If love keeps feeling like a storm, maybe the problem isn’t romance—it’s access. We sit down with Apostle Andre Dodson to talk about the kind of boundaries that change outcomes, the difference between truth and omission, and why respect means protecting someone’s heart when no one is watching. Andre brings the lived experience of a father, husband, and community leader to redefine what healthy partnership looks like when you finally choose maturity over chaos.

We walk through the early red flags we all rationalize—ghosting, mixed signals, financial leeching—and show how standards clarify who stays and who goes. Andre shares how divorce and single fatherhood forged discipline, from refusing a revolving door at home to modeling restraint and stability for his son. We explore men’s emotional safety, the right to be soft at home, and how shaming vulnerability turns a relationship into a hostile workplace. You’ll hear how “good women help cheaters cheat” by making it easy to hide, and how radical transparency kills suspicion before it grows.

This conversation also confronts toxic norms that mistake gentleness for weakness. We talk aligning intimacy with emotional connection, pressing pause on sex during conflict, and building a shared life that values planning, honesty, and spiritual grounding. If you’ve ever dated a “boy” in a man’s body—or felt pressured to perform while starving for real care—this will feel like a mirror and a map. Expect clear language, hard truths, and practical wisdom you can use today to set boundaries, spot red flags, and build a home where both people can rest and rise.

If this resonated, follow and subscribe for new episodes every Friday at 9 a.m., share it with someone who needs stronger boundaries, and leave a review telling us the one standard you’re raising this week.

Shop: www.bfempowerment.com/shop

Follow: @powerfullybroken | @queenblparker | bfempowerment.com/pbp
Book: A Powerful Divorce
Therapy: BF Empowerment Center 526 South Main Street Akron, Ohio 44311

Watch Powerfully Broken Podcast airing on Fridays at 9am.

What if love isn’t a feeling to chase but a responsibility you choose every day? We sit down with Apostle Andre Dotson—community leader, father, husband, and repeat guest—to explore how disciplined love outlasts mood swings, why honor dictates access, and how preparation turns heartbreak into wisdom. His candid reflections after divorce reveal a path many skip: the prep season where you assess patterns, rebuild standards, and develop the character to love well.

We dig into the Five Ps—proper preparation prevents poor performance—and apply them to relationships, from dating with intention to marriage under pressure. Andre explains how boundaries protect safety and respect, and why he withholds access where there’s no honor. We also tackle a hard reality: women often go silent after asking for change multiple times; by the time comfort is disrupted, it’s usually too late. That insight reframes listening as an urgent skill, not a romantic bonus.

The conversation shifts to service as the core of mature love. Andre challenges men to hear needs like prayers to answer, and he challenges women and men alike to stop playing parent-child dynamics in adult relationships. Instead, choose partners who build, not burden—because the wrong choice won’t just waste time; it can wreck your purpose, finances, and peace. We close with practical takeaways on prioritization, reciprocity, and daily habits that keep love steady when emotions wobble.

If this resonates, share it with someone who needs a reset, subscribe for more grounded conversations on healthy relationships, and leave a review to tell us the habit you’re choosing to practice this week.

Shop: www.bfempowerment.com/shop

Follow: @powerfullybroken | @queenblparker | bfempowerment.com/pbp
Book: A Powerful Divorce
Therapy: BF Empowerment Center 526 South Main Street Akron, Ohio 44311

Watch Powerfully Broken Podcast airing on Fridays at 9am.

The story opens on a fast street where violence felt normal and kids learned to run before they could read the signs. Melvin Cantrell takes us through Edgewood’s split reality—games and laughter on one side, stabbings and speeding cars on the other—and shows how a simple, stubborn no to drugs became the first brick in a new life. He talks about father wounds, the rush of being an athlete with a secret, and the moment friends’ funerals made people say, “We thought you were dead,” forcing a shift from surviving to choosing to live.

We dig into the hard parts: learning to read and write after graduation with help from siblings, hiding cars and cash from a mother who knew more than she said, and serving time in a summer boot camp that taught discipline the painful way. Melvin shares how grief counseling and even being typecast as the bad guy in community theater gave him space to process loss, especially after his mom passed. That path, combined with a second-degree black belt, kickboxing, and Tai Chi, became the backbone for his work in behavioral health and the IMPACT program. Fitness isn’t just a career for him; it’s a mental health toolkit—breathing, movement, and structure that help kids pause before the street pulls them under.

We also get practical. Melvin lays out the red flags parents miss—sudden upgrades, hidden spending, secretive routines—and makes a case that kids need presence more than privacy. He explains his approach to hands-on parenting, how he stays reachable, and why he’ll leave work if a child calls. If you’re a parent, educator, or mentor trying to keep kids safe, this conversation gives you concrete strategies and a real-world playbook from someone who’s lived both sides. Subscribe, share this with a friend who needs it, and leave a review with the biggest red flag you’re watching for right now.

Shop: www.bfempowerment.com/shop

Follow: @powerfullybroken | @queenblparker | bfempowerment.com/pbp
Book: A Powerful Divorce
Therapy: BF Empowerment Center 526 South Main Street Akron, Ohio 44311

Watch Powerfully Broken Podcast airing on Fridays at 9am.