Hello and welcome! I’m so glad you’re here. My name is Bernice Tyler-Graddy, and I’m the founder of BTG COACHING & CONSULTING. This blog,...

October Blog Series — Week 3: When Life Changes the Plan Sometimes the greatest expression of love is simply being there. There are moments in life when words seem inadequate. When the diagnosis is frightening. When the future becomes uncertain and when the phone call brings news we never wanted to hear. When someone we love takes their final breath. In those moments, even the most thoughtful words cannot change what has happened. But I am discovering something about the

October Blog Series — Week 2: When Life Changes the Plan The assignment ended. The love did not. There is something about caregiving that changes you. It doesn't necessarily happen all at once. Sometimes the transition is so gradual that you don't even recognize when caring for someone you love becomes one of the central responsibilities of your everyday life. You learn new routines. You become familiar with medical terminology you never expected to understand. You learn t

What happens to faith when you prayed—and the person you prayed for still died? That is not a hypothetical question for me. I prayed. My family prayed. Friends prayed. Our church family prayed. People who knew us personally and people who simply heard about our journey prayed. We prayed for healing. We prayed for strength. We prayed for wisdom. We prayed for more time. And on September 13, my husband died. There is a temptation when we tell stories of faith to rush to the

Most caregivers don't realize when caregiving begins that they are beginning a journey too. Perhaps that's because caregiving isn't as foreign to us as we sometimes think. Long before many of us ever cared for someone with cancer, dementia, disability, aging-related needs, or another life-changing condition, we had already learned something about giving care. We cared for babies who couldn't tell us what was wrong. We sat beside children with fevers in the middle of the nig

Embarking on a journey of personal growth and transformation can feel both exciting and overwhelming. When we seek guidance that aligns with our deepest values and spiritual beliefs, the path becomes clearer and more meaningful. This is where faith-based coaching steps in, offering a unique blend of spiritual insight and practical life strategies. Together, we will explore how this approach nurtures our soul, empowers our decisions, and enriches our lives with purpose and pea

Loss touches us all at some point, leaving a quiet ache that seems impossible to soothe. Yet, within that ache lies the potential for profound peace and healing. Together, we can explore gentle, effective ways to navigate grief and find a renewed sense of calm and purpose. This journey is not about forgetting or moving on too quickly; it’s about embracing the process with compassion and hope. Let’s walk this path side by side, discovering peace after loss strategies that trul

Week 2: Don’t Manufacture a Storm Because You’re Used to Rain When Chaos Has Become Too Familiar “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.” — Isaiah 32:17 (KJV) Last week, I wrote about those wonderful days when nothing is wrong. No crisis. No emergency and no problem demanding an immediate solution. Just an ordinary day. But what happens when ordinary doesn’t feel normal? What happens when we have lived t

Week 1: When Nothing Is Wrong; Learning to Be Comfortable With Peace “Be still, and know that I am God.” — Psalm 46:10 (KJV) There are mornings when I wake up and nothing is wrong. No urgent phone call. No problem waiting for me to solve. No unexpected news that changes the course of the day. No crisis requiring an immediate response. Just morning. I am learning not to take those days for granted. After living through seasons when life seemed to change faster than I could a

Becoming While I’m Still Becoming Trusting God With the Parts of My Story That Are Still Being Written "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ."— Philippians 1:6 (KJV) As I come to the end of this series, I realize something. Nothing I've written about is finished. The circumstances that inspired these reflections haven't all changed. Some prayers I'm praying today are the same prayers I

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY BTG!! Today, August 18, BTG Coaching & Consulting LLC celebrates one year. And my heart is filled with gratitude. One year ago, I stepped forward with a vision rooted in three simple but powerful words: Peace. Power. Purpose. I didn't know every place this journey would lead. I simply knew that I had been entrusted with experiences, lessons, gifts, and a desire to help others grow. Over this first year, BTG has created resources, workshops, devotionals,

All Is Well... In Spite Of Choosing Faith When My Feelings Tell Another Story "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."— Isaiah 26:3 (KJV) Every morning I wake up with a choice. Some days the circumstances waiting for me haven't changed. The concerns are still there. The prayers haven't all been answered the way I would like. There are people I love who are hurting, situations I cannot fix, and things I simply don't u

When the Journey Doesn't Follow the Plan: Finding Purpose in the Roads I Never Expected to Travel "A man's heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps."— Proverbs 16:9 (KJV) The older I get, the less I believe my experiences belong only to me. I've always been a planner. I like knowing where I'm going, what needs to be done, and preferably when it's going to happen. Give me a goal, and chances are I'll have a plan for getting there. Life, however, hasn't alway

When God Doesn't Change Your Season... He Adds Another One "To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven."— Ecclesiastes 3:1 (KJV) Have you noticed how difficult it has become to tell what season we're in just by looking at the weather? One day feels like spring, the next like autumn, and sometimes they seem to arrive together. Life has a way of doing the same thing. Instead of neatly ending one season before beginning another, it sometimes asks u

July Blog Series: The Life We Inherit, The Legacy We Leave “I have lived long enough to know that every year is a gift—but the real question is what we do with the gift.” On July 16, I celebrated 67 years of life. Sixty-seven years. When I say that out loud, I smile. Not because every one of those years was easy. They were not. My journey has included mountaintops and valleys, joy and pain, celebrations and heartbreak, victories and disappointments. I have known moments

July Blog Series: The Life We Inherit, The Legacy We Leave “Some dates remain on the calendar long after we stop buying the cake.” There are dates we remember without trying. We do not need a calendar notification. We do not need a social media reminder. We do not need someone to call and say, “Do you know what today is?” We know. The date lives somewhere inside us. For me, July holds several of those dates. It is my birthday month, but it is also a month filled with th

July Blog Series: The Life We Inherit, The Legacy We Leave “We spend part of our lives discovering what we inherited, and the rest deciding what we will leave behind.” There is something about a family reunion that changes as you get older. When I was younger, family gatherings were mostly about food, laughter, music, and seeing cousins I had not seen in a while. You showed up, hugged everybody, tried to remember which children belonged to whom, ate more than you planned, t

Honoring the Fathers, Mentors, and Men Whose Influence Helped Shape Who We Are Becoming Every relationship teaches us something. Some lessons arrive through encouragement. Others arrive through hardship. Some lessons inspire us to continue a tradition. Others challenge us to create a different path. As we conclude this month’s reflection on fathers and father figures, it is worth considering the lessons we carry with us today. Many of the beliefs, values, habits, and pers

What Fathers Teach Us About Success That Has Nothing to Do with Trophies, Titles, or Applause We live in a world that celebrates achievement. Awards are displayed. Promotions are announced. Milestones are shared. Accomplishments are applauded. There is nothing wrong with celebrating success. Achievement often reflects hard work, dedication, and perseverance. But there is something even more important than achievement. Character. Long after accomplishments fade from memor

A Reflection on Influence, Identity, and Legacy Father’s Day often causes us to think about the men who shaped our lives. For some, those memories come easily. For others, they are more complicated. Yet when we pause and reflect, many of us realize that the people who helped us stand were not always our biological fathers. Sometimes they were grandfathers. Sometimes they were uncles. Sometimes they were coaches, teachers, pastors, neighbors, or mentors. People who saw