Author Of Zay: Put On The Whole Armor Of God and Speaker
Healing Conversation #1389
Some battles leave visible scars. Others unfold quietly within us—in fear, uncertainty, grief, anger, or the struggle to keep believing when life becomes painfully difficult.
Valerie Sullivan, author of ZAY: Put on the Whole Armor of God, knows something about walking through those battles. Her journey has taken her from homelessness in Baltimore, where she arrived with a backpack and two young children, through profound challenges involving each of her three sons. Through it all, Valerie says her faith became the armor that helped her family keep moving forward.
Inspired by her youngest son, Isaiah—Zay—the book transforms that message into the story of a young spiritual warrior who encounters forces of fear, confusion, and envy. Along his journey, family members equip him with the biblical armor of God: truth, righteousness, peace, faith, salvation, and the Spirit.
Our conversation explores what that armor can mean beyond the pages of a book. How do we choose faith when fear feels stronger? How can prayer change the way we respond to adversity? And how do we teach children that courage is not always about fighting back, but sometimes about finding the spiritual strength to remain grounded in love, truth, and hope?
Valerie’s story reminds us that even when we cannot choose the battles that come into our lives, we can choose what we carry into them.
Valeria sits withValerie Sullivan — She is the author of “ZAY: Put on the Whole Armor of God.”
ZAY isa faith-centered children’s book inspired by Valerie’s three sons, Curtis, O'shawn, and Zay. Through Zay’s journey as a spiritual superhero, Valerie teaches children that life’s challenges can be met not only with physical strength, but through faith, prayer, God’s Word, and the support of family.
Her message is deeply rooted in her own experiences of hardship and resilience—from homelessness with her young children to seeing her sons overcome a shooting, serious mental-health struggles, and other life challenges. Through it all, Valerie credits her faith with carrying and protecting her family.
Her journey from arriving in Baltimore with little more than a backpack to later appearing on a Times Square billboard reflects her central belief: our circumstances do not have to determine our future. Valerie’s work is ultimately a message of faith, perseverance, hope, family, and choosing spiritual strength in the face of life’s battles.
