping Out in Faith
39:00 – Learning to Rest and Rebuild
41:00 – What Choosing Joy Looks Like Now
43:00 – Final Reflections & A Prayer for Joy

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What does it mean to thrive in your skin—not just as an artist, but as a woman, a mother, and a soul who’s lived many lives before the world even saw her?

In this soul-nourishing episode of Choosing Joy, genre-bending singer-songwriter ROE joins Deborah Joy Winans Williams for an honest and vibrant conversation about identity, motherhood, music, and trusting divine timing. Known for her songwriting with Mary J. Blige, Usher, and more, ROE is now stepping boldly into her own spotlight.

From her Crenshaw roots to navigating motherhood and music as an independent artist, ROE shares how she learned to pause, reflect, and create art that feels as true as her own breath. With a warm spirit and razor-sharp creativity, she invites us into her world—and even blesses us with a live snippet of her upcoming single, “In My Skin.”

✨ This episode is for anyone figuring it out in real time. Anyone who’s put a dream on hold. Anyone choosing presence over pressure and joy over perfection.

📌 Chapters

00:00 – Wellness Sponsor Message
00:36 – Meet ROE: The Voice Behind the Hits
01:30 – Musical Roots in South LA & Crenshaw Sundays
03:00 – From Theater to Singing to Songwriting
05:00 – ROE’s Genre-Bending Identity
07:00 – Writing for Others vs. Finding Her Story
09:00 – Melody First: ROE’s Creative Process
10:30 – Motherhood & Pivot to Songwriting
12:00 – Wellness, Balance, and Priorities
14:00 – Faith, Family & Trusting the Timing
16:00 – Living to Write vs. Writing to Live
18:30 – Choosing Joy as an Independent Artist
21:00 – Stage Mishaps & Letting Go of Perfection
23:00 – Social Media & Holding Mystery
25:00 – On Balance, Presence & Purpose
26:30 – ROE’s Favorite Song: “In My Skin” (Live Snippet!)
29:00 – “This or That” Game & Final Reflections
33:00 – Closing from Deborah Joy

#ROE #ChoosingJoyPodcast #DeborahJoyWinansWilliams #BlackWomenInMusic #InMySkin #WomenInEntertainment #SongwriterToSinger #AuthenticArtist #HealingThroughMusic #FaithAndMotherhood

💬 What part of ROE’s journey moved you most—her motherhood pivot, her genre-bending honesty, or her stunning live performance?
Let us know in the comments below!

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