Meet Gerald C. Anderson, Sr.

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Gerald C. Anderson, Sr. a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Gerald, so great to have you with us and we want to jump right into a really important question. In recent years, it’s become so clear that we’re living through a time where so many folks are lacking self-confidence and self-esteem. So, we’d love to hear about your journey and how you developed your self-confidence and self-esteem.
This is a great question. I lacked confidence and self-esteem when I was young. It wasn’t until I joined the United States Air Force and became a musician in church that I started to overcome my lack of confidence and self-esteem.

The Air Force gave me an opportunity to excel in areas of my professional life that rolled over to my personal life. For lack of a better word, forcing me to get in front of people and speak was a big one. At the time I dreaded speaking to groups but in hindsight, it was one of the best things for me. Another great area that allowed me to grow was becoming a musician in church.

A friend of mine told me about a position at the base chapel. I tried my best to get out of auditioning for it, but he insisted. I convinced myself that the minister of music would tell me I needed to work on my skills and come back. She didn’t. I ended up playing in front of a church congregation for the first time.

Twenty-four years later I am grateful to both of them for pushing me to another level. Lack of confidence and self-esteem can start early in life. Believing in yourself is paramount in overcoming them. As a parent I strived to instill confidence and self-esteem in my son. I make it a point to commend him on the good things that he’s done and tell him he is important and he does matter.

Thanks for sharing that. So, before we get any further into our conversation, can you tell our readers a bit about yourself and what you’re working on?
I have a lot going on! Currently, with the assistance of my board of directors, I run a media company, Lyfe Broadcasting. Under Lyfe Broadcasting we have The Lyfe Magazine, The Lyfe Live talk show, Lyfe Radio, and Lyfe Publishing.

In late 2016, I purchased the rights to The Lyfe Magazine which was based in Tampa, Florida. This acquisition marked the beginning of Lyfe Broadcasting. We published the first issue in January of 2017. We have expanded the reach of our magazine to ten markets including Canada and Sweden.

With prominent figures such as, The Waffle Queen, Glynis Albright; 13-time boxing champion, Tori Nelson; singer Meli’sa Morgan; Con-Funk-Shun member, Felton Pilate; and Cop and a Half star, Norman D. Golden, II, along with local celebrities like Lahla-Hadiya, Judge Monise Brown, business woman LeAndrea Owens, and the first black female graduate from The Citadel Lejanusar “Shay” Peterson, The Lyfe Magazine’s subscriptions have risen to its highest level. We look forward to extending our reach even further.

Leveraging this success I teamed up with my Chief Operating Officer, Tina Natiel and created Lyfe Broadcasting. Under Lyfe Broadcasting we added two new media outlets to help spread positive media to the world. The Lyfe Live is our bi-weekly talk show where we feature three guests. Our guests have the opportunity to come to Lyfe after being in our magazine. Using this platform they can expound on their motivating stories to inspire others. Such guests on The Lyfe Live have included jazz legend Gerald Albright, Kevin R. Anderson, Esq., Pastor Thirkel Freeman, actor Leslie Saint-Julien, singer/musician Danyelle Speaks, singer J’Nelle, and spoken word artists Zemill and Randi J. Norman to name a few.

Shortly after the advent of The Lyfe Live we launched Lyfe Radio. Lyfe Radio is a classic R&B station with gospel and jazz segments. We currently have a relationship radio podcast called Kings & Queens, to provide advice to couples. We want to make you feel good!

The future continues to look bright for Lyfe Broadcasting as we have scheduled for our Winter 2023 cover gospel superstar, Maurette Brown Clark and for our January 10th show on The Lyfe Live we will have jazz legend Kirk Whalum and one of the best bass players in the world, Anthony Wellington. All of these things keep me extremely busy especially when you add in marketing my twenty-seven titles on Amazon.

There is so much advice out there about all the different skills and qualities folks need to develop in order to succeed in today’s highly competitive environment and often it can feel overwhelming. So, if we had to break it down to just the three that matter most, which three skills or qualities would you focus on?
Looking back I believe the most important qualities, skills and/or areas of knowledge are positivity, surrounding yourself with inspiring people and learning your craft.

Staying positive is a tricky thing especially when you are starting out. I, like many others, thought, “Oh I’ll publish my book and it will be a million seller by the end of the year!” Then reality hits and you have to deal with that. When the frustration of learning your book won’t be a million seller sets in, you’ll need the second item, surrounding yourself with inspiring people.

On those days when I was frustrated and wanted to quit, my village came to my rescue and refused to let me quit. We all need that push from time-to-time and if you don’t surround yourself with people that will encourage, motivate, and inspire you, it will be difficult for you. Fortunately for me, my village has always been there, and I kept moving. I wouldn’t be here now if they hadn’t carried me along the way.

Learning your craft is a daily goal. In the writing arena you must learn the entire business of writing. It’s not just a ‘draft your book and here publish this’ process. No, you need to know all aspects of the process, especially how to market yourself and your book(s). Most hybrid publishing companies do not do marketing. That will be on you. While you’re writing, take the time to learn the business of publishing so when you’re finished writing, you will be aware of what publishing is about.

Who has been most helpful in helping you overcome challenges or build and develop the essential skills, qualities or knowledge you needed to be successful?
I love this question because it gives me an opportunity to shout out my team. My board of directors with Lyfe Broadcasting are outstanding. Tina Natiel, Renata Smith, Shawn-Ta Wilson, Beryl A. Brackett, and Lahla Castro make up my team. They each provide something different in keeping our media platform and me going. They each keep me motivated and inspired. When I call on any one of them they are there to do the work.

Others that keep me going are Kevin R. Anderson, Esq., Omar and Andra Richardson, and Shay Peterson. Each of these people play a significant role in my life. It’s not just the tough times they’re there, it’s the good times as well. They celebrate the successes and pick me up when I’m down. Each of them have been in my corner for an exceptionally long time and I expect them to be there even longer.

I have some of the greatest fans in the world. I wish I knew them all by name but there are a few that I have to call out. Rhonda Robinson, who is quick to tell the world, I am her favorite author. Avis Dillard-Bullock and Danny Sells are two Air Force friends who have read every book I have written. Without their constant feedback I would never grow as a writer. Sheldon McCarr, Henry and Lisa Bell, and Monique Sims are always supporting my writing. Again, they have all of my books and are the first to purchase whenever a new one comes out.

Family is certainly there for me. Nothing I would have done would have been possible without my mother, Virmell D. Stanley. She has been by my side since the day I entered this world. My brother, Albert D. Anderson, Jr., never lets me down. My niece Desirae Jackson is like the daughter I never had. My family is so big I wouldn’t have space to name them all here, but I pray they all know I love each of them.

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