Maybe I'm the Problem:
Healing the Man in the Mirror
By Napoleon A. Bradford
Stop Performing. Start Healing.
A survival guide for gifted Black men who are celebrated in public but suffocating in private.
Pre-Order Here
Brother, This Is For You If...
You've been carrying the weight of expectations while hiding your wounds. Napoleon A. Bradford speaks directly to your experience with compassion and truth.
You're Praised for Your Talent
But ignored in your trauma. Everyone celebrates your gifts, but no one acknowledges your wounds.
You Preach Freedom
But live in quiet bondage. Your congregation sees strength, but you alone know the struggle beneath the surface.
You Smile on Stage
But cry in secret. The performance is exhausting, and the mask is getting heavier every day.
You're Trying to Love
While limping. Your relationships suffer because your own wounds remain untreated and unacknowledged.
You Never Heard "I'm Proud"
Without conditions attached. Your worth feels tied to your performance, not your existence as a man of God.
You Use Your Gift
As a cover-up for your grief. Your talents became your hiding place instead of the calling God intended.
The Transformation Journey
Before: The Performance
  • Celebrated publicly, suffocating privately
  • Using gifts to hide grief
  • Sabotaging your own success
  • Bleeding in silence
  • Hustling for approval
After: The Wholeness
  • Authentic in all spaces
  • Wounds named and healing
  • Walking in true calling
  • Brotherhood that strengthens
  • Resting in your worth
"This isn't a book for perfect people. It's for honest ones. If the reflection in your mirror makes you cringe, you're not alone."
~ Napoleon A. Bradford, Ed.S, D.Min., M.Div.
What's Inside This Revolutionary Guide
Identity Formation & Healing
Understand how your identity was formed through childhood experiences, cultural expectations, and church demands. Discover the path to healing and reformation through biblical truth and practical exercises.
Breaking Self-Sabotage
Explore why gifted men often sabotage their own success and the practical steps to stop the cycle. Learn to recognize the warning signs of self-destruction and implement boundary-setting techniques that protect your purpose.
Naming Your Wounds
Experience the transformative power of naming your wounds and rewriting your story. Through guided reflection and scriptural foundation, find the courage to face what hurts and the faith to believe in healing.
Each chapter combines raw personal testimony, theological insight, and actionable steps designed specifically for the unique challenges faced by Black men of faith and creative gifting.
About the Author
Dr. Napoleon A. Bradford, Ed.S, D.Min., M.Div.
Chaplain | Trauma-Informed Faith Leader | National Speaker
Dr. Napoleon A. Bradford is a nationally recognized chaplain and trauma-responsive practitioner with over 20 years of experience guiding leaders through healing and transformation. He serves as full-time chaplain to over 15,000 federal personnel nationwide and 1,000 military families in the Maryland National Guard; a unique dual role that positions him to understand trauma and resilience across diverse, high-stress environments.
A four-time federal agency award recipient in his first year of national service, Dr. Bradford is the Founder and Principal Counselor of The PLACE: Healing and Wholeness Center and the Senior Pastor of the adjacent faith-based community, The Perfecting PLACE, which serves Black families and communities through evidence-based wellness frameworks.
As a sought-after national speaker, Dr. Bradford addresses leadership burnout, chaplaincy excellence, and healing-centered faith communities. His mission is clear: to help gifted leaders stop performing their way through pain and start walking in the wholeness God intended.
"This book is an invitation: to stop hiding, to start healing, and to finally see yourself the way God has always seen you—whole, healed, and enough."
Continue Your Journey to Wholeness
1
Real Brotherhood
Discover the framework for finding accountability that strengthens rather than shames. Learn how to build authentic masculine community that supports healing while honoring your unique journey and calling.
2
God-Shaped Manhood
Explore what manhood looks like when shaped by God's hands, not cultural lies and expectations. Reconnect with the divine design for your masculinity beyond performance, power, or position.
3
From Hustling to Wholeness
Find the path from the exhausting hustle for approval to the rest of walking in wholeness. Learn practical spiritual disciplines that anchor your identity in Christ rather than achievement.
Written Specifically For Black Men
This book speaks directly to the unique experiences, challenges, and spiritual journey of Black men in America. While the principles of healing are universal, the context matters.
This healing journey is for:
  • Leaders, husbands, and sons asking deeper questions about their identity and divine purpose
  • Gifted creatives whose talents have become both blessing and burden
  • Black Pastors who lead churches and carry the responsibility of guiding their congregations toward wholeness with integrity
"You don't have to be a preacher to read this. You don't have to be perfect to start this. You just have to be tired of pretending."
You Are Not Too Broken to Be Made Whole
This book is a survival guide for the gifted, for men who are celebrated in public but suffocating in private. It's a grace-soaked letter to the broken, to every man who knows what it feels like to succeed outwardly while silently sabotaging himself.
Napoleon doesn't offer quick fixes or shallow self-help. Instead, he provides a sacred space for honest reflection and genuine transformation. This work combines:
Confession
Raw, unfiltered testimony from someone who's walked the path from performance to peace
Roadmap
Clear, practical steps to identify wounds, release shame, and embrace healing
Revolution
A bold reimagining of Black masculinity rooted in biblical truth rather than cultural expectations
It's a mirror, held up to your soul, so you can finally see who God says you are beneath the masks, the medals, and the mess.
What You'll Receive
Complete Healing Framework
A comprehensive approach designed specifically for gifted men balancing public acclaim with private struggles
Practical Tools
Actionable exercises and reflection prompts to break self-sabotage patterns and establish new habits
Biblical Foundation
Scripture-based wisdom that anchors your identity in God's definition rather than cultural expectations
Brotherhood Blueprint
Step-by-step guide to building authentic community that supports your healing journey
Grace-Soaked Wisdom
Compassionate insight that meets you where you are while challenging you to embrace God's vision for your life
Join thousands of men who've stopped performing and started healing. Your journey to wholeness begins with a single, courageous step.
Your Next Step
Brothers, I want to tell you something I wish someone had told me a long time ago:
You don't have to keep sabotaging your calling to survive your wounds.
You don't have to keep bleeding in silence. You don't have to keep performing to prove you matter. You don't have to keep using your gift as a cover-up for your grief.
You are not too broken to be made whole.
This is where my healing began, and where yours just might begin too. Let's stop hiding. Let's start healing. Let's rediscover the man GOD intended.

Pre-Order Benefits
  • Exclusive access to virtual Q&A with Napoleon
  • Companion workbook download