There's No Such Thing As Bad

About the Book

Some stories are not about overcoming. They are about listening.

In her memoir There’s No Such Thing As Bad, Joyce Skala traces a life shaped by trauma, fire, pain, visibility, and the quiet reckoning that follows survival. Through childhood shadows, a house fire that erased everything familiar, years of physical pain, PTSD, and the unraveling of identities that once worked; this memoir moves not toward resolution—but toward congruence.

This is not about fixing yourself. It is a story about learning to feel at home within yourself.

With lyric precision and unflinching honesty, Skala explores what happens when the body stops cooperating, when productivity no longer measures worth, and when alignment begins shaping outcomes instead of effort. As visibility grows and access shifts, the cost of authenticity becomes clear—

and so does what remains when performance falls away.

About the Author

JOYCE SKALA, known to many as Joyce Behind The Mic, is a writer, storyteller, and creative entrepreneur whose background spans live music, podcasting, performance, and community building. She founded Cypress Music Scene and hosts Joyce Behind The Mic, a podcast centered around connection, conversation, and the human experience. Her writing has appeared in print and digital publications and her work explores memoir, identity, culture, and personal transformation.