by Cyrus Webb
Author. Motivational Speaker. Media Personality. Recording Artist.
These are just some of the titles we can use when it comes to Dr. Velma Bagby, and she is embracing them all as she not only builds her own media company but looks for different ways to educate, inspire and motivate her audience.
It's been great watching her rise and thrive over the years, and in 2025 she took things to another level with new books, her first virtual conference and releasing music! As she continues to showcase her talents, we look forward to more to come.
Dr. Velma, you have had such a busy year. What has it been like for you to see the way people are responding to the books you released this year?
I was pleasantly surprised by the responses and heartfelt appreciation for my work. While working on the piece, there were times I questioned if the audience would see my intention and value my transparency. In this case, they showed me that they saw my intent and valued what I had to say and how I said it—several posted reviews which blessed me tremendously.
It’s no secret that HOLD YOUR HEAD UP, PRINCESS is my favorite of the books you released this year. For those who don’t know, how did the story come about and what was it like for you to reflect on those experiences in your life?
I recall writing a piece for an anthology with a theme focused on challenges we face while waiting for our breakthrough, our change, or the blessing after life’s storms. As I began writing, I remember going back to several stages in my life that stood out. From my childhood to middle school, high school, and early adulthood, I saw moments of difficulties that helped to prepare me. God’s pattern of preparation for purpose became clearer, which is why I opened the book with this statement:
“God has a way of creating opportunities He uses to prepare us for the assignment He has for us. He uses the tough times in our lives. In the way God prepares us for the work, He allows us to experience it first. Afterwards, we can see the possibilities of moving to the other side of difficulties because we’ve gone through them and can inspire others. These experiences are designed to burn off what God cannot use in the assignment and through them, we are sharpened and more spiritually fit for the task.”
You are known mainly for talking about marriage, dating and relationships. What has it been like allowing others to see you have other topics you can discuss?I know the topic of dating, relationships, and marriage is my core topic. It was never my goal to write books to entertain. I’ve always wanted my writing to help others as a ministry. However, I discovered so many other golden nuggets from my life experience to write about and I recognized they can also help me with my ministry goal and desire to inspire others.
Outside of writing about dating and marriage, you also have your podcast Dr. Velma Talks. Tell us about it.
I’m grateful to have rediscovered the method I used prior to writing, by podcasting again with my Dr. Velma TALKS, dating, relationships, and marriage. A few years before writing my book series, I began hosting talks on Facebook about dating with intent, and dating for marriage. Over time, I felt led to write a fictional book on the topic to demonstrate what happens when the wrong strategies are used to find a mate; in most cases, it ends in a mess. I planned to write one novel, which turned into a 5-book CATCH Series because of demand.
Dr. Velma, what advice would you give to others about using their voice to speak about topics that matter to them?
I would offer them the advice my Christian marketing teacher provided to me at the beginning of my journey. When I researched the dating, relationships, and marriage genre, I saw thousands of books already written. I questioned why I needed to write a book on the topic when the genre was flooded with books. My teacher responded, “If God gave everyone in the world an assignment to write about something, there would still be plenty of work left to do. There is an audience waiting to hear from you, and no one else can write it or say it like you.”
Therefore, there is plenty of room for what you have been assigned to say. What you cannot do is continue to sit on the sidelines, but you must leap. My first leap into the literary world required that I hire someone to publish my first book, so that I could learn the steps as we moved through them. I also bought self-help books to help me understand the rules of writing fiction versus nonfiction. After that, I began self-publishing my work.
How can our audience stay connected with you and all the updates about what’s coming?
Thank you for this opportunity, Cyrus. I encourage the audience to connect with me on social media (Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, YouTube, LinkedIn) as Dr. Velma Bagby. To receive my newsletter, announcements, new releases, or exclusive deals, please subscribe to my website at https://drvelmabagby.com. If you subscribe to my YouTube page, you can set it up to send you notifications about my upcoming podcast episodes.
The single HOLD YOUR HEAD UP PRINCESS can be heard on Amazon Music and other online retailers.
